Business and Economy



Meta hooked children and misled public: prosecutors

AFP - 16m ago

Meta knowingly hooked and exploited children, a federal court heard Tuesday in the trial of the social media giant on …

Stocks mostly drop as Mideast hopes dim, interest rates rise

AFP - 17m ago

Stock markets mostly fell on Tuesday after a US-Iran truce expired with no progress towards reopening the Strait of …

Trump, Carney hold talks as new US tariffs on Canada loom

AFP - 38m ago

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has held urgent talks with US President Donald Trump, Ottawa confirmed Tuesday, in …

Disney, ABC sue US regulator over threat to broadcast licenses

AFP - 3h ago

Walt Disney-owned ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, accusing the US regulatory body of …

French producer Nicolas Altmayer, Dior PR chief Favier die in car crash

AFP - 4h ago

Award-winning French film producer Nicolas Altmayer and Dior PR head Mathilde Favier were killed in a car accident in …

Canada seeks to avert new US tariffs as deadline looms

AFP - 52m ago

Fresh US tariffs are due to take effect on a range of Canadian goods after midnight Tuesday, as Ottawa seeks a deal to …

Meta in court over child social media addiction

AFP - 2h ago

Opening arguments begin Tuesday in the federal trial of Meta, the social media titan accused of deliberately making …

German farmers warn of drought toll on grain harvest

AFP - 10h ago

Germany's grain harvest is expected to fall by seven percent this year after months of severe drought and heatwaves, the …

Crude extends gains, most stocks drop as Mideast hopes dim

AFP - 3h ago

Oil prices extended gains and Asian stocks mostly fell on Tuesday as a US-Iran deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz …

Major Meta trial begins as lawyers spar over witnesses, damages

AFP - 9h ago

Facebook-parent Meta will defend itself in a landmark social media trial that begins Tuesday in California, where …

Copper powers profit rise at mining giant BHP

AFP - 18h ago

Australian mining titan BHP reported Tuesday a solid rise in annual profit boosted by surging prices for copper -- a key …

Lights out, crowds gone: Havana waits for what comes next

AFP - 19h ago

Once a byword for joyful excess, Havana has been hollowed by blackouts, departures and deep uncertainty about its …

How families in Milei's Argentina sank deep into debt

AFP - 19h ago

Andrea feels deep shame when she thinks about the loan she took out a year ago in Buenos Aires that she is now unable to …

Boehly and Walter consider selling Chelsea stake to Clearlake Capital

AFP - 19h ago

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and director Mark Walter are considering selling their stakes in the Premier League side to …

Discord suspends livestreams in Brazil after teen's suicide

AFP - 16h ago

Popular messaging platform Discord said Monday it had complied with a Brazilian government order to suspend …

Paramount demands $1.9 billion surety over states' merger lawsuit

Aug 17 2026

Paramount Skydance is demanding California and other US states suing to block its merger with Warner Bros. put up $1.9 …

OpenAI to lease massive new AI data center in US, backed by Nvidia

Aug 17 2026

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI will lease a massive new data center in the United States for 20 years, backed by a $105 billion …

US stocks fall on spiking bond yields, higher oil prices

Aug 17 2026

Wall Street stocks retreated Monday as oil prices advanced on the lack of progress on opening the Strait of Hormuz and a …

Stocks lower as Hormuz concerns and high oil prices persist

Aug 17 2026

Global stocks mostly slipped Monday as lack of progress on opening the Straits of Hormuz outweighed expectations that …

Virgin moves closer to launching Eurostar rival in 2030

Aug 17 2026

British group Virgin has been granted track access from 2030 to the high-speed rail line linking London to the Channel …

Pentagon inks Tomahawk deal amid reports of missile shortfall

Aug 17 2026

The Pentagon announced a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon on Monday for Tomahawk missiles amid reports of a …

Stocks steady as investors weigh US rate path

Aug 17 2026

Global stocks were steady on Monday as investors assessed data that tempered expectations for higher US interest rates …

Most stocks rise as US data ease rate fears but fuel economic worries

Aug 17 2026

Asian stocks mostly rose on Monday following a retreat on Wall Street as investors assessed fresh data that tempered …

Spidey swings high for third weekend in N. American box office

Aug 16 2026

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" continued dominating the North American box office, drawing an additional $70 million in …

Chinese ship sets off for Europe through Arctic, halving travel time

Aug 16 2026

A Chinese container vessel has set sail for Europe through the Arctic, part of new weekly service on a route that cuts …

