AFP news

Equity markets suffered a bloodbath Thursday after Donald Trump delivered a "haymaker" blow with sweeping tariffs against US partners and rivals, fanning a global trade war that many fear will spark recessions and ramp up inflation.

South Korea's Constitutional Court is set to rule Friday on whether to strip impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol of office over his abortive declaration of martial law which plunged the country into political chaos.

What is being billed as a "revolution" for the sport of athletics gets under way in Kingston on Friday with the opening meeting of US sprinting legend Michael Johnson's ambitious Grand Slam Track series.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest early Thursday on his first trip to Europe since 2023 and in defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant against him.

Liverpool moved closer to the Premier League title with a 1-0 win in the Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday, while Manchester City beat Leicester 2-0 to bolster their bid to reach the Champions League.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said in an interview published Wednesday that she would use all possible legal avenues to stand in 2027 elections despite a ban on her running and hailed the promise of a speedy appeal of her criminal conviction.

"They are our eyes," said Karin happily after releasing the arm of one of the specialised "image whisperers" guiding her and other blind people around Geneva's Red Cross museum.

Tesla sales kept falling in March in many European markets as it suffered from a double blow of boycotts against the policies of its founder Elon Musk and an ageing model line-up.

Stock markets diverged Wednesday as investors fretted over what shape US President Donald Trump's fresh wave of tariffs would take later in the day.

Gaming giant Nintendo is set to unveil the successor to its phenomenally popular Switch console on Wednesday.

The United States said Tuesday it has approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, as Washington backs its ally in rising tensions over China.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads Wednesday to a NATO meeting in Europe as transatlantic tensions soar, with President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on Europeans and challenging Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland.

Artificial intelligence risks taking Japanese anime artists' jobs but nothing can replicate Hayao Miyazaki, the creative lifeblood of the studio behind classics such as "Spirited Away", his son told AFP. Thanks to ChatGPT's new image generator, the internet is awash with pictures imitating Studio Ghibli's whimsical style, raising fresh debate over potential copyright infringements.

The World Health Organization is facing a gaping deficit this year and through 2027 following the US decision to withdraw, even after dramatically slashing its budget, a media report indicated Wednesday.

Val Kilmer, one of the biggest Hollywood actors of the 1990s who shot to fame playing Iceman in the original "Top Gun", has died aged 65 after a career of memorable hits and on-set bust ups.

Israel has been gripped by allegations linking aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to financing from Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders and helped broker the release of hostages from Gaza.

US President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sweeping new "Liberation Day" tariffs on Wednesday, but kept the world guessing until the last minute about the scope of an onslaught that could spark a global trade war.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of military operations in Hamas-run Gaza, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory.

El Salvador's pugilistic president has become a key partner for US President Donald Trump's in-your-face campaign to deport migrants, with both men hoping to reap the political benefits.

Rescuers on Wednesday pulled a man alive from the rubble five days after Myanmar's devastating earthquake, as calls grew for the junta to allow more aid in and halt attacks on rebels.

China's military drills around Taiwan this week aim to send a clear message to the island's leadership, analysts say -- in the event of war, Beijing can cut them off from the outside world and grind them into submission.

Donald Trump's second presidency was dealt a spinning blow by voters in Wisconsin Tuesday as they elected a liberal judge to the state's Supreme Court, despite his powerful advisor Elon Musk pouring millions into the race to sway the polls.

China's military said it practised hitting key ports and energy sites during "live-fire" drills Wednesday as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan, the democratic island it claims as its own.

Language used by President Donald Trump and his government to slash US-funded foreign aid is being adopted by other governments to attack NGOs and independent media, rights groups warn.

The conviction of French far right leader Marine Le Pen and immediate ban on standing for political office has stunned her movement, sparked impassioned reactions abroad and added further uncertainty to the 2027 presidential race.

OpenAI on Monday said it raised $40 billion in a new funding round that valued the ChatGPT maker at $300 billion, the biggest capital-raising session ever for a startup.

President Donald Trump has revoked the licenses that allowed several transnational oil and gas companies to operate in Venezuela despite the country being under US sanctions.

Support for cryptocurrencies from US President Donald Trump or Argentine leader Javier Milei has seen investors lose billions of dollars and is damaging a sector struggling for credibility, researchers told AFP. "The entire crypto industry is being tarnished," said Claire Balva, strategy director for fintech company Deblock.

Sam Mendes will release four movies about The Beatles in the same month, the director announced Monday, with Paul Mescal playing Paul McCartney and Barry Keoghan portraying Ringo Starr in "the first bingeable theatrical experience."