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Islamabad — Pakistan's Supreme Court has upheld an electoral commission decision barring the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from using its iconic cricket bat electoral symbol to identify party candidates contesting the Feb. 8 national election. The decision has been criticized by his party as an effort to keep it off next month’s ballot. The caretaker government of Anwaar-ul Haq Kakar has distanced itself from the election commission's decisions, repeatedly stating that it does not want to comment on the working of a constitutionally autonomous institution. The top court announced the verdict in a live telecast Saturday. It endorsed a controversial Election Commission decision prohibiting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, from retaining the bat symbol, citing alleged irregularities in recent internal party elections. The party had appealed the commission’s decision to the Supreme Court. Election symbols are essential campaign tools to identify candidates on ballot papers in the nation of about 241 million people, where most constituencies are in rural areas with low adult literacy rates. Khan, a cricket hero-turned-prime minister, was removed from office through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. The 71-year-old deposed leader has since directly accused Pakistan’s powerful military of being behind the toppling of this government and an ensuing nationwide crackdown on his party to keep it out of the election race. "PTI cannot go into elections as a party, due to be held February 8 this year. This (court ruling), by far, is the worst decision impacting millions of voters of a party that enjoys the most popular public support. A sad day for democracy," a party statement said in response to Saturday's court ruling. Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at Washington's Wilson Center, noted that the 2018 elections, which the PTI won, were marred by preelection rigging. He said issues surrounding the integrity of this year’s elections persist. "PTI leaders jailed. PTI electoral candidates' nomination papers denied. PTI online rallies/fundraisers blocked…PTI denied [the] use of [the] election symbol. This is brazen, not subtle, pre-polls rigging," Kugelman said on X. The PTI said that despite being stripped of its iconic bat symbol, its candidates would still contest the vote as independents, using individual symbols. Observers cautioned it would likely confuse voters and benefit rival party candidates eventually. "Excluding a major political party from elections on technical grounds will destabilize democracy. With this decision, the transparency of the general elections in 2024 is likely to become more controversial," said the independent Human Rights Council of Pakistan in a statement following the Supreme Court decision. Lawyer Jibran Nasir, a human rights activist and an independent election candidate, said winning PTI candidates would be vulnerable to state pressure and financial and political bribes to join other parties for personal gain. "This, most regrettably, is equivalent to disenfranchising tens of millions of voters across Pakistan," he said on X. Nasir and other prominent legal experts said, citing constitutional provisions, that the election commission could not use intra-party elections to overrule the right to form and operate a political party and the right of Pakistanis to vote for a party of their choice. "It is a huge blow to our fundamental rights jurisprudence regarding political parties + political participation," Reema Omer, the legal South Asia adviser at the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Muddassir Rizvi is with the Islamabad-based independent Free and Fair Election Network, which works to promote democratic practices in the country. Rizvi noted that controversies have always marred national elections. "We always consider that all political actors should be part of the electoral [process] and keeping one political party out of the contest for one reason or another will raise many questions on the legitimacy of the exercise," Rizvi told VOA. In an editorial Sunday, the country's prestigious English-language DAWN newspaper denounced the Supreme Court for upholding what it said was a "deeply controversial" Electoral Commission decision. The editorial went on to say, "One also wonders what the general impact of this decision will be on how 'free and fair' the upcoming elections are publicly perceived to be." Khan was convicted and sentenced to three years last August on charges of corruption, leading to his disqualification from running for public office for five years. Most senior PTI leaders have also been in detention or in hiding to avoid arrest. But, according to public opinion polls, Khan remains the most popular political figure, with his party rated as the most significant national political force. Since his ouster, authorities have launched scores of cases against the former Pakistani leader, ranging from murder to leaking state secrets and corruption. Khan denies any wrongdoing and maintains the military is punishing him and his party for pushing for an independent foreign policy. His main rival and former three-time prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile last October, is alleged to have secured the military's backing and was eventually cleared of all graft lawsuits. Sharif and his party have been largely silent about the allegations but have supported the decision to strip the PTI of its electoral symbol. Last week, a