BUSINESS

A French court fined Swiss bank UBS 75,000 euros on Monday for the psychological harassment of two whistleblowers who had denounced a system that helped moneyed French clients dodge taxes.

Asian markets tumbled Tuesday following a sharp sell-off on Wall Street fuelled by fears about the US economy as Donald Trump presses ahead with his global trade war and federal jobs cuts.

The Syrian presidency announced on Monday an agreement with the head of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate the institutions of the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast into the national government.

Ukraine will present the United States on Tuesday with a plan for a partial ceasefire with Russia, hoping to restore support from its key benefactor, which under President Donald Trump has demanded concessions to end the three-year war.

Jet fuel caught fire and leaked into the North Sea on Monday after a cargo ship reportedly carrying sodium cyanide hit a tanker chartered by the US military off the British coast.

A cargo ship struck a tanker carrying jet fuel on Monday in the North Sea, sparking a massive fire off England and leaving 32 people injured, the tanker's operator and authorities said.

Syria's new authorities announced on Monday the end of an operation against loyalists of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, after nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in the worst violence since his overthrow.

Italian opposition parties stepped up criticism Monday of a proposed deal between the government and SpaceX's Starlink following founder Elon Musk's suggestion he could cut Ukraine from the satellite network.

US President Donald Trump, who wants to take over Greenland, is very erratic, the island's premier said on Monday, the eve of the self-governing Danish territory's legislative elections.

Three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft, the maker of "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry", went on trial on Monday accused of psychologically and sexually harassing employees for nearly a decade.

Some 3,400 flights were affected by the industrial action, impacting around 500,000 passengers, the German airport association ADV said.

Held every year in the capital of conservative-leaning Texas, the South by Southwest festival increasingly celebrates the state's emergence as a technology hub stepping out of Silicon Valley's shadow.

A sprawling Russian disinformation network is manipulating Western AI chatbots to spew pro-Kremlin propaganda, researchers say, at a time when the United States is reported to have paused its cyber operations against Moscow.

North Korea fired "multiple unidentified ballistic missiles" on Monday, South Korea's military said, the same day Seoul and Washington began a major annual joint military drill known as Freedom Shield.

Indonesian private tutor Patricia has been learning German for two years, armed with a dream of leaving for Europe and driven by a lack of opportunities, economic stagnation and little hope at home.

Crowds may have declined in the past two years but for those with runners at jumps racing's most prestigious meeting the atmosphere at the Cheltenham Festival is like being in "the Colosseum" trainer Jamie Snowden told AFP. The deafening 'Cheltenham Roar' from spectators gets its first rendition on Tuesday and brings the curtain up on 28 races over four days -- climaxing with the blue riband of steeplechasing the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven said Monday it had agreed to jointly explore store sell-offs with a Canadian rival to address antitrust concerns ahead of a potential merger.

Shares in Hong Kong and Shanghai sank Monday on a mixed day for Asian markets after data showing Chinese consumer prices slipped back into deflation stoked fresh concerns over the world's number two economy.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the very first Formula One world championship in 1950 which featured seven races and was won by the Italian Giuseppe Farina.

Torrential rain from the remnants of Cyclone Alfred flooded swathes of Australia's east coast on Monday, as workers battled to restore power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses.

The 2025 Formula One season has all the makings of a white-knuckle 24-race celebration to mark 75 years since the inaugural seven-race championship back in 1950.

Canada's Liberal Party names its next leader Sunday, with a former central banker and political novice favored to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the country confronts threats from US President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to head Sunday to Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukraine as President Donald Trump decides whether to relent on an aid freeze to the wartime partner.

Trade tensions between the world's two leading economies are set to escalate on Monday, as Beijing begins levying tariffs on certain US agricultural goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump's latest hike on Chinese imports.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa called for national unity and peace on Sunday, after more than 1,000 people were reportedly killed in coastal Syria in the worst clashes since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

Consumer prices in China fell last month for the first time in a year, with authorities in the world's second-largest economy struggling to kickstart spending and trade headwinds intensifying as US tariffs kick in under Donald Trump.

With her colourful Inuit earrings and tattoos on prominent display, Ujammiugaq Engell, like many Greenlanders, flaunts her rediscovered cultural identity, which US President Donald Trump's expansionist ambitions have only spurred further.

At a red-brick school in Virginia, Hayden Jones is one of 1,000 students banned from using their phones as part of a trial hoping to boost learning.

Unprecedented cuts to the US government overseen by President Donald Trump's billionaire advisor Elon Musk are sending thousands of federal workers and contractors back to the labor market -- but experts warn that hiring is low at this time.