海角大神

Former FBI chief James Comey pleaded not guilty yesterday to criminal charges in a case his lawyer described as a vindictive prosecution directed by President Donald Trump, whose first presidential campaign Mr. Comey investigated. He faces charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation. Mr. Comey鈥檚 lawyer told the judge he planned to file several legal motions to dismiss the case before a trial. 鈥� Reuters

The U.S. Justice Department charged a man with causing the Palisades Fire, the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. Authorities say Jonathan Rinderknecht was an Uber driver living in the Palisades when he maliciously set a fire in the Santa Monica mountains on New Year鈥檚 Eve. Firefighters suppressed it, but it smoldered underground until Jan. 7, then reignited and became the Palisades Fire. Officials declined to comment on his motive. 鈥� Staff

The World Trade Organization improved its global trade forecast, despite months of tariff turbulence. The agency now expects more trade in 2025 than in 2024, buoyed by shipments of artificial intelligence-related equipment. Trade tensions have eased somewhat, six months after the United States imposed sweeping tariffs. WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that the system has been 鈥渒nocked鈥� but continues to prove its resilience, reports Semafor. The organization warned of a slowdown next year. 鈥� Staff

China moved to strengthen its grip on the rare earth industry. China produces about 90 percent of the critical minerals vital for making everything from jet engines and cars to smartphones 鈥� leverage it uses in trade talks. The Commerce Ministry, citing national security concerns, said today it will require foreign suppliers to obtain export licenses to export rare earths and related technologies originating in China. 鈥� Staff

The German Parliament is poised to pass a law allowing authorities to shoot down drones. The move comes amid a spate of incidents across Europe where drones have caused travel delays by illegally entering airport airspace. Many experts say Russia is likely behind the incidents, seeking to fluster and frighten Europe. Several other countries, including France and Britain, allow authorities to shoot down drones. 鈥� Staff

Hollywood and Bollywood groups are lobbying an Indian panel over artificial intelligence. They鈥檙e pushing for stricter copyright protection that would prevent AI firms from using their intellectual property to train AI models. AI companies remain at loggerheads with content owners globally. The Indian government formed a panel this year consisting of lawyers, officials, and industry executives to review whether existing copyright law is sufficient to tackle AI-related disputes and to make recommendations. 鈥� Reuters

The world鈥檚 largest conservation summit is bringing together thousands of scientists, policymakers, and conservationists in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, starting today. They hope to come up with solutions for everything from preserving wetlands to reducing plastic pollution to protecting animals in conflict zones. The IUCN World Conservation Congress meets every four years. Participants say they are well aware that they are nearing their 2030 deadlines for a slew of conservation goals, including the promise to halt biodiversity loss. 鈥� Staff

Agreement by the two warring parties in Gaza after months of tense negotiations and near-deals brought widespread relief, raising hopes that a war that was sparked by Hamas鈥� deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack will finally be brought to a close.

The president has been openly campaigning for the prize, which will be announced this Friday, since his first term. And while his contention to have ended seven wars in seven months strikes observers as a stretch, recent signs of progress in Ukraine and especially Gaza may give him a legitimate claim.

California has spent decades trying to extinguish fires. But residents here are embracing the long-held Indigenous practice of coming together to intentionally burn land 鈥� to reduce the power of wildfires, help the ecosystem, and to replace fear with healing.

Despite Ukraine being outgunned and out-resourced by a far larger enemy, the increasing dependence on drones by both sides has largely leveled the battlefield. As Russian forces press forward, Ukraine鈥檚 drone operators are exacting a high price.

Government-owned enterprises are a hallmark of socialist economies. By positioning the U.S. as a long-term investor, Mr. Trump says he is securing vital resources. But he may also be fundamentally changing how America鈥檚 economy operates.

Mangroves that capture and store carbon dioxide are critical to combating global warming in Mexico. Through pollination, bees ensure the reproduction of mangrove trees.

The global use of cocaine has hit record levels, with much of it produced in South America and smuggled abroad by Albanian crime networks. Yet in addition, the world has recently seen two very different approaches to curbing this drug flow as well as the corruption that drives it.

This year, President Donald Trump unleashed the United States military to kill alleged drug traffickers on small boats in the Caribbean, offering no evidence of a crime. The new tactic has partially shifted U.S. policy away from criminal prosecution and safe interdiction to one of warfare with no due process. It relies on a questionable legal rationale that drug smugglers are terrorists who pose an immediate threat.

The other approach relies less on force and more on rule of law and the integrity of law enforcement 鈥� in a country long viewed as one of the world鈥檚 most corrupt, Albania.

This small nation on the Adriatic Sea, eager to join the European Union, has not only made dramatic strides to fight corruption among its top officials, but also has busted international drug-trafficking rings.

A good example is raids in June and August by a specialized anti-corruption unit, known as SPAK (Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime), that arrested members of a cocaine and money-laundering network. One raid seized 17 tons of cocaine. The network, stated SPAK prosecutors Altin Dumani and Vladimir Mara, is 鈥渙ne of the most powerful Albanian organizations in the international cocaine trafficking.鈥�

Set up in 2019, SPAK has prosecuted dozens of officials and politicians for corruption and put more than a thousand other Albanians on trial. Its approach on drug policy is centered on legal rights and evidence. Most of all, according to Mr. Dumani, SPAK鈥檚 work is fulfilling the wishes of Albanians to overthrow 鈥渁 mindset that tolerates corruption.鈥�

鈥淚t is not our aim and mission to condemn anyone,鈥� he said. Rather, SPAK is showing that 鈥渙rganized crime can be brought before responsibility, that today there cannot be high public officials immune from justice, that the law works, and that young people can strongly hope for a state of law.鈥�

鈥淢ore than anyone, we owe it to future generations and we hope that our efforts today serve to provide them with a society where accountability, integrity, honesty are the foundation of Albanian institutions.鈥�

This approach, based on enduring qualities that are universal, is also the right foundation for ending the global flow of narcotics like cocaine.