Rome - Around 180 migrants who have been stuck off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa for four days will be allowed to land in Sicily, Italy's transport minister said Monday.

Geneva - "There is only one way to do this particular job," outgoing UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Monday, urging his successor not to waver from publicly condemning serious abuses.

Ottawa - People who buy recreational marijuana online after legalization goes into effect in Canada this fall should be able to rely on the Federal government's two privacy laws to protect their online information, but the issue needs to be watched closely.

Madrid - Hackers from the Anonymous collective claimed responsibility for bringing down government websites in Spain on Monday in a protest against Madrid's efforts to block Catalonia's separatist drive.

Frankfurt Am Main - German auto behemoth Volkswagen said Monday it was recalling 700,000 SUVs around the world, warning that lights built into their sunroofs risk short-circuiting if they become wet.

Rio De Janeiro - Rio de Janeiro's drug war hit a bloody crescendo Monday when at least 14 people were reported killed in a huge operation by soldiers in impoverished favelas and during a rush-hour police car chase.

Paris - Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah make up the three-man shortlist for the UEFA Player of the Year award for the 2017/18 season, European football's governing body announced on Monday.

Rio De Janeiro - At least 14 people were killed Monday in Rio de Janeiro during operations by soldiers and police against drug gangs in impoverished favelas and a suburb, officials and media reports said.

Vatican City - Pope Francis condemned Monday the "atrocities" revealed by a far-reaching US report into clerical child sex abuse in the state of Pennsylvania issued last week and once again pledged action to combat the scandal which continues to rock the Catholic Chu...

Moscow - Armed assailants injured several policemen in attacks in three locations in the Russian republic of Chechnya on Monday, as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

Australian vocal group Human Nature has announced that they will be touring Australia as part of their "Little More Love: 30-Year Celebration Tour" in 2019.

New York country singer-songwriter Lauren Davidson is back with her impressive new song, the poignant ballad "Pouring Rain."

Moscow - Russia's foreign minister on Monday accused the UN of hampering the reconstruction of war-torn Syria, as the Moscow-backed Syrian regime calls on refugees to return to the country.

Oswiecim - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday visited the former Nazi-German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, which he called "the most horrible place on earth".

Aluva - The overpowering stench that fills the air in the Kerala town of Aluva is an inescapable reminder that while the filthy floodwaters may subside, the full toll of the devastating monsoon deluge will take time to emerge.

On August 20, 2018, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eric Clapton announced that he will be releasing a holiday album this fall. He is dedicating a song to the late Avicii.

Tehran - The United States has an "addiction to sanctions", Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said in an interview with CNN.

Bamako - Mali's Constitutional Court on Monday declared Ibrahim Boubacar Keita president after the 73-year-old incumbent won elections that his opponent, former minister Soumaila Cisse, 68, said were marred by fraud.

Gap - More than 50 cows, sheep and horses have died in France's most serious outbreak of anthrax in two decades, according to officials who have warned of a vaccine shortage.

London - The British government seized control of a squalid contractor-run prison on Monday where inspectors said officers were locking themselves away as protection from prisoners, raising questions about its privatisation programme.