Colombian gangs are using a deadly ‘zombie' drug to prey on gullible tourists
A dose of the narcotic, once used as a CIA truth serum, can paralyse victims
©Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd
Yesterday at 21:30
Colombian gangs are using a deadly drug once used by the CIA as a truth serum to kidnap and rob Western tourists.
Dubbed Devil's Breath, the drug scopolamine is derived from the seeds of the Borrachero tree and is also known as burundanga.
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The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Man charged with ‘murder' after missing woman, 46, left her home a week ago and hasn't been seen since
A MAN has been charged with murder after a woman vanished from her home a week ago. Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, was reported missing to police on Saturday, May 31. She was last seen leaving her house on Thursday, May 29. Cops have now charged a man known to Yajaira with murder. A Met Police spokesperson said: "Today, a man known to her appeared in court charged with her murder, and detectives are appealing for anyone with information to come forward." Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in Camden, said: 'Officers have been working around the clock to find Yajaira. She has not been seen or heard from by her family or friends since the date she was reported missing. 'Yajaira's disappearance was initially treated as a missing person investigation led by local officers. The investigation was then transferred to the Met's Specialist Crime Command on Thursday, 5 June after a range of extensive further enquiries very sadly suggested she has come to harm. Yajaira's family continue to be supported by specialist officers, and we are keeping them updated with developments. 'I understand the impact this news may have on our local community, however we do have a man charged and in custody and we are not searching for anyone else at this stage. The man and Yajaira are believed to be known to each other. 'Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances and there are crime scenes in place across Camden and Lambeth. We thank the community for their patience while we carry out our enquiries and ask that any one with information please comes forward.' Yajaira is a Colombian national who has been residing in the UK. Most read in The Sun Officers are appealing for anyone with any information relating to Yajaira's disappearance to contact police via 101 or @MetCC quoting CAD 3020/06JUN25. To remain 100 per cent anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit 1 Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, was reported missing to police on Saturday, May 31
The Journal
21 hours ago
- The Journal
At least four dead and 20 wounded in overnight Russian drone strikes on Kyiv
AT LEAST FOUR people have been killed and 20 people have been wounded after Russia fired ballistic missiles and attack drones at the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv overnight. It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for an audacious Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airbases. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko shared the death toll on social media. AFP journalists heard explosions and air raid sirens echo out over the capital throughout the night. 'Kyiv came under another attack involving UAVs and ballistic missiles. Rescuers are responding to the aftermath at several locations across the city,' the State Emergency Service of Ukraine wrote on Telegram. AFP reporters saw a charred crater in the side of a high-rise residential block in Kyiv, with debris and broken glass strewn across the parking lot in front of the building. One image published by the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office showed a children's playground scattered with rubble and shards of glass. Deadly attacks have escalated in recent weeks even as the two sides hold talks aimed at finding an end to the three-year war, triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion. People rest in a metro station, being used as a bomb shelter, during the drones attack. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Tens of thousands have been killed, cities and villages destroyed across eastern Ukraine, and millions forced to flee their homes with Russia's forces controlling around one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. Advertisement Russia carried out a barrage of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine overnight on Friday, targeting not only the capital but western regions like Lviv and Volyn, which border EU and Nato member Poland. Retaliation Earlier this week, Putin told US President Donald Trump that he would retaliate to a Ukrainian drone attack that damaged nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases, including thousands of kilometres behind the front lines in Siberia. The brazen operation, 18 months in the planning, saw Kyiv smuggle more than 100 small drones into Russia, disguised in a false roof of wood cabins, park them near Russian air bases and then unleash them in a coordinated attack. The Kremlin said Thursday it would choose 'how and when' to respond. There was no comment from Russian officials on the overnight strikes today. Putin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and Russian negotiators have issued a host of sweeping demands on Ukraine if it wants to halt the fighting. Putin vowed he would retaliate after a Ukrainian drone attack damaged nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo They include completely pulling troops out of four regions claimed by Russia, but which its army does not fully control, an end to Western military support, a ban on Ukraine joining Nato as well as any Western military contingents or hardware being based in the country. Rescuers killed Multiple fires broke out in various districts of the capital, with the attack also damaging train tracks in the surrounding Kyiv region, leading to lengthy delays, the national railway operator said. Three of those killed were first responders from the state emergency service, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said. 'They worked under fire to help people. Another nine rescuers were wounded. Some of them are seriously injured, and doctors are fighting for their lives,' he wrote on social media. Related Reads Trump-Putin phone call will not lead to 'immediate peace in Ukraine', US President says Ukraine says it destroyed more than 40 military planes in drone attack in Russia Seven killed after two bridges destroyed by 'explosions' in Russian regions bordering Ukraine Several strikes also hit western Ukraine's city of Lutsk and Ternopil region. 'Today, the enemy carried out the most massive air attack on our region to date. There are multiple strikes,' Ternopil's regional military administration chief Vyacheslav Negoda said. At least 32 people were wounded in four different regions, including 15 in Lutsk, officials said. Russia said Ukrainian strikes overnight on Russia wounded three people in the western Tula region. The Russian defence ministry said it downed 174 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 10 headed for the Russian capital, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. With reporting from © AFP 2025 Want to know more about what's happening in Ukraine and why? Check out our new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
US slaps sanctions on four ICC judges over Israel, US cases
The United States has imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court, including over an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ramping up pressure on The Hague-based body. The four judges, all women, will be barred entry to the United States and any property or other interests in the US will be blocked, measures more often taken against policymakers from US adversaries rather than judicial officials. "The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our sovereignty, that of Israel, and any other US ally from illegitimate actions by the ICC," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "I call on the countries that still support the ICC, many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices, to fight this disgraceful attack on our nation and Israel," Mr Rubio said. The ICC said the sanctions are a "clear attempt" at undermining the court's independence. Two of the judges, Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, took part in proceedings that led to an arrest warrant issued in November for Mr Netanyahu. The court found "reasonable grounds" of criminal responsibility by Mr Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for actions that include the war crime of starvation as a method of war in the massive offensive in Gaza following Hamas's unprecedented 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. The two other judges, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, were part of the court proceedings that led to the authorisation of an investigation into allegations that US forces committed war crimes during the war in Afghanistan. Neither the United States nor Israel is party to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court. However, almost all Western allies of the United States, as well as Japan and South Korea, the vast majority of Latin America and much of Africa are parties to the statute and in theory are required to arrest suspects when they land on their soil.
