AFP news

Luxury giant Gucci announced Thursday it was parting ways with its chief designer Sabato De Sarno following a sales slump, in the latest shakeup at a major European label.

Israel's defence minister ordered the army on Thursday to start making preparations to allow for "voluntary" departures from the Gaza Strip, after US President Donald Trump floated a proposal to move Palestinians out of the territory.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's sports, in his latest move targeting transgender people since returning to office.

Global experts will debate threats from artificial intelligence (AI) at a gathering in Paris on Thursday and Friday, ahead of a summit of world leaders on the fast-moving technology.

The commander of a crack South Korean special forces unit told a court Thursday he had been asked by a superior officer how to cut electricity to parliament during last year's failed martial law order by impeached president Yook Suk Yeol.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he would skip Group of 20 talks this month in South Africa, accusing the host government of an "anti-American" agenda.

Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked visiting Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday for the "strong measures" her country has taken against scam centres targeting Chinese people.

Hundreds of Bangladeshi protesters smashed down buildings connected to ousted former leader Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, hours after students with excavators began demolishing a museum to her father.

What are the main dangers of using AI in weapons? Should AI in general be more tightly regulated?

The United States said Wednesday that its government vessels would sail for free through the Panama Canal following heavy pressure from President Donald Trump, but authorities at the waterway swiftly issued a denial.

The Bank of England was widely expected to cut its key interest rate on Thursday to help support weak British growth even if UK inflation stays elevated.

Last month was the hottest January on record, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday, despite expectations that cooler La Nina conditions might quell a streak of record-breaking global temperatures.

South Korean ministries and police said Thursday they were blocking DeepSeek's access to their computers, after the Chinese AI startup did not respond to a data watchdog request about how it manages user information.

Thousands of survivors held torchlit vigils across southern Turkey at 4:17 am Thursday, expressing pain and anger as they marked the exact moment two years ago when a devastating earthquake struck that led to the deaths of over 53,000 people in Turkey and some 6,000 in Syria.

Google parent company Alphabet has stopped making diversity and inclusion a workplace priority, according to a filing Wednesday with US regulators.

Argentina said Wednesday it will quit the World Health Organization, following in the footsteps of Donald Trump's United States and citing similar complaints over the UN body's management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Myanmar's junta failed in an attempt to auction Aung San Suu Kyi's lakeside mansion on Wednesday, with no bids submitted for the former democracy leader's home -- the third time the sale has flopped.

Philippine lawmakers on Wednesday voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, who has fallen out spectacularly with the country's leader, paving the way for a Senate trial that could see her removed from office.

Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are to disconnect from the Russian power grid on Saturday, a politically-charged move that severs their Soviet-era energy ties with Moscow.

Wild monkeys egged on by YouTubers have been rampaging at Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat complex, attacking tourists, wrecking temple stonework and damaging information boards, officials said Wednesday.

Sweden reeled Wednesday from the deadliest mass shooting in its history after 10 people plus the suspected gunman were killed in a shooting at an adult education centre in the central city of Orebro.

India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a ritual river dip on Wednesday at the world's largest religious festival, a week after a stampede killed at least 30 pilgrims.

Beijing accused the United States Wednesday of "suppression" after its postal service said it was suspending parcels from China and Hong Kong, a move that could hit e-commerce giants Temu and Shein.

Nissan shares plunged on Wednesday as reports said the struggling Japanese carmaker was walking away from merger talks with rival Honda.

Google on Tuesday updated its principles when it comes to artificial intelligence, removing vows not to use the technology for weapons or surveillance.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected on Wednesday to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament, winning some breathing space after less than two months in office but by no means ensuring his long-term future.

Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius -- the fallback target of the Paris climate accord -- is now "impossible," according to a stark new analysis published by leading scientists.

The US Treasury said Tuesday that Elon Musk's government reform team can read data from its highly sensitive payment system but not alter it, after Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over the move and called for an investigation.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law.