Latest news with #HagueConvention
The South African
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
'Haven't spoken to my children in almost two weeks': Denise Zimba
Actress and TV presenter Denise Zimba has opened up once again about the heartbreaking ordeal of losing custody of her two daughters. The actress has been involved in a custody dispute with her estranged husband, Jakob Schlichtig, and the court ruled in his favour. Taking to her X account, the actress revealed she hadn't spoken to her children in almost two weeks and expressed deep regret over her past actions that led to the situation. 'I haven't spoken to my children in almost two weeks. My biggest regret is choosing wrong and having my children live with the consequences of my actions.' Her followers flooded the comments section with messages of support and comfort. In March, the former Vuzu star lost custody of her two children to her estranged husband, Jakob Schlichtig. According to Women For Change, the Johannesburg High Court ruled on Friday, 7 March, in favour of Schlichtig, granting him permission to take the children back to Germany. The organisation also claimed that court documents stated the girls would suffer emotional distress without their father. Furthermore, it stated that Zimba and Schlichtig had returned to South Africa after welcoming their second child. Due to marital problems, Zimba remained in their Cape Town home while Schlichtig went back to Germany. He later initiated a Hague Convention case, alleging that she unlawfully kept the children. Before this, the actress had spoken out about the alleged infidelity in her marriage. She accused him of cheating on her with her best friend from childhood in a series of explosive tweets. DO YOU THINK DENISE WILL EVER LIVE WITH HER CHILDREN? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Global News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
B.C. couple says red tape preventing them from returning to Canada with adopted children
A couple from Cawston, B.C., says government red tape is preventing their family from coming home to Canada. 'When you are stuck in a place that you don't want to be and you are not allowed to go home, you do feel like a prisoner,' said Jim Bodden. Bodden and his wife Melissa are in Cancun. Mexico, desperately waiting to be given the green light to fly home with their newly-adopted children. 'There's like anger, frustration. There is just stress, like so much stress,' Melissa said. Six months ago the couple adopted four children in Mexico but they can't bring them home until Immigration Canada issues the children their visas. 'They say they have everything they need and we are still stuck here in limbo waiting to hear anything,' Melissa said. Story continues below advertisement The Boddens said what's adding to their frustration is that they went through the rigorous Hague Convention process, which protects children involved in intercountry adoptions. 'Everything was done legally and safely,' Jim Said. 'It should be streamlined once we get to the Immigration Canada side of things.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The uncertainty has had the family of six jumping from one short term rental to another in Mexico over the last few months not knowing how long they need to secure accommodation for, all while their income back home takes a big hit having to curtail operations on their farm. 'Our income from farming is greatly affected this year, as well as not being home and not able to produce products to sell,' Jim said. 2:04 Quebec immigration minister hopes Ottawa will deliver on promise to cut immigration influx Immigration Canada said it cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy legislation. Story continues below advertisement In an email to Global News, however, it stated, 'The processing of citizenship grant applications for adopted persons under 5.1 of the Citizenship Act is completed in two parts.' Part 1 confirms that at least one adoptive parent is a Canadian citizen and is eligible to pass down their Canadian citizenship to an adopted person(s). The current processing time for Part 1 is approximately seven months, provided all required documents are received. Part 2 is an assessment of whether the adoption meets the requirements of section 5.1 of the Citizenship Act such as, but not limited to verifying that the adoption complies with the laws of both Canada and the country where it took place, that the adoption is in the best interests of the child and that a genuine parent-child relationship exists. The processing time for Part 2 is typically two years or longer. 'To have Canadian citizens stuck out of country because they won't sign off on their children, who were legally adopted, and the Province of BC has already approved the adoption, this is pretty unacceptable,' Melissa said. The couple told Global News they now have three lawyers working to push the case through.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Mum-of-three, 31, killed & dumped in piranha-infested river by ex with body still missing in Brazil
A MAN was caught on CCTV putting his former wife's body in the boot of a car before coldly dumping it in a piranha-infested river. Amanda Caroline de Almeida was strangled to death last week by Carlos Eduardo de Souza Ribeiro, who confessed to the murder and to dumping her body in a river in Brazil's São Paulo state. 3 Amanda Caroline de Almeida was tragically killed in Brazil by her ex-husband, the father of their three children Credit: Newsflash 3 Carlos Eduardo de Souza Ribeiro confessed to killing Almeida and disposing of her body by throwing it into a river Credit: Newsflash 3 Almeida revealed to friends that she had been brutally beaten by Ribeiro just weeks before her murder Credit: Newsflash Distressing footage, recorded in the early hours of last Tuesday, shows Ribeiro, 35, and his brother carrying the victim's body in a sheet. The killer and his brother can be seen manhandling the body, attempting to position it to fit into the car's boot before driving off to dispose of it in the Tietê River. Ribeiro admitted to strangling his wife on May 19 after she refused to reconcile following their separation two months earlier, police reported. Friends told local media that six weeks earlier, Ribeiro had brutally beaten Almeida for leaving him, but she chose not to report him to protect their three children from further distress. Read more world news Ribeiro was arrested on May 21, while his 38-year-old brother, who has not been named, was detained a day later. Police said: "Two men have been arrested in for femicide and concealment of a corpse. "The search continues to locate the victim's body." Almeida's body has not yet been recovered. Most read in The US Sun The Tietê River, located in Brazil's state of São Paulo, is notorious for its poor water quality and is known to be infested with piranhas. Several months ago, 15 swimmers were forced to flee the river covered in blood when they were attacked by a school of piranha fish. James Argent Receives Suspended Sentence After Assault on Girlfriend in Spain On the night she was murdered, Almeida was returning home from an evening out when she noticed her ex-husband's car parked near her house. She asked to be dropped off at a distance, hoping he would leave by the time she arrived. Tragically, she was never seen again. Her three children, aged 17, 7 and 5, are now in the care of family members. Domestic violence against women has long been a widespread issue in Brazil. National data since 2021 indicates a troubling rise in cases of violence targeting women. In response, the Brazilian government took a significant step in 2024 by designating domestic violence as an exception to repatriation under the Hague Convention. This move was widely recognised as a landmark decision aimed at safeguarding victims of domestic abuse, including women and children. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Mum-of-three, 31, killed & dumped in piranha-infested river by ex with body still missing in Brazil
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAN was caught on CCTV putting his former wife's body in the boot of a car before coldly dumping it in a piranha-infested river. Amanda Caroline de Almeida was strangled to death last week by Carlos Eduardo de Souza Ribeiro, who confessed to the murder and to dumping her body in a river in Brazil's São Paulo state. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Amanda Caroline de Almeida was tragically killed in Brazil by her ex-husband, the father of their three children Credit: Newsflash 3 Carlos Eduardo de Souza Ribeiro confessed to killing Almeida and disposing of her body by throwing it into a river Credit: Newsflash 3 Almeida revealed to friends that she had been brutally beaten by Ribeiro just weeks before her murder Credit: Newsflash Distressing footage, recorded in the early hours of last Tuesday, shows Ribeiro, 35, and his brother carrying the victim's body in a sheet. The killer and his brother can be seen manhandling the body, attempting to position it to fit into the car's boot before driving off to dispose of it in the Tietê River. Ribeiro admitted to strangling his wife on May 19 after she refused to reconcile following their separation two months earlier, police reported. Friends told local media that six weeks earlier, Ribeiro had brutally beaten Almeida for leaving him, but she chose not to report him to protect their three children from further distress. Read more world news LOVER'S TIFF Macron reveals reason why wife SHOVED him in face in embarrassing clip Ribeiro was arrested on May 21, while his 38-year-old brother, who has not been named, was detained a day later. Police said: "Two men have been arrested in for femicide and concealment of a corpse. "The search continues to locate the victim's body." Almeida's body has not yet been recovered. The Tietê River, located in Brazil's state of São Paulo, is notorious for its poor water quality and is known to be infested with piranhas. Several months ago, 15 swimmers were forced to flee the river covered in blood when they were attacked by a school of piranha fish. James Argent Receives Suspended Sentence After Assault on Girlfriend in Spain On the night she was murdered, Almeida was returning home from an evening out when she noticed her ex-husband's car parked near her house. She asked to be dropped off at a distance, hoping he would leave by the time she arrived. Tragically, she was never seen again. Her three children, aged 17, 7 and 5, are now in the care of family members. Domestic violence against women has long been a widespread issue in Brazil. National data since 2021 indicates a troubling rise in cases of violence targeting women. In response, the Brazilian government took a significant step in 2024 by designating domestic violence as an exception to repatriation under the Hague Convention. This move was widely recognised as a landmark decision aimed at safeguarding victims of domestic abuse, including women and children. