Australia and UK seal Geelong Treaty to anchor AUKUS nuclear submarine pact
Australia and the United Kingdom have signed a landmark 50-year treaty to cement their partnership under the AUKUS nuclear submarine programme....
France’s prison crisis is worsening, with overcrowded facilities forcing authorities to consider drastic measures like renting foreign prison space and building remote high-security jails.
France’s prison system is under severe strain. As of December 2024, nearly 83,000 people were incarcerated in facilities designed for just 62,000. According to the Council of Europe, France ranks third in Europe for prison overcrowding, behind only Cyprus and Romania.
To cope, the government is exploring extraordinary solutions. President Emmanuel Macron has proposed leasing prison space abroad—a model already tested by Belgium and Denmark, which have housed inmates in the Netherlands. Estonia has also shown interest in renting out its unused prison capacity.
However, such a move faces legal, ethical, and logistical obstacles. Critics question how inmates would be treated far from home.
A Justice Ministry report recently proposed a one-time reduction in sentences for all inmates, sparking political backlash. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin rejected the idea, instead promising rapid expansion—5,000 new prison places by 2026 and another 3,000 by 2027. Much of the new capacity will come from prefabricated units built off-site to cut costs and speed up construction.
One of the most ambitious plans involves building a 500-bed high-security prison in French Guiana’s Amazon rainforest. Set to open by 2028, the facility will house drug traffickers and offenders tied to South American narcotics networks.
As public pressure grows, some experts warn that overcrowding may lead to more crime and greater risks to public safety unless deeper reforms are enacted.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
Australia and the United Kingdom have signed a landmark 50-year treaty to cement their partnership under the AUKUS nuclear submarine programme.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was speaking with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to press for a ceasefire as border fighting entered its third day.
Two spectators were killed and another seriously injured on Saturday when a rally car veered off the road during a race near Ambert in France’s Puy-de-Dome region, local authorities said.
China announced on Saturday its intention to establish a global organisation aimed at fostering international cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), positioning itself as a counterbalance to the United States in the global AI race.
Beijing has issued a geological disaster alert for most of the city after intense rainfall triggered fears of landslides and flash floods. Nearby Baoding saw more than a year's worth of rain fall in just eight hours, displacing thousands and breaking historical records.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment