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Palestine Action wins bid to challenge terror ban in London court

The co-founder of pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action can launch a court bid to overturn the UK government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Russia relieved as tsunami spares far east from major damage

Russia lifted a tsunami alert on Wednesday after a massive quake and tsunami largely spared the country's sparsely populated far east from casualties and major damage.

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Google makes cookie opt-out easier after France fine

Google announced on Thursday it was starting to roll out an option for European users to reject "cookies" with a single click, months after it was slapped with a massive fine.

Gaza rockets, Israel strikes stoke new Jerusalem clashes

Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israeli warplanes exchanged fire early Thursday in the biggest escalation in months, followed by fresh violence at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque.

Hosting Britain's migrants: The view from Rwanda

Britain's controversial deal to send migrants and asylum-seekers to Rwanda has attracted a flood of criticism in the UK, with opposition politicians, campaigners and the UN refugee agency calling for the multi-million-dollar agreement to be scrapped.

Gaza militants, Israel in biggest exchange of fire since 2021 war

Palestinian militants fired volleys of rockets from Gaza into Israel, which responded with air strikes in the early hours of Thursday in the biggest escalation since an 11-day war last year.

Horror master Cronenberg makes art from 'beautiful' kidney stones

Canadian film-maker David Cronenberg has been shocking audiences for decades with his graphic "body horror" movies but he has now gone further by creating art from his own insides.

After life of trauma, Liberian lab chimps settle into retirement

Floating on a river boat near a Liberian island, vet Richard Ssuna watches intently as animal carers wade towards the shore hurling fruits and imitating chimpanzee calls as they go.

Hidden in bananas and tea, cocaine departs Ecuador port by the ton

Trying to prevent drug traffickers from hiding cocaine in cargo containers at Ecuador's main port of Guayaquil is becoming an increasingly expensive headache for police and exporters alike.

No joke: Political satire in Venezuela a risky business

A 72-year-old grandmother who named a popular snack after the "widow" of President Nicolas Maduro -- still very much alive -- has become the latest casualty of a Venezuelan hate speech law denounced by rights defenders.

QR codes and cranes: Japan embraces modern cemeteries

Masayo Isurugi settles into a booth on the sixth floor of a sleek Tokyo building, scans an ID card and waits for an automated system to deliver her late husband's ashes.

US Capitol evacuation over false alarm provokes fear, fury

The US Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday after authorities sounded a threat alarm over a harmless parachute stunt, prompting top lawmaker Nancy Pelosi to blast aviation officials for an "inexcusable" failure.

Gaza rocket hits Israel, as far-right rally blocked by police

Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel on Wednesday, the army said, as tensions soared with police in Jerusalem blocking Jewish ultra-nationalist protesters from approaching the Old City's Muslim quarter.

Johnny Depp says ex-wife severed his finger with thrown vodka bottle

"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp testified Wednesday that his ex-wife Amber Heard would regularly "verbally decimate" him and once threw a vodka bottle at him, severing the tip of one of his fingers.

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.

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