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China to impose anti-dumping duties on EU pork for five years

China will impose anti-dumping duties on European Union pork imports for five years, but at lower rates than temporary levies in place since September, Beijing announced Tuesday.

Economic losses from natural disasters down by a third in 2025: Swiss Re

Global economic losses from natural disasters are projected to have dropped by 33 percent to $220 billion in 2025, despite the damage wrought by the Los Angeles wildfires, reinsurer Swiss Re said Tuesday.

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Kenyan girls still afflicted by genital mutilation years after ban

Maasai women erupted with mocking heckles as a community elder, wrapped in a traditional red blanket, claimed that female genital mutilation had all but stopped in their community in southern Kenya.

Bank of Japan expected to hike rates to 30-year high

The Bank of Japan is expected to hike interest rates Friday for the first time since January, pushing them to their highest level in 30 years and potentially exacerbating turmoil in debt markets.

EU to unveil plan to tackle housing crisis

The EU will on Tuesday present a first-ever plan to address the continent's deepening housing crisis, aiming to boost construction and regulate short-term rentals.

Asian markets retreat ahead of US jobs as tech worries weigh

Asian markets extended losses with Wall Street on Tuesday as investors jockeyed for position ahead of key US jobs and inflation data, while sentiment remains subdued by worries over a possible tech bubble.

Famed Jerusalem stone still sells despite West Bank economic woes

Despite the catastrophic state of the Palestinian economy, Faraj al-Atrash, operator of a quarry in the occupied West Bank, proudly points to an armada of machines busy eating away at sheer walls of dusty white rock that stretch into the distance.

French minister urges angry farmers to trust cow culls, vaccines

France's agriculture minister Monday defended planned mass cattle culls and vaccines to control an infectious bovine disease, after farmers vowed no let-up in their protests against what they view as excessive slaughtering.

Stock market optimism returns after tech selloff but Wall Street wobbles

European stock markets recovered upward momentum on the back of interest rate optimism Monday following a brief correction affecting mostly the tech sector, but gains were pared as Wall Street ran out of steam by the late morning.

Stock market optimism returns after tech sell-off

Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic recovered upward momentum on the back of interest rate optimism Monday, following a brief correction affecting mostly the tech sector.

'Angry' Louvre workers' strike shuts out thousands of tourists

The Louvre closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday due to a strike over working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a major robbery.

Showdown looms as EU-Mercosur deal nears finish line

Brussels and Berlin insisted Monday the EU's vast proposed trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur must get over the finish line by year end -- despite a last-ditch French push to derail its signing.

Eurovision 2026 will feature 35 countries: organisers

Some 35 countries will compete in next year's Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, organisers said Monday, despite five countries boycotting over Israel's participation in the glitzy annual extravaganza.

German shipyard, rescued by the state, gets mega deal

German shipyard Meyer Werft has received a mega order worth up to 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion), officials said Monday, a boost for the shipbuilder after a state rescue last year.

'We are angry': Louvre Museum closed as workers strike

The Louvre closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday as staff launched a rolling strike to protest working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a shocking robbery.

Stocks diverge ahead of central bank calls, US data

Stock markets diverged Monday at the start of a week filled with economic data and central bank decisions, following a tech sell-off on Wall Street.

Louvre Museum closed as workers strike

The Louvre Museum closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday as staff launched a strike to protest working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a shocking robbery.

Australia defends record on antisemitism after Bondi Beach attack

A mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Australia's iconic Bondi Beach has revived allegations that the government is dragging its feet in the fight against antisemitism.

EU-Mercosur trade deal faces bumpy ride to finish line

Brussels is headed for a showdown this week over the European Union's free-trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur, after Paris launched a last-ditch effort to derail the signing of the landmark accord.

Asian markets drop with Wall St as tech fears revive

Asian markets dropped Monday as concerns about the AI-fuelled tech rally returned to the spotlight after weak earnings from two big-name firms last week revived questions about the wisdom of the vast sums invested in the sector.

France's Bardella slams 'hypocrisy' over return of brothels

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has thrown his support behind a proposal to bring back brothels, denouncing what he said was "hypocrisy" over sex work.

Tokyo-bound United plane returns to Washington after engine fails

A United Airlines Boeing 777 bound for Tokyo had to turn back to Washington's Dulles International Airport on Saturday after an engine failed during takeoff, igniting a brush fire near the runway, officials said.

Deja vu? Trump accused of economic denial and physical decline

An aging president faces poor poll numbers and suspicions about his health but insists that America is thriving.

Hungary winemakers fear disease may 'wipe out' industry

Hungarian winemaker Viktor Keszler had to rip out young vines after only three harvests -- when they should last at least 25 years -- after they were infected by flavescence doree disease that is threatening Europe's wine regions.

Campaigning starts in Central African Republic quadruple election

Campaigning kicked off Saturday in the Central African Republic, with the unstable former French colony's voters set to cast their ballots in a quadruple whammy of elections on December 28.

'Stop the slaughter': French farmers block roads over cow disease cull

Farmers in southwestern France blocked roads and set fire to bales of hay Saturday to protest the culling of cows due to a skin disease, as the government said one million cattle would be vaccinated.

Juventus owners reject crypto offer for club

Juventus's main shareholder on Saturday officially rejected an offer made the previous evening by a cryptocurrency firm to buy Italy's most successful football club.

First urban cable car unveiled outside Paris

Gondolas floated above a cityscape in the southeastern suburbs of Paris Saturday as the first urban cable car in the French capital's region was unveiled.

US unseals warrant for tanker seized off Venezuelan coast

US authorities on Friday unsealed the warrant for an oil tanker seized off the coast of Venezuela decried as "international piracy" by Caracas.

World stocks mostly slide, consolidating Fed-fuelled gains

Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic pulled back Friday as profit-taking trimmed some of the gains seen after the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut this week.

Crypto firm Tether bids for Juventus, is quickly rebuffed

Cryptocurrency firm Tether said Friday it had submitted a bid to Juventus's main shareholder, Exor, to acquire its entire stake in the Turin football club -- but was quickly rebuffed.

Can Venezuela survive US targeting its oil tankers?

Venezuela has been sidestepping a US oil export embargo for years, selling crude at a discounted price mainly to China. But even this limited income stream is now under threat after the United States seized a Cuba-bound tanker.

World stocks retrench, consolidating Fed-fuelled gains

Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic pulled back Friday as pre-weekend profit-taking pared some, but not all, of the gains seen after the Federal Reserve bank delivered a much-anticipated rate easing this week.

Iran frees child bride sentenced to death over husband's killing: activists

Iranian authorities have freed a woman who was condemned to hanging over the killing of her husband who she married while a child, in a case that sparked international concern over the plight of women sentenced to death in the Islamic republic, rights activists said on Friday.

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