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'True heroism': Police praise efforts to halt Oregon school shooter

The teenage gunman who shot dead three children and a teacher in an Oregon school was a former special needs student there, officials said Friday, as they praised the heroism of people who helped to shorten the rampage.

Troyes sack sporting director Blanchard amid sexism claims

Promoted French Ligue 1 club Troyes announced on Friday that it has sacked sporting director Jocelyn Blanchard "with immediate effect" amid an investigation into allegations of sexist behaviour.

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World's most chilling cults

Following the grim discovery in Kenya of the bodies of more than 50 suspected cult members believed to have starved themselves to death, we look at other notorious killer sects.

Kenya's Ruto vows action after 51 bodies linked to cult found

Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday vowed to crack down on "unacceptable" religious movements after police discovered the bodies of 51 people suspected of belonging to a Christian cult that practised starvation.

Tears, protests 10 years since Bangladesh factory tragedy

Hundreds of workers in Bangladesh shouted slogans for justice and survivors wept at the ruins of a factory that made clothes for Western shoppers and collapsed 10 years ago killing more than 1,130 people.

Police investigating Kenyan cult find 26 more bodies

Kenyan police said Sunday they had found the bodies of another 26 suspected cult members in the east of the country, bringing to 47 the number of corpses linked to the movement.

India arrests Sikh separatist after major hunt

Indian police arrested Sunday a firebrand Sikh separatist after a manhunt lasting more than a month that sparked protests and vandalism among the diaspora in Britain, Canada and the United States.

Migrant fears grow as France eyes clearance of Mayotte shantytown

At the entrance to the Majicavo slum on France's Indian Ocean territory Mayotte, which authorities are seeking to evacuate and demolish, a group gathered around a poster emblazoned with the French flag.

'Where are the weapons?' Life in an Ecuadoran town plagued with drug violence

A military convoy of soldiers toting rifles and submachine guns rumbles into a poor neighborhood of the Ecuadoran port town of Esmeraldas, trying to root out drug gangs.

Chinese EV dominance hastens end of petrol engine era

This year's Shanghai Auto Show signalled the end of the petrol engine era in China, as domestic electric vehicle brands drive change across the sector and leave foreign companies in the dust, analysts and industry insiders said.

Peru ex-president Toledo surrenders for extradition: US marshals

Peruvian ex-president Alejandro Toledo surrendered to US authorities Friday, ahead of his expected extradition to Lima where he is accused of corruption and money laundering.

Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb

A Paris court on Friday sentenced a Lebanese-Canadian sociology professor to life in prison in absentia for the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in the French capital that left four people dead.

Paris court gives man life term for 1980 synagogue bombing

A Paris court on Friday sentenced Lebanese-Canadian citizen Hassan Diab to life in prison in absentia for the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in which four people died.

UK climate protester jailed for three years

Two climate protesters were jailed on Friday for scaling a major road bridge over the River Thames east of London and causing huge traffic delays.

Colombian cartel's lawyer sets terms for peace talks

Colombia's most powerful drug cartel has stated its uncompromising terms for discussing any peace deal with the government, which is talking to multiple armed groups in an effort to end the country's decades-long conflict.

Top French hotel school rocked by abuse allegations

Restaurant apprentices at a top hotel management school in France are refusing to work until bosses crack down on alleged sexual harassment, homophobic comments and insults from teachers.

Costa Rica police protest reduction in days off for crime crackdown

Police officers in Costa Rica held protests on Thursday against a government decision to reduce off-duty hours during a special operation against organized crime.

Norway's black metal earns a place in halls of culture

Norway's black metal music first gained notoriety with murders and church burnings but has now earned its spot in the halls of culture with a new exhibit at Oslo's National Library.

Bangladesh factory disaster survivors plead for justice 10 years on

Bangladeshi garment worker Sumi Akhter feared for her safety, but was told to start her shift or risk forfeiting her wages. An hour later she was pinned down under rubble and clinging to life.

Syrians gripped by grim Ramadan TV series alluding to Assad dynasty

A Ramadan television series featuring sinister plotlines inspired by President Bashar al-Assad's family has had Syrians glued to their screens, from those hunkered in the war-torn country to those abroad.

Manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin to be dropped: prosecutor

Manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin over a fatal shooting on a movie set are to be dropped, the prosecutor said Thursday, citing "new facts" that merit further investigation.

Eid for Sunni Muslims starts on Friday, Shiites wait another day

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, and other Sunni Muslim countries announced Thursday the holiday of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Ramadan fast will begin on Friday.

85 dead, hundreds injured in Yemen crush over $8 handout

At least 85 people were killed and hundreds injured in a crush at a Ramadan cash handout in Yemen early on Thursday, as the impoverished country suffered one of its worst tragedies just as optimism was growing over its bitter civil war.

Germany struggles to reform 1930s law jailing fare dodgers

Peter, 43, used to dodge fares regularly when he was homeless but he never imagined the petty offence could land him in jail for almost three years.

Yemen stampede during charity distribution kills 85

More than 80 people were killed and hundreds injured in a crush at a charity distribution event in war-torn Yemen on Thursday, Huthi officials said after one of the deadliest stampedes in a decade.

US Supreme Court extends hold on abortion pill restrictions

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily preserved access to a widely-used abortion pill, delaying its decision on lower court rulings placing restrictions on the drug.

Iran sanctions: US high court rejects Turkish bank's immunity claim

The US Supreme Court rejected Wednesday the claim of sovereign immunity by a Turkish bank accused of violating Iran sanctions, in a case that has added tensions to ties between Washington and Ankara.

Millions of Indonesians travel in annual Eid exodus

On motorcycles, cars, buses, planes or by boat, millions of Indonesians are travelling to their hometowns in the annual Eid holiday exodus that is expected to peak by Thursday.

US Supreme Court to weigh in on abortion pill ban

The US Supreme Court will step into the divisive and emotional battle over the abortion drug mifepristone Wednesday, when it is expected to rule on tough new court-ordered restrictions on the widely used pill.

Russian rights museum shutters but refuses to be silenced

A museum emblematic of Russia's post-Soviet human rights movement has shut its doors in Moscow amid a clampdown on freedoms since the onset of the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine.

Iranian filmmaker recounts torture to 'unsettle' abusers

One man mimes his bones being broken, a woman recounts her surrender to religious brainwashing, and a third man replicates his confinement in a tiny prison cell.

Beijing hospital fire death toll rises to 29, director detained

The death toll in a fire that ripped through a hospital in China's capital Beijing has risen to 29, a city official said Wednesday.

Water rationed in Catalonia as drought bites deeper

For months, residents of L'Espluga de Francoli have been saving water in bottles and foregoing showers to cope with long hours of daily water rationing as northeastern Spain suffers one of its worst droughts in decades.

Focus on reproductive rights rather than population numbers, UN urges

Rather than fixating on the impact of the world's soaring population, the world should look at women's reproductive rights to shore up "demographic resilience," the UN said Wednesday.

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