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Thai king visits hospital after nursery massacre
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Friday visited a hospital treating those wounded in a gun and knife rampage by a sacked policeman that left 36 people dead, ending a day of grief and mourning by relatives.
Cambodian opposition politician loses defamation case
A prominent Cambodian opposition politician with Australian citizenship was convicted of defamation on Friday for criticising local elections in which strongman leader Hun Sen's party won a landslide victory.
Meta warns of password stealing phone apps
Meta warned a million Facebook users Friday that they have been "exposed" to seemingly innocuous smartphone applications designed to steal passwords to the social network.
Weinstein sex assault trial in Los Angeles to start
Harvey Weinstein's next sexual assault trial is set to begin Monday in Los Angeles, almost exactly five years after allegations of sexual misconduct against the Hollywood mogul helped launch the #MeToo era.
After the floods, a wave of disease plagues Pakistan
His head haloed by a whirlwind of mosquitoes, Aamir Hussain stands on the roof of his home in southern Pakistan surveying the fetid floodwaters all around.
Distraught parents lay white roses for Thai nursery massacre victims
One by one, grieving parents came to lay single white roses on the steps of the Thai nursery where nearly two dozen of their children were murdered.
Death toll in Indian Himalayas avalanche rises to 19
At least 19 people are confirmed dead after an avalanche struck climbers in the Indian Himalayas, authorities said Friday, with bad weather hampering the fourth day of search and rescue efforts.
Xi's 'final purge' ahead of Chinese Communist Party congress
President Xi Jinping has embarked on a "final round of purges" ahead of a major Chinese Communist Party congress, wielding his long-running anti-corruption campaign to cement his grasp on power, analysts say.
Families of detainees appeal to US to kick up pressure in Mideast
Relatives of imprisoned or recently released activists in the Middle East, including in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, urged the United States this week to use its influence to secure progress on human rights in those countries.
The Cuban priestesses defying religious patriarchy
First, they defied the male dominion over the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion by being secretly ordained. Then, they shocked the patriarchy by performing a ritual long considered the exclusive preserve of men.
Easter Island blaze chars famous moai statues
A forest fire that tore through part of Easter Island has charred some of its fabled monumental carved stone figures, known as moai, authorities said Thursday.
US tightens travel screening as worries about Ebola mount
The United States announced tighter screening Thursday for people who traveled to Uganda due to an outbreak of Ebola in the African country.
Mexico town hall massacre leaves at least 20 dead
Gunmen attacked a town hall and murdered at least 20 people, including a mayor, in a southern Mexican state riven by turf wars between rival drug cartels, authorities said Thursday.
Iran protests: What happened on Zahedan's 'Bloody Friday'?
Iranian security forces have massacred over 80 people in the southeastern city of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province, in a crackdown on protests that erupted as Iran is convulsed by nationwide demonstrations, rights activists charge.
Apple wins 728-mn-euro cut to France antitrust fine
A French court on Thursday slashed more than 700 million euros from a record 1.1-billion-euro fine imposed on US tech giant Apple in 2020, sources close to the case told AFP.
66 abortion clinics shut in US since court ruling: report
At least 66 clinics in 15 US states have stopped performing abortions since the June Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to the procedure, according to a report published on Thursday.
21 inmates dead in separate Ecuador prison clashes
Three days of bloody clashes between inmates in Ecuador have left 21 dead and 66 people, including five police officers, injured in the latest bout of gang violence in the country's notoriously brutal prisons, officials said Thursday.
Kevin Spacey in court over 1980s sex misconduct claim
Five years after sexual misconduct allegations ended his Hollywood career, Kevin Spacey appeared in a New York court Thursday to face a civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, who accuses the disgraced Oscar winner of assaulting him as a teenager, in 1986.
UN Human Rights Council rejects debate on Xinjiang
The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday voted against holding a debate on alleged widespread abuses in China's Xinjiang region after intense lobbying by Beijing, in a major setback for Western nations.
