6. Ecuador votes on extradition amid crime boom
• Ecuadorans voted in a referendum on Sunday that will decide whether or not to allow extradition of citizens linked to organised crime in a country rocked by a dramatic increase in violence.
• The extradition of Ecuadorans is prohibited by the South American country`s constitution. But conservative President Guillermo Lasso has proposed legalising it as a means of dealing with a crime wave that has claimed the lives of two candidates in local elections being held alongside the referendum.
• Ecuador is sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, the world`s two largest cocaine producers, and has itself become a hub for the global drug trade in recent years.
7. Canada deploys aircraft over Haiti to disrupt gangs
• The Canadian government said on February 5, 2023 it deployed a military aircraft over Haiti to address what it called a `dire security situation` and to support efforts to disrupt the activities of Haitian gangs.
• Canada said in a statement that it supports the Haitian National Police and deployed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft in response to Haiti`s request for support as violence continues to escalate in the country.
• Haitian gangs have expanded their territory since the 2021 assassination of then-President Jovenel Moise. The resulting violence has left much of the country off-limits to the government and led to routine gun battles with police. Haiti is expected to be on the agenda when US President Joe Biden visits Canada next month
8. Qatar sends envoy to Kabul for talks with Taliban
• An envoy for Qatar`s foreign affairs minister visited the Afghan capital on February 5, 2023 and met the Taliban administration`s acting foreign minister, according to an Afghan foreign ministry statement.
• The visit comes after the Taliban administration placed restrictions on women`s education and NGO work, which Qatar labelled `deeply concerning` amid widespread international criticism.
• Mutlaq Bin Majed Al-Qahtani, the special envoy of Qatar`s foreign minister, took part in meetings with acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, according to Afghan foreignaffairs spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi
9. High turnout as Cypriots vote for new president
• Cypriots voted in large numbers on February 5, 2023 in a close presidential election between three front runners, with the focus on corruption and the economy amid deadlock over the island`s long-standing division.
• A record 14 candidates but only two women are standing, with the winner needing 50 per cent plus one vote to succeed two-term President Nicos Anastasiades.
• There was a strong turnout, with 312,008 votes cast by 3pm, chief returning officer Costas Constantinou said
10. UN peacekeeper killed in attack on helicopter in DR Congo
• A United Nations peacekeeper from South Africa was killed and another wounded in an attack on their helicopter in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on February 5, 2023, the organisation said.
• The aircraft came under fire at around 3pm during a flight to Goma, the provincial capital of NordKivu province, where it was able to land, a spokesman said.
• The source of the fire that struck the helicopter was not yet known and its precise location had yet to be determined, said Amadou Ba, a spokesman for the UN mission in the DRC.
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