Over 2,000 Colombian police officers backed by helicopters and sniffer dogs raided prisons nationwide on Tuesday in an operation to combat extortion rackets run out of penitentiaries.The operation, which targeted 11 prisons, began in the early hours at detention centers in the capital Bogota, the northwestern city of Medellin and western city of Ibague, the …
Colombian police raid 11 prisons to combat extortion rackets Read More »
The United Nations warned Tuesday that already unprecedented levels of forced displacement are set to worsen in 2025 as conflicts and disasters push ever more people to flee their homes.UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, is seeking $10.25 billion next year to tackle the spiralling crises.”We live in a world ravaged by brutal and seemingly endless …
A lawyer for one of the men charged in a mass rape trial in France pleaded for leniency on Tuesday, saying his client did not deserve the 14-year prison term demanded by the prosecution.The 46-year-old defendant, a manual labourer identified only as Jean-Luc L., is among the dozens of strangers that the main defendant, Dominique …
Two defendants in French mass rape trial seek leniency Read More »
Notre Dame cathedral will reopen in Paris on Saturday with incoming US president Donald Trump to attend the ceremony marking the resurrection of the Gothic masterpiece five years after a devastating fire.The Republican confirmed Monday he had accepted an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the grand re-opening of the 850-year-old edifice which …
Ukraine insisted Tuesday that NATO membership was the only “real guarantee” for its security, but foreign ministers from the alliance sidestepped Kyiv’s push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency.Trump has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia’s war, leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of …
France headed into a new political crisis Tuesday as opposition lawmakers vowed to topple the minority government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a no-confidence vote after just three months in office.A standoff over an austerity budget, which has caused jitters on financial markets, follows months of tension since President Emmanuel Macron appointed the 73-year-old …
No-confidence vote draws France into new political crisis Read More »
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition of being “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget bill.”To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, …
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Dozens of countries on Tuesday approved downgrading the protection status of the wolf in Europe, a move activists say will upset the recovery made by the species over the past 10 years after near extinction a century ago.The 49 member states of the Bern Convention charged with the protection of wildlife in Europe and some …
Wildlife commission lowers European wolf protections Read More »
In Libya, a shortage of cash in the banking system has pushed many to turn to cards for payments after more than a decade of war and instability has hammered the country’s financial system.Across most Libyan cities, withdrawing money is akin to an obstacle course in which hundreds wait, often for hours, outside heavily guarded …
Cash crunch pushes Libyans to bank cards despite hurdles Read More »
Senior employees at several institutions offering nursing and midwifery courses in Afghanistan on Tuesday said women would be barred from classes, following an edict by the Taliban supreme leader.Health officials met with directors of education institutes on Monday in the capital Kabul to inform them of the ruling, an official from the public health ministry …
Afghan training centres say women to be barred from health studies Read More »
