US lays it on the line as WTO mulls future of global trading
Joy, scepticism across west Africa after UN vote on slave trade
Salah would be 'asset' says San Diego FC owner
Parmesan exports doing grate... but sales melt in Italy
Sports
Vernon wins wind-hit Tour of Catalonia stage as Pidcock climbs to second
British sprinter Ethan Vernon won stage four of the Tour of Catalonia on Thursday after a high wind warning in the mountains caused a hasty switch from a summit finish to a flat one.
Culture
ChatGPT's taste for literary nonsense sparks alarm
OpenAI's GPT models can often be fooled into declaring that "pseudo-literary" nonsense is great, a German researcher has found.
Last news
Culture
Paul McCartney recalls Yesterday with first album in five years
British pop legend and former Beatle Paul McCartney on Thursday released a new single and announced his first album in over five years, examining his life in Liverpool before global stardom.
Technology
'True miracle': Napoleon's long-lost hat to go on display
A newly discovered hat believed to have been worn by Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the island of Saint Helena is set to go on display outside Paris later this year, historians said on Thursday.
Health
Lost in space: Sperm struggles to navigate during weightless sex
Scientists have used a tiny plastic "obstacle course" to test how much sperm would struggle to navigate during sex in the weightlessness of space.
Politics
G7 meets in France hoping to heal transatlantic Iran rift
European and allied nations on Thursday looked for ways to narrow differences with the United States on the Middle East war as a two-day meeting of G7 foreign ministers got underway outside Paris.
Sports
IOC's gender test directive throws up multiple questions
The International Olympic Committee's announcement on Thursday that it is reintroducing gender testing to protect the female category, after last being used at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, raises practical, legal, ethical and scientific questions.
Politics
Trump insists Iran operations 'extremely' ahead of schedule
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Iran war was "extremely" ahead of schedule, as he pushed Tehran to make a deal at his first cabinet meeting since the conflict began nearly a month ago.
Politics
Bab al-Mandeb Strait: another key shipping route under threat
Here are facts and figures about the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a crucial passage into the Red Sea that Iran has threatened to target if US forces launch a ground assault on its territory.
Things to know
Families of Kabul bombing victims still search for answers
Abdul Hai Hamidi gently opened each of the dozens of coffins, hoping to recognise one of his relatives who was killed in a Pakistani strike on a Kabul drug treatment centre.
Economy
Police detain French ex-cop suspected of killing mothers of his children
Portuguese police have arrested a former French police officer suspected of killing his partner and his ex-girlfriend after kidnapping them and their children.
Politics
Venezuela's Maduro back in court after stunning US capture
Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was back in a New York court Thursday for his second appearance since his capture by US forces in an extraordinary nighttime raid.
Sports
Senegal victims of 'most blatant scam' in football history: federation
Senegal football boss Abdoulaye Fall on Thursday labelled the decision to strip the country of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title the "most blatant administrative scam in the history of our sport".
Sports
Former badminton Olympic gold winner Marin retires due to injury
Spanish Olympic badminton gold medal winner Carolina Marin retired from the sport on Thursday after a long struggle with a knee injury.
Technology
Olympic women's sport to be limited to biological females
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday it was re-introducing testing for gender to determine eligibility to compete in the female category, preventing transgender women from competing.
Economy
Africa sets out stall for cotton at the WTO
African countries are taking a stand at the World Trade Organization to bolster their cotton sector, launching a platform tasked with mobilising investment to transform the cotton, textile and clothing value chain.
Politics
Trump's Iran war tests MAGA 'America First' creed
For a decade or more, "America First" has been a rallying cry against foreign wars. But as US bombs fall on Iran, many of President Donald Trump's supporters are embracing a muscular campaign abroad -- and insisting it still fits the doctrine.
Politics
What's happening with Iran-US 'talks'?
Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Iran are gathering pace, even though Tehran continues to insist talks with the United States are not happening.
Economy
WTO mulls future of global trading under cloud of Mideast war
The World Trade Organization's ministerial conference opened Thursday against a backdrop of heightened trade tensions and global economic turmoil linked to the Middle East war.
Politics
US flexes 'new order' trade policy as WTO meet kicks off
US trade policy is a "corrective response" to the unbalanced rules of the World Trade Organization, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said as the WTO's ministerial conference opened Thursday.
Economy
Germany unveils rescue plan for struggling chemical sector
The German government and the country's chemical industry on Thursday presented a sweeping plan to help the ailing sector as it faces new headwinds from the Middle East war energy shock.