controversial Supreme Court ruling also removed a lifetime ban on Sharif, enabling him to contest the polls in his bid to become prime minister for a record fourth time. The army says it is "apolitical," but has not challenged prime-time pro-military talk show hosts and political commentators who routinely claim on television and through newspaper articles that Khan's removal from office and the ensuing political developments are directed by "the establishment," a term used to refer to the military. Generals staged several coups against elected governments and ruled Pakistan for more than three decades since it gained independence from Britain in 1947. They influence the making or breaking of elected governments when not in power, say Pakistani political parties and former prime ministers, including Sharif and Khan. In November 2022, then-army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, for the first time, acknowledged in a nationally televised speech that his institution's decades of meddling in national politics were to blame for increasing criticism of the military in recent years. The gene

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Sydney — Campaigners will gather Sunday at Sydney Town Hall for a rally to urge Australia to send unwanted helicopters to Ukraine. The Australian Defence Force plans to decommission 45 Taipan helicopters later this year and replace them with U.S.-made Blackhawks.  Australia’s entire fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters was grounded after a crash during a multinational military exercise off the coast of Queensland state in July. Officials have said that the aircraft will not return to "flying operations" before they are due to be withdrawn from active service in December of this year. The Taipans will be replaced by U.S.-made Blackhawk helicopters. Starting next year, the new Apache helicopters will also be introduced into service for the Australian army. Ukraine has asked Australia about using the European-designed Taipan helicopters for its war against Russia. However, Australian officials have said the aircraft will be dismantled as planned and buried at an Australian defense site because of concerns over the safety and reliability of the aging Taipan fleet. Campaigners Sunday will gather in Sydney to change the government's mind. Stefan Romaniw, the co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations told VOA that the aircraft would help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion. "The way to support Ukraine now would be to give those Taipan helicopters," he said. "They need to fight the war in the air. The air is very, very important to Ukraine’s winning of this war. Therefore, the callout is, support Ukraine now, send the Taipan helicopters ASAP [as soon as possible]." Australia has promised to provide military support to Ukraine for "2024 and beyond." Acting Defense Minister Matt Thistlethwaite told local media that "Australia is one of the strongest supporters of the people of Ukraine and their military and their effort to resist the illegal and unprovoked aggression and invasion by Russia." Australia is one of the largest non-NATO contributors to Ukraine’s war effort. Canberra has also imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian politicians, military commanders and businesspeople.  

Sydney — While Denmark was preparing to celebrate the coronation of a new king, there are festivities too, half a world away, in Australia. Crown Princess Mary was born on the Australian island of Tasmania and met Prince Frederik in a chance encounter in a busy Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games. Before she was a princess, Mary Donaldson graduated with a degree in law and commerce from the University of Tasmania in Australia. A career in advertising and real estate followed. In 2000, she met Denmark’s Prince Frederik in a bar in central Sydney during the Olympic Games. The couple was married in May 2004. The unexpected abdication of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II after 52 years of service will allow her son, Frederik, to become the new king and crown princess Mary to be his queen. Denmark’s ambassador to Australia, Pernille Dahler Kardel, told local media that Mary has become a natural leader. "She has, since she became crown princess, been an amazing woman and we are really thankful that we have a crown princess of that caliber," said Kardel. The couple met at a bar called the Slip Inn during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. It is celebrating the coronation of the new Danish king. Jack Dineley, the bar’s acting operations manager, told VOA that the establishment wants to celebrate the occasion. "We’ve got Danish flags hung across the room where we normally have our Mexican-themed festoons, so it is flags abundant," he said. "We’ve also got two thrones set up in the main Slip Inn area [for] people to come down and take a photo with a crown or a tiara if they please." The bar in central Sydney has over the years become a destination for Danish tourists. Many have come to the bar to enjoy the festivities to mark the coronation. "My name is Natasha and I’m from Copenhagen and I’m here to celebrate love with Queen Mary becoming queen." REPORTER: What do people in Denmark make of Princess Mary? NATASHA: "Oh, they love her. They love her." Crown Princess Mary renounced her Australian citizenship many years ago, but her journey from working in real estate to the Danish royal family has been closely followed here. She becomes the world's first Australian-born queen.

