Tokyo and Washington agreed Friday to boost joint production of defence equipment including missiles, and expand their military presence in waters southwest of mainland Japan, as China ramps up pressure on its Asian neighbour.
China's economy likely grew last year at its weakest rate in three decades, outside of the pandemic, according to an AFP survey of analysts ahead of official data on Monday.
Defending champion Nick Taylor carded eight birdies without a bogey to share the first-round lead with Kevin Roy on Thursday in the US PGA Tour's season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii.
Sports
World number one Aryna Sabalenka insisted Friday that the race to the Australian Open title was wide open and not just between herself and Iga Swiatek.
January 16, 2026
RECENT NEWS
'Was hoping for more': Trump support slips one year in
Politics
January 16, 2026
On a sunny January morning in Florida, Donald Trump went shopping for marble and onyx for his new White House ballroom. A few hours later, he was bombing Venezuela.
January 16, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff announced her retirement Friday just weeks away from the Winter Olympics with a series of major injuries forcing her out.
January 16, 2026
Bruised and battle-hardened, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills face Denver on Saturday as their star quarterback seeks to reach his first Super Bowl and add the NFL's biggest prize to his list of accolades.
January 16, 2026
German forward Franz Wagner hit his stride late to help the Orlando Magic rally for a 118-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in the first NBA regular-season game ever played in Germany.
January 15, 2026
Politics
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Thursday she "presented" her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump, in a bid to win over the US president who had sidelined her since overthrowing Nicolas Maduro.
January 15, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The commander of Colombia's largest guerrilla group on Thursday backed calls for warring leftist militias to unite to repel any US military operations in the country.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he's aiming to be ready for week one of the 2026 NFL season after knee surgery in December.
Venezuela's interim president on Thursday announced pending legal reforms to the country's critical fossil fuel sector, as she seeks to recalibrate ties with Washington following the US military ouster of her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro.
Tech giants have blocked 4.7 million accounts under Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s, the country's online safety watchdog said Friday.
January 15, 2026
Boulevard
A US judge on Thursday authorized work to resume on a New York offshore wind project that had been suspended under an order by President Donald Trump's administration.
January 15, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A senior UN official warned on Thursday that threats of military action against Iran, like those made by US President Donald Trump, increased "volatility" in the protest-torn country.
Adrien Rabiot made sure that AC Milan stayed three points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan with a brilliant brace in Thursday's 3-1 win at high-flying Como, a victory that had a distinct French flavour.
The United States said Thursday that it has signed a deal with Taiwan to reduce tariffs on goods from the democratic island, while increasing Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies' investments in America.
A South Korean court will rule Friday on whether former president Yoon Suk Yeol obstructed justice during his disastrous martial law declaration and in its chaotic aftermath, the first in a series of verdicts for the disgraced ex-leader.
January 15, 2026
- 'Gigantic explosion', fire in Dutch city of Utrecht, four hurt
- Twenty-six charged in latest basketball gambling scandal
- Venezuela's Machado meets Trump for 'positive' talks despite snub
- NBA Europe 'must respect tradition', says commissioner Silver
- Thieves steal Pokemon cards in armed robbery at US store
- French Olympic champion Papadakis claims she was under partner's 'control'
- Fury over Grok sexualized images despite new restrictions
- US says Iran halts executions as Gulf allies pull Trump back from strike