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Pakistani authorities have arrested four people who allegedly killed an 18-year-old woman in the purported name of honor after a picture of her sitting with a boyfriend went viral on social media, police said Thursday. The woman's father and three other men were detained days after the slaying in Kohistan, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. Police said they told about the killing on Nov. 24 and officers were still investigating. According to the local police chief, Masood Khan, the four arrested men apparently killed the woman on orders from village elders, who thought she had brought shame to her family by posing for pictures with a boy. PAKISTANI JOURNALIST'S WIDOW FILES WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT AGAINST ELITE KENYAN POLICING UNIT Khan said the investigation determined that the photo of the couple that went viral had been edited by someone before it was shared on the social media. He said investigators are trying to trace whoever edited and posted...

An alternative healer who advocates a technique known as "slapping therapy" was charged Thursday over the death of a woman at one of his workshops in England seven years ago. Hongchi Xiao was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence in the October 2016 death of Danielle Carr-Gomm, Wiltshire Police said. British police first sought to arrest Xiao in 2019. He was detained after being extradited from Australia . Xiao promotes paida lajin therapy, in which patients are slapped or slap themselves repeatedly, ostensibly to release toxins from the body. Patients often end up with bruises or bleeding. The technique has its roots in Chinese medicine, but critics say it has no scientific basis. CANADIAN MAN GETS LIFE IN PRISON FOR 'INCEL'-RELATED MASSAGE PARLOR MURDER RULED A TERRORIST ACT Xiao, who is originally from China and runs the California-based Pailala Institute, has led paida lajin workshops around the world. Carr-Gomm, 71, died at Cleeve House country hot...

One of the first Israeli hostages to have been freed by Hamas is now saying she confronted the terrorist group's Gaza leader in a tunnel underneath the territory during her time in captivity.  Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, told the Israeli newspaper Davar that Yahya Sinwar paid the hostages a visit and "was with us three to four days after we arrived," according to Reuters.  "I asked him how he is not ashamed to do such a thing to people who all these years have supported peace," she reportedly said. "He didn't answer. He was silent."  Lifshitz was freed by Hamas on Oct. 23 in one of the first hostage releases of the war.  LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS   Prior to their capture from their home in the Nir Oz kibbutz near the Israel-Gaza border, Yocheved and her 83-year-old husband Oded – who remains in captivity – were activists who helped sick Gazans receive medical care in Israel, her grandson Daniel Lifshitz previously told Reuters. ...

A woman swimming in a mermaid costume had a narrow escape from drowning after her tail became stuck at the bottom of a massive aquarium tank in a shopping mall, with the terrifying moment captured on video. The woman, a professional mermaid from South Africa, had seconds to react with her quick thinking saving her from a potentially deadly and tragic situation.  The terrifying moment unfolded inside a shopping mall in Randburg, South Africa, on Saturday while the woman was swimming inside the tank in front of shoppers.   'LITTLE MERMAID' REMAKE CONDEMNED FOR 'ERASING' SLAVERY IN THE CARIBBEAN: 'BORDERLINE DANGEROUS' In the video, captured by shopper Zizwe Ndwandwe, the woman can be seen at the bottom of the aquarium waving and then blowing a kiss at people who are outside the tank looking in. The woman then makes a move to swim to the surface to catch her breath, but the tail of her costume becomes stuck in an artificial reef on the tank’s floor.  11 DEAD...

A Canadian man who pleaded guilty to the murder of a Toronto massage parlor employee received a life prison sentence Tuesday for what a judge described as an act of terrorism related to an internet subculture that fuels sexual loneliness into rage and misogyny. The man, who cannot be named because he was 17 years old at the time of the February 2020 stabbing that killed 24-year-old Ashley Noelle Arzaga and seriously wounded another woman identified only by the initials J.C., also was sentenced to three years for attempted murder, to be served concurrently. He pleaded guilty last year to both first-degree murder and attempted murder charges. The judge said the life sentence included no chance of parole for 10 years. BRYAN KOHBERGER'S FORMER FRIEND SPEAKS OUT, TELLS FOX NATION MURDER SUSPECT WAS 'FRUSTRATED' TOWARDS WOMEN In June, Justice Sukhail Akhtar ruled that the massage parlor attack amounted to an act of terrorism due to its links to so-called "incel″ ideolo...