Jerusalem — Two civilians were killed in northern Israel on Sunday after an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit their home in a town near the border, raising new concerns of a second conflict erupting against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The deadly strike came on the 100th day of a conflict between Israel and Hamas that has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, devastated vast swaths of Gaza, driven around 85% of its 2.3 million residents from their homes and pushed a quarter of the population into starvation. The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack into southern Israel in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages, around half of whom are still in captivity. Tensions have soared across the region, with Israel trading fire almost daily with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, Iran-backed militias attacking U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting international shipping, drawing a wave of U.S. airstrikes last week. Sunday's missile strike came a day after the Israeli army said it killed three militants who had crossed into Israel from Lebanon and attempted to carry out an attack. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said that his group won’t stop until a cease-fire is in place for Gaza. “We are continuing, and our front is inflicting losses on the enemy and putting pressure on displaced people,” Nasrallah said in a speech, referring to the tens of thousands of Israelis who have fled northern border areas. The unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza has led South Africa to lodge allegations of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Israel adamantly denies the accusations and has vowed to press ahead with its offensive even if the court in The Hague issues an interim order for it to stop. “No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else," Netanyahu said Saturday evening, referring to Iran and its allied militias. Israel has also vowed to return the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza as its leaders have faced mounting protests from their families, including a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv that began Saturday evening and drew tens of thousands of supporters. Israeli forces have only managed to rescue one hostage, while more than 100 were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Hamas says no more hostages will be released until Israel ends its offensive. Fears of a second front Israel and Hezbollah have been careful not to allow their back-and-forth fighting to erupt into full-blown war on a second front. But they have come close on several occasions — most recently in the aftermath of an airstrike that killed a top Hamas official in Beirut on Jan. 2. Hamas and Hezbollah have both blamed Israel for the strike. The latest attacks on Israel, including the deaths of two civilians Sunday, raised the likelihood of new Israeli reprisals. The missile hit a home in the town of Yuval in northern Israel, killing a man in his 40s and his mother, who was in her 70s, Israeli rescuers said. Although Yuval is one of more than 40 towns along the northern border evacuated by the government in October, Israeli media reported that the family stayed in the area because they work in agriculture. More than 115,000 Israelis have evacuated from northern Israel due to the ongoing tensions. In Israel, 12 soldiers and seven civilians have died from rocket launches from Lebanon, and more than 170 were injured. Hezbollah has reported at least 150 fighters and 20 civilians have been killed in the near-daily exchanges of fire. The deadly strike came hours after the army said it killed three militants who entered a disputed Israeli-controlled enclave in the Golan Heights. A group called Islamic Glory Brigades claimed responsibility for the infiltration. The Associated Press could not independently verify the statement, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese branches of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad all said the group was not affiliated with them. US shields Israel from calls for truce Israel has also been under growing international pressure to end the war in Gaza, but has so far been shielded by U.S. diplomatic and military support. Israel argues that any cease-fire would hand victory to Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israel's destruction. In recent weeks, Israel has scaled back operations in northern Gaza, the initial target of the offensive, where weeks of airstrikes and ground operations left entire neighborhoods in ruins. Netanyahu said there are no immediate plans to allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes there, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the issue during a visit to the region last week. Israel has meanwhile launched major operations against the southern city of Khan Younis and built-up refugee camps in central Gaza. These camps date back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out and never allowed to return. Israel eyes expanding offensive Netanyahu said Israel would eventually need to push further south and take control of Gaza's border with Egypt, which Israeli officials say is still used by Hamas to smuggle in arms. Egypt, which in recent years has fortified the border, demolished tunnels and established a buffer zone, insists it has full control of the border and says any such operation would have to be considered in light of agreements reached with Israel and the United States. The area in and around the border town of Rafah is also packed with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled from other parts of Gaza and are crowded into overflowing U.N.-run shelters and tent camps.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

