El Salvador’s Cecot mega-prison was notorious long before the Trump administration’s recent decision to deport hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members there. The Center for Terrorism Confinement, to give it its full name, is considered the largest prison in the Americas – with a capacity of 40,000 inmates – and has been the biggest symbol…
Calls were mounting in Serbia on Monday for an independent investigation into reports that security forces used a prohibited sonic weapon on crowds at a huge peaceful anti-corruption rally last weekend, even though authorities vehemently denied it. Serbian rights groups and opposition officials allege that such a weapon that emits a targeted beam to temporarily…
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to visit Pope Francis during their trip to Italy and the Vatican in April despite the pontiff’s ill-health following his hospitalization around a month ago. The announcement of the royal visit is likely to be read as an indication that the Vatican believes the pope will be…
Gaza’s fragile ceasefire shattered early Tuesday night as Israel carried out deadly strikes across the enclave and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to use “increasing military strength” against Hamas. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency said early Tuesday they were “currently conducting extensive strikes” on Hamas targets in Gaza….
Mexican authorities say they have arrested Francisco Javier Román-Bardales, an alleged leader of the MS-13 gang who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Román-Bardales was arrested on the Teocelo-Baxtla highway in Veracruz, according to a joint statement from the Attorney General, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Guard. “He was…
At least 59 people died and around 150 were injured after a fire tore through a nightclub in North Macedonia, with the country’s interior minister blaming pyrotechnics. Hundreds had gathered at the ‘Pulse’ nightclub in the town of Kochani, east of the capital Skopje, to watch local act DNK perform when the blaze broke out…
It’s a new day in Europe. Gone are the halcyon years of unshakeable American commitment to Europe’s defense against Russia. Here to stay – at least while Donald Trump is in the White House is something more transactional. And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Europe must “step up in a big way to provide for…
After months of tension, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would seek to remove the chief of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar. Netanyahu met with Bar and informed him that he would propose his removal to the government this week, the prime minister’s office said on Sunday. Netanyahu is believed to…
The Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis since his hospitalization. The photo shows Francis at the chapel in Rome’s Gemelli hospital. He is seen wearing a stole, a vestment worn to concelebrate Mass. The Vatican announced on Sunday, for the first time since his hospitalization a month ago, that Francis concelebrated Mass…
The shopfronts are decked out in white, blue and red, with Chinese and Russian flags hanging side by side from the ceiling. Waist-high Russian dolls greet customers at the entrance. Inside, shelves are stocked with an array of Russian goods – from chocolates and cookies to honey and vodka. In China, pop-up stores specializing in…
