- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
Sixteen dead as Storm Ciaran batters Western Europe
The death toll from Storm Ciaran rose to at least 16 across Western Europe on Friday, as heavy downpours and record winds brought travel chaos.
At least six people died in the central Tuscany region, Italian authorities announced on Friday, declaring a state of emergency as weather specialists reported record rainfall.
Another three people were killed off the coast of Portugal on Friday when a yacht ran aground north of Lisbon in strong swells.
In Italy, the rescue services were called out to dozens of incidents across Tuscany to help motorists stranded in flooded tunnels or hemmed in by trees brought down by the winds.
Tuscany governor Eugenio Giani said the dead in the Italy storms included an 85-year-old man found drowned on the ground floor of his house in Montemurlo, northwest of Florence.
"What happened tonight in Tuscany has a name: climate change," Giani wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Residents were busy mucking out homes, garages and cellars swamped by the floodwaters, throwing damaged furniture and appliances onto the street, said an AFP photographer on the scene.
Florence mayor Dario Nardella described the situation as "critical" in the city, as the level of the Arno River continued to rise.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced an initial state aid package of five million euros (around $5.4 million) for the region as she confirmed a state of emergency to fast-track funding and resources.
- Record winds in France -
Three people aboard the Danish-flagged sailboat that capsized off a beach at Santa Cruz north of Lisbon were found dead on the shore near the boat's wreckage on Friday, a navy spokesman told AFP.
Trees felled by gale-force winds caused several of the other deaths in Europe. In the Belgian city of Ghent, falling branches killed a five-year-old Ukrainian boy and a 64-year-old woman on Thursday.
Falling trees had earlier killed a lorry driver in his vehicle in northern France's Aisne region.
French officials also reported the death of a man who fell from his balcony in the port city of Le Havre.
A man in the Dutch town of Venray, a woman in Madrid and a person in Germany were also killed.
More than 500,00 French homes remained without electricity on Friday morning after the storm lashed the northwest coast, according to government spokesman Olivier Veran.
The wind gusts in Brittany were "exceptional" and "many absolute records have been broken", national weather service Meteo-France said on X.
On the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, shipowner Francois-Xavier Bacchidu said the damage was "totally unheard of" as he surveyed the scene of overturned boats and damaged buildings.
"The boats here have always been safe. At least, we thought so, but we're going to have to rethink things in the future," he told AFP.
- Travel disruption -
In southern England, hundreds of schools were closed Thursday as large waves powered by winds of 135 km/h crashed along the coastline.
On the Channel Island of Jersey, residents had to be evacuated to hotels overnight as gusts of up to 164 km/h damaged homes, according to local media.
Air, rail and ferry services saw cancellations and long delays across several countries.
More than 200 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a major European hub.
In Spain, more than 80 flights were cancelled at 11 airports and rail services were suspended in the northwest on Thursday.
Belgium's port of Antwerp was closed and flights from Brussels were disrupted.
Scientists have warned the world will experience more extreme weather events because of the global warming caused by greenhouse gases.
"But as seas and air temperatures get warmer, we expect some winter storms to bring more rain, and potentially cause more flooding."
burs-imm/pvh
F.Moura--PC