O'FALLON, Mo. — Icy winter weather blanketed the U.S. on Saturday as a wave of Arctic storms threatened to break low-temperature records in the heartland, spread cold and snow from coast to coast and cast a chill over everything from football playoffs to presidential campaigns. As the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend began, the weather forecast was a crazy quilt of color-coded advisories, from an ice storm warning in Oregon to a blizzard warning in the northern Plains to high wind warnings in New Mexico. “It's, overall, been a terrible, terrible winter. And it came out of nowhere — two days,” Dan Abinana said as he surveyed a snowy Des Moines, Iowa. He moved to the state from Tanzania as a child years ago, but said “you never get used to the snow.” The harsh weather in Oregon played a role in three deaths. In Portland, medical examiners were investigating a hypothermia death as freezing rain and heavy snow fell in a city more accustomed to mild winter rains, and hundreds of people took shelter overnight at warming centers. Portland Fire and Rescue also reported the death of a woman in her early 30s on Saturday afternoon. An RV caught fire when a small group of people used an open flame stove to keep warm inside and a tree fell on the vehicle, causing the fire to spread. Three other people escaped, including one with minor injuries, but the woman was trapped inside, the fire department said.  Authorities in Lake Oswego, Oregon, said a large tree fell on a home during high winds Saturday, killing an older man on the second floor.   Weather-related deaths already were reported earlier in the week in California, Idaho, Illinois and Wisconsin. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced a state of emergency, citing “very dangerous conditions.” Up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow fell in some areas over the past week, and wind chills were well below zero. “This event is not going away tonight. It’s not going away tomorrow,” Pillen said at a news conference “It’s going to take a number of days.” About 1,700 miles (2,735 kilometers) of Nebraska highways were closed. State police assisted more than 400 stranded motorists, said Col. John A. Bolduc, head of the Nebraska State Patrol. In Iowa, cars were stuck for five hours in blowing snow on Interstate 80 after semitrailers jackknifed in slippery conditions. State troopers had handled 86 crashes and 535 motorist-assist calls since Friday, State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said. Road crews were “working the snow-blowers like crazy," Dinkla said, but high winds were blowing snow right back onto roadways. Governors from New York to Louisiana warned residents to be prepared for worrisome weather. Parts of Montana fell below minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service said similar temperatures were expected as far as northern Kansas, with minus 50 F (minus 46 C) possible in the Dakotas. In St. Louis, the National Weather Service warned of rare and “life-threatening” cold. “We've had, now, multiple back-to-back storms” parading across the country, weather service meteorologist Zach Taylor said. That typically happens at least a couple of times in the U.S. winter. Still, to Eboni Jones of Des Moines, it felt unusual for “how much we're getting all within one week.” “It's pretty crazy out,” Jones said while shoveling snow. Grant Rampton, 25, also of Des Moines, braved a wind chill of minus 20 F (minus 29 C) to go sledding with friends at a golf course, fighting off the cold by wearing layers of clothing and insulated socks and keeping in constant movement. “It’s a great state to be in,” said Rampton, a lifelong Iowan. “There’s not as much to do, in winter especially, but you can make your own fun, like out here, sledding with your friends.” The temperature in parts of Iowa could dip as low as minus 14 F (minus 26 C) on Monday, when the state's caucuses kick off the presidential primary season. And forecasters said it would be Wednesday before below-zero windchills go away. Republicans Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump all canceled campaign events because of the storm. Electricity was out Saturday afternoon in hundreds of thousands of households and businesses, mainly in Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin, according to poweroutage.us. In Yankton, South Dakota, the temperature was minus 15 F (minus 26 C) in the evening. Police there said plows were “freezing and breaking,” so they would not operate until conditions improve. The Minnehaha County Highway Department also pulled its plows “due to low visibility and extreme cold temps.” In other places, if the problem wasn't snow and wind, it was water: Record high tides hit the Northeast, flooding some homes in Maine and New Hampshire. The coastal Northeast was pounded by 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of rain in the morning, and a storm surge amplified what was already the month’s highest tide, National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Cempa said. In Portland, Maine, a gauge recorded a 14.57-foot (4.4-meter) difference between high and average low tide, topping a prior record of 14.17 feet (4.3 meters) set in 1978. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned of a “dangerous storm” as she announced that the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers NFL playoff game was postponed from Sunday to Monday. Residents of the county that includes Buffalo were told to stay off the roads starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, with the forecast calling for 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters) or more of snow and winds gusting as high as 65 mph (105 kph).  Kansas City, Missouri, hosted a frigid playoff game Saturday night between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins. It was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius) at kickoff, easily setting a record for the coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium. Still, hundreds of fans lined up hours beforehand outside the Arrowhead Stadium parking lots, some with ski goggles, heated socks and other winter gear they bought for the game. Chiefs season ticket holder Keaton Schlatter and his friends had considered trying to sell their seats, as many other fans did. “But we decided that it’s all part of the experience, and we didn’t want to miss it,” said Schlatter, of West Des Moines, Iowa. In Oregon, Robert Banks, who has been homeless for several years, stood outside his blue tent along a Portland street in the afternoon, wearing one glove as sleet pelted him. He said he wanted to secure his belongings before making his way to a shelter. “I lived in Alaska for a number of years,” he said. “The wind and the wet cold is different from dry tundra cold ... oh, it is bone-chilling.” The snow was welcome in at least one place. Philip Spitzley of Lake Odessa, Michigan, woke up Friday to 95 small snowmen in his front yard to celebrate his 95th birthday. Fifteen family members and a neighbor collaborated on the snow-packing job, which took about 90 minutes. “I was quite surprised,” Spitzley said. “I sat right here watching my TV and didn’t know they were out there. Then I saw flashlights.”  The display has turned into a spectacle as motorists slow down for a look. And with days of cold weather ahead, “they’ll be there awhile,” Spitzley said. 