The fatal stabbing of a French teenager at a village dance billed by some politicians as an "anti-White" crime prompted mass protests across the countryside over the weekend.  As a result, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Tuesday called for a crackdown on three far-right groups he blames for fueling violent clashes against police in response to the deadly Nov. 19 attack on a 16-year-old French rugby player, identified as Thomas, outside a village dance in Crépol.  Speaking to a France Inter broadcaster, Darmanin said he would aim to shut down Division Martel and two other unnamed groups, claiming that those "far-right militias" are seeking "to attack Arabs, people with different skin colors, speak of their nostalgia for the Third Reich," according to reports by the BBC and The Guardian. "I will propose that a number of small groups are wound up," Darmanin said, praising French police for dealing firmly with demonstrators to avoid an...

The main opposition candidate in Madagascar said Monday he has filed lawsuits with the country's highest court seeking to have the results of this month's national election canceled and incumbent President Andry Rajoelina's victory declared invalid, claiming fraud. Rajoelina, 49, was announced Saturday as the winner of the Nov. 16 election with 58.95% of the votes, giving him a third term as leader of the Indian Ocean island. Rajoelina's victory was announced by the national electoral commission but needs to be ratified within nine days by the High Constitutional Court. MADAGASCAR PRESIDENT ON COURSE FOR REELECTION AS SUPPORTERS CLAIM THEY WERE PROMISED MONEY TO VOTE The runup to the vote saw protests led by a coalition of opposition candidates and the burning of some ballot stations on the eve of election day. Ten of the 12 opposition candidates called for a boycott of the vote , although their names appeared on ballot papers. Some Rajoelina supporters have claim...

A German priest who was abducted by al-Qaida-linked rebels in Mali's capital in November 2022 has been released by his captors, a former colleague told The Associated Press on Monday. Church members in the capital of Bamako learned of the release of Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre late on Sunday, according to Dia Monique Pare, a former colleague who had confirmed his kidnapping. There were few details about his release. "Yesterday, while we were at Mass, a member of priest Hans-Joachim Lohre’s family told us that they had good news about the priest," Pare said. WAGNER-BACKED MALIAN FORCES SEIZE CONTROL OF REBEL STRONGHOLD, STATE MEDIA CLAIMS The German Foreign Office on Monday confirmed Lohre’s release and said he had arrived in Germany , German news agency dpa reported. It was not immediately known if a ransom was paid. Lohre was abducted by al-Qaida-linked rebels in Bamako. It was the first time that militants had seized a foreigner in the African country's capital s...

Pakistan’s military said its forces raided a militant hideout in a former stronghold of the local Taliban near the border with Afghanistan , triggering an intense shootout that killed eight militants. Elsewhere, a suicide bomber on Monday targeted a vehicle with security forces in the northwestern Bannu district, killing two civilians and wounding 10 others, including three soldiers, the military said. Troops seized weapons and ammunition from the hideout in an intelligence-based operation on Sunday in the South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 5 INDIAN SOLDIERS, 2 SUSPECTED MILITANTS DEAD AFTER EXCHANGING GUNFIRE IN KASHMIR No detail was given about the militants' identities. But blame usually falls on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 y...

A U.S. Navy vessel responded to a distress call Sunday from an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of Yemen on Sunday.  U.S. Navy personnel from the USS Mason, a Mayport-based Arleigh Burke class destroyer assigned to the Eastern Mediterranean , responded to the distress call from the Liberian-flagged Central Park, carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid in the Gulf of Aden.  The vessel is managed by Zodiac Maritime, a London-based international ship management company owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. A Zodiac spokesperson told Fox News Digital the vessel issued a distress call around 6 a.m. UTC Sunday morning stating it was under attack by suspected pirates while transiting the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTV) some 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.  Sources told Fox that five armed gunmen seized the tanker after boarding from a skiff by pulling up alongside the tanker. The crew locked themselves in the Citadel.  The...

Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders is facing condemnation from multiple Arab states after suggesting that the war between Hamas and Israel could be remedied if Palestinians are relocated to Jordan. "Jordan is Palestine!" Wilders tweeted Saturday, linking to a Politico story that detailed how Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen and the Arab League issued statements to condemn the suggestion that Palestinians should be relocated to Jordan. The Palestinian Authority said Wilders' proposal is "a call to escalate the aggression against our people and a blatant interference in their affairs and future." While the UAE embassy in the Netherlands called Wilders' suggestion "irresponsible," leaders in Jordan labeled the suggestion a "racist position," Arab News reported. HARD-RIGHT FIREBRAND GEERT WILDERS WINS ELECTION IN NETHERLANDS: 'DUTCH DONALD TRUMP' "Jordan rejects any proposal that...

