The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has begun its first joint naval exercise at a time when several member countries are responding more strongly to increasing Chinese assertiveness in the area

President Joe Biden will issue blunt new warnings about ongoing threats to US democracy in a major address Thursday, sharpening the central argument in his potential rematch with Donald Trump, who he's accused of trying to "destroy" bedrock American institutions.

A year-long suspension of the legal time limit to sue over sexual assaults against adults in New York has led to a tidal wave of claims on behalf of women who were incarcerated

A second-hand deader in France is facing a lawsuit for allegedly deceiving a couple by selling an African mask at almost a 2,800,000 per cent markup. An unnamed pensioner couple, who live in Eure-et-Loir, southwest of Paris, sold the rare mask to the dealer at €150 (£130) who further sold it at €4.2m (£3.7m). As the case brought by the French couple opened on Tuesday, the dealer appeared in court. But the Gabon government and campaigners have said that the rare artefact should instead be returned to its country of origin. The rare 19th-Century “Ngi” mask which was made by the Fang people of Gabon was lying in dust in the attic of the couple’s holiday home in Gard, southern France. The couple had called the dealer as they had decided to sell their home. The wooden mask was found in a cupboard in the house that belonged to the man’s grandfather, René-Victor Fournier, who had been a colonial administrator in Africa in the early 20th Century. The dealer bought several items from the couple, including the wooden mask. It was six months later that the couple while reading a newspaper found out that the mask had been in action in Montpellier and that it was an artefact even rarer than a Leonardo da Vinci painting. The couple said they had “almost fallen off their chairs” when they recognised the photo and the auction catalogue said it was collected around 1917, in unknown circumstances by Fournier. The discovery prompted excitement among art dealers and media, with one expert telling a French TV that only 10 such items were made by Fang masters. “This type of mask is even rarer than a Leonardo da Vinci painting – we know of 22 paintings by the great master, but we only know of 10 to 12 masks created by the different Fang masters in Gabon,” the expert said. At an auction in March 2022, the mask was bought for £3.7m by an unnamed person bidding by phone after being initially valued at £2.6m. The couple later filed a civil suit against the dealer for giving them an unfair price and demanded the sale be annulled. During the hearing in an Ales court, the lawyers for the couple contended that the couple should receive the profits from action fairly after they unknowingly sold it at £130. “One has to be in good faith and honest; my clients would never have given up this mask at that price if they knew it was an extremely rare object,” their lawyer, Frédéric Mansat Jaffré, said this month to French outlets. Representatives of the Gabon government however said that the mask was stolen in the first place and should be returned. Solange Bizeau of the Collectif Gabon Occitanie said: “That mask was stolen at the time of colonisation … All these works of art – and so many that we see in museums – were taken, and the people who made them were told they were the devil’s work and they should instead believe in the Bible. And from that point on, these artefacts have appeared in Europe, enriching people who have made money from them for decades.” “This mask has a soul, it was used to establish justice in our villages. The discussion in court has been about morality, but what about the morality of the spoliation of works of art and our dignity? Where is the morality in that?” A decision by the court is expected in December. Read More US removes four African countries from trade deal for ‘gross human rights violation’ UN Security Council fails again to address Israel-Hamas war, rejecting US and Russian resolutions Putin’s warplanes ‘drop bombs’ on civilian shipping lanes as Kyiv advances - live Putin’s warplanes ‘drop bombs’ on civilian shipping lanes as Kyiv advances - live Israeli envoy to Russia says Tel Aviv passengers hid from weekend airport riot in terminal A media freedom group accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes and reports deaths of 34 journalists

Venetian authorities are investigating after a patch of fluorescent green water appeared in the famed Grand Canal on Sunday morning.

A man who met Kevin Spacey in a pub says that at one point when they were alone during a night of heavy drinking with others, the actor kissed his neck twice and grabbed his crotch

Authorities say a suspect has been arrested on connection in connection with five separate shootings in the Phoenix metro area that left four people dead and a woman wounded

Fans are on edge when former 'DWTS' alum Lindsay Arnold shared a video of her wake surfing with her 2-year-old daughter Sage

SAO PAULO, Brazil--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 29, 2023--

Five months after scoring the winning penalty in the World Cup final Gonzalo Montiel converted the clinching spot kick in the Europa League final to earn Sevilla a seventh title in the competition at the expense of Jose Mourinho’s Roma

A mysterious golden object has been found at the bottom of the ocean by scientists exploring the Pacific Ocean and it has left them baffled. The discovery was made on 30 August when a team of experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were taking a closer look at an underwater volcano 250 miles off the coast of Alaska. Experts, and members of the public viewing the live stream, caught a glimpse of the unusual gold orb two miles beneath the surface lodged into the side of the volcano and were left puzzled over what it could be. It was found thanks to the NOAA’s Seascape Alaska 5 expedition that is currently mapping the seafloor of the Gulf of Alaska. Those who made the discovery at the foot of the volcano also noted there was a mysterious hole in the side of the orb, with one researcher suggesting on the live stream that “Something tried to get in...or to get out”. Scientists bantered back and forth about what the egg-like object could be and ultimately decided to take a sample that could be analysed. The texture of the orb was not as they had expected and was more of a silky, delicate consistency. An arm from the robotic vehicle was used to suction the orb in order for scientists to determine its origins with laboratory testing. The NOAA Seascape Alaska 5 expedition is due to end in mid-September and aims to fill the gaps that experts have about the sea beds off the USA’s west coast. It began on 24 August in Kodiak, Alaska and will come to an end in Seward, Alaska on 16 September. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Russia’s crude breached the price cap set by the Group of Seven nations in July, while revenue from