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NEW DELHi — India's main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday began a new cross-country march from a troubled northeastern state, aiming to generate political momentum to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in general elections due by May.    The "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra," or Unite India Justice March, comes weeks after Gandhi’s Congress party suffered shock defeats in elections in three states, puncturing the mood of the opposition which intends to challenge Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).    Gandhi walked for 3,500-km (2,200 miles) from the southern tip of India to Kashmir in the north, ending a 135-day march in Jan. 2023 in a move to help revive the Congress and his popularity.    The latest march, setting off from remote northeastern Manipur state will cover 6,713 kilometers (4,200 miles) over 66 days, passing through 15 states, with some of the journey via car.    Gandhi decided to start in Manipur, a state that has witnessed fierce fighting since last year.    At least 180 people have died and thousands were displaced in clashes that erupted after a court order suggested privileges granted to minority Kukis also be extended to majority Meitei community.    "I was determined that the march should begin in Manipur...as we understand the pain, loss, hurt and sadness you have been through," he said.   Congress ahead of the march said it is not a political campaign, but the list of concerns that will be highlighted during the march — unemployment, poverty, democracy and diversity and the BJP’s "politics of hatred and violence" — are key election issues for the opposition.    Opposition groups led by Congress last year formed a 28-party alliance called INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) to jointly fight the BJP in national elections but it has been riven by differences over giving up seats to field a common candidate against the BJP.    Gandhi’s latest march will pass through states which are strongholds of key INDIA partners and the extent of their participation will indicate the health of the opposition, analysts said.     

COPENHAGEN — Denmark's King Frederik X ascended the throne on Sunday, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who formally abdicated after 52 years as monarch, with big crowds gathered in the capital to witness history. Margrethe, 83, stunned the nation on New Year's Eve when she announced she planned to become the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne. The succession was formalized the moment Margrethe signed the declaration of her abdication during a meeting of the Council of State at parliament, the royal palace said. Denmark, one of the oldest monarchies in the world, does not have a coronation. The meeting was attended by government representatives, Margrethe, Frederik, 55, his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, who is now queen, and their oldest son Christian, 18, who is the new heir to the throne. About an hour after the signing, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was due to proclaim the new king on the balcony of the parliament and Frederik will give a short speech. In close to freezing temperatures, tens of thousands of people from all over Denmark converged on the capital to witness events, in a sign of the huge popularity the monarchy is enjoying in the nation of nearly six million. "We have come here today because this is history being made in front of our eyes. We just had to be here," said Soren Kristian Bisgaard, 30, a pilot. He was drinking champagne with three friends, sitting in camping chairs in front of parliament. "I'm very fond of the royal family. I have been in the Royal Life Guards myself, standing guard at the royal palace. I'm very proud to have done that and also to be here today," he said. Later in the afternoon, the new king and queen were due to ride by horse carriage back to their residence, Amalienborg, a royal complex built in the 1750s and located in central Copenhagen. The couple will continue to reside with Margrethe, who will retain her title as queen, in Amalienborg albeit in their respective palaces in the octagonal complex.  Royal power couple Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down but said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future. "It could be that she thinks Prince Frederik is prepared to take over now," said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark. "He's 55, and maybe the queen wanted to avoid a situation where you would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles." The British king was 73 when he ascended the throne after his mother Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022 aged 96. The new king and queen take the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. The most recent survey done after Margrethe announced she would abdicate indicated that 82% of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.

