AFP news

A Qantas plane made an emergency landing Friday due to engine failure soon after taking off from Australia's Sydney Airport, sparking a grassfire on a nearby runway and causing several flights to be diverted.

Russian bombardments of Ukrainian cities overnight killed at least one person and wounded more than three dozen more authorities said on Friday, as Moscow escalated its bombing campaign of civilian hubs.

Reforming Europe's economy is all the more urgent following Donald Trump's US election win, warned the author of a blockbuster report, Mario Draghi, ahead of talks Friday with EU leaders in Budapest on tackling the challenge.

Israeli, Dutch and European leaders on Friday condemned "anti-Semitic" clashes that erupted in Amsterdam overnight after a Europa League football match, with Israel sending rescue planes for their citizens.

China on Friday unveiled some of its most ambitious plans in years to lift local government debt and boost its economy, following a meeting of lawmakers eyeing the possibility of intensified trade tensions with US president-elect Donald Trump.

Asia's markets rally stuttered Friday after early gains as traders struggled to keep up with another Wall Street record following the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut, while they were also weighing the outlook with another Trump administration.

Yannick Bestaven already knows what it feels like to win the Vendee Globe but the 51-year-old Frenchman cannot resist the call of the solo, non-stop round the world yacht race, which sets off from Les Sables-d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast on Sunday.

For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play football is easily summed up: "It was a dream."

Venerated as incarnations of Hindu deities, India's sacred cows are also being touted as agents of energy transition by a government determined to promote biogas production to cut its dependence on coal.

Democrats are facing a painful reckoning over Kamala Harris's drubbing at the hands of Donald Trump in the US presidential election, as shock gives way to anger and recrimination in the aftermath of a devastating repudiation.

Thousands of people were urged to flee an out-of-control wildfire burning around communities near Los Angeles on Thursday, with dozens of homes already lost to the fast-moving flames.

US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday made the first appointment of his new administration -- naming a chief of staff -- with other key jobs set to be filled in the "days and weeks ahead," according to his team.

The US Federal Reserve shrugged off concerns about the economic impact of Donald Trump's election victory and moved ahead with a quarter point cut Thursday.

President Joe Biden urged Americans Thursday to lower the political temperature after Donald Trump's crushing election win over Kamala Harris, saying in a conciliatory address to the nation that he would ensure a peaceful transition of power.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said it would be "suicidal" for Europe to offer the Kremlin concessions to halt its invasion of Ukraine, after Moscow demanded the West enter direct talks on ending the war.

After Donald Trump's re-election, Iran has projected indifference, officially stating it expects no fundamental shift in US policy, especially on sanctions or the Middle East's wars.

European leaders gathered in Budapest Thursday in search of a joint response to the threats of a new Donald Trump presidency -- though the seat of powerhouse Germany was left empty by a deepening political crisis.

Police in Mozambique fired tear gas and deployed dogs to disperse protesters in the capital Maputo Thursday, after the opposition called a demonstration against the contested election results.

Unusual cross-party support is swelling in France behind a draft law meant to halt a looming "mexicanisation" of the country by a burgeoning drug trade, defying an otherwise riven political landscape.

Canada said Wednesday it is shutting down TikTok's offices in the country following a security review, but people will still be allowed to use the popular video-sharing app.

In his stone house perched on a hill in northern Ethiopia, Amanuel Hiluf puts on his protective suit, carefully adjusting the hood and gloves.

Chinese exports surged last month at their fastest pace in more than two years, data showed Thursday, easily topping forecasts and providing optimism about the economy as officials steel for a potential US trade war after Donald Trump was re-elected president.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday Beijing and Washington must find a way to "get along" in a message to US president-elect Donald Trump, state media reported.

Major arms exporter South Korea is not ruling out providing weapons directly to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, signalling a possible shift in Seoul's stance on the issue.

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said Thursday that the head of its China operations had been detained, after reports the firm was under investigation for potentially illegal data collection and drug imports.

The UK government announced sanctions on Thursday against three private mercenary groups operating in Africa with links to the Kremlin, including Wagner group successor Africa Corps.

Australia's prime minister on Thursday vowed to ban children under 16 from social media, saying the pervasive influence of platforms like Facebook and TikTok was "doing real harm to our kids".

Asian equities mostly rose Thursday, while the dollar held gains and bitcoin hit a fresh record as markets try to ascertain the consequences of a second Donald Trump presidency after he pledged to cut taxes and ramp up tariffs with an eye on China.

Germany enters a period of political uncertainty Thursday after its fragile three-party ruling coalition collapsed on the same day Donald Trump won the US election.