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Dutch police use hologram to try and decode sex worker's murder

By a canal in Amsterdam's red-light district, one of the "window women" is actually a hologram which Dutch police hope will help solve the gruesome murder of a sex worker in 2009.

Beirut businesses struggle to stay afloat under Israeli raids

Lina al-Khalil has fled her south Beirut home to escape escalating Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, but she still returns daily to the bombarded area to keep the family business running.

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Muslim pilgrims pray atop scorching Mount Arafat in hajj climax

Vast crowds of Muslims gathered for hours under the hot sun atop Mount Arafat Saturday for the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, offering prayers including for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza.

Gaza bombed as fallout brings surging tensions to Lebanon, Yemen

Israel bombed and shelled Gaza on Saturday, witnesses and first responders said, with fallout from the war bringing a resurgence of tensions to the Lebanon border and Yemen.

Singapore's Sentosa island beaches closed due to oil spill

Beaches on Singapore's top resort island of Sentosa, which also house luxury waterfront homes, were shuttered on Saturday due to an oil spill at a nearby port, maritime authorities said.

Muslim pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat in hajj climax

More than 1.5 million Muslims will pray on Mount Arafat in soaring temperatures on Saturday, in the high-point and most gruelling day of the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Swiss museum to remove five paintings linked to Nazi looting

The Kunsthaus Zurich, one of Switzerland's most prestigious art museums, has announced it will remove five paintings after a review of their provenance under new guidelines for dealing with artworks looted by the Nazis.

US court allows sale of conspiracy theorist's assets but spares business

A US judge on Friday approved the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' personal assets, setting the stage for the repayment of a fraction of the nearly $1.5 billion in damages he owes families whose loved ones were killed in a school shooting.

Influx of murder victims overwhelms forensic morgue in Ecuador

Bodies by the dozen are piled up at an overfull forensic morgue in Ecuador's drug violence-plagued city of Guayaquil; the stench of death hanging over an entire neighborhood.

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The head of France's top cinema institution Dominique Boutonnat denied sexually assaulting his godson as he went on trial Friday in a case that has led to calls for him to step down.

Million-plus take part in hajj pilgrimage under shadow of Gaza war

More than one million Muslim pilgrims packed a giant tented city near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Friday for a hajj pilgrimage held in sweltering heat and against the grim backdrop of the Gaza war.

A year after migrant shipwreck, bereaved determined to leave Pakistan

A year after the disappearance of his brother in one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, Suleman Tariq wants answers. But, like other young Pakistanis, he is also determined to make it to Europe.

US Supreme Court strikes down ban on gun 'bump stocks'

The US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that a ban introduced by ex-president Donald Trump's administration on bump stocks -- devices which allow semi-automatic rifles to fire like a machine gun -- is unconstitutional.

Mourning their dead, Gazans take solace in hajj pilgrimage

Months after losing her husband and children in the horrors of the Gaza war, Douaa al-Massarii is doing her best to find peace in the ancient rituals of the hajj.

Indian relatives grieve as bodies of 45 Kuwait fire victims return

Grieving families kept a solemn vigil in the terminal of an Indian airport on Friday as the bodies of dozens of migrant workers killed in a Kuwait building fire returned home.

Million-plus begin hajj pilgrimage under shadow of Gaza war

More than a million Muslim pilgrims were in Mecca Friday for the start of a hajj pilgrimage held against the grim backdrop of the Gaza war and in exhausting summer heat.

'A girl is not a mother': Brazilians protest tough abortion bill

Thousands of Brazilians on Thursday rallied against a bill under debate in Congress that would equate abortion with homicide and impose sentences of up to 20 years for terminating a pregnancy after 22 weeks, even in cases of rape.

Battles rage in Rafah as Biden blames Hamas for truce delay

Israeli helicopters struck Gaza's Rafah Thursday, residents said, with militants reporting street battles in the southern city as US President Joe Biden called Hamas the "biggest hang-up" to another truce.

Phoenix police routinely use excessive force: US Justice Dept

Police in Phoenix, one of the biggest cities in the United States, routinely use excessive force, a damning government report said Thursday -- the latest condemnation of problematic behavior by American law enforcement.

Boeing to check undelivered 787s due to fastener issue

Boeing said Thursday it is examining fasteners on some undelivered 787 jets after discovering problems with their installation in the latest manufacturing shortcoming to face the company.

State of 'catastrophe' as downpours hit Chile

Heavy rains battered south and central Chile on Thursday, killing one person and causing damage to hundreds of homes as authorities declared a state of catastrophe in five regions of the South American country.

European police say 'major' cocaine smuggling ring busted

European police forces have arrested around 40 people in a years-long operation to bust a major drug smuggling ring, leading to the seizure of eight tonnes of cocaine, Europol said Thursday.

Russia sends US reporter Gershkovich's case to trial

Russian prosecutors sent US journalist Evan Gershkovich's case to court on Thursday, paving the way for him to be tried on espionage charges denied by his employer and the White House.

Storm destroys symbolic tree in Benin voodoo capital

Benin voudon religious dignitary Oscar Kptenon is still in shock, ten days after the fall of a centuries-old giant tree on a historic square in Ouidah, once at the heart of the slave trade.

Fire at Iraqi oil refinery injures 13: official

A massive fire at an oil refinery in Iraqi Kurdistan injured at least 13 people including firefighters battling to control the blaze, which was ongoing Thursday, an official said.

As pilgrims swelter, climate change looms over hajj

From misting systems to heat-reflective road coverings, Saudi officials are trying to aid hajj pilgrims in coping with heat, but scientists caution that climate change may outpace these efforts.

EU queries major porn platforms over child protection

The European Union on Thursday told three pornographic websites to explain what steps they have taken to protect children online and prevent the spread of illegal content.

Trial of Russian playwright and director moves behind closed doors

A judge in Moscow ruled Thursday that the trial of a director and writer charged with "justifying terrorism" in an award-winning play will continue behind closed doors after the prosecution said witnesses were being threatened on social media.

Fire at Iraqi oil refinery injures 10: civil defence

A massive fire at an oil refinery in Iraqi Kurdistan injured at least 10 people including firefighters battling to control the blaze, which was ongoing Thursday, the civil defence agency reported.

Japan's escargot entrepreneur achieves the 'impossible'

Far from Parisian bistros serving up Burgundy snails, one Japanese man has figured out how to farm the slimy species -- a feat that has long eluded the French.

Boeing faces deadline to rebut possible US prosecution

Boeing faces a Thursday deadline to respond to a US Department of Justice determination that the planemaker can be prosecuted for violating a 2021 deal that allowed it to escape criminal prosecution over two fatal 737 MAX crashes.

Gaza war rages as US wants to 'close' truce deal

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said Wednesday an elusive truce and hostage release deal to end the Gaza war was still possible, wrapping up a Middle East tour as deadly fighting rocked the Palestinian territory.

'Magical sight': Mass insect migration in European mountain pass

Scientist Will Hawkes said the first sign he was about to witness one of nature's great migrations was being enveloped by a "blizzard of butterflies, cabbage whites and clouded yellows, like a storm of petals".

Trio jailed for up to 28 years for Dutch journalist murder

A Dutch court on Wednesday handed down lengthy jail sentences to three men for the murder of high-profile crime journalist Peter R. de Vries, a killing that shocked the country.

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