- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Vietnam, China to expand rail links, cross-border payments
- Americans get their belief back as Pochettino makes his mark
- Vietnam, China to boost economic, defence cooperation
- Winning start for Pochettino's American adventure
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- US firms brace for more tariffs as election approaches
- Winning start for Poch's American adventure
- Morocco's tribeswomen see facial tattoo tradition fade
- Centre-left set to win as pro-Ukraine Lithuania votes
- Colombia guerilla group urges delegations not to attend COP16 in Cali
- Pakistan frets over security ahead of SCO summit
- Ronaldo scores 133rd Portugal goal in Nations League win over Poland
- 40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'
- Eight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- Morocco crush Central African Republic, Guirassy scores hat-trick
- Dupont scores quickfire hat-trick on Toulouse Top 14 return
- Ronaldo scores in Portugal's Nations League win as Spain sink Denmark
- Interim boss Carsley has not applied for England job
- Mets hurler Senga ready to take on Dodgers in game one of NL Championship Series
- Ronaldo on target again as Portugal defeat Poland in Nations League
- Guardians rip Tigers 7-3 to advance in MLB playoffs
- AFP, BBC win top French war reporting awards
- Carsley goes back to basics as humbled England face Finland
- Alex Salmond: the man who took Scotland to the brink of independence
- Scotland's former leader Alex Salmond dies aged 69: party
- UN warns of catastrophe as Israel fights a two-front war
- Croatia extend Scotland's losing streak
- South Africa, New Zealand boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes
- 'Very challenging': Israel faces Hezbollah in tricky terrain
- Farrell begins to feel at home as Racing 92 beat Toulon
- South Africa boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes with Bangladesh win
- Samson ton powers India to T20 series sweep after record total
- Djokovic to face Sinner in Shanghai final with 100th title in sight
- UN peacekeepers to remain in Lebanon: spokesman
- Pro-Conquest film fuels debate in Mexico over colonial legacy
- Samson ton powers India to record 297-6 in Bangladesh T20
- New Zealand enjoy perfect start to America's Cup defence over Britain
- Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph
- UN warns against 'catastrophic' regional conflict
- New Zealand crush Ineos Britannia in America's Cup opener
- Djokovic to face Sinner in blockbuster Shanghai Masters final
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- Sri Lanka seeks to match success in W.Indies T20s
- Sinner reaches Shanghai final, will end year number one
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Sabalenka downs Gauff in three sets to reach Wuhan final
- Israel warns south Lebanon residents to 'not return'
South China's 'fast and furious' Dragon Boat racing turns heads
Rowers furiously paddling careened around tight corners past packed crowds on Monday in southern China's Foshan, where the Dragon Boat racing is more "Fast and Furious" than your average contest.
Believed to originate in ancient China, dragon boat racing has grown into an international sport and remains popular across the south of the country as a celebration of both tradition and athleticism.
It is known for being physically taxing, requiring precise coordination among the paddlers.
But while in nearby Hong Kong the racing is typically done in vast, open waters, in Foshan it is packed into much tighter spaces with larger crews of between 30 to 40 people.
Boats 25 metres-long (80 feet) flew through winding rivers that, at their narrowest, were just three-to-four metres wide.
"Theres no other dragonboat races like this in China, others are in open waters," Xia Lei, a 62-year-old photographer who travelled from Shanghai to see the races, said.
"There's a greater sense of participation here for the crowd, because they are so close to the boats," he said.
Races were divided into categories depending on the shape of the rivers' curves: from L to C to S -- the most challenging.
"Its much more exciting to see in person, the atmosphere is very good here," Zhang Yongle, a student from Shenzhen, told AFP.
Loud cheers went to the local teams from Dongsheng village -- one of which eventually won with the fastest time of two minutes and 41 seconds along the 560-metre stetch of waterway.
"It feels like everyone in Foshan is here," one man could be heard saying over the phone.
Crowds young and old oohed and ahhed as they flew past, often just very narrowly avoiding collisions with the sides of the river.
Some weren't so lucky -- two boats' dragon heads were knocked off by tight turns around the the riverway, prompting roars from onlookers.
Crashes are common, with rowers often thrown from the boats as they careen around corners.
But an old slogan sums up the do-or-die attitude of the teams: "even if we crash, we won't row slowly".
O.Karlsson--AMWN