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Putin ready to talk to Trump, waiting for 'signals', Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to US counterpart Donald Trump but is waiting for signals from Washington first, the Kremlin said on Friday, fuelling expectations the two would be in contact.
Global stock markets build on Trump rally
Global stock markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street in response to US President Donald Trump's tax-cut pledge and his more friendly comments with regard to China.
Philippines turns to comic book to assert South China Sea claims
The Philippine government launched a comic book Friday asserting its claims in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tensions with Beijing over the strategic waterway.
Meta guru urges Europe to gamble more on AI
Europe should take greater risks and plough more money into artificial intelligence, Meta's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun told AFP at the World Economic Forum.
Trump's deportation operation underway, hundreds of migrants arrested: White House
Hundreds of migrants in the United States were arrested Thursday and others flown out of the country on military aircraft as President Donald Trump's promised mass deportation operation got underway, the White House said.
Frenchman on Indonesian death row to be sent home
A Frenchman on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for drug offences will be sent back to his home country, an Indonesian minister said Friday.
Stock markets build on Trump rally, yen climbs after BoJ cut
Markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street in response to Donald Trump's tax-cut pledge, while the yen strengthened after a widely expected interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan.
Taekwondo star Hamidi sacrifices her freedom to battle the Taliban
Afghan taekwondo star Marzieh Hamidi told AFP the death threats she has received, forcing her to live under French police protection, show how effective her stinging criticism of the Taliban has been.
Despite truce, Lebanese from devastated Naqura cannot go home
All signs of life have disappeared from the bombed-out houses and empty streets of the Lebanese border town of Naqura, but despite a fragile Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire that has held since November, no one can return.
Tax change sows anger on England farms
In a field in southwest England where his dairy cows graze, Adam Stanbury said he feared the government's new farm tax, coupled with existing economic headwinds, will ruin his family business and many others.
'Living in a cage': West Bank checkpoints proliferate after Gaza truce
Father Bashar Basiel moved freely in and out of his parish in the occupied West Bank until Israeli troops installed gates at the entrance of his village Taybeh overnight, just hours after a ceasefire began in Gaza.
Red herring: Why Trump wrongly blames a fish for LA wildfires
Donald Trump has derided the Delta smelt as a "worthless fish," blaming efforts to protect the species for the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on social media, in a press conference, and even a White House order.
Alien hunting? Look under sea, says Republican congressman
Is there anybody out there? Yes! says a Republican congressman: the aliens are right under the ocean.
Trump says will demand interest rates drop 'immediately'
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would seek to bring interest rates lower by unleashing energy production, and would speak to the Federal Reserve if needed.
Colombia asks Venezuela to help quell border violence
Colombia called on neighboring Venezuela Thursday to help tackle guerrillas blamed for a week of bloody violence that has displaced 40,000 people in the lawless border region.
Trump orders release of last JFK, RFK, King assassination files
US President Donald Trump ordered the declassification Thursday of the last secret files on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, a case that still fuels conspiracy theories more than 60 years after his death.
Trump declassifies JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King Jr assassination files
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday declassifying files on the 1960s assassinations of president John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Gaza hostage families conflicted over those not on release list
The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are trapped in limbo, two days before the second prisoner exchange of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, with many having relatives both on the list to be freed and those who aren't.
Berlin gallery shows artworks evacuated from war-torn Ukraine
A Berlin gallery opened an exhibition Thursday of artworks from a museum in Ukraine that were evacuated to Germany in 2023 to spare them from Russian bombardment.
Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600 bn trade, investment boost
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Thursday to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments as he congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House.
Sudan's army, paramilitaries trade blame over oil refinery attack
The Sudanese army and rival paramilitaries traded blame on Thursday over targeting a major oil refinery north of the capital Khartoum, where clashes between the warring sides have intensified.
Calls for calm, Pope on AI, Milei on Musk: What happened at Davos Thursday
There is a buzzword at the annual meeting of the world's elites in the Swiss luxury resort of Davos: tariffs, although artificial intelligence has been another big theme.
Ukraine orders children to evacuate from northeastern towns
Ukraine on Thursday announced evacuations of children from several towns in the northeastern Kharkiv region threatened by Russian forces, as Moscow said it saw nothing new in US President Donald Trump's call for it to end its invasion.
West Africa juntas tighten screws on foreign mining firms
Earlier this month, soldiers swooped by helicopter into a vast mining complex in western Mali and made away with three tonnes of gold -- all done on the orders of the military government.
UK to make case to Trump against whisky tariff: finance minister
Britain will make the case to US President Donald Trump that Scotch whisky and other goods should be spared from any tariffs by the new administration, UK finance minister Rachel Reeves said Thursday.
Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600bn trade, investment boost
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Thursday to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments as he congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House.
Palestinian official says hundreds leave Jenin as Israel presses raid
A Palestinian official said hundreds of people began leaving their homes in a flashpoint area of the West Bank on Thursday as Israeli forces pressed a deadly operation there.
Kremlin ready for 'mutually respectful' Trump talks
The Kremlin said Thursday it saw nothing new in US President Donald Trump's calls for Russia to end its military offensive in Ukraine, and that Moscow was ready for "mutually respectful" dialogue with him.
Chief US diplomat vows 'unwavering support' for Israel
The United States' new top diplomat Marco Rubio reaffirmed the country's "unwavering support" for Israel, days into a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a large-scale raid in the occupied West Bank.
Trump to take virtual centre stage in Davos
Donald Trump on Thursday will star in an eagerly-anticipated online appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, addressing global elites whose annual gabfest has been consumed by the US president's days-old second term.
Friedrich Merz: millionaire conservative on verge of German chancellery
Tucking into beer and pretzels, the frontrunner to become Germany's next chancellor, conservative millionaire Friedrich Merz, is showing off his folksy side.
Trump's return darkens mood as Germany heads to elections
Donald Trump's return to the White House has darkened the mood in Germany a month before elections, as multiple crises shake the foundations on which Europe's biggest economy built its post-war prosperity.