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US storms, 'devastating' flooding death toll climbs to 17

Violent storms battering the central-eastern United States have killed at least 17 people, officials said Sunday, with the National Weather Service warning of "devastating" flash flooding.

Zelensky slams US lack of response to Putin truce rejection

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of a US response to Russia's refusal to sign "a full, unconditional ceasefire" as two people were killed in Moscow's latest aerial bombardment.

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Navalny's legacy dims among young Russians he once galvanised

For the young Russians who would once have turned out to Alexei Navalny street rallies in their thousands, the opposition leader's public legacy has faded fast in the year since his death.

Suspected gas explosion kills four at Taiwan department store

A suspected gas explosion in a Taiwan department store killed four people and left another "without vital signs", authorities said Thursday, with videos showing large pieces of debris raining on the street.

Western tour operators enter North Korea for first time since pandemic

Western tour agencies entered North Korea for the first time on Thursday since the end of the pandemic, the companies said, voicing hopes the isolated country may soon reopen a border city to foreign visitors.

Syrian migrant drama opens Berlin film festival

German director Tom Tykwer will open the Berlin film festival Thursday with a drama about a Syrian housekeeper, in the midst of a national election campaign that has been dominated by a bitter migration debate.

Four dead in Taiwan department store blast

An explosion in a Taiwan department store on Thursday killed four people and left another "without vital signs", authorities said, with videos showing large pieces of debris raining on the street.

Afghan faces trial over deadly knife attack on German policeman

An Afghan man with suspected jihadist motives goes on trial in Germany on Thursday over a knife attack that killed a policeman and wounded five others at an anti-Islam rally last year.

Saudi art biennale seeks to modernise Islamic tradition

Under a vast canopy of tents in the Saudi city of Jeddah, religious artefacts are on display alongside contemporary art pieces, part of the kingdom's bid to transform its ultraconservative image.

Grenade blast in French bar wounds 12

Twelve people were wounded when a grenade exploded in a bar in France's southeastern city of Grenoble on Wednesday, officials said.

New accuser sues US actor Spacey in UK over sexual abuse claim

A new civil claim alleging sexual abuse against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey was filed on Wednesday at London's High Court, the legal team representing the accuser confirmed to AFP.

Fire at Rio de Janeiro carnival costume factory injures 21

A fire broke out Wednesday at a factory making costumes for Rio de Janeiro's carnival, injuring 21 people in a blow to the famed extravaganza starting this month in the Brazilian city.

The US citizens held in Russian prisons

American Marc Fogel is back on US soil Wednesday after being released from a Russian prison, in what US President Donald Trump said he hoped was the start of warming ties between Washington and Moscow.

UN says former Bangladesh govt behind possible 'crimes against humanity'

Bangladesh's former government was behind systematic attacks and killings of protesters as it tried to hold onto power last year, the UN said Wednesday, warning the abuses could amount to "crimes against humanity".

Truck cabin found in Japan sinkhole search for driver

A truck cabin swallowed by a sinkhole in Japan has been found in a sewer pipe and may contain the body of its missing driver, a fire department official said Wednesday.

India's Hindu mega-festival supercharges economy

The unfathomable scale of the world's largest religious festival in India overshadows many nations in size -- and for the economy, its impact is just as dramatic.

After Patagonia, Argentina's northern prairies consumed by fires

Wildfires have consumed up to 250,000 hectares of land in northeast Argentina since January, local officials said Tuesday as firefighters continue to battle blazes in the remote southern region of Patagonia.

Dozens evacuated as fire breaks out in 50-floor building in Buenos Aires

Dozens of people were evacuated as a fire broke out in a 50-story Buenos Aires apartment building Tuesday without claiming any lives, emergency services personnel in the Argentine capital said.

Rushdie tells trial of 'lake of blood' after stabbing

Novelist Salman Rushdie described Tuesday the moment a knife-wielding attacker stormed on stage and attempted to kill him with a frenzied attack that left him blind in one eye.

US funding freeze is 'bombshell' for world aid sector

US President Donald Trump's order to suspend most foreign aid has sent shock waves through the humanitarian sector, threatening to trigger mass layoffs at many NGOs and possibly destroy others altogether.

Malaysia's Hindus mark Thaipusam festival with fervour

Hundreds of thousands of Hindus flocked to temples across Malaysia to celebrate the Thaipusam festival Tuesday, with many piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers in acts of devotion.

Philippine divorce activists vow to fight on

In her bid to convince lawmakers to legalise divorce, Filipina fruit vendor Avelina Anuran has publicly testified about the abuse she said she regularly endured at the hands of her husband.

CGFNS International Reports Nurse Migration Rates to the U.S. Remained High in 2024

Uncertain outlook for 2025 as new immigration policies are implemented

At least 55 dead after Guatemala bus plunges into ravine

At least 55 people were killed in Guatemala on Monday when a bus crashed through a guard rail and plunged into a ravine, authorities said, one of the worst road accidents in Latin America in years.

Church of England meets amid 'crisis' over abuse scandals

The Church of England's elected governing body began a week-long meeting in London on Monday, after an "unprecedented crisis" triggered by a number of sexual abuse scandals.

NY jury hears attacker 'dangerously close' to killing Salman Rushdie

Prosecutors in the trial of the man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie told jurors Monday that the author came "dangerously close to dying" in a frenzied assault that left him blind in one eye.

White S. Africans clamour for US resettlement after Trump order

A deluge of more than 20,000 queries crashed the email server of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States after President Donald Trump said he would prioritise white South Africans in a refugee programme, the chamber said Monday.

Venice extends tourist tax for 2025

Venice authorities said Monday they would extend a controversial ticket policy for day-trippers in 2025, reporting that last year's trial scheme had "slightly" reduced crowds.

Six arrested after migrants' bodies found on French beach

Authorities have arrested six people after the bodies of two migrants were found on a northern France beach following a failed bid to cross the Channel and reach Britain, French prosecutors said Monday.

NY jury hears attacker repeatedly stabbed Salman Rushdie

Prosecutors in the trial of the man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie described to jurors Monday how the "Satanic Verses" author was stabbed repeatedly in a frenzied assault that left him blind in one eye.

At least 51 dead after Guatemala bus plunges into ravine

At least 51 people were killed in Guatemala City on Monday when a bus crashed through a guard rail and plunged into a ravine, rescuers said, one of the worst road accidents in Latin America in years.

Church of England meets after series of abuse scandals

The Church of England's elected governing body will begin a week-long meeting on Monday, after an "unprecedented crisis" triggered by a number of sexual abuse scandals.

Indian police shut down Ed Sheeran's street gig

Pop megastar Ed Sheeran has denied that he unlawfully serenaded the Indian public after police said he lacked the necessary permission to play and abruptly terminated a street performance.

NY jury to hear case against man accused of trying to kill author Rushdie

Prosecutors will begin to tell a jury Monday how Hadi Matar allegedly staked out the venue where Salman Rushdie was giving a talk before lunging at the "Satanic Verses" author, blinding him in one eye.

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