AFP news

Voting deadlines had to be extended this month, as the US entertainment capital and home city of the Academy Awards was devastated by multiple blazes that have killed more than two dozen people and forced tens of thousands to flee.

Taking aim at an "inflation crisis" which he said was driven by rising energy prices, Trump vowed: "Today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill."

Seasonal air pollution has long afflicted Thailand, like many countries in the region, as colder, stagnant winter air combines with smoke from crop stubble burning and car fumes.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty earlier this week to the killings, as well as to 10 counts of attempted murder and possessing a blade, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwest England.

The fight pits two of the internet's best-known tech giants against each other -- and highlights the starkly different ethos behind Musk's X social media site and Wikipedia, founded by American entrepreneur Jimmy Wales.

Gas generation, meanwhile, declined for the fifth year in a row and fossil-fueled power dipped to a "historic low", climate think tank Ember said in its European Electricity Review 2025.

The official charges against Yoon were "leading an insurrection and abuse of power", the Corruption Investigation Office said after a 51-day probe into his December 3 attempt to suspend civilian rule.

Shanghai led the winners, eating into year-to-date losses after China unveiled a fresh batch of measures aimed at boosting the country's stock markets as part of Beijing's moves to provide support to the stuttering economy.

Russia's war in Ukraine drove up energy prices, hammering the German economy just as Chinese demand for its exports has waned, while Trump's comeback throws doubt on the future of the NATO security umbrella.

Trump's name has come up in almost every conversation in the Swiss Alpine village this week: in formal panel discussions, in shuttles ferrying people up and down the mountain, and in exclusive parties along the promenade.

As the nation observed a day of mourning, dozens of families were preparing to bury their loved ones who died as the blaze ripped through the 12-storey hotel.

Trump has ramped up the pressure by warning Washington's European allies that he could withhold US protection, calling for NATO to more than double its defense spending target.

In a country already grappling with war and famine, the swap replaced 500 and 1,000 Sudanese pound banknotes (worth around $0.25 and $0.50 respectively) with new ones in seven states.

The prison guards forbade him from revealing his condition, only sending him to hospital for his likely tuberculosis symptoms -- widespread in the notorious Saydnaya prison where he was detained.

The settlement concludes a years-long legal battle over unlawful practices by two of the media mogul's newspapers -- The Sun and now-shuttered News of the World -- and avoids the case going to a full trial.

Company executives credited steady investments in shows and films with helping power growth at the streaming behemoth, while announcing it is increasing prices in Argentina, Canada, Portugal and the United States

Moments after being sworn into office, the Republican president came out swinging, with a raft of executive orders aimed at slashing migration and changing how the US determines who is allowed to live here.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the government in Panama City referred to an article of the UN Charter precluding any member from "the threat or use of force" against the territorial integrity or political independence of another.

As world tourism returned to pre-pandemic levels with 1.4 billion people taking a trip abroad, according to the UN, both France and Spain announced record visitor numbers.

Trump's executive order on "Unleashing American Energy" on Monday included steps to ensure a "level" playing field for gasoline-powered motors and halt federal funding to build new EV charging stations.

Intense rainfall in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city in Central Java province sparked the landslide on Monday, collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek edged closer to a first Melbourne crown with a ruthless 6-1, 6-2 victory over American eighth seed Emma Navarro in gusty conditions on Rod Laver Arena.

Software investment giant SoftBank soared more than nine percent -- leading Tokyo-listed chipmakers higher -- after the American president said it was included in a new $500-billion venture to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence in the United States.

A 3-1 home defeat to Brighton that drew Amorim's stinging criticism of the current state of affairs at Old Trafford left United marooned in 13th in the Premier League and with little hope of a return to the Champions League next season.

As night falls in the southern Chinese city of Fuzhou, lanterns -- some of them 10 meters high -- transform Hongguang Lake Park into a fantastical land of orange dragons, majestic sailboats, fish with sparkling turquoise scales and goddesses with angelic faces.

The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to Muan in the southwest on December 29 carrying 181 passengers and crew when it belly-landed at Muan airport and exploded in a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier.

Trump, just hours after taking office, also ordered that all pending criminal cases against Capitol riot defendants be dropped.

After a troubled start to life at Madrid, Mbappe finally seems at home and ready to wreak havoc both in Spain and in Europe.

The new US president's announcement that the country's closest neighbors could be hit with 25 percent levies as soon as February 1 also jolted currency markets, with the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar tumbling.