The Parana River, second in size only to the Amazon in South America, is suffering its worst low since 1941, with experts unsure as to whether this owes to its natural cycle or to climate change. The river is crucial for providing drinking water and irrigating farmland, generating electricity as well as for transporting goods to landlocked Paraguay and Bolivia.

The Parana River, second in size only to the Amazon in South America, is suffering its worst low since 1941, with experts unsure as to whether this owes to its natural cycle or to climate change. The river is crucial for providing drinking water and irrigating farmland, generating electricity as well as for transporting goods to landlocked Paraguay and Bolivia.

The Pan American Health Organisation launched a new platform to try to manufacture vaccines in the region as opposed to importing them. Its director also called for more donations.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States that left nearly 3,000 people dead. The Al-Qaeda plane hijackings of September 11, 2001 were the first foreign attack on the US mainland in nearly two centuries. It ruptured America's sense of safety and plunged the West into war in Afghanistan. In the lead up to the anniversary, AFP spoke with survivors and those closest to the victims, piecing together the timeline of the fateful day that would reshape the course of US history.

Pope Francis met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose right-wing, anti-immigrant policies clash with Francis' call for countries to welcome refugees. Francis discussed refugees and anti-Semitism in Budapest.

Director Denis Villeneuve and actress Rebecca Ferguson walk the red carpet at the IMAX premiere of the ambitious sci-fi film 'Dune' at the Toronto International Film Festival. Boasting giant sandworms, warring interstellar tribes and an A-list cast spanning Timothee Chalamet, Javier Bardem and Zendaya, the long-delayed epic based on a beloved novel has already drawn strong reviews. On speculation of a sequel, Villeneuve says, "If ever it happened, it will be fantastic."

Four civilians have blasted off into space on the first ever trip into orbit by amateur space travelers.

US President Joe Biden has dispatched his top diplomat to the region to shore up democracy and reverse gains made by autocrats under his predecessor Donald Trump.

The first stop for the devout Catholic US president is an audience with the pope, then Biden will make the case for democratic values and US leadership on climate change at the G20 and COP26 meetings.

Relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia had soured over the 2018 killing and dismemberment of the US-based Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

Abortion rights in America are under threat with the nation's landmark ruling, Roe v Wade, at risk of being overturned or significantly weakened later this year. In response, California is already declaring itself a sanctuary state for women seeking a termination. Annette Young talks to Amanda Becker, the Washington correspondent for the 19th, an American website reporting on gender and policy, on what the Supreme Court is likely to do. Plus we meet photographer, Pamela Tulizo from the Democratic Republic of Congo whose work challenges clichés about women in her country who are often presented as victims.

Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall discussed military and scientific partnerships in a region racked by terrorism and a wave of military coups.