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George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading

George and Amal Clooney attended a performance at New York’s Seaview Studio where the actor took part in a reading of the political comedy Smear!

Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge

Thomas Markle Sr, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, has been charged in Florida with one count of possessing child sexual abuse material and released on bond under house arrest.

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Heavy rains and flooding pummel US northeast, one dead

The northeastern United States was inundated Monday with heavy rain and flooding across several states a day after storms and flash floods washed out highways and killed one person in New York state.

Two dead in southwestern Japan after 'heaviest rain ever'

At least two people were killed in torrential rain in southwest Japan on Monday, with fears the toll could rise, as tens of thousands of residents were told to evacuate their homes.

'We must not forget': Thailand marks cave rescue anniversary

Hundreds of people gathered on Monday to mark the five-year anniversary of the dramatic rescue against impossible odds of 12 young footballers from a flooded cave in northern Thailand.

Six killed in China kindergarten attack

Six people were killed and one wounded in a kindergarten stabbing in southern China's Guangdong province on Monday, local officials said.

Pope to create new cardinals who will choose his successor

Pope Francis said on Sunday he would appoint 21 new cardinals from across the world at the end of September as he seeks to leave his imprint on the papacy.

Iran football boss says women can attend top league matches

Women in Iran, who have long been barred from attending football matches except for rare occasions, will be allowed into stadiums during the upcoming season, a top official said Sunday.

Brother of France man who died in police custody injured in arrest

A man arrested in Paris during a memorial rally for his brother, who had died in police custody seven years ago, has been released from hospital Sunday, amid calls for more protests.

Pope says will create new cardinals end September

Pope Francis said on Sunday he would create 21 new cardinals from across the world at the end of September.

Pope says will appoint new cardinals end September

Pope Francis said on Sunday he would appoint 21 new cardinals from across the world at the end of September.

Heat wave in US turns Texas prisons into 'ovens'

On the afternoon of July 4, as Americans were celebrating the country's independence with elaborate fireworks displays, a prisoner named Joseph Martire passed out in his cell in Texas, amid the excessive heat that has been swamping much of the southern United States in recent days.

Iran hangs two in public over Shiraz shrine shooting

Iran hanged two men in public on Saturday over an October attack on a shrine in the southern city of Shiraz that claimed over a dozen lives, the judiciary said.

Second person dies after Paris building collapse

A second person has died following a blast that collapsed a building in central Paris on June 21, a source close to the case told AFP Friday.

3 Indian rail workers arrested over deadly train crash

Indian police said Friday they had arrested three men over a triple-train collision that killed nearly 300 people last month, one of the worst rail accidents in the country's history.

Two in critical condition after deadly UK school crash

A child and a woman were in critical condition Friday after a car crashed into the building of a primary school in southwest London, leaving an eight-year-old girl dead.

US 'canary in coal mine' on fentanyl, Blinken tells new coalition

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday gathered dozens of countries in a global bid to combat fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, but without China -- accused by some in Washington over an addiction epidemic.

German cleared of 'bathtub murder' after 13 years in jail

A German court on Friday exonerated a former custodian who had spent more than 13 years in prison for the suspected murder of an elderly woman found in a bathtub.

India court refuses stay on Rahul Gandhi defamation conviction

Top Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's efforts to overturn his expulsion from parliament were again blocked Friday when a court refused to stay his jail sentence for defamation.

Climate change tests limits of Mediterranean wildfire strategy

Climate change and increased human habitation across France's dry, forested region are pushing the limits of firefighters' tried and tested "strike quick and hard" strategy.

Operator of Titanic sub that imploded suspends all expeditions

The company that operated the sub which imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck, killing all five people aboard, said Thursday it had halted all activities indefinitely.

Girl, 8, killed in London primary school crash

An eight-year-old girl was killed and several other children were injured on Thursday when a car ploughed into a primary school building in southwest London, triggering a major response by emergency services.

Police shooter who killed teen in France says never issued threat

A French policeman who sparked riots last week after killing a teenager has denied threatening to shoot the boy in the head before opening fire, legal documents seen by AFP showed on Thursday.

One child killed after car ploughs into London primary school

A girl was killed and several other children were injured on Thursday after a car ploughed into a primary school building in southwest London, triggering a major response by emergency services.

Seven children, two adults hurt as car hits UK school: police

Nine people including seven children were injured, some believed critically, on Thursday when a car collided with a primary school building in southwest London.

EU lawmakers urge international probe of Greece migrant tragedy

EU lawmakers on Thursday pushed for an independent probe into a migrant boat tragedy off Greece in which hundreds of people are believed to have died, calling an internal investigation by Athens inadequate.

UK Tory MP facing suspension, election after groping claims upheld

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may have another local election on his hands after a parliamentary committee on Thursday upheld groping allegations against a former senior government official and recommended an eight-week suspension.

First Saudi at Paris Fashion Week underlines dramatic changes

Saudi Arabia is continuing its multi-billion-dollar entry into all aspects of global culture, hitting a new milestone on Thursday with the first Saudi designer presenting at Paris Fashion Week.

Death toll rises to 29 in Mexico bus plunge

At least 29 people were killed in Mexico when a passenger bus careened off a mountain road and plummeted into a ravine Wednesday in the southern state of Oaxaca, the state prosecutor told AFP.

Alps to Atlas: Swiss-inspired cheese comes to Algeria mountains

Sporting a white cap and apron, Rachid Ibersiene bustles around vats at his dairy in Algeria's Atlas Mountains where he has brought the tradition of artisanal cheesemaking back from Switzerland.

President-toppling Sri Lanka activist girds for new revolt

A Sri Lankan jail witnessed a rare moment of accord last year when both prisoners and guards clamoured to greet its newest inmate: the man who toppled the island nation's president.

Colombian coffee growers welcome truce with 'Paddington' bear

In a coffee-growing region of Colombia, the world's third-largest producer, a group of farmers have declared a truce with an indigenous inhabitant they once hunted but now hail -- the "Spectacled Bear" of the tropical Andes.

JetBlue to end American Airlines joint venture after court ruling

JetBlue said Wednesday it will wind down an alliance with American Airlines rather than challenge a US court ruling that determined the joint venture was anti-competitive.

Black activist Angela Davis struck off name of French school

Authorities in the French capital region struck the name of US black rights activist Angela Davis from a high school on Wednesday, judging her views on race relations to be too radical.

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