BUSINESS

Spain's top prosecutor on Wednesday denied leaking legal documents about the partner of the Madrid region's influential conservative leader, legal sources said, a case embarrassing Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Group said Wednesday that it has promoted Hiroki Totoki to chief executive officer as part of a wider management reorganization.

19 state attorneys general have called on Costco to eliminate its DEI policies, claiming they constitute unlawful discrimination.

The Spanish economy expanded 3.2 percent last year thanks to buoyant exports and consumption that have made it one of the fastest-growing developed countries, official data showed on Wednesday.

With around six million dollars and a stockpile of chips acquired before Washington banned their export to China, startup DeepSeek has produced what Chinese tech titans couldn't -- a world-class AI chatbot.

Tesla is set to report earnings Wednesday for the first time since President Donald Trump -- a close ally of CEO Elon Musk -- returned to the White House.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr faces a pivotal Senate hearing Wednesday where he will be grilled on his history of promoting vaccine misinformation and plans to upend US science agencies as he bids to become President Donald Trump's health secretary.

After three interest rate cuts in a row, the US Federal Reserve is expected to take a breather on Wednesday and signal it will remain on pause until the data changes, despite pressure to cut from President Donald Trump.

Hollywood star Renee Zellweger on Wednesday will mark the return of Bridget Jones -- the Chardonnay-swigging, calorie-counting hapless 1990s singleton -- at the world premiere of the franchise's upcoming film "Mad About the Boy".

Taiwan will consider supporting its domestic industry the government said Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump warned he will soon place tariffs on overseas-made semiconductor chips.

US export controls on high-tech chips may have inadvertently fuelled the success of start-up DeepSeek's AI chatbot, sparking fears in Washington there could be little it can do to stop China in the push for global dominance in AI. The firm, based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has stunned investors and industry insiders with its R1 programme, which can match its American competitors seemingly at a fraction of the cost.

Dutch tech giant ASML, which sells cutting-edge machines to make semiconductor chips, reported a drop in annual net profits Wednesday, as geopolitical headwinds and the emergence of Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek disrupt the sector.

Manchester United and Tottenham are among the sides aiming to ensure direct passage to the Europa League last 16 in Thursday's league phase finale with nine places in the knockout stages up for grabs.

Japanese media are still failing to report sexual assault cases properly, a key figure in the country's nascent #MeToo movement told AFP in the wake of the scandal surrounding celebrity Masahiro Nakai and Fuji TV. Former boy band star Nakai was accused in a tabloid last month of sexually assaulting a woman in 2023, allegedly paying her some 90 million yen (about $570,000) as she signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Asian markets rose in holiday-thinned trade Wednesday, tracking a rally on Wall Street, where tech titans led by Nvidia recovered some of their hefty losses a day earlier as worries over Chinese AI startup DeepSeek subsided.

For a month every year, thousands of Bolivians throng the stalls of an unusual market in La Paz, shopping for tiny toy houses and wads of fake cash -- substitutes for the real-life objects their hearts desire.

Unfounded cancer cures, dubious anti-vaccine narratives, and false claims that neurological disorders can be "reversed" through diets: influential American and European podcasters are peddling harmful health misinformation while largely escaping scrutiny, researchers say.

Blurred posts, downranked searches and deleted accounts: Since President Donald Trump's election, groups sharing information about abortion pills say they have faced a surge in online censorship--hindering their ability to reach women urgently seeking the procedure.

A stampede at the world's largest religious gathering in India killed at least 15 people with many more injured, a doctor at the Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj told AFP Wednesday.

Smithfield Foods, the largest pork processor in the country, announced it will not close additional plants as it focuses on growth following its initial public offering (IPO), CEO Shane Smith said Tuesday.

Hundreds of millions of people across Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families on Wednesday, as they bid farewell to the Year of the Dragon and usher in the Year of the Snake.

While inflation has normalized in recent months, large fiscal impulses and the looming specter of trade tariffs could potentially reassert inflationary pressures.

China-based DeepSeek's artificial intelligence model has shaken the sector by offering high performance apparently at a fraction of the cost of those developed by US giants, with many experts saying the release also hints at opportunity for investment minnow Europe.

Thousands of people rallied in junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali on Tuesday to back their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, due to take effect Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the Louvre would be "redesigned, restored and enlarged" after the director of the world's most visited museum voiced alarm about dire conditions for visitors and its collections.

US stocks and shares in chip-making giant Nvidia on Tuesday clawed back some of their losses following a sell-off triggered by the sudden success of Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek.

Boeing reported a hefty fourth-quarter loss Tuesday following a bruising 2024, but shares rallied on hopes that early turnaround signs under a new CEO may bear fruit.

Pakistan criminalised online disinformation on Tuesday, passing legislation dictating punishments of up to three years in jail and prompting journalist protests accusing the government of quashing dissent.

Disgraced former Premier League referee David Coote says he hid his sexuality over fears of the abuse he would receive for being gay, apologising for the actions that led to his sacking.