The death toll from a raid carried out by South Sudanese gunmen in western Ethiopia has risen to 208 people and the assailants kidnapped 108 children, an Ethiopian official said on April 17.

The death toll from Ecuador's biggest earthquake in decades soared to 262 on April 17 as survivors cobbled together makeshift coffins to bury loved ones, lined up for water and sought shelter beside the rubble of their shattered homes.

A powerful earthquake killed at least 77 people, injured hundreds more, ravaged coastal towns and sent residents fleeing for higher ground in Ecuador on April 16 night.

Pope Francis took three families of Syrian refugees back to Rome on April 16 after visiting the frontline of Europe's migrant crisis at a camp in Greece where migrants wept at his feet, kissed his hand and begged for help.

Government air strikes hit rebel-held areas of Aleppo on April 16 as rockets fired by insurgents pounded neighborhoods under state control, part of escalating violence in northern Syria that has undermined a truce agreement.

The United States on April 16 transferred nine Yemeni men to Saudi Arabia from the US military prison at Guantanamo, including an inmate who had been on a hunger strike since 2007, under a long-sought diplomatic deal between Washington and Riyadh, US officials said.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck off the coast of Ecuador late on April 16, sending confused residents streaming into the streets of the capital Quito and spurring warnings of strong waves on the Andean nation's coast.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck southern Japan early on April 16, killing at least 11 people, injuring hundreds more and trapping people in collapsed buildings, media reported, just over a day after a quake killed nine people in the same region.

A Swedish man held in Belgium on suspicion of taking part in last month's Islamic State attacks on Brussels is talking to investigators, his lawyer said on April 14, after Osama Krayem's detention was extended by a month.

A strong earthquake hit southwestern Japan on April 14, bringing down some buildings, killing at least nine people and injuring hundreds, local media said, but the nuclear regulator reported no problems at power plants.