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at
The Star
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Hidden killers beneath Gaza's rubble
A Palestinian man inspecting the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Khan Yunis. — Reuters THE Gaza Strip is pockmarked with unexploded ordnance from Israel's relentless bombing campaign, creating what the US government describes as an 'uninhabitable' wasteland. The sheer scale of contamination is unprecedented in modern warfare. By October 2024, Israel had conducted over 40,000 airstrikes on the tiny coastal enclave. Conservative UN estimates suggest that between 5% and 10% of these munitions failed to detonate, leaving potentially thousands of deadly explosives hidden among 50 million tonnes of rubble. Gaza's desperate residents have already paid the price during makeshift clean-up efforts. In January, 15-year-old Saeed Abdel Ghafour was playing near Khan Yunis when a bulldozer struck a concealed bomb. The explosion left the teenager and the driver, Alaa Abu Jmeiza, permanently blinded in one eye. This wasn't an isolated incident. A child looking on at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp in Khan Yunis. — Reuters A UN-backed database records at least 23 fatalities and 162 injuries from unexploded ordnance since the war began – figures aid workers call 'just the tip of the iceberg' given most incidents go unreported. International demining organisations face insurmountable obstacles. From March-July 2024, Israel blocked import requests for over 2,000 critical demining tools – including armoured vehicles, explosives detectors and protective gear – according to documents compiled by demining organisations. 'The restrictions create serious unnecessary challenges,' said UN human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence. Legal experts note Israel's obligations under the 1907 Hague Convention to clear explosive remnants, yet the military continues to deny equipment essential for safe removal. In Gaza City's Shati refugee camp, children kick footballs around piles of rubble where demolition crews dare not venture. 'We mark dangerous areas with spray paint when we find them,' said local volunteer Ahmed Nasser. 'But there's no system – just hope.' The UN Mine Action Service reports hundreds of visible threats including aircraft bombs, mortars, and rockets. More concerning are the 'deep-buried bombs' – multi-storey buildings collapsed onto unexploded munitions that could detonate during reconstruction. US-made Mark 84 bombs – 2,000-pound behemoths capable of killing everyone within a 31m radius – pose particular dangers. Journalists recently photographed two such bombs in Khan Yunis, their distinctive shape barely concealed beneath rubble. The Biden administration paused shipments of these bombs in 2023 over civilian safety concerns, only for the Trump administration to resume deliveries. Meanwhile, Gaza's police bomb disposal unit has lost 31 officers during the war, according to Hamas officials. For 49-year-old teacher Hani Al Abadlah, the war never ended. Returning to his Khan Yunis home after the January ceasefire, he discovered an unexploded bomb had penetrated three floors before embedding in sand beneath his hallway. 'My family refuses to come back,' said Al Abadlah, who now lives in the damaged structure with his brother. 'We sleep on upper floors, as far from the bomb as possible.' Municipal authorities lack the equipment to remove it. A coalition of UN agencies estimates that clearing Gaza's bombs could take a decade and US$500mil (RM2.1bil) – assuming Israel cooperates fully. By comparison, clearing Mosul after the 2016-2017 battle against ISIS took three years with superior resources and access. 'The damage in Gaza is like a massive earthquake with thousands of bombs mixed in,' said Greg Crowther of Mines Advisory Group. 'Rebuilding will take generations.' Near Deir al-Balah, murals commissioned by the Red Cross depict cartoon bombs alongside cheerful balloons – a desperate attempt to educate children about invisible dangers. One shows a boy thinking 'DANGER: war ordnance' as he eyes a suspicious object. For now, these crude warnings are Gaza's only defence against its hidden killers. As another generation grows up surrounded by rubble, the unexploded bombs beneath their feet serve as grim reminders that even when the shooting stops, the war isn't over. — Reuters
