AFP news

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country's leader insisted he was not afraid of a US invasion and offered talks.

Canadian border cities were left saddened and angered on Sunday over US President Donald Trump's move to impose steep tariffs, with the mayor of Sarnia, Ontario likening the rift to a "failing marriage."

The European Union insisted Sunday it would retaliate "firmly" if US President Donald Trump hit it with tariffs, as Brussels decried his sweeping measures against Canada, Mexico and China.

President Donald Trump said he will discuss the punishing tariffs he has levied on Canada and Mexico with both countries on Monday, after arguing that Americans may feel economic "pain" from the 25 percent duties but that it will be "worth the price."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Sunday for the United States where he will become the first foreign leader to meet Donald Trump since the US president returned to office.

Beyonce on Sunday finally won the Grammy for the year's best album for her culture-shaking "Cowboy Carter," as rapper Kendrick Lamar posted a clean sweep on a night that served as a love letter to fire-ravaged Los Angeles.

South Korea will ask Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to clarify how it manages users' personal information, its data watchdog said Friday, joining a number of countries seeking answers.

Deforestation in Indonesia rose in 2024 for a third year running, a local environmental NGO said Friday based on satellite image analysis and fieldwork.

Music's biggest stars including Beyonce and Taylor Swift will vie for top awards at Sunday's Grammys gala, a glitzy ceremony proceeding despite devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.

Germany's conservative opposition leader was set Friday to again seek far-right support in parliament on the flashpoint issue of immigration, after his first effort sparked widespread condemnation and street protests.

Two longstanding US city newspapers, including one immortalized in "The Sopranos," will vanish from newsstands leaving Jersey City without printed news as the media struggles against headwinds nationwide.

With less than 24 hours before President Donald Trump's deadline to impose sweeping tariffs on the three biggest US trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and China -- the global economy is bracing for impact.

Emergency workers in Japan began building a ramp Friday to try and reach a 74-year-old truck driver who has not been heard from since his vehicle was swallowed by a sinkhole this week.

The Thai government has ordered a crackdown on farmers flouting a ban on crop burning, as pollution in Bangkok spiked on Friday a week after toxic air forced hundreds of schools to close.

European and Asian stock markets mostly rose Friday, the end of a week beset by volatility after China's DeepSeek unveiled an artificial intelligence model to rival those of US tech giants.

Behind a blue door in a narrow London passage lies a little-known network of tunnels deep underground, once home to British spies and a secret long-distance telephone exchange.

Intel reported a fourth-quarter loss on Tuesday, but better than expected revenue as the US chip giant continues to struggle to stake its place in the artificial intelligence revolution.

The midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a US Army Blackhawk helicopter in Washington has puzzled experts, given the perfect flying conditions and strict controls in one of the world's busiest air corridors.

Faced with the first big test of his new administration, Donald Trump wanted to show he was in control.

Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win at Romanian side FCSB, while troubled Tottenham turned to their young guns to advance via a top-eight finish on Thursday.

The United States and Russia have pledged their readiness to resume nuclear disarmament talks after years of confrontation, but analysts are sceptical that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin can or even want to reach a breakthrough new agreement.

Bernard Arnault, the billionaire boss of the world's biggest luxury conglomerate LVMH, has picked a fight with the French government by suggesting that companies could flee France for the United States to escape a planned tax hike.

Apple on Thursday reported its revenue was a whopping $124.3 billion in the year-end holiday quarter, but sales growth fell shy of market expectations as the iPhone faces stiff competition, particularly in China.

The Rolling Stones on Thursday led tributes to Sixties music icon Marianne Faithfull, adding she would be forever remembered after her death at the age of 78.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of a Palestinian militant group jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis, is to be released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

A man who repeatedly burnt the Koran in 2023 in Sweden, sparking outrage in Muslim countries, has been shot dead south of Stockholm, investigators said Thursday, adding that five people had been arrested.

President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its "aggressive and coercive behaviour" in the contested South China Sea and ceases claiming Filipino territory.

A record 92.3 million passengers travelled through Dubai's international airport last year, its operator said on Thursday, underlining the Gulf city's economic boom.

British energy giant Shell on Thursday announced a 17-percent drop in annual net profit owing to weaker oil and gas prices as well as asset write-offs.