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor ripped the prime minister of Ireland for "downplaying" the kidnapping and eventual release of an Irish-Israeli child by Hamas terrorists on Saturday. McGregor called Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar a "disgrace" after he used the terms "lost" and "found" to describe the abduction and release of 9-year-old Emily Hand. "She was abducted by an evil terrorist organization," the UFC superstar wrote on X. "What is with you and your government and your paid for media affiliates constantly down playing / attempting to repress horrific acts that happen to children. You are a disgrace." McGregor was referring to Hand, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from her friend Hila’s house in Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel on Oct. 7, along with Hila and Hila’s mother. 4-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN GIRL, AMONG 17 HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS Varadkar had posted on social media after Emily Hand was reunited wit...

A 9-year-old Irish-Israeli girl whose father first believed she had been killed on Oct. 7, was among the 13 Israeli hostages released on Saturday by Hamas.  Emily Hand spent "her birthday in the tunnels of Gaza" her father told Fox News Digital last week. "No party. No friends. She won’t even know if it’s day or night. There’s no light down there. So she won’t know it’s her birthday."  After waking up at a friend’s house in the kibbutz of  Be’eri in southern Israel on Oct. 7, Hand, her friend, Hila, and her friend’s mother, were all kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Hand was still wearing her Disney pajamas.  She is among some 240 Israeli civilians that were taken by Hamas amid their surprise attack that launched the war with Israel and held as hostages.  ISRAELI GIRL SPENDS 9TH BIRTHDAY IN ‘TUNNELS OF GAZA,' WITH NO FRIENDS, ‘NO LIGHT,’ SAYS DISTRAUGHT FATHER   Hand’s release came a day after another group of 13 hostages were let go Friday, the first ...

A mother-of-two who was admitted to a hospital in England following a mental health breakdown, died after drinking too much water while staff were distracted by their phones, a recently concluded inquest into her death has found.  Michelle Whitehead, 45, was admitted to the Millbrook Mental Health Unit in Sutton-in-Ashfield near her home in May 2021, BBC News reported.  She began drinking water excessively while at the unit and slipped into a coma after reaching dangerously low sodium levels, which led to brain swelling, the investigation found.  Despite psychogenic polydipsia being a well-known psychiatric disorder marked by excessive water drinking, the staff failed to diagnose Whitehead and she continued to have unmonitored access to water.  BROOKE SHIELDS SAYS DRINKING EXCESS WATER LED TO HER SEIZURE: SO HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? She was tranquilized, then slipped into a coma, but staff believed she had fallen asleep.  The Nottinghamshire Healthcar...

The identities of the 13 Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas and returned on Saturday have been released, officials say. The 13 Israeli citizens joined four Thai foreign nationals who were also released by Hamas late Saturday. The group, which did not include any Americans, traveled to the Rafah Border Crossing with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The group consisted of women, teenagers and children. Noam Or, 17, and Alma Or, 13, were part of the group, along with 53-year-old Shiri Weiss and 18-year-old Noga Weiss. Sharon Hertzman Avigdori, 52, and 12-year-old Noam Avigdori were also released. Other captives included Shoshan Haran, 67, Adi Shoham, 38, and 8-year-old Nave Shoham, along with 3-year-old Yahel Shoham. BIDEN ADMIN WILL HAVE TO USE LEVERAGE IF AMERICANS AREN'T RELEASED, WARNS MORGAN ORTAGUS The remaining three Israeli captives were Hila Rotem Shoshani, 13, Emily Toni Kornberg Hand, 9, and 21-year-old Maya Regev Jarbi. Ma...

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has provided data suggesting the spike in respiratory illnesses in the country is not from a novel pathogen, World Health Organization (WHO) officials claim. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission reported an increase in respiratory diseases in China, prompting the WHO to press the CCP for data on the outbreak. The WHO claims Chinese health officials have successfully linked the spike in illnesses among children to known pathogens. CHINA PRESSED BY WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AFTER RESPIRATORY ILLNESS CLUSTERS REPORTED Specifically, officials attribute the scores of infections to respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, influenza, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. WHO will continue to monitor the situation in China, but experts do not believe the illnesses are linked to novel pathogens, despite previous concerns. The WHO requested information from China on Wednesday as several groups, including the Program for Monit...

