AFP News

Alcohol-free drinks are becoming ever more popular, especially with health-conscious younger people -- a trend cheered by a small German winery based in a Rhine Valley castle.

World leaders have welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which came into force on Wednesday morning (0200 GMT).

Paddington, the affable clumsy bear from British children's books, has transformed into an international sensation over the past decade, thanks to a clever film strategy and with the help of the royal family.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect on Wednesday after more than a year of fighting that has killed thousands of people.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as traders tried to gauge the economic outlook after Donald Trump picked a tough-negotiating hawk as his trade envoy the day after saying he would hit China, Canada and Mexico with hefty tariffs.

Passers-by stop and stare at the ramshackle, hand-built concrete tower that looks like it has been lifted right out of a Japanese animation and dropped onto a real-life Tokyo street.

Torn between the defenders of the world's seabeds and industrialists eager to exploit the vast, untapped resources of the deep, the international community faces a crucial year that could decide the future of mining in the high seas.

The Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens has long made music that sheds light on America's untold stories, and her latest project brings to the fore marginalized groups that built its railroad.

Russia on Tuesday expelled a British diplomat it accused of spying, telling London it would not tolerate "undeclared" intelligence officers operating on its territory, accusations that have ignited a fresh diplomatic feud with London.

A teenager whose lies about her teacher are accused of contributing to the educator's murder by an Islamist radical apologised to his family in a French court on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday welcomed as "good news" a US and French-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, saying he hoped it could be a springboard to peace in Gaza too.

Manchester City's struggles continued as Pep Guardiola's side remarkably blew a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to leave the French club in danger of elimination.

New home sales in the United States fell short of analyst expectations in October, hitting the lowest rate since late 2022, according to government data released Tuesday, with mortgage rates ticking up during the month.

Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro "actively participated" in a 2022 coup plot to prevent his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking office, police alleged in a report made public Tuesday.

Fresh US tariffs on Canada and Mexico could raise costs of automobiles and building materials, analysts said Tuesday, after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to erect new trade barriers.

He is not yet in power but President-elect Donald Trump rattled much of the world with an off-hours warning of stiff tariffs on close allies and China -- a loud hint that Trump-style government by social media post is coming back.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that his government was ready for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, saying an end to the war in Lebanon would allow Israel to focus its attention on Hamas and arch-enemy Iran.

Canada was scrambling Tuesday to blunt the impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to implement steep tariffs once he takes office, as experts warned of a potentially "catastrophic" hit to the Canadian economy.

The son of the Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai said Tuesday that his father's trial in the Chinese territory was a "sham" but that he was "proud" of how he was handling himself in court.

Bangladeshi supporters of an arrested Hindu leader clashed with security forces on Tuesday after the outspoken monk was denied bail on sedition charges, with one person killed, police said.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday approved a budget for 2025 that projected a smaller deficit than last year despite continued heavy spending on reforms to transition the economy away from oil.

The mix of people milling around Windhoek's Zoo Park reflect the hopes and disappointments of Namibians who head to the polls Wednesday in a test for the party that brought independence 34 years ago but has left many feeling let down.

French supermarket group Carrefour attempted Tuesday to end a supplier "boycott" of its stores in Brazil by apologizing for refusing to sell Mercosur-origin meat in its outlets in France.

The Socialist mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, acclaimed by supporters for squeezing traffic in the city centre but accused by opponents of failing to get to grips with day-to-day problems in the French capital, said in an interview published Tuesday she would not seek a new term in 2026 elections.

Fewer people contracted HIV last year than at any point since the rise of the disease in the late 1980s, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning that this decline was still far too slow.

Rescuers on Tuesday recovered four bodies and four survivors a day after a diving boat capsized off Egypt's eastern coast, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said, with eight people still missing.

French prosecutors on Tuesday sought sentences of up to 14 years for some of the remaining co-defendants in the trial of a man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his wife while she was drugged and unconscious.

Russia said on Tuesday it was expelling a British diplomat who it accused of espionage and summoned London's ambassador to the foreign ministry in Moscow.

The tough-fought finance deal at UN climate negotiations was "imperfect", the Azerbaijan COP29 leadership has admitted, seeking to blame richer countries for an outcome slammed by poorer nations as insulting.