Politics
UK PM 'very keen' to curb addictive social media after US ruling
UK leader Keir Starmer said Thursday he was "very keen" to tackle addictive features on social media following a landmark US ruling that found Meta and YouTube liable for harming a young woman.
Economy
South Africa disinvited from G7 in France after US pressure: Pretoria
The United States put pressure on France to disinvite the South African president to the G7 summit in the French town of Evian in June, the South Africsan presidency told AFP Thursday.
Technology
EU moves closer to ban sexualised AI deepfakes
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a ban on artificial intelligence systems generating sexualised deepfakes, following global outrage over non-consensual nudes produced by Elon Musk's chatbot Grok.
Things to know
France bids farewell to ex-PM Jospin who 'modernised' nation
France on Thursday bid farewell to former prime minister Lionel Jospin, with President Emmanuel Macron leading a national tribute to the influential left‑wing statesman credited with major welfare reforms.
Politics
Belarus' Lukashenko gifts automatic rifle to North Korea's Kim
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gifted Kim Jong Un an automatic rifle during his maiden visit to Pyongyang, joking that the North Korean leader may need it "in case enemies appear", state media said Thursday.
Sports
Germany bank on team spirit to end World Cup woes
Germany's collective strength will be key to their World Cup chances later this year, coach Julian Nagelsmann said ahead of the four-time world champions' international friendlies in the coming week.
Politics
Venezuela's Maduro back in US court after stunning capture
Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro will appear Thursday in a New York court for the second time since his capture by US forces in an extraordinary nighttime raid.
Economy
French court orders ex-bishop to pay over 1970s child sex abuse
A Paris court has ordered a former Catholic bishop to pay more than $200,000 in damages to a man who accused him of rape and sexual assault in the 1970s, a ruling seen by AFP on Thursday showed.
Sports
PSG Ligue 1 game postponed in between two legs of Liverpool Champions League tie
Paris Saint-Germain's crucial Ligue 1 clash with Lens scheduled for April 11 has been postponed until mid-May in order to give them extra rest in between the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool, the French league (LFP) announced Thursday.
Politics
Iran may believe it has the upper hand as Trump seeks talks
Iran's decision to rebuff a 15-point peace proposal from US President Donald Trump and outline its own conditions for a ceasefire reflects growing confidence in its negotiating position after nearly four weeks of war, analysts say.
Nature
EU urged to broadly restrict 'forever chemicals'
"Forever chemicals" pose a growing risk to health and the environment and should be broadly banned across the European Union, with some exceptions, EU experts said in findings published on Thursday.
Economy
Italy seizes millions 'embezzled' from Ursula Andress
Italian authorities said Thursday they had seized 20 million euros of assets in Tuscany, including property, vineyards and olive groves, allegedly bought with money embezzled from Bond Girl actress Ursula Andress.
Politics
Trump says Iran 'better get serious' in Mideast war talks
US President Donald Trump warned Iran Thursday to engage in talks to end the Middle East war "before it is too late", after Tehran publicly spurned US overtures to resolve the nearly four-week conflict.
Politics
Global trading system hit by 'worst disruptions in the past 80 years': WTO chief
The global trading system is experiencing the "worst disruptions in the past 80 years", World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned as the WTO ministerial conference opened Thursday.
Oil jumps, stocks drop on uncertainty over US-Iran talks
Oil prices jumped and equities slid Thursday as hopes for a peace deal between the US and Iran wavered after Tehran rejected Washington's bid to wind down the nearly four-week war.
Economy
EU accuses four porn platforms of letting children access adult content
The European Union accused four pornographic platforms on Thursday of allowing children to access adult content in breach of digital rules, putting the companies at risk of large fines.
Technology
Cathay Pacific raises fuel surcharge on all flights by 34%
Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific announced Thursday it was raising fuel surcharges on all flights by 34 percent as a result of increasing oil costs due to the Middle East war.
Economy
EU probes Snapchat over suspected child protection failings
The European Union launched an investigation on Thursday into Snapchat over suspicions the platform is not doing enough to protect children using the app.
Politics
EU parliament backs Trump tariff deal -- with conditions
European Union lawmakers on Thursday gave a green light -- with conditions -- to the bloc's tariff deal with US President Donald Trump, which Europe hopes to salvage while also racing to diversify its trade ties around the globe.
Boulevard
'Return hubs' for migrants clear EU parliament hurdle
European lawmakers cleared the way Thursday for tougher penalties for irregular migrants and their potential deportation to so-called "return hubs" outside the bloc.