Blacksmith Wang De flings a ladle of molten steel against a cold brick wall, sparking a spectacle of white-hot light in the night sky and keeping alive the flame of a centuries-old Lunar New Year tradition.

US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi meets with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the EU'sh eadquarters in Brussels.

Elephants, mostly from Kandy, gather in the Sri Lankan capital to participate in the city's biggest two-day annual Buddhist Navam procession scheduled for February 18-19.

Georgia's newly-elected President Salome Zurabishvili arrives at the Elysée Palace for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. The former French diplomat has said her election is a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe.

A robotic and nerdy looking hog is the centrepiece of the 2019 Taipei Lantern Festival. The cultural tradition is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, falling on 19 February this year when it is also a full moon.

Elin McCready, a transgender woman, has been married for 19 years, but registering her female identity and name has thrown her union into jeopardy because Japan doesn't recognise gay marriage.

Ice swimming in Russia has long been associated with older, usually Speedo-clad men. But members of Moscow's "Walruses of the Capital" club are giving it a fashionable new image.

Stencils resembling Banksy's work appear on Bordeaux streets, including the famous "Girl with Balloon", show a young girl wearing a yellow vest raising a bloody hand to the sky. It is yet unclear if the pieces were done by the artist Banksy himself.

A group of seven Labour MPs announce they’re splitting from the party to create ‘The Independent Group’, criticising Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of anti-Semitism in his party and his position on Brexit.

US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi meets with Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels ahead of talks with EU officials.

Venezuela's Guaido calls for 'million volunteers' in aid standoff. Videographic on location of aid storage points requested by opposition.

People protest in New Delhi after 41 soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir as hunt for militants behind the attack in the region disputed by India and Pakistan continues. Meanwhile in a Pakistan-controlled area o...

Doctors, nurses, students, and other volunteers provide care under canopies for local residents in the Macarao neighborhood in Caracas, among other areas, as part of the offensive to demand the entry of humanitarian aid, headed by opposition leade...

Two former French air force pilots go on trial in France, six years after they fled the Dominican Republic following a spectacular drugs bust on a private jet in the Caribbean nation. In what has become known as the "Air Cocaine" case, Pascal Faur...

Seven MPs from Britain's opposition Labour Party announce they are breaking away and forming an independent group in protest at the party's support for Brexit and its failure to stamp out anti-Semitism.

Practitioners of Mallakhamb, often described as "yoga on a pole", gather for the first world championships of the ancient sport in Mumbai.

People in Austria's Nassereith dress up in traditional costumes for a carnival to celebrate the end of the winter.

Visitors flock to Pingxi Village in northern Taiwan for the island's annual lantern festival.

US Senator for Florida Marco Rubio visits Venezuela-Colombia border, where blocked humanitarian aid is waiting to enter crisis-hit Venezuela.

In Istanbul, stray cats and dogs are not chased from the streets, instead authorities keep them in good shape, feeding them and giving them veterinary care.

United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio visits Cucuta, Colombia, where blocked humanitarian aid is waiting to enter neighboring Venezuela.

"We don't want to survive, we want to live," says a "yellow vest" demonstrator protesting near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Nearly 300 "yellow vest" protesters were gathered in the late morning in calm on the Champs-Elysées for a new day of mobil...

Rescue workers retrieve 24 bodies and eight survivors from two flooded gold mines in Zimbabwe where officials fear dozens more illegal miners are still trapped.

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman is greeted by Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan at the airport in Islamabad, as the powerful royal scion kicks off an Asia tour.

Some 102 Bangladeshi meth dealers have surrendered to authorities at a pre-scheduled ceremony in a coastal town, as a Philippines-style anti-narcotics crackdown sows fear among kingpins. Bangladesh last year launched a "war" on drugs following a p...

Girls with large headpieces made from the hair of their ancestors, wearing intricately patterned dresses, dance in isolated villages in southwest China to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

More than two dozen couples take part in a piggyback contest in Taiwan as part of the Lunar New Year celebration in Taiwan.

Rescuers arrive at the scene of a partial building collapse at a university in St Petersburg.

Humanitarian aid from the United States designated for Venezuela arrives in neighboring Cucuta, Colombia. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for nationwide protests to support volunteers planning to travel to the border to bring i...

The Carnival of Venice kicks off on the Cannaregio Canal, with floats and performers illuminating the night.

Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala's coffin departs after his funeral at the San Martin football club in his hometown of Progreso.

Around 2,762 people dressed as smurfs gather in Lauchringen, Germany in an attempt to break the world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as the small blue creatures created by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo.

Hundreds protest in Barcelona against the trial of Catalan independence leaders.

Police fire tear gas on 'Yellow Vest' protesters gathered in Paris on the 14th consecutive week of the demonstrations.

Mourners pay tribute to Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala in his hometown of Progreso, Argentina, three weeks after he was killed in a plane crash.

The "black prince" of the Royal Ballet, Colombia's Fernando Montaño, went from hardship to stardom, migrating from Colombia to Cuba and then to Europe. In his latest role in the opera Viaje Barroco, the dancer is interpreting an African migrant's ...

The hometown of Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash between Nantes and Cardiff, prepares for his funeral at the San Martin de Progreso club.

Opposition supporters gather in Caracas for the inauguration of a volunteer movement that would help distribute blocked humanitarian aid, which opposition leader Juan Guaido has vowed will enter the country on 23 February.

The US head of a major investment firm appears in a Moscow court after Russia opened a fraud investigation into him and several of his colleagues.

Voters in Lagos, economic capital of Nigeria, react to the postponement of the presidential elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the one week delay just hours before polls were due to open.

Several hundred "yellow vest" protesters march towards the Eiffel Tower on the 14th consecutive week of demonstrations as a poll now suggests that most of the country wants them to stop.

The US and Thailand hold the annual joint 'Cobra Gold', the largest US-led military exercises in Asia involving gruelling drills in the Thai jungle, war games, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise. This year's 11-day exercise is th...

A US man being fired from his job shot dead five co-workers at a factory on the outskirts of Chicago and wounded five police officers before being gunned down himself, in the country's latest mass shooting.

Several hundred "yellow vest" protesters gather in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on the 14th consecutive week of demonstrations as a poll now suggests that most of the country wants them to stop.

Nigerians are waking up to the news that the elections, which were due to happen today, have been postponed by a week. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the one week delay just hours before polls were due to open.

Nigeria's electoral watchdog on Saturday postponed presidential and parliamentary elections for one week, just hours before polls were due to open.

Nigeria's electoral watchdog on Saturday postponed presidential and parliamentary elections for one week, just hours before polls were due to open.

In his Moscow dressing room, dancer Sergei Polunin pulls off his T-shirt to show the tattoo of President Vladimir Putin on his chest as the Ukrainian-born ballet star premieres his new show in the Russian capital. The 29-year-old, who has been acc...