BUSINESS

French political leaders from left and right were left unconvinced Thursday by marathon 12-hour talks aimed at finding common ground with President Emmanuel Macron.

The shutters were down on one of Japan's best-known department stores on Thursday in the sector's first strike for six decades, sparked by fears that its mooted new US owner will slash jobs.

Six men prod and poke at dense undergrowth in eastern Myanmar with rakes and hoes -- not farmers, but a rebel unit clearing deadly landmines from the war raging between the junta and pro-democracy fighters.

Banking giant UBS said Thursday it would fully absorb the Swiss unit of its recently-swallowed rival Credit Suisse into its operations, without spelling out the implications for job cuts.

China's biggest developer Country Garden on Thursday faces a crunch vote on extending debt repayment terms that could determine whether it defaults, plunging the country's property market deeper into turmoil.

China's factory activity contracted for a fifth straight month in August, official data showed on Thursday, as pressure mounts on Beijing to offer more policy support to bolster its sluggish economy.

China's Baidu rolled out its ChatGPT rival ERNIE Bot to the public on Thursday, in a major leap for the country's tech sector as it aims to cash in on the global artificial intelligence gold rush.

Markets were mixed Thursday as investors struggled to maintain momentum from Wall Street's rally, even after fresh data reinforced optimism the Federal Reserve will be able to hold off any more interest rate hikes this year.

More than four months into Sudan's devastating war, arms dealers are struggling to keep up with demand for a trade that is booming, at a deadly cost.

Georgia's presence at their sixth successive Rugby World Cup since 2003 is a remarkable achievement given that they only joined the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) in 1992 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

CNN announced Wednesday that British media veteran Mark Thompson would assume the role of its next CEO, as the news outlet struggles to reverse a ratings decline.

Embattled Chinese developer Country Garden reported a 48.9 billion yuan ($6.7 billion) loss for the first half of the year in a stock exchange filing Wednesday, adding to worries of a potentially catastrophic default.

Astronomy enthusiasts are in for a treat Wednesday night: a rare "super blue Moon" that won't be seen again for more than a decade.

Tech titans, including TikTok and Twitter, failed to effectively tackle Russian disinformation online during the first year of the war in Ukraine, according to a study published Wednesday by the EU. The European Union has previously warned against online manipulation and interference by Russia targeting the European internet in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

A growing number of media outlets are blocking a webpage-scanning tool used by ChatGPT creator OpenAI to improve its artificial intelligence models.

Private sector hiring in the United States slowed more than expected in August, according to data from payroll firm ADP on Wednesday, as a boom from the leisure and hospitality sectors faded.

France condemned the toppling of Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba on Wednesday which could represent another setback for Paris in Africa where friendly governments have been falling in an "epidemic" of coups.

Rebel officers in the oil-rich central African state of Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power since 2009, had been declared victor.

Historic Hollywood strikes have robbed the Venice Film Festival of some of its usual glitz as it launched its 80th edition Wednesday, but a raft of big-name -- and controversial -- directors are keeping the film world buzzing.

Iran is ratcheting up a crackdown ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, arresting prominent personalities, campaigners and relatives of those killed by security forces in protests last year, activists say.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose ouster has been announced by rebel officers, came to power in 2009, succeeding his father Omar, the country's ruler for more than four decades.

As tensions rise between China and Taiwan, New Delhi could significantly benefit from Taipei, which produces over 70 percent of the world's semiconductors and 90 percent of the most advanced chips.

The layoffs will take place in various areas across the business, including home, car and life insurance as part of its restructuring plan.

Soon after Judy Kengo was sworn into office last year, the Kenyan legislator faced her first public test when a doctored photo of a lookalike kissing another woman surfaced online.

Young online celebrities best known for posting about video games, their dogs, or their holidays to millions of followers are also dropping in unexpected plugs for gasoline stations, fuel rewards, and club cards.

Asian investors on Wednesday tracked a rally on Wall Street as a softer-than-expected report on US job openings soothed fears the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates again.

Takashi Hosoda was in a Tokyo skyscraper when the 9.0 magnitude quake struck on March 11, 2011, but the trained architect was "not particularly worried" as modern Japanese buildings are designed to protect their occupants.

Sixty years ago, a crisis hotline for the first time sent a message between the world's superpowers.

Former Algerian defence minister Khaled Nezzar has been indicted in Switzerland on charges of committing crimes against humanity in the 1990s during the civil war, state prosecutors said Tuesday.