NEW CALEDONIA

State of emergency to be lifted: Elysee

The state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia will be lifted, the French presidency said, in a move meant to allow political dialogue following the unrest that left seven people dead and a trail of destruction. The state of emergency will not be extended "for the moment" and will therefore end on Tuesday in New Caledonia, the Elysee said on Sunday. The French government hopes the easing of restrictions will enable dialogue to be reestablished on the many blockades still in place that have paralyzed the archipelago.

INDIA

Hospital boss arrested after fire kills 6 babies

Indian police said on Monday they had arrested a doctor and the owner of an unlicensed hospital where six newborn babies died in a fire that broke out on Saturday evening. The narrow two-story hospital building in New Delhi was squeezed between a row of homes, without space on either side, making it hard for fire engines to reach. Senior police officer Surendra Chaudhary said the hospital did "not have a fire exit system". Its license had expired in March and the owner had crammed into the ward more than twice the number of beds it previously had permission for. Five other babies pulled out from the fire were still recovering in another hospital.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

Report: 300m facing sexual abuse online

More than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse, the first global estimate of the scale of the problem said on Monday. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found one in eight of the world's children have been victims of nonconsensual talking, sharing and exposure to sexual images and videos in the past 12 months. That amounts to about 302 million young people, said the university's Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, which carried out the study. The problem is worldwide but the research suggests the United States is a particularly high-risk area, with one in nine men there admitting to online offending against children at some point. "This is a global health pandemic that has remained hidden for far too long," said Childlight CEO Paul Stanfield. "It occurs in every country, it's growing exponentially, and it requires a global response."

EAST EUROPE

Russian forces capture 2 villages near Ukraine

Russia said on Monday its forces had captured two more villages in its special military operation in Ukraine — one in the Donetsk region and another in the Kharkiv region. In a daily briefing, the Defense Ministry said its troops had "liberated the village of Netailove in the Donetsk region" and "Ivanivka in the Kharkiv region", the latest in a string of Russian battlefield gains over recent weeks.

IRELAND

Turbulence injures 12 on Qatar Airways flight

Twelve people were injured during turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland that landed safely on Sunday, Dublin airport authorities said. The incident came a week after a passenger died and dozens were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London hit severe turbulence and was diverted to Bangkok. Six passengers and six crew members suffered injuries in the latest incident, when Qatar Airways flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, endured turbulence over Turkiye, the airport said. Qatar Airways said the incident "is now subject to an internal investigation".