Showing 1 - 10 of 714
'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase
AFP, Published on 11/02/2026
» MISATO, SAITAMA (JAPAN) - Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
Italy's spread-out Olympics face transport challenge
AFP, Published on 03/02/2026
» MILAN, Italy - One of the biggest challenges in this month's Winter Olympics may be off the slopes: moving hundreds of thousands of spectators and athletes over a swath of northern Italy.
Trump says closing Kennedy Center arts complex for two years
AFP, Published on 02/02/2026
» WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) - US President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is closing the Kennedy Center arts complex in Washington for two years, beginning on July 4 -- the nation's 250th anniversary -- for a thorough renovation.
Sumo diplomacy: Japan's heavyweight 'soft power' ambassadors
AFP, Published on 30/01/2026
» TOKYO - Two giants stare each other down before colliding with a dull thud. After years on the sidelines, sumo is back centrestage as part of Japan's soft power arsenal overseas.
North Korea's Kim sacks vice premier, rails against 'incompetence'
AFP, Published on 20/01/2026
» SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fired his vice premier and railed against "incompetent" officials in a rare and very public broadside against apparatchiks at the opening of a critical factory, state media said Tuesday.
EU leaders take stage in Davos as Trump rocks global order
AFP, Published on 20/01/2026
» DAVOS, Switzerland - European leaders take the stage on Tuesday ahead of Donald Trump at the gathering of global elites in Davos, as the US president dangles tariff threats in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland.
Trump embraces AI deepfakes in political messaging
AFP, Published on 15/01/2026
» WASHINGTON - From playing football in the Oval Office to sipping cocktails on a sun lounger in Gaza and attacking critics from a fighter jet, Donald Trump has become the first US president to deploy AI-generated imagery as a key tool of political communications.
Sparklers blamed for deadly Swiss ski resort fire
AFP, Published on 03/01/2026
» CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland - Swiss investigators were working on Saturday to identify the last victims and exact cause of the blaze that killed 40 New Year’s revellers at a packed bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
Cambodia asks Thailand to move border talks to Malaysia
AFP, Published on 23/12/2025
» PHNOM PENH - Cambodia has asked Thailand to hold bilateral talks at the neutral venue of Kuala Lumpur, according to a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, with the two nations set to negotiate truce terms after two weeks of deadly border clashes.
Upstart gangsters shake Japan's yakuza
AFP, Published on 19/12/2025
» TOKYO - When Takanori Kuzuoka began climbing the criminal career ladder, he didn't fancy joining Japan's old-school yakuza, with their tattoos, rigid hierarchy and codes of honour.