Two groups of men stood on opposite rooftops perched on a hillside overlooking Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach, taunting one another. It was a macho showdown between opponents wielding unlikely weapons — kites.

On this July morning in the impoverished neighborhood, they were using taut, sharp-edged kite lines — known as "cerol" in Portuguese — to slash their opponents' lines, ripping their kites from the sky.

Iranian authorities has closed down the last language institute certified by the German Embassy, local media said, in retaliation for the shuttering of Islamic centers in the European country.

A report by Nournews.ir, believed to be close to Iran's security bodies, published a photo of police forces taking down the sign showcasing the establishment's name. The Institute For Teaching German Language was established in the capital in 1995, according to the embassy.

A far-right Israeli minister has drawn international condemnation by praying with thousands of Jews at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem, defying a ban on Jewish prayer at the flashpoint site.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has often ignored the Israeli government's longstanding ban, vowed to "defeat Hamas" in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit Tuesday.

When a mass uprising forced Bangladesh's longtime prime minister to step down and flee the country last week, a 65-year-old retired auditor who had worked for her political party feared for his life.

Arobinda Mohalder, who is part of Bangladesh's Hindu minority, had just learned that a Hindu official working for the Awami League party in the country's Khulna district escaped after an angry mob set his home on fire.

A trove of artifacts from Egypt's last dynasty has been discovered in 63 tombs in the Nile Delta area and experts are working to restore and classify the finds, an official with the country's antiquities authority said Monday.

The artifacts include gold pieces and jewelry dating to Egypt's Late and Ptolemaic periods, and some items could be displayed at one of the country's museums, said Neveine el-Arif, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The British Embassy Beirut announced Tuesday that applications for the UK Government’s flagship Chevening Scholarships program are now open. Applicants should apply online via www.chevening.org/apply by 5 November 2023.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an urgent meeting with ministers and top law enforcement officials as he seeks to end days of street violence and attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers, which he has described as thuggery.

Lawlessness has swept the country over the past six days as right-wing activists used social media to spread misinformation to whip up anger over a stabbing rampage at a dance class that left three girls dead and many more wounded. False rumors spread online that the suspect was a Muslim and an immigrant, leading to attacks on immigrants and Muslims.

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender "harms human dignity," and she called for an end to bullying athletes after being greatly affected by the international backlash against her.

The Algerian athlete spoke about her tumultuous Olympic experience on Sunday night in an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press.

They are Nabil, Amine, François and more. But they will not be seen around the Paris Olympics, because France's government barred them from getting anywhere close.

French authorities are making unprecedentedly broad use of discretionary powers under an anti-terror law to keep hundreds of people they deem to be potential security threats away from the biggest event modern France has ever organized.

As Hezbollah's leader threatened Israel with crushing retaliation for killing their top commander, thousands in Beirut flocked to a dance extravaganza in a stark illustration of Lebanon's deep divisions.

In the capital's southern suburbs -- a Hezbollah stronghold -- tens of thousands of black-clad women and men in military uniform joined Thursday's funeral procession for slain commander Fouad Shukur.