WORLD

Trump and China's president discuss trade, fentanyl, and TikTok amid a looming U.S. ban.

Oscar-nominated English actor Joan Plowright, acknowledged as one of the leading actors of her generation, has died at the age of 95, her family said on Friday.

Thirty people have been killed in violence between rival leftwing groups near Colombia's restive border with Venezuela, authorities said Friday, prompting the government to suspend peace talks with one guerilla group.

President Joe Biden on Friday commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses in what the White House called the largest single-day act of clemency in US history.

US Homeland Security secretary nominee Kristi Noem said Friday weaknesses at the southern border are the country's "number one threat" as she set out her vision for the department that will oversee Donald Trump's promised immigration crackdown.

Abd al-Kuri sits in the Indian Ocean along a critical commercial waterway near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden

A French maritime patrol aircraft was the object of an "intimidation attempt" this week by the Russian military over the Baltic Sea, France said Friday, calling the incident "unacceptable".

Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks Friday with US President-elect Donald Trump, Chinese state media reported.

In a sprawling tent city in central Gaza, Palestinians displaced by war to other parts of the territory are all waiting for one thing: a ceasefire so they can go home.

France's President Emmanuel Macron was in Lebanon on Friday, where he was due to meet his newly-elected counterpart and offer support to leaders seeking to open a new chapter in their country's turbulent history.

The EU on Friday demanded X provide more details about its algorithms as part of its wide-ranging probe into the platform, as Elon Musk's outbursts on European politics ramp up pressure for the bloc to act.

With 33 dead in four days and 29 in intensive care after drinking bootleg liquor in Istanbul, the politically-charged debate over Turkey's soaring alcohol taxes has swung back into the spotlight.

A suspension for Elon Musk-owned social network X in the European Union could be more difficult than some politicians have suggested and at worst only temporary, experts told AFP. Former European Commissioner Thierry Breton brought suspending X into play last week, suggesting in a TV interview that it would be "possible" to suspend the platform across the 27-nation bloc.

An Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal expected to take effect on Sunday has sparked hope for life-saving aid to reach Palestinians, but aid agencies warn of obstacles from destroyed infrastructure, massive need and collapsed law and order.

Israel's security cabinet recommended approving a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that should take effect this weekend.

Consumers pinching pennies, businesses seeing fewer customers, and a pervading sense that the economy just isn't bouncing back -- the mood was grim in Beijing as China posted some of its lowest growth in decades.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was pushed to the limit in setting up an Australian Open showdown with talented teenager Mirra Andreeva on Friday while Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set before surging into the last 16.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas would have never been reached without pressure from him and his incoming administration.

China said Friday its population fell for the third year running in 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country faces a rapidly ageing population and persistently low birth rates.

If approved by Israel's cabinet, the ceasefire agreement would take effect Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalized.

The US Trade Representative said Thursday that its probe into China's practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors found that Beijing's undermining of fair competition warranted "urgent action."

North Korea condemned on Friday joint military drills between South Korea, Japan and the United States held this week, threatening to respond by exercising its right to self-defence "more intensively".

Premier League leaders Liverpool must end their recent wobble to keep the chasing pack at bay this weekend.

Her voice tinged with anger, an American mother worried about what the future holds for her teenage daughter, just one of dozens of girls targeted in yet another AI-enabled pornography scandal that has rocked a US school.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Sudan's army chief days after blacklisting his main rival, as outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced regret at his failure to end the brutal war.

LEGO, the Danish toy giant, is tapping into the education market with products that will help kids learn science in the classroom.

For seven years, US director David Lynch drank the same chocolate milkshake each day at the same time from the same place in Los Angeles because he believed it helped his creativity.

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho will present his new film "Mickey 17" out of competition in Berlin next month, the city's film festival announced on Thursday.

The head of a leading Venezuelan human rights group was released from detention Thursday, his NGO said, after nine days in custody following a crackdown on critics of President Nicolas Maduro.