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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.
17 killed, 59 injured by explosion in western Ghana
At least 17 people were killed and 59 injured Thursday in a devastating explosion in a western Ghana town after a truck carrying explosives intended for a mine collided with a motorcycle, the government said.
Bottles clinking, Turkish party train blazes through night
Festive garlands, white tablecloths and enticing bottles appear the moment passengers board the Eastern Express for an epic journey across Turkey's snow-capped Euphrates plateaus.
US charges Belarus officials with air piracy over Ryanair flight diversion
The US Justice department charged four Belarus officials with air piracy Thursday for last year's forced diversion of a Ryanair flight in order to arrest a dissident on board.
Mexico sees drop in murders in 2021
Mexico recorded 33,308 murders last year, marking a 3.6 percent decrease compared with 2020, in a country long plagued by drug cartel violence, official figures showed Thursday.
South Korean plant poacher jailed in US
A South Korean man who traveled around the world stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of plants to smuggle to Asia was jailed in the US on Thursday.
US charges 2nd man in Haitian president's murder
The US Justice Department charged a Haitian-Chilean man Thursday with conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise last July.
Probe finds ex-pope Benedict failed to act in German abuse cases
Former pope Benedict XVI knowingly failed to take action to stop four priests accused of child sex abuse in Munich in the 1980s, according to a damning independent report published Thursday that risks shattering the ex-pontiff's reputation.
Release Breivik? Norway court hears closing arguments
Prosecution and defence lawyers presented their closing arguments on Thursday to a Norwegian court which will now decide whether to parole Anders Behring Breivik, just 10 years after the neo-Nazi committed the country's deadliest peacetime attack.
No more politics for Hong Kong barristers, says new Bar chief
The newly elected leader of Hong Kong barristers said Thursday that his profession should avoid politics and build closer ties to mainland China, as concerns grow about rule of law in the financial hub.
Liberian stampede kills 29 people
At least 29 people, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, were killed when robbers triggered a stampede at a religious rally in Liberia's capital, officials said on Thursday.
Benedict XVI: 'Rottweiler' who resigned scandal-dogged papacy
Benedict XVI, accused of failing to act in German sex abuse cases, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after presiding over a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.
Beijing Olympics organisers say app security flaws 'fixed'
An app that Winter Olympics attendees must use has been patched, a Chinese official told AFP Thursday, after cyber security researchers said they had found a "simple but devastating" flaw that could allow data leaks.
Afghan women activists go into hiding after Taliban crackdown
Several Afghan women's rights activists said Thursday they are going into hiding to escape a Taliban crackdown, just days after the hardline Islamists used pepper spray to break up a rally in the capital.
Texas synagogue hostage-taker 'prayed for two years' for attack: reports
A British man who took hostages at a Texas synagogue told his family he had prayed for two years to carry out the attack, media reported Thursday, as police made two arrests.