Last news
Fear and propaganda: Russian tactics in captured lands
The first Ukrainian woman emerged from the evacuation bus shaking with sobs so violent she could barely speak.
China unveils new orders for homegrown passenger jet
China announced Wednesday hundreds of new orders for its first domestically manufactured large passenger jet, with the aircraft poised to make its commercial debut early next year.
Hong Kong charges four for reposting election boycott calls
Four people in Hong Kong were charged on Wednesday for reposting social media content by democracy activists calling for a boycott of the city's "patriots only" election last December.
North Korea fires ballistic missile, Seoul's military says
North Korea fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest launch from Pyongyang following a record-breaking testing blitz earlier this month.
Dark clouds over China's economy as zero-Covid, global slowdown bite
A slew of lacklustre indicators for October show strict and enduring Covid curbs as well as a global slowdown are dragging on China's economy, analysts told AFP, with prospects looking increasingly grim for 2023.
Nissan hikes forecasts on weak yen despite falling unit sales
Nissan on Wednesday upgraded its full-year profit forecasts, as the depreciating yen helps inflate its overseas profits, despite ongoing challenges including Covid shutdowns and the global chip shortage.
Rare Canaanite inscription found on ivory comb in Israel
A rare inscription that sheds new light on the use of Canaanite language some 3,700 years ago has been discovered on an ivory comb in southern Israel, archaeologists said Wednesday.
Asian markets tepid with eyes on China, US midterms
Asian stocks made a positive start on Wednesday following gains on Wall Street, but lost momentum as factory gate prices in China fell for the first time in nearly two years.
Striking Kenya Airways pilots return to work
Kenya Airways pilots returned to work on Wednesday, after a court ordered them to end their days-long strike which had led to hundreds of flight cancellations and stranded thousands of passengers.
WHO chief Tedros walking tightrope on Tigray
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization's leader, is in the rare position of heading a UN agency's response to a humanitarian crisis in which his own family's survival is at stake.
Australian sentenced to 129 years in Philippine child sex abuse case
An Australian man has been sentenced to 129 years in a Philippine jail as part of a child sexual abuse case involving victims as young as 18 months, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Little respite for Ukrainian artillery fighters near Bakhmut
From the woods at the edge of Bakhmut, a besieged Ukrainian city in the Donbas region, a soldier shouts: "Postril!"
US livid as basketball star Griner said moved to Russia penal colony
Russia is moving detained US basketball star Brittney Griner to a penal colony, her lawyers said Wednesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House.
Moldova facing dark winter as energy crisis bites
A silence hangs over Ion Ignat's normally noisy factory in Chetrosu, Moldova, with his 50 workers fretting about their future.
Australian sentenced to 129 years in Philippine child sex abuse case: prosecutor
An Australian man has been sentenced to 129 years in a Philippine jail as part of a child sexual abuse case involving victims as young as 18 months, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Republican 'red wave' hopes fizzle in US midterm vote
President Joe Biden's agenda hung in the balance early Wednesday as a predicted Republican wave failed to materialize in congressional elections fought against a backdrop of stubbornly high inflation and fears for US democracy.
Turbulence ahead: Airline on the block in Sri Lanka reforms
Dozens of state-owned Sri Lankan companies employing tens of thousands of people could be restructured or closed as part of an IMF bailout of the bankrupt country, with the country's airline top of the list for reform.
England to give Malan, Wood maximum time to make World Cup semi
England will make last-minute calls on the fitness of Dawid Malan and Mark Wood as they look to spoil the party in Thursday's Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against India, Jos Buttler said.
Climbers at odds over far-right dogwhistle route names
Just outside Vienna, climbers scramble up "Fortress Europe", one of the routes up an impressive rockface towering over fields and forests.
Seoul's military says it salvaged North Korean missile debris
South Korea's military said Wednesday it had retrieved and analysed debris from a missile the North fired across the two countries' de facto maritime border during a recent blitz of launches.
Divided America votes on Biden as Florida governor scores big
President Joe Biden's agenda hung in the balance Tuesday on a tense election night, with one potential 2024 challenger, Ron DeSantis, winning a crushing victory for a new term as Florida's governor.
Tense US midterm race sparks fear of misinformation surge
A gush of misinformation around US midterm elections could turn into a torrent after voting ends, experts warn, as tensions grow around key razor-tight races.
Roma teen star Volpato rejected last-gasp Australia World Cup call
Roma teenager Cristian Volpato rejected numerous 11th-hour attempts to convince him to play for Australia at this month's World Cup, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said.
Asian markets turn tepid after China factory data
Asian stocks made a positive start Wednesday following gains on Wall Street but lost momentum as factory gate prices in China fell for the first time in nearly two years.
Inside the 'living hell' of Cambodia's scam operations
Trafficked, beaten and locked up far from his family in China, Lu was one of thousands of people in Cambodia forced to operate online scams to line their captors' pockets.
China's ultra-rich squeezed by slowing economy: Hurun ranking
The wealth of China's billionaires this year dropped by the largest amount in more than two decades, according to an annual ranking, as zero-Covid curbs and a property market crisis stall the world's second-largest economy.
House of hordes: UK's parliament swells after PM upheaval
Britain's House of Lords shares some characteristics with the Chinese National People's Congress: their signature colours are red, and neither is elected by popular vote.
China factory gate prices fall for first time in nearly two years
Factory gate prices in China were down for the first time in nearly two years last month, official data showed Wednesday, as falling global commodity prices made their mark on an economy ailing under strict Covid controls.
Elon Musk sells nearly $4bn in Tesla stock: SEC filing
Tesla chief Elon Musk sold nearly $4 billion worth of shares in the electric car company, SEC filings showed Tuesday, more than a week after he closed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.
Brazil transition takes shape, Bolsonaro keeps low profile
The head of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's transition on Tuesday picked a team to smooth the leftist's ascent to Brazil's presidency, while outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro remained uncharacteristically silent after his election loss.
World Cup ambassador calls homosexuality 'damage in the mind'
A Qatari World Cup ambassador called homosexuality a "damage in the mind" in a German TV interview, sparking criticism in Europe and the United States Tuesday just 12 days before the tournament kicks off.
Essequibo - the Guyanese region claimed by Venezuela
Hairdresser Kimtse Kimo Castello is adamant that the small town where he lives, near a tropical forest, lies in Guyana and not Venezuela, which claims it.