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Quito, Ecuador — All 136 hostages seized during prison riots in Ecuador were freed on Saturday night, prison authorities said. "Security protocols and the joint work of the police and the national army enabled the release of all the hostages who were being held in various prisons across the country," the SNAI prison authorities said in a statement on X. President Daniel Noboa celebrated their release. "Congratulations to the patriotic, professional and courageous work of the armed forces, national police and the SNAI [...] for achieving the release of the prison guards and administrative staff held in the detention centers of Azuay, Canar, Esmeraldas, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, El Oro and Loja," Noboa wrote on X. Police said 46 guards and one civil servant were released from the Cotopaxi prison, 13 from Tungurahua prison, and 15 others from El Oro prison, where the body of a civil servant was found. Images broadcast by the police showed the guards, many in tears, exhausted and supported by their colleagues shortly after their release. During their ordeal, the hostages had often begged authorities for help via videos posted on social media. At least two hostages were killed by the inmates, one of them hanged, according to the videos. Nearly 180 prison guards and civil servants were taken hostage by the end of last week, with 41 freed earlier. The prison workers were taken hostage after Noboa launched a military takedown of criminal groups this week, sparking a deadly confrontation with narco gangs in the South American nation. The crisis was triggered by the escape from Guayaquil prison of one of the country's most powerful narco bosses, Jose Adolfo Macias, known by the alias "Fito," triggering riots in at least five prisons and attacks on security forces aimed at spreading terror. More than 22,400 military personnel were deployed across the country and in prisons, while a nightly curfew was imposed.  

BUCHAREST — Romanian farmers and truck drivers continued sporadic protests across the country on Sunday as negotiations with the coalition government over high insurance rates and slow subsidy payments resumed. Convoys of tractors and trucks began gathering five days ago on national roads, mainly near large Romanian cities, slowing or blocking traffic. Farmers and haulers also briefly blocked a border crossing with Ukraine in northeastern Romania on Saturday, and tried to prevent entrance to the Black Sea port of Constanta. They are demanding the government address high insurance premia and excise levels on diesel fuel, loan moratoriums, the time taken to pay farm subsidies and drought damages as well as technical measures to reduce long waiting times at border crossings. Truckers have also asked that lorries coming from the European Union have a separate line at border crossings and in Constanta port than trucks from outside the bloc, including Ukraine. Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters and Constanta has become Kyiv's largest alternative export route since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, with grains arriving at the port by road, rail and barge across the Danube. The port shipped 36 million metric tons of grain last year, up 50% from the previous year. Ukrainian grain accounted for roughly 40% of the total, or 14 million tons. After talks with transport and farm ministries on Saturday, protesters were set to meet the finance minister on Sunday. Romania holds local, parliamentary, presidential and European elections this year. German farmers also began a week of nationwide protests against subsidy cuts on Monday while Polish truck drivers and farmers have blocked several crossings with Ukraine since late 2023, demanding that the EU reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies obtain permits to operate in the bloc.

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DAR ES SALAAM — The collapse of an illegal small-scale gold mine has killed at least 22 people in northern Tanzania following heavy rains, a senior government official said on Sunday.  The accident happened early on Saturday in the Simiyu region after a group of people aged between 24 and 38 years old started mining in an area where activity had been restricted due to ongoing heavy rains, Simon Simalenga, the region's Bariadi district commissioner, told Reuters. "Initially we were told that there were 19 to 20 people who were trapped in the mines but unfortunately we ended up retrieving 22 bodies," he said, adding that the search and rescue operation was continuing although almost all the rubble that had buried them had now been removed. Simalenga said the group had discovered an area rich in minerals around two to three weeks previously and moved to start mining before the government had approved physical and environmental safety and procedures. "The regional mining officer visited them and stopped them from mining as it was working on the required procedures," he said. The group defied the order, he added, starting to mine late on Friday before part of the area caved in and buried them inside. The government has worked for years to improve safety for small scale miners but unsafe and unregulated illegal mining still occurs in Tanzania, which is Africa's fourth-largest gold producer after South Africa, Ghana and Mali.