FRANCE
Man attacked by IS suspect
A hooded man claiming to be acting for the Islamic State attacked a nursery school teacher with a knife-like weapon as he prepared for classes in Aubervilliers, in the Saint-Denis region just north of Paris, officials said yesterday. The teacher was taken to hospital after the attack by a man wielding a knife or box-cutter who fled the scene, the official said, adding that anti-terrorism officials were investigating. A judiciary official said that the assailant slashed at the teacher’s neck and said the act was a signal from the Islamic State group. The Minister of Education and a local government prefect visited the school and said it was too early to draw conclusions about the character of the attack.
SPAIN
Fighters forced into abortions
Police on Sunday said they had arrested a man accused of performing more than 500 forced abortions on women fighters belonging to rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The man, known as “The Nurse” and described by police in a statement as an ex-fighter himself, was detained in Madrid. The police did not reveal his identity and could not immediately be reached for further comment. The arrest comes after Colombian Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre on Friday said that his office was investigating 150 cases of former female rebel fighters who claimed they had been forced to terminate their pregnancies.
UNITED STATES
Citizens to evacuate Burundi
The government on Sunday ordered non-emergency US government personnel and dependents to leave violence-torn Burundi and warned other Americans to get out “as soon as it is feasible to do so.” The Department of State warning followed some of the worst violence in months of political unrest in the capital, Bujumbura, on Friday that left nearly 90 people dead. The Burundi army said 87 people were killed — with the breakdown given by Burundian Colonel Gaspard Baratuza as 79 “enemies” and eight soldiers — during and after coordinated assaults on three military installations early on Friday morning. Several witnesses accused the security forces of extrajudicial killings in the hours following the attacks and overnight into Saturday morning.
MEXICO
Child pornography arrests
Officials said that 60 people have been arrested in an operation against child pornography in 10 Latin American countries, as well as Spain and the US. The federal government on Sunday said in a statement that “Operation Without Borders” involved 97 raids in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, the US, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. The statement said officials rescued three girls, aged nine, 14 and 15, who were allegedly used to make pornographic videos.
SWEDEN
Santa Claus charity run
More than 1,000 people on Sunday dressed as Santa Claus wearing red suits, boots and long white beards ran through the streets of Stockholm for charity. “It was brilliant. I’m a Santa enthusiast and an avid runner, so its the best of two worlds,” said Andreas, a 27-year-old participant. The 3km run was organized for various charities including Save the Children and the Red Cross. “It was the first I ran as a Santa and it was a lot of fun,” said 26-year-old Elin. “It was a good opportunity to run as a Santa for good causes.” The race had no official winner.
PHILIPPINES
Storm forces evacuations
More than 700,000 people in the center of the nation fled to safer areas for fear of giant waves, floods or landslides as Typhoon Melor slammed into the archipelago nation yesterday, officials said. Melor brushed the northern tip of Samar, a farming island of 1.5 million people, early yesterday with winds gusting up to 185kph, the state weather bureau said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Authorities said Melor’s powerful winds had the potential to whip up 4m-high waves, blow off tin roofs and uproot trees. They said heavy rain within its 300km diameter could trigger floods and landslides. The typhoon is expected to cut across the central heartlands in the early hours of today before heading out to the South China Sea.
AUSTRALIA
Teen pleads guilty to terror
A Melbourne teen arrested after police found explosives at his home yesterday pleaded guilty to a terrorism-related charge. The 17-year-old was planning an attack using improvised explosive devices, police said in May when they raided his home in Greenvale, 20km north of Melbourne. The teen, who could not be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty to a single charge of “engaging in an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act,” the Australian Associated Press reported from the courtroom. Prosecutors dropped two other charges following the guilty plea, the agency reported.
CHINA
Paracels getting gas station
Oil giant Sinopec is building a filling station on an island in the South China Sea, as Beijing continues to expand its civilian infrastructure in the disputed waterway.
The filling station and accompanying storage tank on Woody Island (Yongxing Island, 永興島) in the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島) would take a year to complete, the company said on its microblog yesterday. Woody Island has a population of about 1,000 and Chinese travel agents began offering five-day cruises to the Paracels in 2013. The filling station and storage tank will satisfy fuel needs in Chinese-controlled islands and reefs in the South China Sea over the next few years, the post said.
CHINA
Commutation suggested
A Beijing court has recommended that a suspended death sentence for Gu Kailai (谷開來), wife of disgraced former politburo member and Chongquing Chinese Communist Party poss Bo Xilai (薄熙來), be commuted to life in jail due to acts of repentance and no further criminal activity, local media said yesterday. Gu was sentenced in 2012 for murdering British businessman Neil Heywood the previous year. A suspended death sentence is normally commuted to life in jail. The Beijing High Court is making a formal recommendation for that, said state radio, which carried the court statement on its Web site.
EYGPT
Terror link to crash denied
The government yesterday said that it had found no evidence so far of terrorism or other illegal action linked to the crash of a Russian passenger plane in Sinai that killed all 224 people on board on Oct. 31. Russia and Western governments have said the Metrojet Airbus A321 was likely brought down by a bomb, and the Islamic State group said it had smuggled an explosive on board. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it had completed a preliminary report on the crash and that so far it had found no evidence of a criminal act.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
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