As Opel turns to Chinese partners, its hometown frets about the future

Aug 16 2026

As Germany's Opel slashes its engineering ranks and partners with China's Leapmotor, anxiety is running high in …

Heat is on as German winegrowers struggle to protect vines

Aug 16 2026

As Europe bakes in yet another heatwave, German winegrower Florian Weingart has scattered straw on the ground to keep …

easyJet strike sees 100 French flights cancelled

Aug 15 2026

British budget carrier easyJet has called off about 100 flights out of French airports on Saturday and Sunday because of …

US says lower oil prices, not Iran's nuclear program, are now top priority in war

Aug 14 2026

The top US priority now in the Iran war is no longer its nuclear program but to bring gasoline prices down for American …

Stocks slip in cautious trading after weak US retail sales data

Aug 14 2026

Stock markets retreated in sparse summer trading Friday, with the uncertain outlook for the Middle East war and the US …

'I shot Mr Thompson': Stunning confession in US health exec's slaying

Aug 14 2026

Luigi Mangione spoke slowly and deliberately as he admitted to shooting US health care executive Brian Thompson, in a …

Premier League club Liverpool sell minority stake to Jeff Bezos consortium

Aug 14 2026

Liverpool's owners have agreed to sell a minority stake in the Premier League club to a consortium including Amazon …

Stocks slip in cautious trading, oil turns higher

Aug 14 2026

Stock markets retreated in sparse summer trading Friday, with the uncertain outlook for the Middle East war and the US …

US retail sales weakest in over a year, consumer sentiment plunges

Aug 14 2026

US retail sales gave their weakest showing in more than a year and consumer sentiment plunged, data showed Friday, as …

Stocks tread water with eyes on oil price

Aug 14 2026

Stock markets traded little changed in scant summer trading Friday, with both oil prices and the dollar slipping as …

Hotter Europe isn't cooling investor fervor for stocks

Aug 14 2026

The heatwaves pummelling Europe this summer will have costly impacts on industries ranging from agriculture to tourism …

US retail sales weakest in over a year in July

Aug 14 2026

US retail sales declined unexpectedly in July, government estimates showed Friday, marking their weakest showing in more …

Indonesian leader vows to shut over 750 'unproductive' state-owned firms

Aug 14 2026

Indonesia's president on Friday floated creating a special court to investigate "unproductive" boards reporting "made …

Stocks mixed as oil climbs, dollar drops

Aug 14 2026

Major stock markets traded mixed in sparse summer trading Friday, with oil prices edging higher and the dollar slipping …

Spain extends largest nuclear plant in policy U-turn

Aug 14 2026

Spain's leftist government has reversed course and extended the operating life of the country's largest nuclear plant to …

Indonesia to close more than 750 state-owned enterprises

Aug 14 2026

Indonesia's president mulled the possibility of a special court on Friday to investigate "unproductive" boards reporting …

EU to study potential vaccine for Lyme disease: companies

Aug 14 2026

EU officials have agreed to study an experimental vaccine against Lyme disease, the world's most common tick-borne …

Most Asian stocks track Wall St record as US data ease rate fears

Aug 14 2026

Most Asian stocks rose Friday, tracking a record day on Wall Street, as another soft US inflation reading solidified …

China's viral 'spicy strips' take a bite of global snack market

Aug 14 2026

At a gleaming new factory in China's central hinterland, masked workers in white uniform season and sift through mounds …

Australia probes three near-misses at Sydney Airport

Aug 14 2026

Australia's transport authorities said Friday they were investigating what went wrong after three near-misses in less …

New trend of injecting banned peptides to 'optimise' body

Aug 14 2026

Thomas's phone alarm buzzes at 9:30 pm -- it's time for the aspiring bodybuilder to start injecting himself in the …

Trump announces tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones

Aug 14 2026

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday tariffs of up to 100 percent on imports of unmanned drones and their …

US stocks gain after benign inflation data, oil prices retreat

Aug 13 2026

Wall Street stocks advanced Thursday with the S&P 500 finishing at a fresh record as investors welcomed further signs of …

Romania shuts nuclear plant as Danube drops

Aug 13 2026

Romania shut down its only nuclear plant on Thursday, in a rare move due to drought that has caused the Danube river, …

Stocks steady as US inflation worries ease, oil slips

Aug 13 2026

Stock markets were mixed in thin summer trading Thursday, handing back earlier gains after investors welcomed further …

Porsche to end production of flagship electric car: report

Aug 13 2026

Struggling German sports car maker Porsche plans to end production of the Taycan, its flagship fully electric model, by …

