Featured
Last news
Tonga virus cases surge in wake of eruption
The Omicron variant coronavirus entered Tonga for the first time in the wake of last month's volcanic eruption, officials confirmed Thursday, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the kingdom almost doubled to 64.
'Dutch' and 'Razzlekhan,': US couple behind record bitcoin haul
She's accused of laundering billions of dollars in stolen bitcoin with her husband, but her alleged crimes are likely to be overshadowed by an excruciating foray into rap music.
Madagascar cyclone toll rises to 92 amid calls for aid
The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Batsirai has risen to 92 in Madagascar, authorities said Wednesday, as humanitarian organisations ramped up aid efforts with more than 110,000 people in need of emergency assistance.
West Ham fine Zouma for abusing cat as pets are taken into care
West Ham on Wednesday fined Kurt Zouma the "maximum amount possible" for mistreating his pet cat as the RSPCA charity said it had taken two animals belonging to the France defender into care.
Madagascar cyclone toll rises to 80
The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Batsirai has risen to 80, Madagascar's authorities said Wednesday, releasing data from the regions hardest-hit by the storm that left bodies buried under their collapsed homes.
Dutch museum grapples with history of Indonesian independence
A bullet-torn shirt and photos of freedom fighters are among the exhibits documenting Indonesia's struggle for independence from the Dutch in a groundbreaking show at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.
'I didn't kill anyone,' Paris terror attacker claims
The only assailant still alive after the terror attacks that rocked Paris in November 2015 said Wednesday that "I didn't kill anyone, I didn't hurt anyone" as he took the stand for the first time in the trial over the jihadist massacres.
Fresh hopes for landmark treaty to rescue ocean life
World leaders are under pressure to conclude years of talks on an agreement to protect open oceans that help sustain life on Earth, cover almost half the planet and currently fall under no country's laws.
'My work is not done': jailed Duterte critic runs for Senate
From behind bars, Philippine senator and human rights campaigner Leila de Lima is running for re-election in an against-the-odds campaign that gives her the chance to once again "go after" President Rodrigo Duterte.
Hindu pride and Muslim fears overshadow key Indian poll
Hindu worshippers from across India gather each morning to pray in Ayodhya, near where a historic mosque was torn down three decades ago by religious zealots -- triggering inter-faith riots that killed thousands of people.
Top UN court to rule on massive DR Congo reparation claim
The UN's top court will rule Wednesday in a long-running compensation fight between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is claiming billions of dollars over a brutal 1998-2003 war.
Shaken by fracking quakes, Texas is forced to act
"You get used to it. The walls shake," says Sam, a resident of Midland, a town in west Texas where hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas -- known as "fracking" -- is causing more and more earthquakes.
Witnesses draw damning portrait of US teen shooter's parents in court
The parents of a teenager who shot dead four people at a high school in Michigan had ignored the boy's psychiatric problems and his calls for help, witnesses told a US court Tuesday.
Ottawa protesters against Covid restrictions dig in for long haul
Seated around a campfire flanked by big rigs, with a view of parliament, bleary-eyed protesters on their 12th day of occupying Canada's capital say they are more determined than ever to stay put -- and defend their "freedom."
At least 11 dead in Colombia mudslide
At least 11 people died and 35 were injured in a mudslide triggered by heavy rains in Colombia on Tuesday, the national disaster agency said.
West Ham start Zouma despite cat kicking shame
Kurt Zouma was named in the West Ham starting line-up for Tuesday's Premier League clash with Watford despite apologising for a video of him kicking and slapping a cat.
Canadian anti-vax truckers inspire copycat protests
A protest movement by Canadian truckers angered over Covid vaccine rules has become a rallying point for opponents of pandemic restrictions, firing up crowds from New York to New Zealand.
Taliban in Geneva for diplomatic, humanitarian talks
A Taliban delegation was in Geneva on Tuesday for a week of NGO-hosted talks on humanitarian access and human rights, as crisis-besieged Afghanistan's new rulers expand their international engagement.
US seizes $3.6 bn of stolen bitcoin in record haul
The US Justice Department announced Tuesday it had recovered more than 94,000 bitcoin stolen in 2016, currently valued at $3.6 billion, a record seizure.
