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Political situation in France
France votes down slavery law – 178 years later

On Thursday, a unanimous French National Assembly voted down a law that enslaved people can be treated as property, writes The Guardian.

The law was instituted in 1685, but has been invalid in practice ever since France outlawed slavery in the mid-19th century, according to The Independent.

However, it has been around all along. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, its now being voted down is an important step in acknowledging the country's role in slavery.

During the slave trade, France transported around 1.4 million people from Africa to North and South America, according to the AP.

Political situation in Greece
The former leader's new party is being cut by the government

Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is being heavily criticized by the country's current government after announcing that he is launching a new party, writes the AP.

As leader of the center-left Syriza party, Tsipras led Greece from 2015 to 2019, when the country struggled with high debt. He was a staunch opponent of the austerity measures that the eurozone countries wanted Greece to implement, but ultimately agreed to them.

In a statement, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said that Tsipras had thereby betrayed his voters and that “the truth will haunt him forever,” AP reported.

Danish government negotiations
Løkke Rasmussen punished – loses in new voter survey

The Moderates are being punished by the Danish voters after the failure in the government negotiations, writes TV2, referring to a new opinion poll. The party loses one and a half percentage points, corresponding to three seats, compared to the election result.

This is troubling for the party leader and swing leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen, according to the channel's political editor Hans Redder.

- He is the main reason why we have had three rounds of parliamentary elections, several breakdowns and now the longest government negotiations in Danish history.

The survey is also not fun reading for Borger's Party, which narrowly entered the Folketing. Now the party is well below the limit.

The sounding assignment has been transferred to Social Democratic Party leader Mette Frederiksen.
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Former CIA agent accused of huge gold theft

More than 300 gold bars worth $40 million were found by FBI investigators at the home of former CIA agent David Rush last week, AP reports.

Rush is said to have held a top position within the CIA until recently and, according to the BBC, has been entrusted with the highest security clearance. AP writes that the CIA granted the gold to cover “work-related expenses”, but Rush hid it in his home instead.

Rush is now charged with stealing tax money. He is also suspected of lying about both his education and military background for many years, the BBC reports.

The cave rescue in Laos
“Like finding your way out of a dark house without tripping over your toes”

It will not be easy to get the five people who were found by rescue workers in a cave in Laos on Wednesday. This is what rescue leader Kengkard Bongkawong tells The Guardian.

To get to the survivors, rescue workers were forced to crawl hundreds of meters in dark spaces – often as narrow as 60 centimeters wide.

Now the rescue work is expected to be complicated by low oxygen levels, more rain and a lack of diving experience.

– The job is not over yet, says Bongkawong.

Grant Pearce, head of the Australian Cave Divers Association, likens the rescue effort to “visiting someone’s house for the first time, where all the lights are off and you have to find your way out without tripping over your toes.”

Seven people were trapped in the cave more than a week ago. Two are still missing.