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South African flood victims struggle with despair
Wielding shovels, mallets and machetes, they worked for four hours to try to shift the muddy debris, hoping that vehicles could at last get through.
Venice readies day-trip booking system to ease crowds
Venice plans to trial a reservation system for day-trippers, an official said Wednesday, in a bid to ease over-tourism as visitors flock back to the Italian city following the pandemic.
Hong Kong pro-democracy DJ gets 40 months in jail for sedition
A pro-democracy Hong Kong radio DJ was jailed for 40 months on Wednesday for "seditious speech" under a British colonial-era law authorities have embraced as China flattens dissent in the city.
El Salvador NGOs file suit against gag order on gang statements
El Salvadoran NGOs asked the judiciary on Tuesday to declare unconstitutional a new measure that journalists warn could criminalize certain forms of media reporting on gangs.
Chanters in Cyprus carry on 'rich heritage' of Byzantine music
Chanting resonates through a church in the Cypriot resort town of Ayia Napa, darkened but for a few low lights and mobile devices displaying the singers' Byzantine melodies.
Under shadow of drought, Santiago ditches exotic plants
With drought casting a constant shadow over Santiago's 7.1 million residents, there has been a recent rush to replace thirsty, exotic plants with hardier, native ones in the hopes of staving off water rationing.
Brazil readies first carnival since Covid
After two bleak years of lock-downs and loss, Rio de Janeiro will hold its famed carnival this weekend for the first time since Covid-19 hit Brazil, promising a giant, glittering spectacle of pandemic catharsis.
America's weed legalization: five things to know
As pot smokers prepare to light up for "4/20" -- the annual counter-cultural celebration of cannabis held on April 20 -- the United States' legalization experiment blazes ahead.
Roll up: Weed Day explained
Tens of thousands of Americans will gather in parks and city plazas under a fog of marijuana smoke on Wednesday to celebrate a drug that remains illegal in much of the country.
US pot use increasingly normal, but legality is hazy
Buy a T-shirt, get a "gift" of weed: that's how some stores operate in Washington, exploiting a perceived loophole to sidestep a ban on selling cannabis in the US capital.
Johnny Depp rejects 'heinous' abuse charges at US defamation trial
"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp denied ever physically abusing Amber Heard as he took the witness stand on Tuesday at the US defamation trial against his former wife.
French court fines Deliveroo for 'undeclared labour'
A Paris court on Tuesday handed the food delivery group Deliveroo a fine of 375,000 euros ($405,000) after finding it guilty of "undeclared labour" by using freelance delivery riders who should have been considered employees.
S. Africa ministers to the front as flood effort stutters
South Africa's government Tuesday sought to reassure a worried public about efforts to help the east coast, where millions remained without water more than a week after deadly storms pounded the region.
20 million risk starvation as Horn of Africa drought worsens: UN
Twenty million people are at risk of starvation this year as delayed rains worsen an already brutal drought in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, the UN warned Tuesday.
Indonesia rescuers search rubble after mini-market collapse kills 5
Rescue workers in Indonesia were searching for survivors Tuesday after a mini-market collapse killed five people and injured nine, in a country where lax construction standards have raised concerns about building safety.
Iran fights to recover stolen antiquities
Decorated glazed bricks almost 3,000 years old are on display at Iran's National Museum after a four-decade search disrupted by war and an international legal battle.
Washington Mormon Temple to welcome public for first time in half a century
Like something from a science fiction novel, with its six golden spires and pristine white walls rising above the surrounding trees, the Washington Mormon Temple has for decades intrigued those barred from entering.
South Africa floods declared national disaster
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday declared a national state of disaster over the deadly floods on the east coast, warning that rebuilding even basic services will take time.
10,000 soldiers in South Africa flood relief effort
A week after deadly storms started lashing South Africa's east coast, the army said Monday 10,000 troops were on the ground to help restore key services and aid the search for 63 people who remain missing.
What's behind South Africa's flood disaster
South Africa, the continent's most industrialised country, has largely escaped the tropical cyclones that regularly hit its neighbours.
Cruise ships return to Australia after two-year Covid ban
A cruise ship docked in Sydney Harbour on Monday for the first time in more than two years, after a 2020 ban sparked by a mass Covid-19 outbreak was lifted.
Exiled Nicaraguan ambassador 'fed up with cruelty'
Former Nicaraguan ambassador Arturo McFields's defection was spectacular.
Orthodox Palm Sunday brings brief respite to Ukraine's Kramatorsk
For once, the distant thunder of shelling cannot be heard in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Orthodox Palm Sunday has granted its residents some respite before an expected Russian onslaught.
Flood-struck S.Africans seek Easter Sunday divine 'refuge'
As temperatures climbed and an overcast sky hung over a storm-ravaged township in eastern South Africa, survivors of the deadly floods sought divine solace observing Easter Sunday.
South Africa flood toll rises to 443 as deluge eases
The death toll from floods that have battered South Africa's east coast has risen to 443, including a rescuer, a regional official said on Sunday, as dozens more are still missing.
Over 20 wounded in new Jerusalem violence
More than 20 Israelis and Palestinians were wounded on Sunday in several incidents in and around Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, two days after major violence at the site.
S.Africa deluge easing but flood emergency lingers
Rains were expected to let up in South Africa's flood-ravaged east Sunday after one of the deadliest storms in living memory killed nearly 400 and left tens of thousands homeless
Divers inspect fuel-laden ship sunk off Tunisia
Divers on Sunday inspected the hull of a tanker loaded with 750 tonnes of fuel that sank off southeastern Tunisia, with no leak detected so far, officials said.
Human trafficking raises alarm in divided Cyprus
Cyprus's frozen conflict is providing fertile ground for human traffickers with cases at "alarming" levels in the EU member state, and the breakaway north considered as bad as Afghanistan.
Fuel-laden ship sinks off Tunisia coast
A tanker carrying 750 tonnes of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta sank Saturday off Tunisia's southeast coast, but officials said a large spill could be avoided.
Flames of honour for Muslim saint in Kashmir
Hundreds of Muslim villagers climbed a hill in Indian-administered Kashmir to celebrate a 15th-century Sufi saint with flaming torches and mark the beginning of the paddy-sowing season.
Russian warship stamp becomes collector's item in Ukraine
A stamp depicting a Ukrainian soldier making an obscene hand gesture at the Russian Black Sea flagship Moskva has become a collector's item for Ukrainians who see it as a sign of "victory".