https://www.scmp.com/rss/522869/feed The latest news and top stories on Agence France-Presse. A prominent Paris-based French international news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP) is dedicated to providing fast, accurate, impartial and verified global news coverage. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world’s oldest news agency and one of the three largest globally. Its main areas of focus include delivering comprehensive multimedia content – text, photos, video, graphics –across politics, sports, science and more, in six languages.... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US military said on Tuesday that four people had been killed in a strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fourth such deadly attack in as many days. US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that the strike – just as the previous three – occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It posted aerial video on social media showing a vessel bobbing in the water before being struck by a projectile and exploding. The four new fatalities raise the total death toll of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:13:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A stampede at a mountaintop fortress popular with tourists in northern Haiti has killed at least 25 people and injured dozens of others, authorities said, revising an earlier, higher number of fatalities. Municipal authorities in the city of Cap-Haitien in a statement said that Saturday’s stampede in Milot “resulted in numerous cases of asphyxiation, trampling and loss of consciousness”. Authorities said dozens of people who attended traditional festivities at the historical site were taken to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349818/stampede-historical-fort-haiti-kills-least-30-culture-minister-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349818/stampede-historical-fort-haiti-kills-least-30-culture-minister-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:30:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three people, including a 10-month-old girl, were killed on Sunday when high winds toppled a tree in northern Germany during an Easter egg hunt, police said. Around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children were attending the event in woods near the town of Satrupholm at around 11am when a 30-metre tree fell on the group, police said in a statement. Four people were pinned under the tree. A 21-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl were treated by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349101/3-killed-including-baby-high-winds-topple-tree-during-easter-egg-hunt-germany?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349101/3-killed-including-baby-high-winds-topple-tree-during-easter-egg-hunt-germany?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 16:33:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US federal judge on Friday ruled as unconstitutional a Pentagon press access policy that withdrew accreditations from a host of prominent media organisations. Elements of the policy are “unlawful because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution”, a judge in Washington said in response to a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. US media and a host of international news outlets including Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Fox News declined to sign... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347398/us-judge-rules-restrictive-pentagon-press-access-unconstitutional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347398/us-judge-rules-restrictive-pentagon-press-access-unconstitutional?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:09:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An explosion was heard in Baghdad early Wednesday, an Agence France-Presse journalist said, as Iraqi officials reported a drone and rocket attack targeting the US embassy. The latest explosion came hours after multiple blasts were heard across the Iraqi capital, where a witness said he saw detonations likely caused by air defences intercepting projectiles over the embassy. Diners at a restaurant in the city seemed undisturbed by the initial sounds of the blasts. Another witness saw a fire on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346936/fire-us-embassy-baghdad-security-official-reports-drone-and-rocket-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346936/fire-us-embassy-baghdad-security-official-reports-drone-and-rocket-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:59:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Tehran resident in her 30s agreed to share her thoughts with Agence France-Presse about the ongoing war and daily life. Her identity has been withheld for her protection. Here is an edited transcript of the conversation. How is daily life in Tehran? People left in waves, especially those who were next to targets. The financial situation is very bad. My job has been halted and I am spending out of my savings. Going away has costs too, so this may be one of the reasons why people are leaving... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346334/life-under-fire-tehran-resident-shares-her-story-iran-attacked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346334/life-under-fire-tehran-resident-shares-her-story-iran-attacked?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:33:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analysed by Agence France-Presse. Iran has effectively closed the vital waterway since US-Israeli strikes on it began on February 28, and at least 10 vessels have been attacked since. But by claiming to have an “all-Chinese crew” aboard, or changing their destination to “Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346021/ships-brandish-china-links-evade-irans-attacks-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346021/ships-brandish-china-links-evade-irans-attacks-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:52:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A home-made explosive thrown near anti-Islam protesters outside the New York mayor’s home was a viable device “that could have caused serious injury or death”, police said on Sunday. Two suspicious devices were thrown by a man identified by police as Emir Balat near the protest on Saturday led by a far-right influencer to oppose public Muslim prayer. An Agence France-Presse correspondent at the scene heard Balat shout “Allahu akbar” (“God is the greatest”) during the incident, which is under... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345909/new-york-police-say-device-thrown-near-anti-islam-protest-was-improvised-explosive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345909/new-york-police-say-device-thrown-near-anti-islam-protest-was-improvised-explosive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:45:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Israeli military said on Sunday it had killed three key commanders from the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in a strike on a hotel in central Beirut, which it said left five Guards dead. “Overnight, the Israeli Navy, directed by precise IDF (Israel Defence Forces) intelligence, conducted a precise strike in Beirut, Lebanon, targeting five commanders from the IRGC’s Lebanon Corps and Palestine Corps while they were meeting at a hotel in Beirut,” the military said. In a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345846/lebanon-says-least-4-killed-israeli-strike-beirut-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345846/lebanon-says-least-4-killed-israeli-strike-beirut-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:45:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s military junta granted amnesty on Monday to more than 7,000 prisoners convicted of financing or sheltering a “terrorist group”, a designation it has used to outlaw pro-democracy factions opposing its rule. Thousands of dissenting civilians have been swept into jails since Myanmar’s military snatched power in a 2021 coup, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy and detaining elected figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi. Pro-democracy activists backing Suu Kyi and armed groups challenging... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345128/myanmar-convicts-charged-terrorists-junta-freed-mass-amnesty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345128/myanmar-convicts-charged-terrorists-junta-freed-mass-amnesty?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:53:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse “Assemble!” someone bellowed in the prison corridor, cutting through the silence. Murmurs began echoing off the white walls, and the stairwells filled with people from all over the world: Egyptians, Chinese, Cameroonians, Kenyans, an Italian - all soldiers captured fighting for Russia, now held in a Ukrainian jail. Some joined the Russian military in search of a better life or to escape their home countries, while others were persuaded by Russia’s war aims. Some say they were tricked or forced... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341825/foreign-pows-who-fought-russia-now-stuck-ukraine-prison-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341825/foreign-pows-who-fought-russia-now-stuck-ukraine-prison-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:24:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, according to an Agence France-Presse tally, setting a record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year. Analysts have largely attributed the surge in executions to Riyadh’s ongoing “war on drugs” launched in recent years – with many of those first arrested only now being executed, following legal proceedings and convictions. Official data released by the government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338440/saudi-arabia-sets-executions-record-2025-putting-356-people-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338440/saudi-arabia-sets-executions-record-2025-putting-356-people-death?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:01:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was in a “stable condition” in hospital after a car accident in Nigeria that killed two close friends and associates, his promoter said on Monday. Pictures circulating online showed a shirtless Joshua – a British national of Nigerian heritage – surrounded by what appeared to be broken window glass on the seats around him. Joshua’s promoter said the boxer’s “close friends and team members” Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele were killed and Joshua... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3338070/ex-heavyweight-champion-anthony-joshua-injured-nigeria-highway-crash-2-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3338070/ex-heavyweight-champion-anthony-joshua-injured-nigeria-highway-crash-2-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:23:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse With a stroke of his favourite black pen, Donald Trump has signed what should become his 221st executive order – a figure that exceeds the number in his entire first term, as he forges ahead with one of the biggest displays of US presidential power in modern history. Issued in a number unprecedented since World War II, the orders cover everything from new customs barriers to promoting artificial intelligence, fighting “woke” culture and the architectural style of federal buildings, according to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336683/trump-has-signed-more-executive-orders-year-his-entire-first-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336683/trump-has-signed-more-executive-orders-year-his-entire-first-term?