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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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Pope Francis has fever, clears his schedule

Pope Francis has a fever that caused him to clear his schedule on Friday morning, the Vatican said, nearly two months after the 86-year-old pontiff was hospitalised with bronchitis.

Actor Hugh Grant wins bid to take Sun publisher to trial

British actor Hugh Grant on Friday won a court bid to bring to trial his claim against the UK publisher of The Sun newspaper for unlawfully gathering information.

Magnitude 6.2 quake hits east of Tokyo, no tsunami warning

A strong 6.2-magnitude quake shook buildings in Tokyo on Friday, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

French oil giant defends strategy after police teargas climate protesters

French energy giant TotalEnergies defended its strategy Friday after police teargassed climate activists outside its annual assembly and the French government urged the firm to speed up the switch to renewable energy.

France detains Channel migrants after clashes with police: prosecutors

French security forces have detained 38 migrants seeking to cross the Channel on a small boat to Britain after they clashed with police, prosecutors said.

French police teargas protesters at oil giant's meeting

Police fired tear gas to disperse climate protesters trying to block an annual general meeting of French oil giant TotalEnergies in Paris on Friday.

Preserving heritage: Ethiopian quest to recreate ancient manuscripts

Armed with a bamboo ink pen and a steady hand, Ethiopian Orthodox priest Zelalem Mola carefully copies text in the ancient Ge'ez language from a religious book onto a goatskin parchment.

Man arrested after four killed in Japan gun and knife attack

Japanese police on Friday detained a suspect who had holed up in a building after allegedly killing four people, including two police officers, in a gun and knife attack.

Vietnam battles plastic blight in idyllic Ha Long Bay

Squinting in the bright light of a hot summer morning, Vu Thi Thinh perches on the edge of her small wooden boat and plucks a polystyrene block from the calm waters of Vietnam's Ha Long Bay.

Cocaine price crash a blow for Colombian coca growers

"Carlos," a 36-year-old coca grower in Colombia, is stuck hanging onto kilos of the valuable paste used to make cocaine stashed under his bed.

From Yale to jail: Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers 'general'

To Stewart Rhodes, his conviction for leading the far-right Oath Keepers militia in the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol made him America's premier political prisoner -- the equivalent of Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Suspect held after four killed in Japan gun and knife attack

Japanese police on Friday detained a suspect who had been holed up in a building after allegedly killing four people including two police officers in a gun and knife attack, an official told AFP.

Peru seizes cocaine bricks wrapped in Nazi insignia

Anti-narcotics officers in Peru seized 58 kilograms of cocaine headed for Belgium in packages bearing Nazi symbols and the name Hitler, police said on Thursday.

US predicts at least 12 named storms this hurricane season

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday predicted a "near normal" hurricane season with 12 to 17 named storms packing winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph).

Zurich city limits: Tina Turner's quiet life on the lakeside

Tina Turner was in her element on stage, putting on dazzling shows dominated by her full-power vocals. But offstage, the queen of rock revelled in the peace and privacy of Switzerland.

Man arrested after car crashes into Downing Street gates: police

Armed police arrested one man after a car crashed into the gates of the UK prime minister's Downing Street office and residence in central London on Thursday, Scotland Yard said.

Police end search at Portugal dam in Madeleine McCann case

Police scouring a reservoir in southern Portugal hoping to shed light on the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann said Thursday they had finished their three-day search.

Two police, one woman killed in Japan gun and knife attack

A woman and two male police officers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at a farm in central Japan on Thursday, police said.

Three killed, including two police, in Japan gun and knife attack

A woman and two male police officers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at a farm in central Japan on Thursday, media reported.

Sierra Leone's symbolic 'Cotton Tree' destroyed in rain storm

A centuries-old, towering tree that served as a historic symbol in Sierra Leone has been felled during a wind and rain storm in the capital Freetown, the government said on Thursday.

EU defends split with UK on Microsoft, Activision Blizzard bid

The EU anti-trust chief on Thursday defended the bloc's decision to approve Microsoft's $69-billion takeover bid for US video game giant Activision Blizzard despite the UK's block on it.

Two injured in burglary on Kluivert home in Spain

Two people were lightly injured by three hooded men during a burglary at the home of Valencia's Dutch winger Justin Kluivert, Spanish police said Thursday.

Dramatic Sydney blaze consumes seven-storey building

More than 100 firefighters battled towering flames and thick smoke Thursday as a huge blaze consumed an unoccupied seven-storey building in central Sydney.

On the edge: DR Congo city stalked by fear of landslides

"We're scared, but where can we go?" said Christine Nzigire, in her rickety wooden house perched precariously on a hillside.

Shaking roofs, frayed nerves as Mexico's 'Popo' volcano rumbles

Miguel Angel Atenco tries to ignore the vibrations, falling ash and fiery night-time shows from the volcano towering over his Mexican town, and carry on selling tacos as usual.

Nigerian surfers brave oil pipelines, tankers to catch waves

Surfing aficionados Michael Gabriel and his friends are undeterred by the coming and going of oil tankers, too focused on catching the next wave as they paddle through the polluted waters of Lagos.

Girls burnt in deadly Guyana school fire still critical

Two girls badly burnt in a school dormitory fire that killed 19 children in Guyana were too weak to be evacuated to another country for specialized treatment, an official said Wednesday.

Lebanon slaps travel ban on central bank chief wanted by France

A Lebanese judge has banned the country's central bank governor Riad Salameh from travelling, days after Beirut received an Interpol Red Notice following a French arrest warrant, a judicial official said Wednesday.

Influencer admits stalking Premier League star Mason Mount

A social media influencer bombarded Premier League star Mason Mount with messages in a four-month stalking campaign after he broke off their relationship, a court heard on Wednesday.

Over one million people displaced in four months in Somalia: UN

More than a million Somalis have been displaced within their own country in just over four months through a "toxic" mix of drought, conflict and floods, humanitarian agencies said Wednesday.

UK interior minister in the clear over speeding claims: Sunak

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman will not face a potentially career-ending ethics investigation into her handling of a speeding ticket received last summer, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday.

In Brazil, Vinicius's hometown shares his pain

Taking a break from training beneath a giant poster of Vinicius Junior, on the same pitch where the Real Madrid star got his professional start, Pierry Amaro Ricardo has a word for the racism his idol endures.

The Japan Times - Boulevard (English)