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Film industry leaders in Marrakech attending one of the Arab world's largest film festivals emphasized Friday the importance of elevating cinema and artistic expression amid a shadow cast by Israel’s war with Hamas and an earthquake that struck Morocco less than three months ago. "In the weeks leading up to the festival, we were not sure that we would even be able to be here. The world we share is shattered and devoured," said American actor Jessica Chastain , serving as the president of the festival's jury, in a speech on the festival's opening night. MOROCCO REBUILDS FOLLOWING DEADLY EARTHQUAKE, REMAINS POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION "Throughout history, art has been used as an accessible tool for communication, raising awareness about social issues and affecting positive change," she added. Surrounded by red carpet crowds and flashing camera lights, others agreed. "We know what’s happening and don’t forget it," s...

MADRID (AP) — Brazil forward Rodrygo has been the target of racist abuse on social media following the World Cup qualifying game against Argentina. "The racists are always out there," Rodrygo, who is Black, said in a message posted Thursday. "My social networks have been invaded with insults and all kinds of absurdity. It’s all there for everyone to see." TAYLOR SWIFT'S ERAS TOUR LINKED TO UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES IN RIO, INCLUDING FAN DEATHS AND DANGEROUS HEAT The player said many of the racist messages included photos and emoticons of monkeys or bananas. "If we don’t do what they want, if we don’t behave like they think we should, if we wear something that bothers them, if we don’t lower our heads when we are attacked, if we occupy spaces that they think belong to them, the racists will come into action with their criminal behavior. Too bad for them. We will not stop," Rodrygo said. Rodrygo attracted attention during Tuesday's match after ...

A frantic battle to rescue 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel in northern India has faced fresh delays due to a problem with a drilling machine, with officials warning that the next 24 hours could be critical to their chances of survival. The workers have been trapped beneath a collapsed road tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of India's Uttarakhand state for 12 days after a portion of it collapsed due to a landslide. The platform on which the U.S.-made auger machine has been mounted became destabilized after developing cracks, according to the Times of India. The 25-ton platform is being reinforced with concrete with drilling expected to resume later on Friday. MORE THAN 30 DEAD, 18 INJURED AFTER BUS PLUNGES INTO GORGE IN INDIA The machine is being used to drill through the debris in order to create an escape route consisting of a tunnel of pipes welded together. Once it is in place, rescue teams hope the workers can escape to freedom.  The plan is to wheel the work...

German authorities searched 15 properties on Thursday in connection with a recent  ban  on activities of Hamas as well as pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, the German interior ministry said in a statement. KATHY IRELAND AMONG THOSE HONORING HOSTAGES ON THANKSGIVING WITH EMPTY SEATS AT DINNER TABLE The searches in four German states, which started at 6:00 am local time, are intended to enforce the ban as well as clear up illegal structures of Hamas, designated a terrorist organization in the country , and Samidoun, it said. "We continue our consistent action against radical Islamists ," German interior minister Nancy Faeser said in the statement. ISRAELI SPOKESMAN'S SHOCKED FACE GOES VIRAL OVER BIZARRE QUESTION ABOUT HOSTAGE DEAL: 'LEFT ME SPEECHLESS' "With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel ," Faeser added. Accord...

Protesters and rioters clashed with police officers and a police vehicle was set ablaze in Dublin, Ireland Thursday evening, following a knife attack earlier in the day in which five people were injured, including three children. Per Irish media outlet RTÉ , rioters attacked gardaí, officers of the state police force Garda, and set a garda vehicle on fire.  The bedlam unfolded on O’Connell Street and Parnell Square East, according to the outlet. Rioters were reported to have thrown fireworks and bottles at the officers .  The riots came hours after the knife attack outside a school in the heart of Dublin around 1:30 p.m. A 5-year-old girl was receiving emergency medical treatment in a hospital. A woman and two other children were also injured. A 6-year-old girl sustained less serious injuries and a boy was discharged from a hospital, officials said.  TERROR SUSPECT ACCUSED IN TEACHER STABBING SWORE ALLEGIANCE TO ISIS BEFORE KNIFING, PROSECUTOR SAYS Irish police...

