- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
Flood-struck S.Africans seek Easter Sunday divine 'refuge'
As temperatures climbed and an overcast sky hung over a storm-ravaged township in eastern South Africa, survivors of the deadly floods sought divine solace observing Easter Sunday.
Inanda, a rural township 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city of Durban's central business district, was one of the areas devastated by heavy flooding that has killed 443 people and left more than 40,000 homeless.
On Sunday, around 200 Christian worshippers gathered at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa for an Easter service.
The large white concrete church with a tiled roof ceiling is one of a few solid structures left standing by the raging floods that engulfed the city last week.
The warmer temperatures throughout the day, ranging between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius (59 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit), were much more reflective of Durban's marketing slogan as "the warmest city to be".
But that warmth was not enough to soothe the grieving and suffering survivors.
Thulisile Mkhabela said she was at church because she still had "hope" that her situation would change.
"I felt I should come here to take refuge in the lord... for comfort and to get that hope that we will go through this," said Mkhabela, who returned home from her call centre job on Monday to find floodwater decimating the house she was renovating.
The house started collapsing from the living room.
"We were still awake so we took out whatever we could and took the children to the other house. (As) soon as we took them out then the bedroom started collapsing," she said.
They moved to their outbuilding, which had also been damaged but held together for the rest of the night.
The outbuilding has since collapsed and they are now "squatting" in her brother's two-bedroom house.
- Hope and new beginnings -
"Now there is 12 of us in a two-bedroom house. My brother, his wife and their children in the one room and the rest of us in the other room," said Mkhabela, wearing an orange jacket and a black dress.
Another congregant, Nokuthula Chili, had to evacuate her family from her home when floodwaters reached shoulder height on Monday night.
Floors and walls were cracked and all the furniture and electrical appliances were damaged.
"What hurts the most is that I went through a lot of difficulties to build that house and seeing it collapse so easily, right in front of my eyes broke me.
"I don't know if I will have the means to rebuild," she said, tears running down her cheeks.
Thankfully, Chili, her husband, four children and two grandchildren who were in the house escaped unhurt.
Easter Sunday marks the day Christians symbolically celebrate triumph over death.
For this small Christian community in Inanda, it marked a start of new beginning and a temporary distraction from the ruins around them.
Reverend Bhekubuhle Dlamini encouraged the congregants -- most of them neatly dressed in white or cream tops and black skirts -- to keep their faith in the face of the disaster.
The floods struck "so close to the Easter weekend -- the weekend that begins with hopelessness and darkness before He (Jesus) rises on Sunday, which is today", he said in his sermon.
"That gives us hope that after all the challenges we went through we will be able to rise up again even though our houses fell down, our infrastructure in ruins."
As worshippers prayed some got emotional, raising their hands as tears rolled down, while others fell to the ground.
Chili's faith remained unshaken.
"I don't think there would be a better time for (the disaster) to happen than so close to the resurrection Sunday, a time meant for new beginnings," she said.
S.Gregor--AMWN