AFP news

The survey of economists by AFP estimated growth in the world's number two economy hit 4.9 percent last year, down from the 5.2 percent recorded in 2023.

Blockbuster employment figures on Friday, which followed a better-than-expected read on job openings, reinforced the view that the world's top economy and labor market were still in rude health.

A launch window from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, opens at 4:00 pm (2200 GMT) Wednesday and will be carried in a live webcast on Musk's X platform.

Djokovic needed four sets for the second match in a row before defeating Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2.

Many economists have warned that Trump's campaign proposals, which included imposing sweeping import tariffs and overseeing the largest deportation in US history, could cause a spike in inflation, forcing the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher for longer.

Above the roaring fires devastating parts of Los Angeles is an incongruous sight: air tankers dropping gallons of bright red and Barbie-pink slurry over forest, homes, cars, and anything else that might lie in the blazes' path.

Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday demanded the return of stolen assets, decrying the scale of corruption under the ousted government of Sheikh Hasina, toppled by a revolution last year.

A professional mine rescue company sent a large cage to retrieve men at the site near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.

So far, none of the more than 80 venues due to stage Olympic competition in Los Angeles have been directly affected by the infernos that have left at least 24 people dead and reduced entire neighborhoods to smouldering ruins.

Yoon's December 3 power grab plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, after he directed soldiers to storm parliament in an unsuccessful attempt to stop lawmakers voting down his suspension of civilian rule.

It was the second round of such talks in less than two months, following a discreet meeting in Geneva last November between Tehran and the three European powers, Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3.

The charges include for one burglary that netted $200,000 and one in which an Emmy statuette was stolen, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters.

In the women's draw, Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina were both emphatic winners on day three, with Emma Navarro and Emma Raducanu also victorious.

Even before taking office, Trump has raised the prospect of fresh levies on companies, countries and groups of states as he seeks to implement his agenda.

Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the region, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against the West as the two sides square off over Ukraine.

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Citing anonymous people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News had earlier reported that Chinese officials were considering selling the company's US operations to Musk's social media platform X.

Bayrou, who became France's fourth prime minister in a year when he took office a month ago, faces a huge challenge to get agreement on long-overdue budget plan for 2025 and resolve bitter disputes over a 2023 pension reform.

Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves is expected to address parliament Tuesday to try and regain the confidence of markets in the face of rising pressure over the country's struggling economy.

The company said it would aim for early Thursday morning at the earliest, with a new three-hour window starting at 1:00 am (0600 GMT).

A report saying the incoming US leader's economics team was considering slowly hiking tariffs on imports provided support to traders and put a cap on the dollar's latest surge, while news of fresh curbs on AI chips to China appeared to have little immediate impact.

The launch came as Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited South Korea for a series of meetings with top officials, with the Asian neighbors seeking to boost bilateral ties before Trump returns to office next week.

After nearly 35 years living in this complex, Ridgway was determined to save its 18 apartments from the devastating flames.

Mongkol Thirakot, 31, was sentenced last year to at least 50 years in prison on royal defamation charges for posts made on his personal Facebook account several years ago.

Lured by its myriad sights and a weak yen, Japan has seen foreign tourism numbers explode in recent years, with arrivals in 2024 expected to have hit a record of more than 35 million.

Millions of Hindu pilgrims are gathering in India to bathe in sacred waters for the six-week-long Kumbh Mela festival -- from the very old to babies, cave-dwelling monks to science teachers.

Thirteen nominees will be grilled before 11 committees, and while many will sail through, others face controversies ranging from alleged sexual assault and heavy drinking to their relationships with dictators and vaccine skepticism.

Smith, who was special counsel appointed to investigate Trump, dropped the federal criminal case against the incoming leader after he won November's presidential election.

The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a show of religious piety and ritual bathing -- and a logistical challenge of staggering proportions -- is held at the site where the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers meet.