- US finalizes rule to remove lead pipes within a decade
- Solanke hungry for second England cap after seven-year wait
- Gilded canopy restored at Vatican basilica
- Zverev scrapes through, Djokovic cruises to Shanghai Masters last 16
- Trump secretly sent Covid tests to Putin: Bob Woodward book
- Gauff answers critics: 'It's hard to win all the time'
- Neural networks, machine learning? Nobel-winning AI science explained
- China says raised 'serious concerns' with US over trade curbs
- Boeing delivers 27 MAX jets in September despite strike
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of other sex crimes
- Italy seek Nations League consistency as Germany continue rebuild
- From boom to budgeting as reality bites for Saudi football
- Stock markets diverge as Hong Kong sinks, oil prices fall
- US trade gap narrowest in five months as imports slip
- Stay and 'you are going to die': Florida braces for next hurricane
- England 96-1 after Salman's century lifts Pakistan to 556
- Hollywood star Idris Elba champions African cinema in Ghana
- Djokovic rolls Cobolli to make Shanghai Masters last 16
- Milan's Hernandez receives two-game suspension after referee rant
- Geoffrey Hinton, soft-spoken godfather of AI
- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
- Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer
- At Istanbul church, blessed spring offers hope to Christians and Muslims
Kherson residents return to flood-ruined homes after dam destroyed
"My whole life was in this house. Now I have nothing," said Tetiana Pivneva, after returning to her flooded home in the Ukraine city of Kherson following the catastrophic destruction of a dam.
The June 6 breach of the Russia-controlled Kakhovka dam inundated huge swathes of the Kherson region, forcing thousands to flee and sparking fears of an environmental disaster.
Kyiv has accused Moscow of blowing up the dam on the Dnipro River, while Russia has blamed Ukraine.
When the dam was destroyed, Pivneva was in Odesa, 200 kilometres (125 miles) away, with her two children.
She returned home this week and still cannot process what she was met with.
"Words cannot describe it. I wept for several days," said the 41-year-old widow.
"Even if I were here, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. The water was unstoppable," the businesswoman added.
The nearby Dnipro river has risen several metres due to the destruction of the dam.
Aided by friends, Pivneva is emptying her home, wading through the mud that covers the floors.
"Here are two suitcases with things left in Odesa, two children, a cat and a dog. All I have," she sighed.
- Nothing left' -
Inside, a shirtless young man checks to see if there's any more furniture to be thrown out while a woman picks up some wallpaper that has fallen to the floor before throwing it onto a growing pile of rubbish in the street.
In the courtyard, rolled-up mattresses lie next to a washing machine.
A friend, Olena Pshenychna, is among those helping out.
"Furniture, sofas, floors, doors, appliances -- everything is thrown away, there's nothing left. We can only save the walls... Maybe in the future, it will be possible to either sell the house or make repairs. There is nothing left," she said.
Situated in a Russian-occupied area of south Ukraine, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam left dozens dead and forced thousands of residents to leave their homes in both Kyiv-controlled and Russian-occupied areas.
Ignoring warnings that it would be dangerous to return home, retired couple Igor and Natalia are also back in Kherson "to try and save what can be saved".
But even the plaster has come off the walls and ceilings.
"We don't have the strength to rebuild, no money. I don't know what we will do," said Natalia.
"This was our son and daughter-in-law's bedroom," said Igor, pointing to a devastated room with mud-covered cupboards strewn across the floor.
The couple are in contact with the authorities to register as flood victims and receive state aid.
- Russian bombings continue -
In front of a residential building elsewhere in Kherson, shocked residents have piled up their belongings to dry or be thrown away. Armchairs, cots, drawers, vacuum cleaners -- nothing was spared.
Clothes hang from tree branches.
"This is now a typical Kherson courtyard," said Sergiy Sergeyev, a local resident and press officer for a local military brigade.
"People are in the process of cleaning their homes, drying the walls and their belongings, 90 percent which will be sent to landfill," explained the 26-year-old in camouflage fatigues.
On Thursday, four people were injured in yet another strike.
"It's the Russians and their bombings that are the most serious problem for Kherson", said Sergeyev.
L.Harper--AMWN