Six charged over Indonesia stadium disaster
Indonesia's police chief on Thursday said six people had been charged over a football stadium disaster that killed 131 at the weekend.
Spain to relocate remains of Franco allies to more discreet graves
Spain is planning to relocate the remains of two far-right figures linked to its 1936-1939 civil war who are buried in grandiose sites, a minister said Thursday.
UN Human Rights Council rejects holding Xinjiang debate
The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday voted against holding a debate on alleged abuses in China's Xinjiang region in a major setback for Western nations.
Nearly 200 dead in Niger floods
Flooding caused by heavy rains in the West African state of Niger has claimed nearly 200 lives and affected more than a quarter of a million people, the Civil Protection Service said on Thursday, describing the toll as one of the highest on record.
Myanmar jails Japanese filmmaker for 10 years: diplomatic source
Myanmar's junta has jailed a Japanese filmmaker for 10 years for encouraging dissent against the military and violating an electronic communications law, a diplomatic source told AFP on Thursday.
'A time to help': Indonesians ran to aid of fleeing fans in stadium stampede
As one of the deadliest disasters in the history of football unfolded before his eyes at an Indonesian stadium, photographer Adi Bowo Sucipto put his camera down and rushed to help.
Hazy timeframe for reaching electric plane era
Recent test flights suggest the era of electric airplanes is coming closer, but aviation experts caution that achieving commercial use hinges on regulatory approval which has an unknowable timeframe.
Decades on, search continues for Argentina's 'stolen' children
The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo are getting old. Every day the hopes of finding their grandchildren, who were stolen and given up for adoption under Argentina's dictatorship, are fading.
What's next for the Musk-Twitter deal?
With Twitter and Elon Musk edging towards finalizing a deal, here's what may come next in the billionaire's on-again, off-again bid to buy the influential social media platform.
The German town where boats take the elevator
Germany's whopping new boat lift could lug the weight of 50 blue whales over a stretch of canal between Poland and Berlin.
Iran pop singer silenced, but his song remains a protest anthem
Even though he has been silenced, Iranian pop singer Shirvin Hajipour's impassioned song in support of protests over Mahsa Amini's death in custody remains an unofficial anthem of the movement.
Ten dead after Indian Himalayas avalanche hits climbers
Ten people are confirmed dead after an avalanche struck climbers in the Indian Himalayas, police said Wednesday, with 18 other members of the expedition still missing.
Indonesian president orders stadium audit after deadly stampede
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday ordered an audit of all football stadiums in the country, vowing to find the "root" cause of one of the deadliest disasters in the sport's history.
Vietnam requests Netflix remove K-drama over war 'distortion'
Vietnam has asked Netflix to stop showing South Korean drama series "Little Women" in the Southeast Asian country, alleging the series distorted events of the Vietnam War, state media said Wednesday.
Iran schoolgirls lead protests over Mahsa Amini death
Iranian schoolgirls have come to the fore in protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, removing their hijabs and staging sporadic rallies in defiance of a lethal crackdown by the security forces.
Paris police dismantle crack users' camp
Paris police on Wednesday dismantled a camp that is home to over 100 crack users, the latest move in a campaign that has repeatedly displaced the addicts around the capital.
Indonesian president to order stadium audit after deadly stampede
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Wednesday that he would order an audit of all football stadiums in the country, vowing to find the "root" cause of one of the deadliest disasters in the sport's history.
Indonesian president visits city where stadium stampede killed 131 people
Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived on Wednesday in the city of Malang, where a stadium stampede killed at least 131 people in one of the deadliest disasters in football history.
'Above the law': Indonesia stampede puts focus on police force
The Indonesian stadium stampede that left 131 people dead has sparked anger against the nation's police, whom critics have long accused of using excessive violence.
Ukraine war, climate favourites for Nobel Peace Prize
As speculation mounts ahead of Friday's much-anticipated Nobel Peace Prize announcement, observers suggest the committee may sound the alarm over the war in Ukraine or climate change.