African migrants face racism, violence in Brazil
The brutal murder of a Congolese man at a Rio de Janeiro beach has cast a harsh spotlight on the ordeals African migrants face in Brazil, the country with the biggest black population outside Africa.
West Ham's Zouma apologises for abusing cat in shocking online video
West Ham and France defender Kurt Zouma has apologised after a disturbing video surfaced of him kicking and slapping a cat, with the Premier League club publicly condemning the footage.
Burkina prosecutors seek 30 years for ex-leader Compaore over Sankara murder
Military prosecutors on Tuesday called for a 30-year jail term against Burkina Faso's former president Blaise Compaore for the 1987 murder of his predecessor, revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara.
Ex-pope Benedict XVI asks for forgiveness over abuse scandal
Ex-pope Benedict XVI asked for forgiveness Tuesday for clerical child sex abuse committed on his watch, but aides rejected allegations of a cover-up while he was archbishop of Munich.
Indonesian croc freed after five years trapped in tyre
A wild crocodile in Indonesia who was trapped in a tyre for more than five years has been rescued, freed from its rubber vice and released back into the wild, officials and residents said Tuesday.
Australia 'denied access' to citizen detained in Hong Kong
Australia has for the last year been denied access to a citizen arrested in Hong Kong, diplomats revealed Tuesday, the latest case to be prosecuted under the city's far-reaching national security law.
American lawyer jailed again for assaulting Hong Kong police
An American lawyer working in Hong Kong lost his appeal Tuesday and was jailed for assaulting a plainclothes policeman when he intervened in a confrontation between the officer and members of the public three years ago.
Iran 'jail restaurant' aims to free bad debt inmates
Two Iranian ex-prisoners have opened a successful "jail restaurant" to help raise funds to free convicts languishing behind bars for unpaid debts.
In Venezuela, newspaper HQ handed to govt official
A Venezuelan court has officially handed over the headquarters of the newspaper El Nacional to Diosdado Cabello, widely seen as the government's number-two man.
Humanitarian crisis feared as cyclone kills 21 in Madagascar
Cyclone Batsirai swept out of Madagascar on Monday after killing 21 people, displacing 70,000 and devastating the drought-hit island's agricultural heartland, leading the UN to warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Spirit to merge with Frontier, creating major low-cost US airline
Budget US carriers Spirit and Frontier announced Monday they will merge to create a competitive low-cost airline, in an industry "shake up" they say aims to challenge the dominance of larger rivals.
Morocco buries little Rayan who died trapped in well
Moroccans on Monday attended the funeral of Rayan, a five-year-old boy who spent five days trapped down a well, sparking a vast rescue operation that gripped the world but ended in tragedy.
Sweden's PriceRunner sues Google for 2.1 bn euros
Swedish price comparison site PriceRunner said Monday it was suing tech giant Google for 2.1 billion euros ($2.4 billion) for promoting its own shopping comparisons in search results.
New report alleges widespread Pegasus spying by Israel police
Police used Pegasus spyware to hack phones of dozens of prominent Israelis, including a son of former premier Benjamin Netanyahu, activists and senior government officials, an Israeli newspaper reported Monday.
Original 'Fight Club' ending restored in China after online backlash
The original, iconic ending of cult US film Fight Club has been restored to screens in China after a censored version that brought all criminals to book sparked outrage online.
Indonesia bus crash kills 13, injures dozens
At least 13 people were killed and dozens more injured after a tour bus carrying factory workers to a beach holiday crashed on Indonesia's Java island, according to police.
Morocco to bury 'little Rayan' who died trapped in well
Morocco prepared Monday to bury "little Rayan", the five-year-old boy who died trapped in a well despite a days-long rescue operation that gripped the world.
Ecuador capital flooding toll raised to 28
The heaviest flooding to hit Ecuador in two decades claimed 28 lives in the capital Quito this week and left 52 people injured, the city's mayor said Sunday.
NY's Queens borough offers a world of flavors, even amid pandemic
Across ethnically rich New York, you can easily dine on food from 100-plus countries. Or you can just go to the borough of Queens, where an incredibly diverse food scene is thriving even in these pandemic days.
Iraq presidential vote in question after boycotts, court ruling
Doubts hung Sunday over a scheduled parliamentary vote for Iraq's president after the Supreme Court temporarily suspended former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari, a frontrunner for the post, and leading parliamentary factions announced a boycott.