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Knife attacker in Germany kills two, including child

A knife attacker in Germany killed a two-year-old child and a man and seriously wounded two other people on Wednesday, said police, who arrested an Afghan suspect at the scene.

Simmering anger as Turkey buries ski hotel fire victims

Anger was growing in Turkey on Thursday as allegations piled up that negligence played a role in the deaths of 76 people who perished when a huge fire swept through a luxury ski resort hotel in northern Turkey.

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Venezuela's Machado freed after being 'taken away by force': opposition

Venezuela's opposition said Thursday its leader Maria Corina Machado was freed after earlier being "taken away by force" by security agents when leaving a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.

Los Angeles fires rage on as residents sift through 'death and destruction'

Two massive wildfires that engulfed whole neighborhoods and displaced thousands in Los Angeles were totally uncontained on Thursday, authorities said, as shell-shocked residents began to pick through the charred wreckage of their homes.

Major LA fires '0%' contained as residents survey havoc

Shell-shocked Los Angeles residents on Thursday surveyed the devastation from fast-moving fires that have claimed at least five lives, as officials warned the largest blazes remained totally uncontained.

Video game play gets frisky at CES gadget gala

Video game play met romantic intimacy in a corner of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Thursday -- but it hasn't always been smooth sailing for sex toys at the Las Vegas gadget extravaganza.

France charges founder of adult website linked to mass rape trial: prosecutors

France on Thursday charged the founder of an adult website used to commit sexual offences, including by a French man who recruited dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife, prosecutors said.

Shocked LA residents survey fire damage, brace for more

Shell-shocked Los Angeles residents on Thursday surveyed the devastation from wind-whipped fires that have engulfed entire neighborhoods and claimed at least five lives, as forecasters warned of further dangerous conditions.

Sarkozy tells court 'not a cent' of Libyan money in campaign funds

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, on trial charged with accepting illegal campaign financing, told a court Thursday he had never accepted any money from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Polish president says don't arrest Netanyahu at Auschwitz ceremony

Poland's president has urged the government not to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he attend the Auschwitz liberation anniversary event later this month, his office said Thursday.

Ex-Scotland rugby captain Hogg spared jail after admitting he abused wife

Former Scotland rugby union captain Stuart Hogg was sentenced to supervision for a year on Thursday, avoiding a jail term after admitting he had abused his estranged wife over the course of five years.

Deadly Los Angeles wildfires threaten Hollywood

Wildfires threatened to engulf parts of Hollywood on Wednesday as a growing number of blazes raged across Los Angeles, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and claiming at least five lives.

Hollywood ablaze as fires rage around Los Angeles

At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, officials said Wednesday, with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes -- including in Hollywood.

'We have lost everything': Despair in the Los Angeles fires

Homes reduced to ashes, businesses in flames, and in the midst of the devastation, haggard residents: the California city of Altadena, ravaged Wednesday by a violent fire, looked like an area that has just been bombed.

Venezuela braces for crunch anti-Maduro protests

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro will take to the streets Thursday, in a last-ditch bid to prevent him from being sworn in for a highly controversial third term as president.

Philippine Catholic devotees mass in Manila hoping for a miracle

Hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims swarmed the streets of Manila in search of a miracle Thursday, straining to reach a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in an annual display of religious fervour.

New twist in US-Cuba trademark fight over Havana Club rum

One rum, two owners: the decades-long legal battle between the Cuban government and spirits giant Bacardi over the popular Havana Club rum brand has entered a new phase with the enactment of a new US trademark law.

Venezuela repression increases ahead of crunch anti-Maduro protests

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro condemned a new crackdown on his critics ahead of planned protests Thursday over his inauguration for a highly contested third term later this week.

'No more fires,' demand fed-up Amazon residents

Giovana Serrao was not home when a fire lit in a neighboring agricultural field got out of control and destroyed her acai palms on the island of Marajo in the Brazilian Amazon.

Crowds throng as Jesus statue parades through Philippine capital

Scores of thousands of Catholic pilgrims swarmed the streets of Manila in search of a miracle Thursday, straining to reach a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in an annual display of religious fervour.

Yakuza leader pleads guilty in US court to conspiring to sell nuclear material

A member of the Japanese yakuza criminal underworld pleaded guilty to handling nuclear material sourced from Myanmar and seeking to sell it to fund an illicit arms deal, US authorities said Wednesday.

Whole streets burn as fires rage around Los Angeles

Rampaging wildfires around Los Angeles have killed at least two people, officials said Wednesday as terrifying blazes leveled whole streets, torching cars and houses in minutes.

Celebrities flee Los Angeles blazes as Hollywood premieres scrapped

World-famous actors, musicians and celebrities were among the tens of thousands of people affected by terrifying wildfires tearing through Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Mexican president trolls Trump, suggests US renamed 'Mexican America'

Mexico's president took a swipe at Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying that the United States should be called "Mexican America," after Trump's vow to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."

Hydrants run dry in LA fire battle, residents urged to save water

People living all over Los Angeles were urged Wednesday to conserve water after hydrants ran dry as major wildfires erupted around the city.

Opponents decry Venezuela crackdown ahead of Maduro swearing-in

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday decried a worsening crackdown 48 hours before he is to be sworn in following elections he is widely accused to have stolen.

Two dead, significant injuries in Los Angeles blazes

Rampaging wildfires around Los Angeles have killed at least two people and caused a "significant number" of serious injuries, officials tackling the terrifying blazes said Wednesday.

UN denounces spike in Russian executions of Ukrainian PoWs

The United Nations voiced alarm Wednesday at a recent surge in alleged Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war, saying it had verified 68 cases since the start of the war.

Thousands flee as Los Angeles wildfires burn out of control

Tens of thousands of people fled their homes near Los Angeles on Wednesday as three out-of-control wildfires fuelled by hurricane-force winds tore through the city's suburbs, destroying dozens of houses.

Debris falling from the sky: more often, more risk

It is still not clear what exactly fell onto a Kenyan village last month, but such events are likely to become increasingly common given the amount of space debris drifting above the planet.

Wildfire sparks panicked evacuations in Los Angeles suburbs

Firefighters on Wednesday battled a ferocious wildfire in Los Angeles suburbs, home to many Hollywood celebrities, which devoured buildings and sparked panicked evacuations as hurricane-force winds fuelled rapid blaze growth.

Bangladesh orders banks to assist UK minister graft probe

Bangladesh money laundering investigators have ordered the country's big banks to hand over details of transactions relating to British anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq in an ongoing graft probe, officers told AFP.

Grief and nostalgia in India's 'Jimmy Carter village'

In a quiet village tucked in the shadow of India's capital, the late US president Jimmy Carter's name is etched for posterity.

Venezuela's 'colectivos' ready to pounce as opposition plans protest

Venezuela's "colectivos," groups of armed civilian volunteers accused of committing violence on behalf of Nicolas Maduro's pariah regime, are poised to pounce on opposition protests called for the eve of the president's swearing-in ceremony.

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