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Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal

Every day before dawn, Jamil Ghafori gets to work on the floor of a cramped Kabul bakery with five other men churning out thousands of traditional flatbreads -- the staple of every Afghan meal.

'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying

A US health boss's murder sparked a torrent of online misinformation and calls for violence against other executives, suggesting a failure of social media moderation that analysts fear could translate into real-world harms.

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US Coast Guard finds one body in search for dozens after boat capsizes

US Coast Guard crews searching for 39 people reported missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Florida have found one body so far, officials said Wednesday.

Syria Kurds retake prison, ending six-day IS attack

Kurdish forces on Wednesday retook full control of a prison in northeast Syria where Islamic State group jihadists had been holed up since attacking it six days earlier.

Kurds advance on jihadists in besieged Syria jail: monitor

Kurdish forces slowly advanced Wednesday inside a Syria prison where jihadists have been holed up for six days, in violence that has cost hundreds of lives, a war monitor said.

Covid-hit Australian warship delivers disaster aid to Tonga

A coronavirus-hit Australian warship docked in Tonga on Wednesday, delivering desperately needed aid to the volcano-and-tsunami-struck nation under strict "no-contact" protocols.

Poland's pigeon fanciers eye moving up the pecking order

Opening one of his many cages, Michal Trojczak watches proudly as more than 70 dusty-blue pigeons take flight, soaring high above snow-covered fields in eastern Poland.

China restricts activists' social media ahead of Olympics

Human rights activists and some academics in China have had their WeChat messaging app accounts restricted in recent weeks, multiple people affected have told AFP, as Beijing cracks down on dissent before the Winter Olympics.

New Mexico City airport nears take-off, with few flights

Two months before it is due to open with just a handful of confirmed flights, workers are racing to finish a new international airport for Mexico City -- one of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's flagship projects.

Second NY cop dies after gun battle in Harlem

A New York policeman wounded in an exchange of gunfire last week died Tuesday, raising the toll in the tragedy to two, officials said.

Microsoft sees strong earnings on cloud computing

Microsoft beat market expectations Tuesday with strong quarterly performance in cloud computing and software, still benefitting from the pandemic's online shifting of work, play, shopping and learning.

Dozens of people missing after boat capsizes off Florida: US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard launched a search for 39 people reported missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Florida in a "suspected human smuggling venture," it said Tuesday.

African football boss blames closed gate for Cup of Nations tragedy

African football supremo Patrice Motsepe says an "inexplicable" decision to keep an entry gate closed was responsible for the deadly crush which killed eight people before an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroonian capital Yaounde on Monday.

US judge upholds conviction of drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman

A US appeals court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, rejecting his request for a new trial and keeping him in prison for life.

US sues to block Lockheed Martin-Aerojet deal

US authorities announced Tuesday they are suing to block Lockheed Martin's $4.4 billion takeover of Aerojet Rocketdyne, asserting the proposed deal would lead to higher costs on defense systems.

Iran jails French 'tourist' for eight years for spying

An Iranian court has sentenced a French man to eight years in prison on spying charges, his family and Paris-based lawyer said Tuesday, arguing that Tehran was using him as a "hostage" in talks with the West.

Burkina Faso: from popular uprising to military coup

As Burkina Faso's junta consolidates its position after seizing power in a coup, we look at the recent history of the troubled West African country.

Norway says putting 'tangible demands' to Taliban at aid talks

Norway said it would press the Taliban with "tangible demands" during talks in Oslo on Tuesday, the last day of the hardline Islamists' controversial first visit to Europe since returning to power in Afghanistan.

Norway says will put 'tangible demands' on Taliban

Norway said it will put "tangible demands" on the Taliban during talks in Oslo on Tuesday, the last day of the hardline Islamists' controversial first visit to Europe since returning to power in Afghanistan.

Major football stadium tragedies

The crush that killed eight people and left dozens injured prior to Monday's Africa Cup of Nations last 16 match between hosts Cameroon and the Comoros in Yaounde is the the latest in a long line of football stadium tragedies.

Istanbul permits first flight after snow pummels Mediterranean

Europe's busiest airport in Istanbul welcomed its first flight in 24 hours on Tuesday and Greece declared a public holiday as the eastern Mediterranean neighbours began digging themselves out of a rare snowstorm that ground their capitals to a halt.

