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VW bosses defend possible plant closures at stormy meeting
Volkswagen executives defended plans to consider the unprecedentedclosure of factories in Germany during a heated meeting Wednesday with thousands of staff, saying falling sales had hit it hard.
20 migrants missing after wreck off Italy: UN
At least 20 migrants were missing in the Mediterranean after their vessel sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa, Italy's coastguard and a senior UN official said Wednesday.
Ugandan Olympian fighting for her life after fire attack
Ugandan long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei was still fighting for her life on Wednesday after being set on fire by a Kenyan man, just weeks after taking part in the Paris Olympics.
Ex-VW boss tells trial 'dieselgate' charges are 'implausible'
Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said Wednesday the charges against him were "implausible" as he testified at his trial over the "dieselgate" scandal that rocked the German auto titan.
Rome mulls introducing tickets for the Trevi Fountain
Authorities in Rome said Wednesday they were mulling introducing a ticketing system for visitors to the iconic Trevi Fountain, in the latest attempt in Italy to tackle overtourism.
French husband kept meticulous records of wife's alleged rapists, court told
A French investigator leading the probe into a man accused of recruiting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife told a court Wednesday of painstaking efforts to identify the perpetrators via the husband's detailed records of the assaults.
Pope wades back into parenthood debate with cat and dog quip
Pope Francis waded back into a controversial debate on parenthood Wednesday, hailing Indonesia's birthrate and joking that people in other countries would rather have a pet cat or dog than their own babies.
Australian 'Devil Wears Prada' star Baker pleads guilty to drink driving
Australian actor Simon Baker, the star of "Margin Call" and "Devil Wears Prada", pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drink driving, as his case was heard at a court near the beach resort of Byron Bay.
Rome's ancient Arch of Constantine damaged by lightning
Rome's ancient Arch of Constantine was hit by lightning during a heavy storm, causing some fragments to fall off, an official said Wednesday.
Cathay flights to resume fully by Saturday after A350 repairs
Cathay Pacific said it will resume full operations by Saturday after replacing defective engine fuel lines on its Airbus A350 planes, a problem that had forced it to cancel dozens of flights this week.
Pope makes appeal on extremism as he launches Asia tour
Pope Francis appealed Wednesday for religious unity to counter extremism and intolerance, as the longest tour of the 87-year-old's papacy got into full swing in Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Young Chinese women hire female cosplayers to play dream men
During her final years of high school, Chinese teenager Xu Yunting found an unusual way to make some pocket money -- transforming herself into male video game characters and taking their female devotees on dates.
The holy city in India where thousands go to die
Some stay only days, others wait decades, but the crowds of elderly Indian Hindu devotees are calm and confident that their one-way pilgrimage to death will deliver everlasting peace.
No peace without justice for Grenfell fire survivor
Emma Louise O'Connor can no longer hear a fire truck's siren without freezing up with fright after living through Britain's worst residential fire since World War II.
Anti-whaling activist Watson set to remain behind bars in Greenland
A Greenland court decides Wednesday whether to keep US-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson in custody pending a decision on his extradition to Japan, where he is wanted over an altercation with whalers.
Pope's gruelling tour gets into full swing in Indonesia
Pope Francis was set to meet Indonesia's president on Wednesday after the 87-year-old appeared in good health and strong spirits when he arrived in the Muslim-majority nation to launch a gruelling tour of the Asia-Pacific.
Nvidia says it plays fair in AI chip market
Nvidia on Tuesday defended its tactics in the hot market for chips to power artificial intelligence in the face of reports the US is probing whether it abused its clout.
Venezuela opposition candidate has not sought asylum despite arrest risk: lawyer
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia has not sought asylum, his lawyer said Tuesday, as the international community slammed an arrest warrant issued over his insistence that he won the July presidential election.
International outcry grows over Venezuela opposition arrest warrant
The United States, European Union and nine Latin American countries on Tuesday rejected an arrest warrant issued in Venezuela against opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to have rightfully won the July presidential election.
Tearful trauma at Frenchman's trial over recruiting dozens to rape wife
Harrowing details emerged Tuesday at the trial of a Frenchman charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his drugged wife, with her daughter temporarily leaving the courtroom as she became overwhelmed by emotion.
Ugandan Olympian in intensive care after partner 'set her on fire'
A Ugandan Olympian is in intensive care in a Kenyan hospital after being doused with petrol and set on fire allegedly by her partner, officials said Tuesday, the latest horrific incident of gender-based violence in the East African country.
Thailand nets 1.3 million kilograms of invasive fish
Thailand has netted more than 1.3 million kilograms of highly destructive blackchin tilapia fish, the government said Tuesday, as it battles to stamp out the invasive species.
Student's murder inflames immigration debate in southern US
Along the edge of a peaceful lake in the southern US state of Georgia, a pile of sneakers forms a makeshift memorial to Laken Riley, a nursing student who was murdered nearby while out on a morning jog.
Jail terms reinstated over Brazil nightclub fire that killed 242
A Brazilian supreme court judge ordered Monday the immediate imprisonment of four people convicted for their role in a nightclub fire that killed 242 people more than a decade ago.
Indonesia prepares to welcome Pope Francis
Indonesia readied on Monday to welcome Pope Francis, rolling out a papal stamp, a large billboard and a life-sized cutout of the pontiff before his arrival in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Frenchman accused of letting dozens of men rape his drugged wife
A French pensioner went on trial Monday for allowing scores of strangers to rape his wife after he drugged her in a case that has horrified the country.
Tropical storm triggers landslides in Philippines, 11 dead
Floods and landslides killed 11 people after a fierce tropical storm dumped heavy rain on the Philippines for a second day, officials said Monday.
US hotel workers launch strike over holiday weekend
As many as 10,000 hotel workers were on strike across the United States on Sunday, at the height of a long holiday weekend in which millions of Americans were expected to travel.
Beauty queen wins Miss Nigeria after South Africa row
A former Miss South Africa contestant hounded over a nationality row was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria on Saturday, capping a difficult few weeks for the beauty queen.
Otto rises from the ashes to become Paralympic archer
Tracy Otto's journey to becoming a Paralympic archer after being left for dead five years ago by an ex-boyfriend was like "making beauty out of ashes", the American told AFP on Saturday.
Ex-Gulf Cartel leader released from US prison
Mexican drug kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen, former leader of the notorious Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas criminal gang, was released Friday from US prison and handed over to the immigration department, officials said.
Hunt for rare bird shows how Ecuador narco violence impedes research
Biologist Cesar Garzon was searching for a small, endangered parakeet in southern Ecuador when he was warned he may be kidnapped, highlighting the danger for scientists in the biodiverse country engulfed in narco violence.