Russian police arrested 30 LGBT activists in Saint Petersburg on Saturday during a co-ordinated demonstration defending the rights of sexual minorities, a co-organizer told AFP after being taken into custody.

Around 60 people with placards calling for LGBT rights to be respected and waving rainbow-colored flags had gathered in the city center, said activist and co-organizer Aleksei Nazarov.

An Australian archbishop convicted of concealing abuse by a notorious pedophile priest in the 1970s said Monday that he hoped his stepping down would be a "catalyst to heal pain and distress" after his resignation was accepted by Pope Francis.

An online map which has so far documented 250 massacres of indigenous peoples after Australia was colonised by the British is set to be expanded, researchers said Friday, as they seek to uncover the country's dark past.

On a strip of pavement in the southern Iraqi city of Kut, a gaggle of amateur comedians pulls in the crowds every Friday -- drawing chuckles, smiles and knowing nods.

With a rich repertoire of skits, Khaled al-Atbi and his peers poke fun at politicians more interested in lining their pockets than rebuilding a country devastated by decades of war.

In and around the Tunisian coastal city of Gabes, henna has long been a key driver of the economy -- so much so that the plant is known as "red gold".

Elton John Tuesday blasted Russia and eastern Europe governments for "discrimination against gays" saying such bigotry was thwarting the fight against AIDS, as scientists announced disappointing results in the quest for a cure.

In a sudden tirade at the second day of a major conference, John, a seasoned AIDS campaigner, gave voice to years of frustration and spoke of the plight of gays who are oppressed in many nations.

Israelis demonstrated and held a one-day strike on Sunday to protest a law denying surrogacy to gay couples, with some blocking a major highway in commercial capital Tel Aviv.

Most members of the Thai youth football team rescued from a flooded cave will have their heads shaved, don robes and be ordained in a Buddhist ceremony this week, officials said Sunday.

The "Wild Boars" are enjoying their first few days home after being discharged from hospital and speaking to the media about their harrowing ordeal inside the Tham Luang cave near the Myanmar border.

They know the skyscrapers of Manhattan better than this small village in rural Mexico, but these 18 children are here to meet their extended families and learn about the world their parents left behind.

An American model has made a splash by breastfeeding her baby daughter on a Miami catwalk -- no small gesture in a country where many women still feel uncomfortable nursing in public.