Scandal-plagued Credit Suisse warns profits to take hit

Credit Suisse warned Tuesday that litigation would hit fourth-quarter profits while its investment bank faces a loss, in the latest blow to the scandal-plagued financial giant.

Lab monkeys escape after US road crash, one on the loose

The crash in Pennsylvania of a truck transporting 100 monkeys to a laboratory allowed four of them to escape, triggering a search by police who warned the public not to approach the animals.

Thousands mourn Buddhist monk who brought mindfulness to the West

Thousands of mourners packed a temple in Vietnam's Buddhist heartland early Sunday to pay tribute to the late Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, credited with bringing mindfulness to the West.

Natalie Portman, French firm bring home the faux bacon

Vegan bacon sizzles on a pan in the office of a French startup whose quest to produce the "holy grail" of the growing plant-based meat industry gained the financial backing of Hollywood star Natalie Portman.

New Zealand outbreak forces PM Ardern to scrap wedding plans

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was Sunday forced to call off her own wedding as she tightened Covid-19 restrictions in the face of an outbreak of the Omicron variant.

Coalition denies Yemen prison air strike that killed 70

The Saudi-led coalition on Saturday denied carrying out an air strike on a prison in Yemen's rebel-held north that aid groups said killed at least 70 people, including migrants, women and children.

New arrests, but even more unanswered questions over Haitian president's slaying

More than six months after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated by a hit squad of mercenaries, there have been a flurry of arrests of suspects in different countries, but the motive for the crime and its sponsors remain unknown.

'Proud' Tongans determined to rebuild battered homeland after eruption

Tongans said they were determined to rebuild their battered homeland in the wake of last week's devastating eruption and tsunami as a massive clean up continued Saturday in the Pacific kingdom.

Pakistan proud of pig-to-human heart transplant pioneer

Friends and former classmates of the Pakistan-born surgeon behind the world's first pig-to-human heart transplant say they earmarked him for greatness from his medical school days.

Rains cause flood damage in Peru's Machu Picchu

Strong rains in the town of Machu Picchu, next to the Inca citadel with the same name that is a major tourist draw, washed away railroads and bridges Friday, officials said.

Anti-abortion activists look to Supreme Court at annual march

Thousands of people attended an annual anti-abortion rally Friday with their hopes raised this year that the conservative-majority Supreme Court will overturn the landmark ruling that legalized abortion in the United States 50 years ago.

Air strike on Yemen prison leaves more than 200 dead or wounded

More than 200 people were killed or wounded in an air strike on a prison and at least three children died in a separate bombardment as Yemen's long-running conflict suffered a dramatic escalation of violence on Friday.

Paris outdoor booksellers eager to turn page on Covid

The open-air booksellers of Paris, a fixture along the banks of the Seine for centuries, are seeing their numbers dwindle after two years of Covid, with stalls going empty thanks to a dearth of local and foreign customers.

Afghan NGO women 'threatened with shooting' for not wearing burqa

The Taliban's religious police have threatened to shoot women NGO workers in a northwestern province of Afghanistan if they do not wear the all-covering burqa, two staff members told AFP.

Ghana probes massive blast after 13 killed

Ghana's government on Friday said it was investigating a massive blast involving a truck transporting mining explosives that killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens more.

Total, Chevron to exit Myanmar amid rights abuses

Energy giants TotalEnergies and Chevron said Friday they would leave Myanmar following pressure from human rights groups to cut financial ties with the military junta since last year's military coup.

China incensed by French parliament's genocide declaration

China condemned a French parliament resolution on Friday that accuses Beijing of carrying out a genocide against its Uyghur Muslim population, a move that has strained ties two weeks before the Winter Olympics.

Taiwan woman faces execution over fire that killed 46

A Taiwanese woman faces the death penalty for allegedly starting the island's deadliest fire in decades in an attempt to get back at a boyfriend she suspected was cheating on her.

UN says Philippine typhoon destruction 'badly underestimated'

The United Nations said destruction caused by Typhoon Rai in the Philippines had been "badly underestimated" in initial assessments, tripling the number of people "seriously affected" to nine million.

Burning bright: Vietnam's gold-plated new year tiger

Vietnamese are paying hundreds of dollars for gold plated tiger models as gifts as Lunar New Year draws near, bucking a major economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.

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