Kia denies responsibility for anti-Musk ad

South Korean automaker Kia told AFP on Tuesday it had not approved an advertising campaign that featured one of its electric vehicles with a bumper sticker denigrating rival Tesla owner Elon Musk. The advertisement, posted last month on the social media accounts of Kia Norway, features the company's entry-level electric car, the EV3, with a bumper sticker saying: "I bought this after Elon went crazy." The sticker appears to riff on a viral trend of Tesla owners, unhappy with the world's richest

March 11, 2025

Zelenskyy, ahead of US talks, says Ukraine wants peace

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday ahead of talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia that Ukraine wants peace and Russia is the "only reason" that the war has dragged on. Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia later Monday, a day ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia. "Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia," Zele

March 10, 2025

Iran says will hold nuclear talks with France, Germany, UK on Friday

Tehran (AFP) -- Iran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against the Islamic republic recently adopted by the UN nuclear watchdog. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced the meeting on Friday of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom to discuss a range of topics including the Iranian nuclear issue.

Nov. 24, 2024

Bitcoin hits $80,000 for the first time

Bitcoin soared to a new record high on Sunday, as the cryptocurrency continues to rise following Donald Trump's presidential election win. The digital currency passed $80,000 for the first time shortly after 12:00 pm (1200 GMT). It reached $75,000 on Wednesday, topping its previous all-time peak of $73,797.98 achieved in March. (AFP)

Nov. 10, 2024

Putin finalizes N. Korea defense deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a landmark defense pact with North Korea, a deal that comes amid reports that Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops to fight against Ukraine. Putin struck the deal during a visit to North Korea in June, but it had to pass through Russia's parliament and signed by the Kremlin leader to come into force. The Kremlin published the signed law ratifying the treaty on its website on Saturday evening. The agreement formalizes months of deepe

Nov. 10, 2024

N. Korea's World Cup-winning footballers get heroes' welcome home

North Korea's Under-17 Women's World Cup-winning footballers received a heroes' welcome back in the capital Pyongyang, AFP footage showed on Sunday, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic a week ago. Remarkably it was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea -- largely closed off to the outside world -- they also lifted the

Nov. 10, 2024

US announces charges in alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump

US prosecutors announced charges on Friday in an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former president Donald Trump and a prominent dissident Iranian-American journalist. The foiled assassination plot on Trump was allegedly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to avenge the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a US strike ordered by then-president Trump, the Justice Department said. Farhad Shakeri, 51, an Afghan national who is believed to be i

Nov. 9, 2024

Trump claims victory over Harris in US presidential election

Donald Trump claimed victory and pledged to "heal" the country Wednesday as results put him on the verge of beating Kamala Harris in a stunning White House comeback. His exuberant speech came despite the fact that only Fox News had declared him the winner, with no other US networks having made the call so far. As jubilant supporters cheered and chanted "USA," Trump took to the stage at his campaign headquarters in Florida along with his wife Melania and several of his childre

Nov. 6, 2024

South Korea fines Meta for illegal collection of user data

US tech giant Meta illegally harvested sensitive data including on sexual orientation from nearly a million South Korean Facebook users and shared it with advertisers, Seoul's data watchdog said Tuesday. The firm, which also owns Instagram, violated South Korean laws prohibiting the use of information on political opinions, religious beliefs and people's sex life unless the individual provides explicit consent, Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission said. The tech gian

Nov. 5, 2024

Saudi to host meeting of new group pushing for Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia is on Wednesday expected to open the first meeting of a new "international alliance" to press for the establishment of a Palestinian state, state media said. The "International Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution" was unveiled last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Saudi state media reported at the time, bringing together Arab and Islamic countries and European countries. This week's meeting in Riyadh is expected to last for two day

Oct. 30, 2024