cap: A mourner carries the body of a Palestinian child killed by Israeli strikes, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sunday. Reuters-Yonhap

Prosecution wants 2-year prison sentence for Marine Le Pen PARIS (AP) -- Paris prosecutors on Wednesday requested a 2-year prison sentence for far-right leader Marine Le Pen and an additional 5-year period of ineligibility to run for office, in a trial over the suspected embezzlement of European Parliament funds where her ability to participate in the 2027 presidential race is at stake. The National Rally party and 25 of its officials, including Le Pen, are accused of using money intended fo

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AFP) -- At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 injured in clashes Tuesday at a prison in the Ecuadoran port of Guayaquil, the latest in a series of massacres blamed on a war between drug cartels. Once seen as a beacon of stability in South America, Ecuador has become one of the world's most violent nations and a major drug trafficking hub in recent years. Much of the violence has taken place in prisons where more than 460 inmates have been killed since February 2021, oft

Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after 20 months TALLINN, Estonia (AP) -- Imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova has resurfaced after more than 20 months without any communication with relatives or friends and met with her father, a human rights group said Tuesday. Kolesnikova, one of the most popular and charismatic figures who helped lead protests of Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, was last heard from in February 2023. The 42-year-ol

BERLIN (AFP) -- Germany is headed for snap elections on Feb. 23, the main parties agreed Tuesday, aiming to form a stable government after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed last week. The country's two biggest parties agreed on the early timetable, which will see center-left leader Scholz seek a vote of confidence on Dec. 16. This would pave the way for the February vote in a compromise his Social Democrats hammered out with the conservative opposition Christ

US contractor ordered to pay $42m to torture victims WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A federal jury on Tuesday ordered a US defense contractor to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison, their lawyers said. CACI Premier Technology Inc. was found liable at the conclusion of a long-running trial for its role in the torture of the three men at the notorious prison in 2003 and 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights said. Suhail Al Shimari, a middle school

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip in the past day, including 11 at a makeshift cafeteria in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, medics said. In Lebanon, Israel's warplanes struck Beirut's southern suburbs and killed 33 people elsewhere in the country on Tuesday. The latest bombardment came as the United States said it would not reduce its military support for Israel after a deadline passed for allowing more humanitar

Ancient customs 고대의 풍습 On Sept. 27, an artisan works on a clay idol of Hindu goddess Durga, ahead of the Durga Puja festival at Kumartoli in Kolkata, India. Every year in Kolkata, the world’s oldest trade gets fleeting respect from an ancient custom -- when soil outside brothels is considered sacred and collected for Hindu rituals. (AFP) 두르가푸자 축제를 앞둔 지난 27일, 인도 콜카타의 쿠마르톨리구에서 한 장인이 힌두교 여신 두르가의 흙 우상을 만들고 있다. 고대의 전통에 따라 콜카타에서는 매년 “세계에서 가장 오래된 직업 (매춘업)”이 잠시나마 존경을 받게 된다. 매춘업소 바깥