Stocks gain as US inflation worries ease, oil slips

Aug 13 2026

Stock markets mostly advanced Thursday as investors welcomed further signs of easing US inflation, making the prospect …

European stocks gain as oil prices ease

Aug 13 2026

European stocks mostly rose Thursday as investors welcomed news of easing US inflation, while oil prices fell back from …

German steel giant Thyssenkrupp weighs options as Rhine drops

Aug 13 2026

German steel giant Thyssenkrupp said Thursday that it was monitoring water levels in the Rhine and ready to respond if …

Romania shuts down nuclear plant as Danube drops

Aug 13 2026

Romania halted operations of its only nuclear plant on Thursday, a rare shutdown due to a drought scorching Europe that …

Tech stocks enjoy rebound after US inflation on mixed day for markets

Aug 13 2026

Tech firms led on a mixed day for stocks Thursday as investors push back into the sector after a summer rout, with …

Taiwan says AI agents used in cyberattacks targeting island

Aug 13 2026

Overseas hackers used artificial intelligence agents to help carry out a wave of cyberattacks targeting Taiwanese …

Germany's dry rivers spark battle on engineering vs restoration

Aug 13 2026

As a heat wave dries Germany's rivers, government ministers are at odds over what to do about it -- re-engineer the …

Seoul tech leads Asian stock gains as traders cheer US inflation

Aug 13 2026

Seoul led gainers in Asian stocks Thursday as investors continued to push back into tech firms after a summer rout, with …

Outflanked by AI, stars fade for South Korea's blind fortune-tellers

Aug 13 2026

Clients have drifted away from Song Oh-soon's fortune-telling village on the edge of Seoul, preferring online AI-powered …

Meta meets its own 'tobacco' moment as jury selection kicks off trial

Aug 12 2026

Jury selection kicked off on Wednesday in a California courtroom where Instagram and Facebook owner Meta will defend …

Trump 'low-key' bets on economic pressure against Iran

Aug 12 2026

Keeping a low profile doesn't come naturally to Donald Trump.

US stocks mostly up after data shows slightly lower inflation in July

Aug 12 2026

Wall Street stocks mostly gained following slightly better US consumer pricing data but an uptick in Treasury bond …

Russian economy rebounds in second quarter despite Ukrainian strikes

Aug 12 2026

The Russian economy rebounded in the second quarter thanks to consumer demand, official data showed Wednesday, despite …

Trump sued over sale of access to Truth Social posts

Aug 12 2026

Two US media groups on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump over his move to charge for early access to his often …

US equities gain as inflation report eases fear of rate rise

Aug 12 2026

US equities mostly gained Wednesday as July's inflation data came in as expected, taking pressure off the Federal …

In Moscow, Russians worry about new fuel shortages

Aug 12 2026

The Russian capital braced Wednesday for a possible fresh wave of fuel shortages as drivers queued nervously to fill up …

US inflation slows slightly in July despite elevated fuel prices

Aug 12 2026

US consumer inflation slowed slightly in July, government data showed, with a virtual stalemate in the US-Iran war …

Google unveils finder tag, new AI smartphone features

Aug 12 2026

Introducing a finder tag, an upgraded watch that checks for respiratory problems and the latest artificial intelligence …

US consumer inflation slows slightly in July despite elevated fuel prices

Aug 12 2026

US consumer inflation slowed slightly in July, government data showed, with a virtual stalemate in the US-Iran war …

Extreme weather, jellyfish knock one-fifth of France's nuclear capacity offline

Aug 12 2026

France on Wednesday recorded a more than 20 percent shortfall in nuclear power production capacity, a record deficit …

Markets steady awaiting US inflation data

Aug 12 2026

Financial markets largely steadied Wednesday as traders awaited publication of US inflation data that is set to help …

China's C919 jet makes first international commercial flight

Aug 12 2026

China's homegrown C919 jet completed its first international commercial flight on Wednesday, a symbolic step towards …

'To make the civilians leave': Russia pummels Ukraine's petrol stations

Aug 12 2026

A streak across the sky, then a muffled blast. Near Izyum in eastern Ukraine, another petrol station has just been blown …

Mideast war impact on travel bookings fading, TUI says

Aug 12 2026

German travel giant TUI said Wednesday that bookings were returning to normal levels despite the ongoing Mideast war, as …

Oil prices rise, stocks mixed ahead of crucial US inflation data

Aug 12 2026

Oil prices rose again Wednesday and stock markets were mixed, with eyes on the release of key US inflation data that …

