Many of us were either still raising glasses to bid 2024 farewell or waking up with fuzzy heads when we saw the headlines about the mayhem in New Orleans . Sadly, it was difficult to muster the kind of empathy that the moment called for since violent death is a regular fixture in the US news cycle. About two weeks earlier, three people died and six others were injured in a shooting at a private school in Madison, Wisconsin. According to a CNN analysis from last month, there were more than 80 school shootings in the US, leaving 38 people dead and at least 116 others injured. After a year of shocking violence globally and a US election season marred by bloodshed , who wanted to dwell on more of
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France’s trial of a man who drugged his wife so dozens of strangers could rape her while unconscious has been both ordinary and extraordinary, AFP journalists who have been covering it say. Details of the case have horrified audiences in France and abroad since the trial began on September 2, drawing renewed attention on the widespread crime of rape and the issue of consent. But it has also catapulted its main victim, 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot, into the limelight as a feminist hero demanding a patriarchal society change its attitude to sex crimes.Dominique Pelicot, 72, has admitted sedating his then wife with sleeping pills from 2011 to 2020 so that men he recruited online could rape her in her own bed, meticulously documenting the abuse in video footage. As the court
PM criticises those “spreading lies and misinformation” over grooming gangs The prime minister has attacked politicians and activists “spreading lies and misinformation” over grooming gangs. It comes after multi-billionaire Elon Musk accused Sir Keir Starmer of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) for failing to tackle grooming gangs. Senior Conservatives and Reform UK MPs have also spent the week calling for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation. But Sir Keir said: “Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves.” He said the online debate had “crossed a line”, resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips. Sir Keir went on to accuse
Facing arrests, bombings, and loss, Syrian women have become vital voices for truth, paving the way for change and demanding a role in Syria’s future. By RIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE JANUARY 6, 2025 14:05 Salwa Abdel Rahman (photo credit: Courtesy) Since the beginning of popular protests against the deposed Syrian regime in 2011 and the development of the conflict into armed strife, women in Syria have played a significant role in conveying the realities of events to Arab and even global communities. For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org Syrian female journalists were present in the field under highly complex security conditions in a society unaccustomed to seeing Syrian women as field reporters. They became guardians of truth, away from bias or misinformation. Speaking with The Media
A senior Hamas official has shared with the BBC a list of 34 hostages that the Palestinian group says it is willing to release in the first stage of a potential ceasefire agreement with Israel. It is unclear how many of those named remain alive. Among them are 10 women and 11 older male hostages aged between 50 and 85, as well as young children who Hamas previously said had been killed in an Israeli air strike. A number of hostages who Hamas says are sick are also included on the list. Reports from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry say Israeli air strikes killed more than 100 people there at the weekend. The Israeli prime minister’s office denied reports that Hamas had provided Israel with a list of hostages. “The
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Three-member bench rules 2-1 to grant Najib Razak’s appeal to use the decree to argue his case before the High Court. Malaysia’s appeals court has granted a bid by jailed ex-premier Najib Razak to see a document he said should allow him to serve his sentence at home, in a rare win for a disgraced former leader at the heart of the country’s biggest scandal. A three-member bench ruled 2-1 on Monday to grant Najib’s appeal to use the decree to argue his case before the High Court. “Given the fact that there is no challenge [of the existence of the decree], there is no justification that the order has not been complied with,” said Mohamad Firuz Jaffril, one of the three Court of Appeal judges. The 71-year-old Najib, who
SEOUL, TOKYO and LONDON — The South Korean military detected a projectile fired from North Korea that was suspected to be a medium-range ballistic missile, a test-launch that arrived as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea. The missile was fired from the area surrounding Pyongyang, the capital, toward the East Sea at about noon on Monday, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The joint chiefs said the South Korean military has heightened surveillance for additional launches and is maintaining a readiness posture for sharing ballistic-missile-related data with the U.S. and Japan. Blinken condemned the test, which he called “yet another violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.” He added that President Joe Biden’s administration has “sought to engage the DPRK and multiple efforts to sit
Security forces were searching for the terrorists. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 6, 2025 09:25 Updated: JANUARY 6, 2025 09:49 Security forces and emergency response teams operate at the area of the shooting terror attack in the West Bank. (photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM) Three individuals were killed and several others wounded after shots were fired at a bus and a vehicle near Kedumim in the West Bank, Israel’s emergency medical response service, Magen David Adom (MDA) said on Monday. Israeli media reported that a manhunt for the terrorists had ensued. Security forces and emergency response teams operate at the area of the shooting terror attack in the West Bank. (credit: Magen David Adom) Earlier, the IDF said it had received reports of a shooting terror attack in the area.
Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for a deal to provide secure telecommunications for the nation’s government – the largest such project in Europe, people with knowledge of the matter said Sunday. Discussions are ongoing, and a final agreement on the five-year contract has not been reached, said the people, who asked not to be identified citing confidential discussions. The project has already been approved by Italy’s Intelligence Services as well as Italy’s Defense Ministry, they said. The negotiations, which had stalled until recently, appeared to move forward after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited president-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Saturday. Italian officials have been negotiating on a €1.5 billion (US$1.6 billion) deal aimed at supplying Italy with a full range of top-level encryption for telephone
By Junior Lebese Cape Town will be pulsating with the ANC’s celebratory activity this week, particularly its annual “January 8” celebration. The celebration marks a watershed moment as the party emerges bruised from a historic “below-50” performance in the 2024 national elections. This January 8 statement isn’t going to be just another political ritual—it’s a defining moment for both the ANC and many South Africans, a make-or-break moment. The nation awaits President Ramaphosa’s Khayelitsha speech with bated breath, seeking signals of the party’s posture since its electoral setback. Back in 2015, at a five-day ‘Alliance’ summit, then-Secretary General Gwede Mantashe (now National Chairperson) diagnosed that “crass displays of wealth and arrogance are among the problems facing the ANC,” noting the “growing social distance between the leadership and the people” they
A Philippine lawmaker’s call for an additional US military site to help counter foreign intrusions and potential resource exploitation following the recovery of a submarine drone allegedly from China has drawn mixed reactions from analysts and politicians. Filipino congressman Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte said that having a naval base under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in the south, particularly in his province, was crucial for protecting the country’s eastern seaboard, which is rich in deuterium deposits. Deuterium, a type of hydrogen, is used in fusion reactors and has various military, industrial, and scientific uses. Barbers warned in a statement last Thursday that foreign actors might be conducting intelligence operations targeting deuterium and other mineral resources in Philippine waters. He was referring to the yellow drone, marked
Getty Images Demi Moore recalled being told earlier in her career that she was a “popcorn actress” Demi Moore has made a triumphant return to the Golden Globes, winning best actress for a role in a body horror which has revitalised her career. The 62-year-old gave an impassioned speech as she collected her award, telling the audience she was “at a low point” in her career before being cast in The Substance. Moore said the award was a celebration of “the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong”. Other film winners included Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist and Wicked, while Baby Reindeer and Shōgun won the big TV prizes. One of the night’s big surprises was Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres winning best drama actress for
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New Delhi, India — When China announced the creation of new counties last week, it marked out borders that included swaths of land that India claims as part of Ladakh, a region administered federally by New Delhi. India was quick to respond with a public protest. The country’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said New Delhi had “never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in this area”. China’s announcement, he said, would not give any “legitimacy” to Beijing’s territorial claims. The latest spat between the Asian giants underscores the fragility of a detente they declared along their contested border in October, after a four-year-long eyeball-to-eyeball standoff between their troops. The neighbours withdrew many of their soldiers, even though questions about the future of land that was
India captain Jasprit Bumrah is forced off with injury on Day Two of the fifth Test but Australia fail to capitalise. India brushed off the absence of captain Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss Australia for 181 and reach 141 for six for an overall lead of 145 on an extraordinary second day of the finely balanced fifth Test. On a day of high drama at a sunbathed Sydney Cricket Ground, Bumrah took the first wicket to set India on their way but departed with the team doctor soon after Lunch for medical scans of his back after suffering spasms. Prasidh Krishna (3-42), Mohammed Siraj (3-51) and Nitish Kumar Reddy stepped into the considerable bowling void left by their captain to rout Australia and fire India to a slender first-innings lead of
King deeply saddened over Briton’s death in New Orleans attack, palace sources say King Charles is deeply saddened by the death of a British man who was killed in the vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, Buckingham Palace sources say. Edward Pettifer, 31 – who was named by the Metropolitan Police on Saturday morning – is believed to be the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, known as Tiggy, who looked after Prince William and Prince Harry when they were children. Palaces sources have told the BBC the King has been in touch with Mr Pettifer’s family to share his personal condolences. In a tribute, Mr Pettifer’s family described him as a “wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many”.