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Street art in Montreal is writ large
A mysterious creature playing piano, a white tiger baring its fangs, and a huge Batgirl: dozens of artists are busy this June painting giant frescoes for the tenth edition of Montreal's Mural festival.
No petrol, no cars: Cubans turn to electric transport
There is a new sight on the streets of Havana: increasing numbers of electric vehicles whizzing among the old American cars so emblematic of the Cuban capital.
SpaceX fires workers behind letter criticizing Musk
Elon Musk's SpaceX has fired several employees behind a letter critical of the outspoken billionaire's public behavior, the aerospace firm said in a message to staff confirmed by AFP on Friday.
US stocks end rocky week lower ahead of holiday
New York equities ended a rocky week mostly higher on Friday but lower for the week amid worsening fears of recession as the US central bank takes aggressive action against inflation.
Deal reached on US 5G antennas near airports: FAA
The Federal Aviation Authority said Friday that mobile operators AT&T and Verizon have reached an agreement with airlines for the gradual deployment of additional 5G antennas around US airports.
Poles carpet streets with flowers for Corpus Christi
Katarzyna Kaczmarek carefully arranges petals on the pavement in front of her house -- part of a long colourful flower carpet snaking its way through her village of Spycimierz in central Poland.
TikTok says Oracle to keep US user data safe
TikTok on Friday said Oracle will store all the data from its US users, in a bid to allay fears about its safety in the hands of a platform owned by ByteDance in China.
WTO fishing deal hailed as historic though 'not perfect'
A WTO deal aimed at curbing overfishing was hailed by conservation groups as a major turning point, even if it was the result of compromises to seal the long-sought agreement.
Four Moroccan women accuse French tycoon of sexual harassment
Four women have pressed charges in Morocco against French insurance tycoon Jacques Bouthier, currently under arrest in Paris on charges of raping a minor, a rights group said Friday.
Stocks waver, oil prices fall on recession fears
Stock markets wobbled and oil prices sank on Friday over growing fears that inflation-fighting interest rate hikes by central banks could trigger recessions.
Sri Lanka schools, govt offices to shut as transport grinds to halt
Sri Lankan authorities on Friday announced a two-week shutdown of government offices and schools, as public transport ground almost entirely to a halt due to a lack of dollars to pay for imported fuel.
Tesla shareholder sues Musk over racism and sexual harassment complaints
A Tesla shareholder has filed legal proceedings against Elon Musk and the company's board of directors, accusing them of ignoring employee complaints of racism and sexual harassment.
Germans turn to food banks as inflation hits
German pensioner Gabriele Washah waits in line to fill her trolley with bags of carrots for 50 cents, yoghurts just past their sell-by date and bunches of wilting flowers.
Markets hit by recession fears, yen drops after BoJ decision
Equity markets mostly fell Friday after another hefty drop in New York as interest rate hikes by the world's central banks fan fears of a recession, while the yen sank after the Bank of Japan refused to follow its peers in tightening policy.
Mariah Carey, Eurythmics, Pharrell enter Songwriters Hall of Fame
Mariah Carey sparkled Thursday as her peers inducted the beloved diva into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame, part of a class that also includes Pharrell, Steve Miller and the Isley Brothers.
WTO strikes landmark deals package after marathon talks
The World Trade Organization concluded a landmark bundle of deals Friday covering fishing subsidies, food insecurity and Covid-19 vaccines following hectic round-the-clock talks.
Russian farmers seek to ride out Western sanctions
Yevgeny Shifanov, co-owner of an organic farm, says his business has felt the sting of Western sanctions and he is no longer able to sell his grain to Europe.
Bank of Japan keeps easing despite global rate hikes
The Bank of Japan on Friday stuck to its monetary easing policy even as other central banks raise interest rates to tame inflation, but said it would "pay due attention" to forex markets as the yen struggles at a 24-year low.
RIP Internet Explorer: South Korean engineer's browser 'grave' goes viral
A South Korean engineer who built a grave for Internet Explorer -- photos of which quickly went viral -- told AFP Friday that the now-defunct web browser had made his life a misery.
