Americans convicted in Congo of a botched coup attempt now face US charges

Three Americans repatriated to the United States from Congo this week have been charged with participating in an elaborate coup attempt aimed at overthrowing the African nation’s government last year, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday. A fourth man alleged by prosecutors to be an expert in explosives was also charged with aiding the plot.…

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UK police chiefs draw up plans for national counter-terrorism force

Plans for a new national police body to lead the fight against terrorism and serious organised crime are being drawn up, as UK police chiefs consider the biggest overhaul of policing since the 1960s. Under the proposals, counter-terrorism policing units would gain independence from local forces and become part of a new force covering at…

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DR Congo spares three convicted US coup accomplices of capital punishment

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi has downgraded the death sentences of three United States citizens convicted for taking part in a failed coup attempt last year, reducing their punishments to life imprisonment. Tshisekedi issued the commutation on Tuesday, according to presidential spokesperson Tina Salam, six months after the US nationals…

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Israel steps up Syria strikes, says Turkey aims for ‘protectorate’

Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria overnight, declaring the attacks a warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as it accused their Turkish allies on Thursday of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate. The strikes, targeting air bases, a site near Damascus and the southwest, put renewed focus on Israeli concerns…

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Israel orders evacuation of southern Gaza city of Rafah

The Israeli military has issued a sweeping new evacuation order for the southern Gaza Strip – the biggest since its offensive in the Palestinian territory resumed earlier this month. The military instructed residents of the city of Rafah and parts of neighbouring Khan Younis to leave immediately for the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, warning that its…

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Swedish journalist jailed in Turkey on terrorism, insult charges

Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin, who was in Turkey to cover protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest, was jailed pending trial on terrorism charges, Turkey’s Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday. Medin was detained in Istanbul as part of an investigation launched after a protest in Stockholm in January 2023, where a…

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