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A man who repeatedly drugged his wife unconscious and invited strangers to rape her for years should be given the maximum 20-year sentence in prison, French prosecutors have said.Dominique Pelicot, 71, has confessed to all the charges and admitted to mixing sedatives into her food and drink so he and others he recruited online could sexually assault her. He previously told the court: "I am a rapist just like all the others in this room."Some 50 other men are also on trial for allegedly participating in the attacks on Gisele Pelicot, 71, who waived her right to anonymity and insisted the trial in southern France was held in public to shame her attackers.Prosecutor Laure Chabaud has asked the panel of judges for the maximum possible penalty for aggravated rape, 20 years, for Ms Pelicot's ex-...

There was something desperately oppressive that came with being in Tbilisi today.Perhaps it was the sight of hundreds of police officers, massed together and lurking in packs, waiting for something to happen. Maybe it was the dark clouds that poured rain over the streets. But most likely it was the sense that this is a city, and a country, that is uncomfortable with itself. That Georgia is a nation in turmoil. Image: Protests continue in Georgia, where many are convinced their nation is led by imposters A month after its general election, this is a country where many still seethe, convinced that their votes were negated by corruption and that their nation is now led by imposters.Georgian Dream may have been announced as the...

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald says she will demand a referendum on Irish unity in her first phone call with Sir Keir Starmer if she wins Ireland's general election.In the second of our leader interviews, she told Sky News she would also be able to strike the right balance in dealings with US President-elect Donald Trump because women "naturally multi-task". Ms McDonald, who describes Friday's poll as "an historic opportunity" to elect Ireland's first female prime minister (taoiseach), expects a vote on Irish reunification to take place by 2030. Image: Ms McDonald with Ace Gilbert, two, and his mother Chloe Gilbert in Dublin She said: "I think that the process of reunification has to be at the heart of government."Obvio...

Warning: This article contains references to suicideOn Friday this week, MPs will debate if England and Wales should legalise assisted dying. The proposed legislation restricts it to adults with six months or less to live.Canada introduced assisted dying in 2016 for adults with a terminal illness. In 2021, it was extended to people with no terminal illness and the disabled.On 17 March 2027, anyone with a serious mental health problem will also be eligible. Campaigners in Canada argue that the programme, known as MAID [medical assistance in dying], has gone too far.Orlando Da Silva has struggled with crippling depression since he was a nine-year-old boy. The high-flying Ontario lawyer is 56 years old now and has tried to take his own life a number of times. ...