Asian markets hit by recession fears, yen drops after BoJ decision
Asian markets mostly fell Friday after another hefty drop in New York as central bank interest rate hikes fan fears of a recession, while the yen sank after the Bank of Japan said it would not yet follow its global peers in tightening policy.
Bank of Japan keeps easing policy despite US, Europe rate hikes
The Bank of Japan on Friday stuck to its long-held monetary easing policy even as other central banks around the world hike interest rates to tame inflation.
Education is key to racism fight, says West Indies legend Holding
Educating the young is the most effective way of combatting racism as armed with the facts they can challenge their peers, West Indies cricket legend and anti-racism campaigner Michael Holding has told AFP.
Most Asian markets on recession fears, Bank of Japan in focus
Asian markets mostly fell Friday after another hefty drop in New York and Europe as central bank interest rates hikes to counter soaring inflation fan fears of a recession.
Drawing a beer: the artist sketching every London pub
Lydia Wood sits opposite The Atlas pub in west London, meticulously adding detail to her drawing of the building and pausing only occasionally to sharpen her pencil.
Last campaign push ahead of poll test for France's Macron
French opposition forces and allies of centrist President Emmanuel Macron were Friday to make a final push for votes ahead of the last round of tense parliamentary elections, where the French leader risks losing his overall majority in the face of a challenge from a resurgent left.
Bolsonaro blamed as UN, activists denounce Amazon murders
The United Nations as well as environmental and rights groups expressed outrage Thursday at the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, which they linked to President Jair Bolsonaro's willingness to allow commercial exploitation of the Brazilian Amazon.
Deal or no deal as WTO talks grind into second sleepless night
Marathon talks at the World Trade Organization aimed at stitching together a tit-for-tat deal went round the clock into Friday with a long-sought agreement on fishing subsidies still hanging in the balance.
Stocks tank as central banks hike rates to fight inflation
Stock markets sank Thursday as more central banks hiked interest rates in efforts to tame runaway inflation, actions that raised fears they could spark recessions.
Binance boss bullish despite crypto crash
Cryptocurrencies are here to stay and their dramatic recent crash is just part of an economic cycle, Changpeng Zhao, one of crypto's most influential figures, told AFP in an interview on Thursday.
'Lightyear' makers unfazed by bans in places with 'backward beliefs'
The makers of Disney-Pixar's new blockbuster about Buzz Lightyear told AFP on Thursday that they were warned of a likely backlash against the same-sex marriage it features, but did not care.
WTO talks go deep into overtime
Talks at the World Trade Organization went deep into overtime on Thursday with key holdout India talking up the prospects for a landmark deal spanning food security, fishing and combating Covid-19.
Is recession the only way out of US inflation scourge?
A massive interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve and promises of more to come are fueling warnings that the only offramp from the searing price hikes engulfing American families is a full-blown recession.
Binance boss bullish despite rypto crash
Cryptocurrencies are here to stay and their dramatic recent crash is just part of an economic cycle, Changpeng Zhao, one of crypto's most influential figures, told AFP in an interview on Thursday.
Ferrari says 80% of its models will be electric or hybrid by 2030
Ferrari unveiled Thursday plans to turn 80 percent of its production into all-electric or hybrid cars by 2030 in a major shift for an iconic brand renowned for its powerful combustion engines.
BoE unveils fifth straight rate hike as inflation soars
The Bank of England on Thursday hiked its main interest rate for the fifth straight time, as it forecast decades-high British inflation to soar further this year to above 11 percent.
Activision board says execs didn't ignore harassment
The board of directors of US video game publisher Activision Blizzard said Thursday that there was no evidence to suggest that management had ignored or minimized accusations of sexual harassment.
Musk to address Twitter staff amid buyout turmoil
Elon Musk is set to field questions Thursday from wary Twitter workers eager to know if he intends to complete his turbulent $44 billion buyout bid and roll back limits for what people can say on the platform.
Binance backs Musk stance over free speech on Twitter
The boss of cryptocurrency exchange Binance told AFP on Thursday that he had pledged $500 million to fund Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter to support free speech.
Stocks tank as central banks hike rates
Stock markets tumbled Thursday as central banks hiked interest rates in efforts to tame runaway inflation which has raised fears of recession.