BUSINESS

Mercedes-Benz said Thursday it planned hefty cost cuts after its 2024 profits plunged by almost a third amid a slump in China and weak electric car sales, as Germany's auto sector reels.

Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a "horrifying escalation" of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said on Thursday.

Eleven-year-old Yeat Saly lies in a hospital bed, a piece of shrapnel lodged in his forehead -- one of the many injuries inflicted by an old mortar he found near his village in Cambodia.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Russians "have the cards" in any negotiation to end the war in Ukraine, after branding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" who refuses to hold elections.

Asian markets turned negative Thursday amid Federal Reserve concerns that US President Donald Trump's tariffs and immigration measures could reignite inflation.

US airline Delta will offer $30,000 to each passenger on a plane that crashed as it landed at Toronto airport this week, the carrier told AFP on Wednesday.

Hamas is due to hand over the bodies of four hostages Thursday, including those of the Bibas family, who have become symbols of the hostage crisis that has gripped Israel since the Gaza war broke out.

When Germans vote on Sunday, conservative Friedrich Merz is the strong favourite to become the next chancellor after a bitterly fought campaign roiled by the rise of the AfD, a far-right party vocally backed by Team Trump.

Three years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian soldier Ivan Banias has found himself struggling to digest the "absurdity" of what US President Donald Trump is saying about the war, his country and his president.

Germany's conservative election frontrunner Friedrich Merz on Wednesday called on voters to give him a strong mandate to restrict immigration and rebuild the economy to ward off the rise of the far-right AfD. In a final head-to-head TV debate with centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz before Sunday's general election, Merz warned that it's the last chance to halt the surge of the Alternative for Germany party.

Donald Trump's labor secretary nominee on Wednesday distanced herself from previous pro-union stances that sparked Republican criticism, as she called herself a champion of the US president's "America First agenda."

The Trump administration has ordered senior US military leaders to plan for expansive cuts that could slash the defense budget by eight percent annually, or some $290 billion within the next five years, US media reported Wednesday.

Privately-owned housing starts fell sharply in January compared to December according to data released on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" Wednesday, widening a personal rift with major implications for efforts to end the conflict triggered by Russia's invasion three years ago.

World number-one furniture retailer Ikea is hoping the market will improve next year from a decline in consumer spending on furnishing their homes.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced Canada's first high-speed rail line, connecting major hubs from Toronto to Quebec City, calling it "the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history."

As Walmart prepares to announce its annual sales, investors worry that President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign-made merchandise could threaten its low-cost model.