Featured
Last news
Cyclone Mocha death toll reaches 145 in Myanmar
The death toll from Cyclone Mocha has reached 145 in Myanmar with the majority Rohingya refugees, authorities said Friday, after the region's most powerful storm in more than a decade hit at the weekend.
Tsunami alert lifted after 7.7-magnitude Pacific quake
A tsunami warning in the Pacific has been lifted after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday, sending many islanders fleeing coastal areas.
Hong Kong court rejects Jimmy Lai challenge to national security body
A Hong Kong court on Friday dismissed a legal challenge by jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, conceding it had "no jurisdiction" over Beijing's national security apparatus in the city.
'Someone else done it': Man charged in deadly NZ hostel fire
A 48-year-old man accused of igniting a New Zealand hostel fire that killed at least five people claimed that someone else started the blaze during a court appearance Friday.
Indonesians fall prey to fake shaman 'magic money' scams
Indonesian mother-of-three Aslem was a domestic worker in Dubai when she started wiring cash to a self-professed shaman, believing that he would honour his promise to magically multiply her hard-earned wages.
Colombia president retracts claim children found after plane crash
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday retracted his claim that four Indigenous children missing for more than two weeks after an airplane crash in the Amazon had been found alive.
Italy flood deaths rise to 11 as thousands wait to come home
The death toll from floods that devastated an area of northeastern Italy rose to 11 Thursday after the bodies of two more people were found, authorities told AFP.
Fresh rescue efforts as Italy counts cost of deadly floods
Rescue workers searched Thursday for people still trapped by floodwaters in northeast Italy as more residents were evacuated after downpours which killed nine people and devastated homes and farms.
More villages evacuated as Italy counts cost of deadly floods
Authorities in Ravenna issued an immediate evacuation order Thursday for three villages threatened by floods after heavy rains left nine people dead across northeastern Italy.
'There was a city': VR tour peers into Hiroshima's past
On a sunny street in Hiroshima, a tourist looks around, but instead of seeing a bustling riverside, they face a scene of horror, with burning bodies and rising flames.
Library books should not have 'unhealthy ideas': Hong Kong leader
Hong Kong must not "recommend books with unhealthy ideas", the city's leader John Lee said on Thursday, following the removal of library books related to the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown and other political issues.
Colombia says four kids found alive in Amazon after plane crash
Four Indigenous children, including an 11-month-old baby, have been found alive in the dense Colombian Amazon after a plane crash more than two weeks ago, President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday, declaring "joy for the country."
'Playing war': Conflict militarises Ukraine children
The boys wear second-hand helmets and their guns cannot kill, but the war they play at in a verdant Ukraine field is real for them and carries consequences.
Jailed Kremlin critic Kara-Murza's health failing: wife
The wife of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza voiced deep concern Wednesday at his failing health behind bars, hailing his courage in the face of an act of "cynical vengeance" by Moscow.
Man convicted in US limo tragedy that killed 20
The manager of a limousine company was found guilty Wednesday of second-degree manslaughter for the deaths of 20 people in a 2018 accident involving one of his vehicles in New York state.
Four kids, including baby, found alive in Amazon after plane crash
Four Indigenous children, including an 11-month-old baby, have been found alive in the dense Colombian Amazon after a plane crash more than two weeks ago, President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday, declaring "joy for the country."
Four children found alive in Amazon after plane crash
Four Indigenous children missing for more than two weeks after a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon have been found alive, President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday, declaring "joy for the country."
Canada seeks foreign help to fight spreading wildfires
Canada called for foreign help Wednesday to combat wildfires burning out of control and spreading across vast swathes of the western half of the country.
Theranos founder Holmes ordered to prison on May 30
Fallen US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes must begin serving prison time on May 30 after a court denied her latest request to remain free while appealing her fraud conviction.
