Tens of thousands of people had gathered at the foot of Mount Meron to celebrate Lag B’Omer, a Jewish holiday honouring a 2nd-century sage who is buried there.

As diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Canberra worsened, the ABC’s foreign correspondent and his partner had to leave everything – immediately.

Brazil has registered 3001 new COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours, taking its total since the pandemic began to 401,186.

The four men are documented gang members, according to police. The woman is linked to one of them.

When a hand was raised, I first looked at the armed guard to my right, making sure the question was allowed.

CNN earlier reported possible incidents that appeared similar to a mysterious illness known as “Havana syndrome” that impacted diplomats in Cuba and elsewhere.

This eight-episode podcast series is like eavesdropping on a couple of old buddies as they yak about their lives, their friendship, their ethics and what it means to be American.

Despite his low-key style and pragmatic reputation, Biden is governing for the history books and pursuing the biggest expansion in government in decades.

In a country known for extreme inequalities, the second wave of COVID-19 has been a great leveller, engulfing rich and poor in almost equal measure in a shuddering helplessness.

After more than a year of writing about the pandemic in India, here I was experiencing the story first-hand with the virus firmly settled inside me.

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The former US ambassador says the surge of migrant arrivals at America’s southern border has been the President’s “Achilles heel” in his first 100 days.

Long hair is connected to the images of heavy metal rock stars and hippies. What we do not associate with long hair: former world leaders.

Threat comes after active and retired generals and officers signed an open letter warning of the risks of impending “civil war” at the hands of “fanatics” and Islamists.

The site in the southeastern part of Washington state produced about two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear arsenal, including the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

At least 12 astronauts are training to fly to and live in the station, including veterans of previous flights, newcomers and women,

India reported nearly 380,000 new infections and 3645 new deaths on Thursday, the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

His head shaven, Alexei Navalny undid his prison uniform during his court appearance to reveal a T-shirt that barely hid his thin torso.

New York locked down almost completely as the pandemic descended upon the most populous US city last March, but Mayor Bill de Blasio says it’s making a comeback.

The UN wants countries to introduce water safety, swimming and first aid lessons as part of school curricula, and observe a new World Drowning Prevention Day.

“Penguin” is among the best known faces of a youth-driven pro-democracy movement that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the streets last year.

In a speech, China’s top diplomat in Australia said “Whoever tied the knot is responsible for untying it”.

In a hopeful speech, Joe Biden used his first address to the joint session of Congress to outline his presidential ambitions.

As Afghans brace for the withdrawal of American and Australian troops, a woman is helping negotiate the future of the country with the very men who threaten it.

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Seated behind Biden were Vice-President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first women in US history to fill their positions.

For decades, menthol cigarettes have been marketed aggressively to black people in the United States.

I’ve seen Palestinian suffering. I desperately want to help, but Human Rights Watch’s distortions do not assist that cause.

“The government is lying to you” is a more appealing message than “the government makes some good points about having fewer people die.”

Oxygen and drugs, including unproven and fake treatments, are being sold at hundreds of dollars above their official price.

The number of people with some protection against virus, either from vaccination or prior infection, far exceeds government projections.

From December to April, the two countries’ state media outlets pushed fake news online in multiple languages sensationalising vaccine safety concerns.

Bitcoin Fog is one of the original Bitcoin “tumbler” or “mixer” services designed to help users anonymise cryptocurrencies payments.

The nation’s blood pressure is collectively down, but there will be two markers for Joe Biden’s next 100 days.

Often described as the “forgotten” third astronaut on the historic 1969 mission, Collins stayed behind in the command module of Apollo 11 while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin travelled to the lunar surface.

Federal investigators seized electronic devices as part of the search warrant, marking a major turning point in the long-running investigation into Giuliani.

Senior Democrat John Podesta warns that Australia will be told by key allies that technological solutions to climate change “are just not going to cut it”.

The Prime Minister, when grilled on the issue in the Commons, said that he had “personally” paid for the refurbishment.

The interceptors are designed to crash into and destroy incoming missiles from an adversary such as North Korea or Iran.

The story whipped around conservative media and elicited denunciations from leading Republicans. There was just one problem: it wasn’t true.

In a world where governments loudly proclaim their dedication to human rights and equality, some voices are still granted more credibility than others. Is Human Rights Watch one of them?

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck Assam, India, on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

It is a question that continues to puzzle experts. In early February, there were 10,000 to 12,000 new daily cases. Now there are more than 300,000.

It is an attempt to control the population of an invasive, disease-carrying species that has settled in the area.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Singapore pursued “risk minimisation” rather than the Australian “risk elimination” approach. Now the south-east Asian nation has more flexibility to open borders.

The judge set a June 23 hearing for Spears to speak to the court. It was not known which matters the singer planned to address.

Biden administration officials said that the higher wages would lead to greater worker productivity, offsetting any additional costs to taxpayers.

Johnson’s key adviser on the Brexit campaign said Johnson wanted donors to secretly pay for the renovation and he told the prime minister such plans were “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal”. 

Moscow alarmed Kiev and Western capitals in recent weeks by building up forces along the border with Ukraine, though last week it ordered a withdrawal of some troops.