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has officially asked China for detailed information about a concerning spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children in parts of the country. Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission earlier this month reported an increase in respiratory diseases in China, attributing the rise to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the spread of the flu and other respiratory viruses, WHO said Wednesday. The U.N. health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China, though said it was unclear whether those were linked to a rise in respiratory infections reported by Chinese authorities. Scientists outside of China said the circumstances should be monitored but were not concerned that the surge was a sign of a new global outbreak. SHOULD YOU GET THE COVID AND FLU VACCINES AT THE SAME TIME? WHO ...

Prosecutors are seeking to restrict visits to three former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders who are on trial in The Hague for war crimes because they allegedly tried to manipulate witnesses and leak confidential testimony. Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, Parliament ex-speaker Kadri Veseli and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi were all top leaders of the KLA which waged Kosovo’s 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia and are now on trial in the Hague. A document seen by the Associated Press on Thursday showed that prosecutors from the Kosovo Specialist Chambers - a branch of the Kosovo legal system that was set up at The Hague in part due to fears about witness safety and security - had found that individuals visiting the three defendants had later approached protected witnesses "attempting to prevent or influence their testimony." KOSOVO TO DOCUMENT SERBIAN WAR CRIMES WITH INSTITUTE DEDICATED TO 1998 CONFLICT Prosecutors have asked that all visits be restricted except ...

An activist who documented murders in one of Mexico’s deadliest cities has himself been killed, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Adolfo Enríquez was killed in the city of Leon, in north-central Guanajuato state. The city has the third-highest number of homicides in Mexico , trailing only the border cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. Enríquez described himself on his social media profiles as an "activist, demanding a country with the rule of law." NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER SHOT DEAD IN CARTEL-DOMINATED MEXICAN BORDER HUB For years, Enríquez has posted a simple, moving tally of each murder in Leon, writing just hours before his death that "murder number 55 in Leon so far in November just occurred in the Margaritas neighborhood." He himself became murder victim number 56 late Tuesday, local police confirmed, without providing details on the attack. State prosecutors confirmed his death and said it was under investigation. Local media reported Enríquez was shot to deat...

A young Israeli woman who vanished following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack has been found dead, reports say. The body of Shani Gabay, 26, was discovered Wednesday, weeks after she went missing. Gabay worked at the music festival in Kibbutz Re'im that was the target of the initial terrorist massacre last month. Yokneam Mayor Simon Alfasi said, "Our Shani is gone. Our hearts are broken into pieces. We are all crying and refuse to believe, how much we waited for a different ending," according to The Jerusalem Post. "Forty-seven days of hope came to an end with receiving the bitter news this morning about the murder of Shani on October 7," Alfasi added. MARYLAND HATE CRIME TASK FORCE MEMBER CLAIMED BABIES MURDERED BY HAMAS WERE 'FAKE,' COMPARED ISRAEL TO NAZIS He continued, "My heart goes out to my dear parents Jacob and Michal, her brother Aviel and her sister Nitzan - who for seven weeks turned every stone and went everywhere in Israel and the world...

U.S. forces stationed at Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq were attacked early Tuesday prompting a U.S. military aircraft to strike back, officials said.  Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Iran-backed militias used close-range ballistic missiles against U.S. and coalition forces, resulting in "several non-serious injuries and some minor damage to infrastructure."  Reuters, citing two U.S. officials, reported that the attack resulted in eight injuries.  A U.S. military AC-130 aircraft in the area conducted a self-defense strike against an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and personnel involved in the attack, resulting in some "hostile fatalities."  U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17, including 32 times in Iraq and 34 times in Syria. U.S. personnel have sustained approximately 62 injuries, not including Tuesday’s attack, which is still being evaluated.  CRITICS SLAM BIDEN ADMIN FOR WAIVER THAT GIVES IRAN ACCESS TO $10B FU...

A stampede at a military stadium has left at least 37 people dead in Republic of Congo after large crowds of young people responded to a recruitment appeal, authorities said Tuesday. The Congolese Armed Forces Command later announced that all recruitment operations have been suspended in Brazzaville until further notice following the tragedy late Monday. Public prosecutor Oko Ngakala said that an investigation would be launched and questioned why the event was still going on at midnight. 6 DEAD, 100 INJURED IN STADIUM STAMPEDE ON KENYAN HOLIDAY Brandon Tsetou, a young graduate who escaped the suffocation, said he had been lined up in front of Ornado stadium since Monday morning. "According to the organizers, it was the last day. That’s why many of us decided to wait until late into the night, hoping to register," he told The Associated Press. "Some were so impatient that they had to force their way in, causing a stampede that left a number of people dead or injured...

The winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest is topping the charts on a different list — a wanted list by Russia.   On Monday, reports revealed an Interior Ministry database listed Ukrainian singer Susana Jamaladinova as being sought after for violating a criminal law. According to the independent news site Mediazona, Jamaladinova was charged under a law adopted last year that bans spreading so-called fake information about the Russian military and the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. Jamaladinova, who performs under the stage name Jamala, won the 2016 Eurovision contest with the song "1944," a title that refers to the year the Soviet Union ordered the mass deportation of over 230,000 Crimean Tatars from their homeland. RUSSIAN JUSTICE MINISTRY ASKS SUPREME COURT TO BAN ‘INTERNATIONAL LGBT PUBLIC MOVEMENT’ Russia originally protested "1944" being allowed in the competition, claiming it violated rules against political speech on Eurovision, but was later allowe...

Congolese businessman and opposition leader Moise Katumbi launched his presidential campaign on Monday, five years after the regime in power at the time blocked him from running. Katumbi's rally in the city of Kisangani came a day after his two main competitors, President Felix Tshisekedi and opposition figure Martin Fayulu, started their campaigns ahead of the Dec. 20 vote. Katumbi criticized Tshisekedi's record in the country's volatile east , where the army has been battling M23 rebels and other armed groups. Katumbi accused the president of recruiting foreign mercenaries instead of increasing the salaries of military and police, without offering evidence. VOTE COUNTING BEGINS IN HEAVILY BOYCOTTED MADAGASCAR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION "I’m telling you that we’re going to improve the conditions of our soldiers who have to defend our country, aren’t we? We’re going to add a bonus for our soldiers because we have a very strong republican army that has to finish the war,...

The German government pledged Monday to invest 4 billion euros ($4.37 billion) in African green energy projects until 2030, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying that countries in Africa should benefit more from their wealth of raw materials. Scholz discussed the pledge at a news conference on the G20 Compact with Africa summit taking place in Berlin. He did not mention any specific projects but said the materials used in green energy should be processed in the African nations they come from. "This creates jobs and prosperity in these countries," Scholz said. "And the German industry gets reliable suppliers." TURKEY'S ERDOGAN TO VISIT GERMANY AS DIFFERENCES OVER THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR WIDEN Compact with Africa is based on an initiative launched by Germany during its chairmanship of the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations. It aims to improve the economic conditions in the participating countries in order to make them more attractive for foreign priva...

Argentinians have elected as their next president Javier Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist whose sensational rhetoric has drawn comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump .  Partial election results showed Milei had 55.8% and Massa 44.2%, with 95% of the votes tallies. Should that margin hold, it would be wider than predicted by all polls and the widest since Argentina's return to democracy in 1983. On the campaign trail, Milei, with his wild hair and inflammatory rhetoric, pledged economic shock therapy and to slash the size of the state. He’s also indicated he would move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – paralleling another move by the Trump administration. Milei’s victory comes amid a nationwide wave of deep discontent and rising poverty. His opponent, Economy Minister Sergio Massa of the Peronist party, conceded defeat and congratulated Milei. Argentine has been dealing with crippling inflation – above 140% – and poverty has worsened while...

Belgium’s largest prison is reeling from a wild sex scandal that accused guards and staffers of organizing jacuzzi orgy parties and trading colorful bracelets to determine their sex partners, a local report detailed.  Ten guards and staffers at the Lantin Prison, located near the city of Liège, have come under fire for allegedly hosting sex parties after work and even having intercourse with each other during their shifts at the prison, a report from Belgian news outlet Sudinfo reported. One of the staffers was even described as a "nymphomaniac" who would allegedly demand sex from co-workers at work.  The employees allegedly held orgies after work hours, most frequently in a jacuzzi owned by a male guard only identified as "P." During the parties, the staffers would allegedly determine which employee they would sleep with by drawing a colorful bracelet at random, the report said. The employee described as a "nymphomaniac" was only identified as "...