Colombian soldiers hunt for children who survived air crash
More than 100 soldiers with sniffer dogs were searching for four missing indigenous children who were traveling in an airplane that crashed in the Colombian Amazon two weeks ago, killing three adults, the armed forces said on Wednesday.
World's oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible sells for $38 mn
A Hebrew Bible more than 1,000 years old sold for $38.1 million in New York on Wednesday, setting a record for the most valuable manuscript ever sold at auction.
Nine dead, Grand Prix cancelled after flooding devastates northern Italy
At least nine people died in Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region as heavy rains flooded rivers and submerged entire neighbourhoods and farmland Wednesday, prompting the cancellation of this weekend's Imola Grand Prix.
Myanmar residents hunt for water as UN asks junta for access
Residents of Myanmar's cyclone-ravaged Rakhine state capital queued for rice and drinking water on Wednesday as the United Nations negotiated with the internationally isolated junta for access to hard-hit areas.
Michael Douglas on how to choreograph a sex scene
Veteran movie star Michael Douglas knows a thing or two about shooting a sex scene, having starred in some of the steamiest films of the 1980s and 1990s.
French court upholds home detention for Sarkozy in wiretap graft case
A French appeals court on Wednesday upheld a prison sentence of three years, including two suspended, against former president Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling.
Nintendo sells 10 mn copies of 'Zelda' in three days
The latest edition of smash-hit video game franchise "Zelda" sold more than 10 million copies in its first three days, Japanese firm Nintendo said on Wednesday.
Italy rains kill at least two as more floods feared
Heavy rains caused devastation across Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region, killing at least two people, as officials warned Wednesday more floods could follow.
French court upholds Sarkozy's jail term in wiretap graft case
A French appeals court on Wednesday upheld a prison sentence of three years, including two suspended, against former president Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling.
New Zealand police say arson suspected in deadly hostel fire
An arsonist may have ignited the hostel blaze that killed at least six people in New Zealand's capital, police said on Wednesday, as they opened a homicide investigation.
Iconic New York discount luxury store reopens after pandemic bust
Forced to shutter during the Covid-19 pandemic, discount luxury goods store Century21 reopened its flagship location in Manhattan on Tuesday, drawing elated crowds of bargain hunters back to the New York institution.
Shetland knitters lament fading island tradition
Hazel Tindall sits in the armchair of her living room, her fingers moving with speed and precision as her knitting needles click together and the brightly-coloured yarn in her lap takes shape.
Colombia searching Amazon for missing plane crash passengers
An intense rescue effort was underway Tuesday to find six passengers, including four children, who have disappeared since the small plane they were traveling in crashed in the Amazon, Colombia's aviation authority said.
Ecuador president insists 'total' innocence as impeachment trial opens
Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso declared his "total, evident and unquestionable innocence" as his impeachment trial over corruption allegations began in parliament on Tuesday.
Apple engineer from China among US tech theft cases
The United States announced charges on Tuesday against several Chinese and Russian nationals accused of stealing trade secrets and violating sanctions by seeking to export sensitive technology.
Turkey's third candidate open to endorsement talks
A little-known nationalist who helped push Turkey's election to a runoff told AFP on Tuesday he could throw his support behind either President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or his secular rival.
Relative of Brigitte Macron beaten up at family chocolate shop
French first lady Brigitte Macron on Tuesday denounced an attack on her great-nephew, who was beaten up outside her family's chocolate shop in an apparent politically motivated assault.
France issues arrest warrant for Lebanese central bank chief
A French investigating magistrate on Tuesday issued an international arrest warrant for Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh, a source close to the case said.
EU backs tougher tax rules on crypto transactions
EU ministers agreed stronger rules Tuesday to crack down on the use of cryptocurrencies in tax fraud, as Brussels bolsters its efforts to regulate the volatile sector.
Wells Fargo to pay $1 bn to settle shareholder class action
US bank Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $1 billion to settle a class action lawsuit by shareholders who accused it of not having changed its management and practices quickly enough after a series of scandals.