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Death toll in Madagascar cyclone rises to 38, 12,000 displaced
A cyclone packing violent winds has killed at least 38 people and caused devastation in Madagascar's second-largest city, prompting the country's leader to call for "international solidarity", the national disaster authority said Thursday in an updated toll.
Norway police search ex-PM Jagland's properties in probe over Epstein links
Norwegian police said Thursday they had searched properties belonging to former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland following the launch of a corruption probe over his dealings with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Belgian police raid EU commission in real estate probe
Police raided the premises of the European Commission in Brussels Thursday in a probe into a 2024 real estate deal done with the Belgian state, a source close to the investigation told AFP.
Death toll in Madagascar cyclone rises to 35
A cyclone packing violent winds has killed at least 35 people and caused devastation in Madagascar's second-largest city, the Indian Ocean island's disaster authority said Thursday, releasing an updated toll.
France jails three in gang rape case after mother saves evidence
A French court has jailed three young men for the gang rape of an 18-year-old in 2020, after the victim's mother kept evidence in a plastic bag for year, until her daughter was ready to file a complaint.
Benin's lovers less row-mantic as apps replace waterway rendezvous
For decades a narrow waterway in Ganvie, Benin has been a discreet rendezvous point for young couples to meet -- safe under cover of darkness, far away from strict families and prying eyes.
Non-alcoholic wine: a booming business searching for quality
Bertrand Degat, vineyard manager for French zero-alcohol wine producer French Bloom, winces visibly when recalling some of the criticism and snobbery he has encountered from his contemporaries.
Grieving Canada town holds vigil for school shooting victims
As the sun set in the grief-stricken Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge on Wednesday, hundreds gathered in a main square, lighting candles for victims of one of the country's worst-ever mass shootings.
Venezuelan AG wants amnesty for toppled leader Maduro
Venezuela's attorney general said Wednesday that an amnesty envisaged for political prisoners and those who jailed them during years of political repression must also be extended to toppled leader Nicolas Maduro.
France seeks probe after diplomat cited in Epstein files
France's foreign minister has requested a probe into a French diplomat who corresponded with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and who another envoy said was investigated while at the United Nations over child sex abuse websites.
Canada police say 18-year-old carried out mass shooting
Canadian police on Wednesday said an 18-year-old local resident carried out what Prime Minister Mark Carney called an act of "unheard-of cruelty" in murdering eight people and wounding dozens more in a remote mining town.
French court to rule on July 7 in Marine Le Pen appeal trial
A Paris appeals court said Wednesday it will rule on July 7 in a fraud case against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, in what is expected to be a pivotal moment for French politics.
Deadly mass shooting in Canada: What we know
Canada was reeling after a mass shooting targeting a school in a remote mining town, with nine people gunned down in one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history.
Canada stunned by deadliest school shooting in decades
Canada was in mourning Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, after a lone shooter killed at least nine people, including seven at a school, and injured dozens more in a remote western town.
US lawmakers grill attorney general over Epstein file release
US lawmakers grilled US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday over the Justice Department's slow release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the redactions made to the documents about the convicted sex offender.
French court rejects bid to reopen probe into black man's death in custody
France's top court on Wednesday ruled against reopening an investigation into the 2016 death of a young black man in police custody, closing a case that triggered national outcry -- though his family vowed to take it to Europe's highest court.
French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot reveals pain, resilience in memoirs
Gisele Pelicot, a survivor of mass rapes organised by her husband at their home in southern France, reveals her shock and trauma but also her resilience in an intimate book that will hit shelves next week.
Dutch court orders investigation into China-owned Nexperia
A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered a formal investigation into alleged mismanagement at Nexperia, a Chinese-owned chip firm at the centre of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology.
Hong Kong journalists face 'precarious' future after Jimmy Lai jailed
For Hong Kong journalists, this week's sentencing of pro-democracy newspaper boss Jimmy Lai cements a climate of fear and self-censorship in the years since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law.
French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot to reveal pain and courage in memoirs
Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who survived mass rapes organised by her husband at their home, is set to reveal intimate details about her marriage and her decision to go public in her upcoming book, according to extracts published in the media.
Shooter kills 9 at Canadian school, residence
A shooter killed nine people and wounded dozens more at a secondary school and a residence in a remote part of western Canada on Tuesday, authorities said, in a rare mass shooting in the country.
9 killed in Canada mass shooting that targeted school, residence
A shooter killed nine people and injured dozens more at a secondary school and residence in a remote part of western Canada on Tuesday, before the suspect took their own life.
Hong Kong convicts father of wanted activist over handling of funds
A Hong Kong court convicted the father of a wanted pro-democracy activist on Wednesday for handling money belonging to his daughter overseas, the first such verdict issued under the city's homegrown national security law.
'Overloading' may have led to deadly Philippine ferry sinking
Philippine authorities said Wednesday that a ferry may have been overloaded when it sank in the country's south last month, killing dozens of people who received no warning from the ship's crew.
9 killed in Canada mass shooting that targeted school, residence: police
A mass shooting in a remote part of western Canada killed nine people on Tuesday, including seven who were shot at a secondary school, before the suspect took their own life.
Instagram boss to testify at social media addiction trial
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is to be called to testify Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom by lawyers out to prove social media is dangerously addictive by design to young, vulnerable minds.
'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase
Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
YouTube says it is not social media in landmark addiction trial
A lawyer for YouTube insisted Tuesday that the Google-owned video platform was neither intentionally addictive nor technically social media, as a landmark US trial targeting tech giants entered its second day.
Colombian senator kidnapped, president targeted in election run-up
A Colombian senator was kidnapped and held hostage for hours Tuesday as the country's president reported an attempt on his own life in the run-up to elections that observers have warned could be marred by violence.
Gisele Pelicot publishes memoirs after rape trial ordeal
Gisele Pelicot, the survivor of mass rapes organised by her husband at their home in southern France, has published her memoirs about the trial that turned her into an internationally celebrated figure in the movement to end violence against women.
Venezuelan authorities move Machado ally to house arrest
A close ally of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was placed under house arrest Tuesday, detained just hours after his release from prison along with other dissidents jailed under ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.
Paris officers accused of beating black producer to stand trial in November
Three police officers will stand trial in November for the 2020 beating of a black music producer in his Paris studio, sources close to the case told AFP on Tuesday.