Haitian officials had said the gang had asked for $1 million each for the group of 17, which included five children. The gang had threatened to kill the North Americans.

International aid groups are once again drawing attention to the plight of Rohingya refugees relocated to the remote, flood-prone island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal. Earlier this month, dozens of people drowned as they tried to flee what some are calling a prison island.

While politically a part of Yemen, which is located on the Arabian Peninsula and thus part of Western Asia, Socotra and the rest of its archipelago is a continental fragment that is geographically part of Africa.

The Dominican Republic markets itself as a tropical vacation paradise. But behind the scenes lie heaps of trash from mass tourism. People like Eddy Rosado and the UN environment program are trying to shrink the Caribbean nation's garbage dumps.

The wall will cover almost half of the border between the two countries. Many Haitians cross the border in search of work in the fields or in the construction industry in the Dominican Republic.

Strictly regulated for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Guadeloupe Carnival is usually an unmissable event on the French Caribbean islands. From January to March, Guadeloupeans live to the rhythm of the parades, led by dozens of groups of volunteers. For participants, it's often the consecration of a year of hard work. FRANCE 24 went to soak up some of the Carnival atmosphere.

Located in the French Mediterranean, Corsica is often referred to as the "island of beauty". But it's also been the scene of recent tensions. Since last month's death of jailed assassin and independence figurehead Yvan Colonna, following an attack on him by a fellow inmate, a pro-autonomy movement has been gaining ground on Corsica. Thousands have taken to the streets to call for more autonomy, with young people particularly vocal. We take you from the seafront in Ajaccio to the university town of Corte to unpick the recent crisis and the calls for change.

Worsening violence in parts of the Haitian capital has renewed fears of a loss of access to the northern part of the country. The violence comes as local gangs fight for power.

Known as the burial place of Achilles, the barren Black Sea rock has become the site of fierce combat between Ukraine and Russia. Snake Island has strategic and symbolic importance dating to the Soviet era.

The war in Ukraine is having an impact on a long-running territorial dispute. Turkey is adopting a more aggressive stance towards Greece and has lashed out at pious diplomatic interventions from Germany.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣

Just 5 km from China's coastline, the sheer scale of the threat Beijing poses to the self-ruling island can be sensed. DW reports from the region amid rising tensions and military maneuvers