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COP host Azerbaijan jailed activists over 'critical opinions': rights body

UN climate conference host Azerbaijan has imprisoned activists and journalists merely due to their work and opposition to the authorities, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights said in a letter published Monday.

Schools closed in Beirut after deadly Israeli strike

Schools in Beirut were closed on Monday after Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital killed six people including Hezbollah's spokesman, the latest in a string of top militant targets slain in the war.

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Indonesian parliament approves legislation to outlaw extra-marital sex

Indonesia's parliament approved Tuesday legislation that would outlaw pre-marital sex while making other sweeping changes to the criminal code -- a move critics deemed as a setback to the country's freedoms.

Iran protests: regime challenged by push for change

Almost three months of protests in Iran have left the clerical regime facing an existential challenge by shattering taboos and shaking its ideological pillars in a push for change that shows no sign of retreating.

Angry protests in Greek city after police shoot Roma boy

Violent scuffles broke out in Greece's second largest city on Monday after a Roma teenager was shot by police and left in a critical condition.

Colombia landslide kills 34

Heavy rains in northwest Colombia sent a wall of earth crashing onto a winding road, swallowing up a bus and other vehicles and killing 34 people, emergency services said Monday.

US Supreme Court hears case pitting free speech against LGBTQ rights

The conservative-majority US Supreme Court appeared poised Monday to rule in favor of a Christian graphic designer who refuses to make wedding websites for same-sex couples.

Elizabeth Holmes appeals Theranos fraud conviction

Fallen US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes has asked an appeals court to overturn her conviction in the Theranos fraud trial that saw her sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.

Sterling World Cup break-in 'prompts players to rethink security at homes'

The break-in that has led England star Raheem Sterling to return home from the World Cup has reportedly prompted other players to bolster security arrangements at their properties.

S.Africa's ruling ANC rallies around troubled Ramaphosa

South Africa's ruling ANC party rallied around embattled President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, on the eve of a parliamentary vote that could lead to his impeachment.

Chile on alert as active volcano rumbles, spits fire

Chile's snow-capped Villarrica volcano has been shaken by earthquakes and is belching fire, placing authorities on alert for a possible eruption in a picturesque area beloved by tourists.

At least 27 killed in Colombia landslide: president

At least 27 people were killed when a landslide engulfed a road in northwest Colombia, trapping people in a bus and other vehicles, said President Gustavo Petro on Monday.

French YouTube star 'Norman' questioned over rape charges

One of France's most popular YouTube celebrities has been detained for questioning by police investigating charges he raped several young women in recent years, Paris prosecutors said Monday.

Iran activists, US brush off claim morality police abolished

Iranian activists and Western nations on Monday dismissed a claim that the protest-hit Islamic republic is disbanding its notorious morality police, insisting there was no change to women's rights.

Defendant slams security at Brussels attacks trial

A defendant on trial over the 2016 bombings in Brussels on Monday charged in court that the suspects were being "humiliated" by draconian security measures and threatened to remain silent unless conditions improved.

Guinea trial adjourned after ex-dictator pleads ill health

Proceedings in a trial over a 2009 massacre in Guinea were adjourned for a week on Monday after former dictator Moussa Dadis Camara said he was too ill to give testimony.

Iran activists brush off claim morality police abolished

Campaigners backing Iran's protest movement on Monday dismissed a claim that the Islamic republic is disbanding its notorious morality police, insisting there was no change to its restrictive dress rules for women.

S.Africa's ruling ANC debates embattled president's future

The top leaders of South Africa's ruling party went into talks on Monday to discuss the fate of embattled President Cyril Ramaphosa on the eve of a parliamentary vote that could lead to his impeachment.

More people flee after eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru

Rescuers evacuated more people Monday from nearby villages after the eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru, with officials warning of danger from cooling lava despite less activity from the volcano.

S.African leader braces to head off impeachment threat

Cyril Ramaphosa may have insisted over the weekend he will not resign, but the South African president still faces a parliamentary vote Tuesday that could lead to his impeachment.

Landslide in Colombia leaves three dead, 20 trapped

A landslide engulfed a road Sunday in Colombia, killing three people and leaving some 20 trapped in the mud, authorities said.

Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupts, forcing thousands to flee

Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupted Sunday spewing hot ash clouds a mile high and rivers of lava down its side while sparking the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people exactly one year after its last major eruption killed dozens.

World Cup host Qatar seeks to change minds on Islam

Proudly Muslim Qatar has taken advantage of the World Cup to reach out to the hundreds of thousands of visiting fans to change minds about Islam or even make conversions.

Indonesia villagers race to escape eruption as sky turns black

Thousands of villagers living near Indonesia's Mount Semeru were racing for refuge Sunday to the wail of emergency sirens as lava snaked towards their homes under a black sky after the volcano erupted.

Art of noise: UK project aims to save lost sounds

The mostly defunct red phone boxes no longer attract much attention in London except from tourists. But Stuart Fowkes is thrilled to stumble upon one still in working order.

Drought in Peru Andes proves fatal for alpacas, potato crops

A drought in the Peruvian Andes has ravaged alpaca flocks and withered potato crops, forcing the government to declare a state of emergency on Saturday for 60 days in more than 100 districts.

S. Africa's scandal-hit president 'not resigning': spokesman

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, embroiled in scandal and under threat of impeachment, has no intention of resigning and will fight both politically and judicially, his spokesman said Saturday.

Salvadoran troops surround a major city in crackdown on gangs

Around 10,000 Salvadoran army troops and police officers surrounded the populous city of Soyapango, on the outskirts of capital San Salvador, as the government stepped up its fight against criminal gangs, President Nayib Bukele announced Saturday.

Iran's hijab law under review: attorney general

Iran's parliament and the judiciary are reviewing a law which requires women to cover their heads, and which triggered more than two months of deadly protests, the attorney general said.

S.Africa ruling party to discuss Ramaphosa's future on Sunday

South Africa's ruling party is set to resume talks Sunday on the future of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is embroiled in a scandal that has put his presidency at risk.

Guns N' Roses sues online gun shop for appropriating name

US rock band Guns N' Roses has sued a company that runs an online gun store named Texas Guns and Roses, charging in federal court that the business appropriated its name unjustly.

ABB to pay $315 mn to settle US charges over South Africa bribes

Swedish-Swiss industrial company ABB agreed to pay $315 million to settle US criminal charges that it bribed state-owned Eskom of South Africa over government contracts, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday.

Suspect charged with murder in shooting of rapper Takeoff

Houston police said Friday they arrested and charged with murder a man suspected in the killing of rapper Takeoff, a member of the influential hip hop group Migos, who was fatally shot last month.

Bolivia sets date for census after violent protests

Bolivia's leftist President Luis Arce said Friday a bill had been approved to hold a national census in March 2024 after weeks of deadly protests over the count.

Nigeria defamation case against student dropped: lawyer

A student facing a defamation case for a tweet about Nigeria's first lady had the charges against him dropped Friday, his lawyer said.

Hawaii volcano sprays fountains of lava in spectacular eruption

Fountains of lava and rivers of molten rock were spewing from the world's biggest volcano Friday, as the first eruption there in almost four decades showed no signs of abating.

Eleven sentenced to death in Tanzania over conservationist's murder

A court in Tanzania sentenced 11 people to death on Friday over the 2017 murder of renowned conservationist Wayne Lotter.

Switzerland fines engineering giant $4.3 mn over S.Africa bribery

Swedish-Swiss engineering giant ABB has been fined four million Swiss francs ($4.3 million) over bribery linked to the construction of a huge power plant in South Africa, Switzerland announced on Friday.

Japanese cannibal who walked free dies age 73

Issei Sagawa, a Japanese murderer known as the "Kobe Cannibal" who killed and ate a Dutch student but was never jailed, has died aged 73.

Brussels attacks trial stirs painful memories

Many hundreds of those who survived the 2016 jihadist attacks on Brussels' metro and airport were left maimed, traumatised or bereaved.

High-profile Australian rape case won't resume after mistrial

An Australian rape case that sparked national protests will not return to court after a mistrial, because of fears the intense public scrutiny could have a grave toll on the accuser's mental health, prosecutors said Friday.

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