International

Pregnant teen receives ultrasound on stage at Mexico anti-abortion rally

AFP

A pregnant 15-year-old girl underwent an ultrasound on stage during an anti-abortion rights protest in Mexico City Sunday, where some 10,000 demonstrators prayed and shouted slogans amid the spectacle.

The March for Women and Life, which wound from the Paseo de la Reforma to a rally in front of the city’s iconic Angel of Independence monument, was made up mainly of Catholic groups pushing back after last month’s Supreme Court ruling that would decriminalize abortion in Mexico.

“The government … is elevating the right to abortion as a right to kill,” 56-year-old protester Alma Bello told AFP. “It worries us a lot, because it is not the feeling of a majority of Mexicans.”

A stretcher was rolled out onto the rally stage for gynecologist Fernando Urquiza to perform an ultrasound on 15-year-old Ana, who is 38 weeks pregnant.

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Images of the inside of the teenager’s uterus were broadcast on huge screens on either side of the stage, accompanied by cheers and applause from the crowd.

“All good to go, ready to be born,” pronounced the doctor, who said he was “very excited” to be part of the display.

When asked how she was feeling during the exam, Ana replied only that she was “fine.”

Meanwhile, a rally announcer told Ana the event was “the biggest baby shower I have ever seen.”

Alison Gonzalez, a Catholic activist and head of Steps for Life, the group that organized the march, said the gathering was not meant as a response to any particular event — such as the Supreme Court ruling — but rather as a show of “national support for women.”

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“We need policies that reconcile the professional with the maternal, that make sure we can return home safely, that help us move forward in the face of an unwanted pregnancy,” 26-year-old Gonzalez told AFP.

“Legal or illegal, abortion must be out of the question, because women deserve so much more,” she said.

In a highly orchestrated move, groups arrived in buses from far-flung cities such as Morelos in central Mexico and Jalisco in the west — attendees all carrying hundreds of banners, scarves and signs in the signature light blue color of the international “pro-life” movement.

Some factions prayed Hail Marys together, while others shouted chants such as “Legal or illegal, abortion still kills!”

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International

Delta Airlines cancels 1,100 flights amid winter storm chaos

More than 3,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and thousands more were delayed due to a winter storm in the southern United States, according to airlines and the flight tracking website FlightAware. Delta Airlines crews expect to return to normal operations on Saturday, the company stated in a release.

“Unforeseen severe winter conditions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia) caused the closure of all five runways for more than two hours on Friday morning,” the airline said. Delta canceled about 1,100 flights across its network on Friday due to the “freezing rain that fell throughout the day and early afternoon, leading to diversions.”

Additionally, a Delta Airlines aircraft had to abort its takeoff due to a motor issue, also at Atlanta Airport.

More than 200 passengers and crew members aboard a Boeing 757-300 bound for Minneapolis were evacuated via emergency slides, according to a statement from the airline reported by U.S. media. An investigation is underway.

Airports in Dallas Fort Worth (Texas) and Charlotte Douglas (North Carolina) were also affected by the severe weather, with over 1,200 flights canceled.

International

At least 20 injured in tram collision at Strasbourg Train Station tunnel

On Saturday afternoon, two trams collided in the tunnel leading to the Strasbourg train station in northeastern France, resulting in at least 20 injuries, according to the local prefecture. “The initial assessment indicates that 20 people are in a state of relative emergency,” said a spokesperson, noting that the circumstances of the accident had not yet been determined.

A security perimeter was established in front of the station, where several ambulances arrived, as reported by an AFP journalist.

A video taken by a witness and shared on social media shows a chaotic scene, with two heavily damaged trams in the tunnel near the station. One of the trams appears to have derailed due to the impact.

Since Strasbourg revamped its tram network in 1994, no major accidents had been reported until this incident.

International

Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case

Judge Juan Merchan acquitted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the case involving former porn actress Stormy Daniels.

“At this moment, I am issuing this verdict to cover all 34 charges,” Merchan stated. The judge also wished Trump good luck in his second term as president.

Trump will now become the first criminal president.

Merchan declined to impose any punishment. This decision strengthens Trump’s acquittal and clears the way for his return to the White House without the threat of prison or a fine.

“Never before has this court faced such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Merchan said.