Record drug haul seized as smugglers' new route is found
The Guardian Weekly|December 06, 2024
Colombian authorities working with dozens of other countries have seized 225 tonnes of cocaine in the space of six weeks, a global record for any single anti-narcotics operation, finding some of that haul on a "narco submarine" travelling on a new drug trafficking route to Australia.
Luke Taylor
Record drug haul seized as smugglers' new route is found

In the six-week Operation Orion, law enforcement agencies and other organisations from 62 countries halted six semi-submersible vessels stuffed with cocaine and confiscated 1,400 tonnes of drugs in total, including more than 1,000 tonnes of marijuana.

The interception of 225 tonnes of cocaine marks a significant dent in the operations of Latin America's cartels given that the UN estimates 2,700 tonnes are produced globally each year and Colombia's record for annual seizures was the 671 tonnes confiscated in 2022.

"This is an important chunk of the cocaine trade, even when you consider the high amounts of the drug leaving the region," said Capt Manuel Rodríguez, director of the Colombian navy's anti-narcotics unit. "This will prevent thousands of deaths from overdoses and $8.5bn from reaching the cartels, which definitely makes a hole in the profits of these criminal organisations."

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FROM DOCTOR TO BRUTAL DICTATOR THE RISE AND FALL OF ASSAD
The Guardian Weekly

FROM DOCTOR TO BRUTAL DICTATOR THE RISE AND FALL OF ASSAD

0N THE FACE OF IT AT LEAST, the Bashar al-Assad of 2002 presented a starkly different figure from the brutal autocrat he would become, presiding over a fragile state founded on torture, imprisonment and industrial murder.

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December 13, 2024
What fresh alternatives can be used to placate coriander haters?
The Guardian Weekly

What fresh alternatives can be used to placate coriander haters?

Everyone knows a hater of coriander - also known as cilantro - who won't go near the stuff. Itamar Srulovich, however, is not one: \"I adore fresh coriander, and always have,\" says the chef/co-owner of the Honey & Co group in London.

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2 mins  |
December 13, 2024
Farage is lying in wait.Britain cannot afford to see Starmer fail Jonathan Freedland
The Guardian Weekly

Farage is lying in wait.Britain cannot afford to see Starmer fail Jonathan Freedland

This government must not fail. Let's get that clear from the start. If Keir Starmer does not succeed, too many British voters will conclude that both the traditional parties, Labour and Conservative, have proved useless and that it is time to try something else with that something else being nationalist populism.

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3 mins  |
December 13, 2024
Compromise may be Macron's only hope of restoring confidence Paul Taylor
The Guardian Weekly

Compromise may be Macron's only hope of restoring confidence Paul Taylor

Having failed to solve France's political crisis with a prime minister dependent on the far right, President Emmanuel Macron is exploring a deal with the Socialist party (PS) to give the country a new government, pass an overdue budget and avert financial turmoil.

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3 mins  |
December 13, 2024
It's a sad story for us all that fewer children are reading for pleasure Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
The Guardian Weekly

It's a sad story for us all that fewer children are reading for pleasure Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

On the shelf in my son's bedroom is a row of picture books that once belonged to me.

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3 mins  |
December 13, 2024
The Guardian Weekly

'Gun control is dead, and we killed it'

Blueprints for 3D-printed weapons are increasingly being used by far-right extremists to evade gun control laws. So what can be done?

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10+ mins  |
December 13, 2024
Help support the victims of conflict in a volatile world
The Guardian Weekly

Help support the victims of conflict in a volatile world

When we came to choose the theme of our 2024 charity appeal, we quickly realised it would be impossible to ignore that this has been an especially harrowing year of conflict, war and human suffering.

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2 mins  |
December 13, 2024
Ring master The Trump circus is already back in town
The Guardian Weekly

Ring master The Trump circus is already back in town

The grand reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris last Saturday was attended by around 50 heads of state and government.

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3 mins  |
December 13, 2024
Object lessons Behind the scenes of a museum's grand reserves
The Guardian Weekly

Object lessons Behind the scenes of a museum's grand reserves

A tour of the newarchive collection of London's Science Museum andits associates reveals a cornucopia of wonders and treasures

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4 mins  |
December 13, 2024
Double takes The rise of the celebrity lookalike competition
The Guardian Weekly

Double takes The rise of the celebrity lookalike competition

When Miles Mitchell's friends saw fliers scattered across New York City last month advertising a Timothée Chalamet lookalike competition, they urged the 21-yearold college senior from Staten Island to enter.

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3 mins  |
December 13, 2024