Eight countries have been added to a UK Foreign Office list warning of the risks of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or tainted alcoholic drinks. Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Russia and Uganda are included in the updated travel guidance following incidents involving Britons in those countries. The advice previously covered Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica and Fiji and follows a number of high-profile incidents including the death of six tourists in Laos last year. Travellers are advised to watch out for signs of methanol poisoning such as blurry vision and confusion, which can lead to...
Former French President Sarkozy Begins A 5-Year Prison Sentence For Campaign Finance Conspiracy
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a prison in Paris on Tuesday to begin serving a 5-year sentence for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya — a historic moment that makes him the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned. Sarkozy, 70, was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he walked out of his Paris home earlier in the day hand-in-hand with his wife, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. He embraced her before getting into a police car. Minutes later, the vehicle passed through the gates of the notorious La Santé prison — where Sarkozy will now serve his sentence in...
Japan Allows Over-The-Counter ‘Morning After’ Pill For First Time
Japan has for the first time approved over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive pill, its manufacturer says, allowing women in the country to take the medication without prescription. ASKA Pharmaceutical said wider access to the pill would “empower Japanese women in the area of reproductive health”. A date for it to go on sale has yet to be announced. The pill will be labelled as “medicine requiring guidance”, meaning women must take it in the presence of a pharmacist. The “morning-after” pill – a form of emergency contraception – is already available without prescription in more than 90 countries, and...
Indonesia To Send Back British Grandmother After 12 Years On Death Roll For Drugs
Indonesian authorities have announced plans to repatriate a British grandmother who has spent years on death row for drug trafficking. The woman, whose case drew international outrage and human rights appeals, is finally set to return home following a bilateral agreement between the UK and Indonesia. Indonesia signed an agreement on Tuesday to repatriate two British nationals, including a seriously ill grandmother on death row for 12-years on drug charges, a minister said. Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, but has moved to release half a dozen high-profile detainees in the last year, including a Filipina mother...
55-Year-Old Palestinian Woman In Hospital After Being Clubbed By Masked Israeli Settler
A 55-year-old Palestinian woman has been taken to hospital after being clubbed over the head by a masked Jewish settler as she was picking olives. The unprovoked attack, which took place on Sunday morning in the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, was captured on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel. Mr Nathaniel said the settler knocked the woman unconscious with his stick, before hitting her again as she lay on the ground. She has been named as Afaf Abu Alia, known locally as Umm Saleh. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC the confrontation...
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Memoir Is Coming Out In January
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has a book coming out in January, touching upon everything from his swift political rise to the trauma of his home being set on fire. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Tuesday that “Where We Keep the Light: Stories From a Life of Service,” will be released Jan. 27. Shapiro, 52, has become a prominent national Democrat since he was elected governor in 2022. He was on Kamala Harris’ shortlist as a running mate in last year’s presidential election and he has often been cited as a potential candidate for 2028. According to Harper, Shapiro “shares powerful stories about...
Slovak PM Fico’s Attacker Convicted Of Terrorism, Sentenced To 21 Years
A court in Slovakia on Tuesday convicted the man in last year’s attempted assassination of the country’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico of a terror attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison. The shooting and the trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country where Fico has long been a divisive figure, criticized for straying from Slovakia’s pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia. Juraj Cintula opened fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlova, about 85 miles northeast of the capital of Bratislava. Cintula, 72, was...
Kano Court Sentences Two Armed Robber to Death by Hanging for Killing Lecturer
A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men to death by for the murder of Buhari Imam, a lecturer with Northwest University, Kano. The convicts, Hussaini of Sheka Sabuwar Abuja Quarters and Zakariyya of Unguwar Malam Quarters, Kumbotso local government area, were found guilty on a three-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide. In her judgement, Justice Fatima Adamu held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the defendants’ actions as showing total disregard for human life. “I hereby sentence the defendants to five years’ imprisonment each for conspiracy, 10 years each for...
UAE Political Analyst أحمد شريف العامري Describes Nigerians Christians As “People Of Peace”
UAE political analyst أحمد شريف العامري in a post describes Nigerian Christians as “people of peace” amid the ongoing terrorist invasion especially in the northern part of the country. The political analyst surmised: “Nigeria is enduring a campaign of ethnic and religious cleansing. Christian families are being slaughtered in their homes, churches are reduced to ashes, and children are executed for their prayers. “The attackers act with conviction born from an ideology that spreads through borders, linking groups like Boko Haram to the same Islamist current that once inspired the doctrines of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is an ideology that...