Foxconn posts quarterly profit surge on AI server demand

Aug 12 2026

Taiwanese tech hardware titan Foxconn reported on Wednesday a forecast-busting second quarter net profit, as exploding …

Meta meets its own 'tobacco' moment in court

Aug 12 2026

With billions of users around the world, Meta will defend itself against allegations of harming children in a new trial …

Australian delivery drivers win 'world-leading' pay rise

Aug 12 2026

Hundreds of thousands of gig workers in Australia have been granted a huge pay rise from next week under a decision by …

Toyota ex-chief Okuda, pioneer of the Prius, dead at 93

Aug 12 2026

Former Toyota head Hiroshi Okuda, credited with championing the pioneering Prius hybrid and turning the Japanese …

California calls Paramount's threat to leave state 'blackmail'

Aug 12 2026

California accused Paramount of "blackmail" on Tuesday over a reported threat to pull the company out of the state …

Oil prices higher, stocks mixed ahead of inflation report

Aug 11 2026

Oil prices bounced around before finishing higher Tuesday while global stocks were mixed as markets awaited a key …

Economic losses from natural disasters fall to $100 bn in first half of 2026: Swiss Re

Aug 11 2026

Economic losses from natural catastrophes worldwide are estimated to have reached $100 billion in the first half of this …

AI firm Manus to resume 'independent' operations after China blocks Meta deal

Aug 11 2026

AI startup Manus said Tuesday it would resume "operating as an independent company," months after Beijing blocked Meta's …

Caught between great powers: the cautionary tale of Manus

Aug 11 2026

Once the envy of China's tech scene, the startup behind the artificial intelligence agent tool Manus has become an …

US company stokes Greenland tensions by unloading drilling gear

Aug 11 2026

A US energy exploration company has sparked an outcry by unloading drilling equipment without authorisation on the east …

Oil prices higher, stocks flat ahead of inflation report

Aug 11 2026

Oil prices bounced around in choppy trading and stock markets were little changed Tuesday as investors awaited a key …

Spotify to launch badge identifying AI music

Aug 11 2026

Streaming giant Spotify said Tuesday it would launch a new "AI Persona" badge in mid-September clearly identifying …

Oil prices lower, stocks higher as Hormuz doubts drag on

Aug 11 2026

Oil prices fell back in choppy trading and stock markets were marginally higher Tuesday as investors weighed fading …

Jellyfish force shutdown of three reactors at French nuclear plant

Aug 11 2026

A nuclear plant in northern France shut down three reactors after a swarm of jellyfish clogged pumps used to cool the …

Oil prices jump as US-Iran deal hopes falter

Aug 11 2026

Oil prices rose and stock markets mostly fell Tuesday as hopes that the United States and Iran would soon reach a deal …

Hong Kong's tech index plans expansion with AI and robotics themes

Aug 11 2026

Hong Kong's main tech stock index plans to include 20 more companies as well as artificial intelligence and robotics …

Too hot to live? French buyers rethink housing choices after heatwaves

Aug 11 2026

After multiple severe heatwaves in a single summer, French residents are increasingly factoring high temperatures into …

Oil prices jump further as hopes for Hormuz deal fade

Aug 11 2026

Oil prices extended a strong rally Tuesday as hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz fade, fanning fresh …

Singapore says AI-related demand lifting economy

Aug 11 2026

Singapore sharply raised its forecast for economic growth in 2026 on Tuesday as robust AI-related global demand boosted …

Oil prices rise further as hopes for Hormuz deal fade

Aug 11 2026

Oil prices extended hefty gains Tuesday as hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz fade, fanning fresh inflation …

US judge ends graft case against India's Adani

Aug 10 2026

A US judge threw out a case against Indian billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani on Monday after the Trump …

Global stocks mixed while oil prices jump on Hormuz

Aug 10 2026

Stock markets were little changed Monday, holding near record highs amid thin summer volumes, as investors awaited …

Boeing to divest tech ventures for stake in air-taxi startup

Aug 10 2026

Boeing announced an agreement Monday to divest its air taxi and two other technology ventures to Archer Aviation for a …

Stocks mostly flat with focus on US inflation

Aug 10 2026

Stock markets were little changed Monday, holding near record highs amid thin summer volumes, as investors awaited …

Brazil aircraft maker Embraer raises outlook after record revenue

Aug 10 2026

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer said Monday it expects higher profits than previously forecast in 2026 after …

Europe wary as gas stocks languish at lows while winter looms

Aug 10 2026

Four years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine set off an energy crisis, European countries face new questions about …