14/08/2026

FRIDAY | AUG 14, 2026

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Colombia authorises anti-drug operations with US

Eurovision to bar countries at war from hosting contest GENEVA: Eurovision Song Contest organisers on Wednesday announced that they were excluding any country in an armed conflict from hosting the competition and increased the mininum age of competitors. While they did not mention any country by name, Israel, which has been at war in Gaza since 2023, came close to winning the competition in both 2025 and 2026, ultimately finishing second on each occasion. Under the old rules, the winning country normally hosts the following year’s competition. Under the new rules, “the winning broadcaster will automatically be ineligible to host the contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region”, they said in a statement. In a first, five countries – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland – boycotted the 2026 competition in Vienna over Israel’s participation. They said they could not take part alongside Israel because of its war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said the changes had been guided by feedback from member countries. He added that “these changes are about giving everyone involved greater clarity, protecting artists and ensuring the contest continues to provide a safe and welcoming environment, while preserving the spirit and integrity that make the Eurovision Song Contest so special”. The organisers also announced that competitors must be at least 18, up from 16, on the day of their first rehearsal. “This change continues the work already undertaken by the contest to strengthen safeguarding and protect younger artists from the pressures associated with competing at the Eurovision Song Contest.“ The youngest person to win the contest was 13-year-old Sandra Kim from Belgium in 1986, according to Eurovision records. Eurovision is a co-production of public broadcasters belonging to the European Broadcasting Union. Since the EBU includes members from outside Europe, the contest is not limited to European countries. The EBU said it could commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is capable of hosting the event safely. If a winning country is found unable to host the contest, the EBU will appoint another host nation. – AFP Texas helicopter crash kills two soldiers WASHINGTON: A United States Army helicopter crashed in the state of Texas on Wednesday, killing two soldiers, according to the military installation where the aircraft was based. “An AH-64E Apache attack helicopter based at Fort Hood crashed today in Salado. Two soldiers are confirmed deceased,“ the base said in a statement. “Fort Hood personnel remain on scene working in coordination with local first responders.” The statement, which did not provide details on what the aircraft was doing at the time of the crash, said the identities of the deceased were being witheld until after their next of kin are notified. The deadly helicopter crash comes around two months after a US Air Force B-52 bomber crashed in California, killing all eight passengers on board. – AFP

o New president vows crackdown on criminals tied to narcotics

Minister Jorge Mora. Colombia follows Peru in joining the so-called “Shield of the Americas,” an anti cartel alliance headed by Trump and made up of pro-US governments across Latin America, including Argentina, Ecuador and El Salvador. Member states exchange information and coordinate judicial and security forces to address transnational criminal activity. De la Espriella, a first-time political leader who openly admires Trump and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, has said he would intensify airstrikes against guerrillas and drug traffickers and has offered to host US troops. Calling himself “The Tiger,“ De la Espriella plans to forge a military alliance with the US and Israel to aid his war on guerrillas. His so-called “Plan Colombia II” is a nod to a multimillion-dollar agreement with Washington in the 2000s aimed at combating drug cartels and leftist groups. The US State Department said last week that the Trump administration intends to work with Congress to announce “US$1 billion in assistance as part of a security package to support” the new administration. – AFP

drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed at least 215 individuals to date. US President Donald Trump’s administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking. Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US. Meanwhile, Colombia’s newly-elected President Abelardo de la Espriella has promised to crush criminal groups profiting from drug trafficking amid the South American country’s worst wave of violence of the past decade. He has said he would halt his predecessor’s unsuccessful peace negotiations with armed groups and confront “narcoterrorism without respite.” “Colombia is officially joining the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition,” Hegseth said in a post on X accompanying photos of the memorandum signing Colombian Defence

PANAMA CITY: Colombia has authorised joint military operations with the United States to target drug traffickers, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, expanding Washington’s campaign against cartels in Latin America. Bogota “has already requested that the (Pentagon) join Colombia in its fight against narco-terrorism, authorising joint military operations to destroy terrorist and terror networks,” Hegseth said at an anti-cartel conference in Panama. “Aggressive and concrete steps such as these exemplify the types of active participation, operationally focused, that we want to see from our partners.” Last September, the US military launched a campaign of airstrikes targeting alleged

SKWATCHING SPECTACLE ... An astronomy enthusiast observes a partial solar eclipse at Chasseral Peak, above Nods in northwestern Switzerland. – AFPPIC

Eleven arrested over alleged sham marriages WASHINGTON: Eleven individuals were

unidentified co-conspirators orchestrated more than 1,000 sham marriages over the past decade. “They recruited US citizens to engage in sham marriages, arranged sham wedding ceremonies complete with officiants, wedding attire, photographers, and attendees. “The defendants made enormous sums of money for themselves. We believe this network took in tens of millions of dollars over its decade-long operation.” They have been charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the US. – AFP

citizen, which would then allow them to apply for a green card giving them the right to stay and work in the US. He also said American spouse would receive up to US$30,000 to marry the foreign national. “This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a years-long, multi million-dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not or legally could not otherwise become citizens of the US.” Ten of the 11 individuals arrested on Wednesday were naturalised US citizens originally from China while the other was a green card holder. US attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald said the defendants and

arrested on Wednesday for allegedly organising hundreds of sham marriages for foreigners seeking US residency, mostly Chinese nationals, officials said. “This is one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history,“ Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference in Washington. “Not only are we protecting our physical borders from unlawful crossings, but we are also preventing immigration fraud schemes that are just another way to skirt the immigration laws of the US.” He added that Chinese nationals would pay up to US$100,000 for a sham marriage to a US