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 20:30:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Celebrated British documentary photographer Martin Parr has died at his home in the western English city of Bristol, his foundation announced on Sunday. He was 73. Famous for his kitschy, colour-saturated images, Parr had a sharp eye for mundane oddities, typified in his humorous snapshots of bronzed beachgoers and selfie-snapping holidaymakers. “It is with great sadness that we announce that Martin Parr (1952-2025) died yesterday at home in Bristol,” a statement on The Martin Parr Foundation’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335535/renowned-british-documentary-photographer-martin-parr-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335535/renowned-british-documentary-photographer-martin-parr-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 18:15:58 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,William Zheng Ng Kang-chung,William Zheng Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong has met representatives from foreign media outlets in the city and warned them against crossing “red lines”, following reports it said smeared the government’s fire relief efforts and attacked the Legislative Council election. According to sources, foreign media outlets that were requested to attend the meeting included Agence France-Presse, the Financial Times, The New York Times and Associated Press. Bloomberg News reported it also attended. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3335466/beijing-warns-foreign-media-hong-kong-over-crossing-red-lines-during-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3335466/beijing-warns-foreign-media-hong-kong-over-crossing-red-lines-during-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 12:50:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse AI-generated videos were clogging social media feeds on Monday as Hurricane Melissa surged towards Jamaica, diverting attention from critical safety information about the massive Category 5 storm. Agence France-Presse surfaced dozens of fakes – most bearing watermarks for OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora – as Melissa was set to pummel the Caribbean island with violent winds and heavy rains. The videos depicted a range of fabricated situations, from dramatic newscasts and shots of severe... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330542/ai-generated-fake-videos-proliferate-hurricane-melissa-nears-jamaica?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330542/ai-generated-fake-videos-proliferate-hurricane-melissa-nears-jamaica?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 23:45:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Louvre was closed for a second day on Monday as police hunted for thieves who broke in and stole priceless jewels in a spectacular daylight robbery. Officials said a team of 60 investigators was working on the theory that an organised crime group was behind the theft on Sunday of nine pieces of jewellery, one of which – a crown covered in more than 1,000 diamonds – they dropped as they fled. The thieves arrived at around 9.30am, shortly after the museum opened at 9.00am, and completed the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329593/daylight-robbery-thieves-steal-priceless-french-crown-jewels-louvre-museum-paris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329593/daylight-robbery-thieves-steal-priceless-french-crown-jewels-louvre-museum-paris?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 16:49:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hamnet, a devastating period drama about the life of William Shakespeare and his family, won the top prize on Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival. The heart-wrenching film stars Paul Mescal as Shakespeare, who tries to forge a career as a playwright while his wife Agnes – played by Jessie Buckley – contends with the perils of plague and childbirth in Elizabethan England. It comes from Beijing-born director Chloé Zhao, who directed 2020’s Oscar-winning Nomadland. Securing the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325517/chloe-zhaos-shakespeare-family-tragedy-hamnet-wins-top-toronto-film-prize?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325517/chloe-zhaos-shakespeare-family-tragedy-hamnet-wins-top-toronto-film-prize?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 19:08:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a visit to Israel by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the strength of ties between the allies, days after an unprecedented Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar drew broad criticism. The attack on the US ally and key mediator in Gaza truce talks has prompted Arab and Muslim leaders to gather for a show of solidarity in Doha, where Qatar’s prime minister urged the world to reject “double standards” and hold Israel to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325513/netanyahu-says-us-alliance-has-never-been-stronger-marco-rubio-visits-israel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325513/netanyahu-says-us-alliance-has-never-been-stronger-marco-rubio-visits-israel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 16:54:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A French judge on Sunday charged a homeless man, whose identity and nationality remain uncertain, for the murders of four men whose bodies were found in the River Seine just outside Paris, prosecutors said. The bodies, some partially naked, were found on August 13 in the river in the southeastern suburb of Choisy-le-Roi. A passenger on a passing train saw one body floating in the river and the others were found later. The suspect was detained on Wednesday and placed in pre-trial detention, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3323000/homeless-man-charged-murder-after-4-bodies-found-frances-river-seine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3323000/homeless-man-charged-murder-after-4-bodies-found-frances-river-seine?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 19:22:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinian aid-seekers travelling on Sunday through a military zone south of Gaza City that is regularly used to reach a food distribution point, a hospital and witnesses said. Gaza City is in famine after 22 months of war, while Israel’s military moves ahead with a planned offensive to seize the city, perhaps within days. Israel’s defence minister has warned that the city of hundreds of thousands of people could be destroyed. Al-Awda Hospital and two witnesses... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322998/4-palestinians-shot-dead-israeli-forces-while-seeking-aid-near-gaza-city-witnesses-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322998/4-palestinians-shot-dead-israeli-forces-while-seeking-aid-near-gaza-city-witnesses-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 18:02:07 +0000