International
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine marchers to protest near Israeli embassy
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine marchers to protest near Israeli embassy
Pro-Palestinian protesters will demonstrate near the Israeli embassy on Saturday for the second time since the October 7 attacks, but cannot begin until an event at a synagogue along the route has finished.
Between 200,000 and 250,000 people are expected to gather for the demonstration in central London, a spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said.
Around 1,500 police officers from forces across the UK will be on public order duties during the demonstration.
The march will begin south of Marble Arch at 1.30pm and set off along Park Lane, then Knightsbridge and Kensington Road ending at the junction with Kensington Court where speeches will take place.
The Metropolitan Police said the start time of 1.30pm allows time for a synagogue event to finish.
According to the Campaign Against Antisemitism, organisers have advertised a start time of 12.30pm – but police say this is the form-up time and protesters will not be allowed to start marching for another hour.
The CAS said: “In previous weeks, the marches have included people supporting Hamas and openly flaunting their anti-Jewish racism, and congregants leaving synagogue had to walk through them.”
Speakers will address crowds near the Israeli embassy and they must stop by 5pm, while protesters must leave by 6pm, police said.
The Met said “there will be some who ask why” a decision to allow the protest so close to the embassy was allowed but that it is a “common misconception” that forces can allow or refuse permission for a protest to take place.
A static rally was held near the embassy on October 9.
“A real risk of serious disorder” sufficient for the Met to request that the Home Secretary ban the protest has not been seen at recent demonstrations and is not expected on Saturday, it added.
READ ALSO:
- Task force exposes 14 illegal oil refining sites in Rivers
- AFCON: Fubara gifts Nigerian goalkeeper, Nwabali N20m, state honour
- (BREAKING) APC: Another aspirant withdraws from Edo gov’ship race
Protesters will be kept more than 100m away from the embassy grounds, behind barriers controlled by officers and face arrest if they do not do so.
Precautions have also been taken to ensure the presence of protesters does not unnecessarily disrupt other sensitive premises, including synagogues, either near the start or along the route.
Conditions under Section 12 of the Public Order Act meaning that any person participating in the march must not deviate from the route.
Police have also said no gazebos or other stalls can be erected in a specified area at Marble Arch.
The use of further police powers will be kept under review.
All officers “will be briefed to be on the lookout for offensive placards and banners” and police teams will monitor CCTV of the demonstration as it happens.
Commander Kyle Gordon, who will lead the policing operation, said: “We are there to ensure protests take place lawfully, minimising disruption to the life of the wider public and in a way that gives due consideration to the cumulative impact on London’s communities and those who feel most vulnerable in the current climate.
“The protests we have seen since October have thankfully been largely peaceful and we must take this into account in our policing approach.
“I hope the same will be true this Saturday.
“Unfortunately, despite this, we have regularly seen officers having to deal with offences related to placards and other hate speech.
“We do not underestimate the fear this causes, nor the impact of such criminal and unacceptable behaviour on wider community relations.
“I would appeal to all those attending the protest on Saturday to act within the law and to consider the impact of their actions on the safety and security of others. We will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to do so.”
At least 28,663 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military operation in the strip in October in response to the October 7 attacks, where militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage.
READ ALSO:
- Farooq Kperogi: Tinubu’s accurate 12-year-old prediction on subsidy removal effects
- Canada grants international Masters students 3-year post graduate work permit
- Naira continues to struggle, closes week at N1,537 at official market
Israel is being urged not to send ground forces into Rafah on the Egyptian border, where many of the strip’s citizens are now living after areas closer to their homes became engulfed by fighting.
PSC director Ben Jamal said: “At each stage of Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza we’ve seen horrors that we never thought possible.
“The images this week from Israel’s bombardment of Rafah, of children with limbs torn apart, should be seared on the conscience of the world.
“Despite mounting pressure from world leaders, and in defiance of the ICJ ruling, the Israeli government has made clear that it is about to launch an attack on Rafah that will lead to unprecedented levels of carnage.
“The moral imperative is clear.
“An immediate ceasefire is a simple, absolute necessity.
“The legal imperative is also clear, the UK must abide by its responsibilities under the Genocide Convention to cease any activities that make it complicit.
“Our government and opposition are guilty of an historic failure of leadership and principle.
“They have chosen to take the side of those committing genocide over those who are its victims, and over the demands of international law.
“We, with the majority of people in the UK, will continue to hold them to account on our marches, protests, campaigns and in the voting booths.”
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine marchers to protest near Israeli embassy
International
Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs
Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs
BEIRUT: Israeli strikes pounded a densely-populated part of the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs on Tuesday, hours ahead of an anticipated announcement of a ceasefire ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll.
READ ALSO:
- French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
- French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
- Vigilante arrested in Anambra for robbery
Minutes later, at least 10 Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. They began approximately 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for 20 locations in the area, the largest such warning yet.
As the strikes were under way, Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on Hezbollah targets across the city.
Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs
ARAB NEWS
International
Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him
Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has fiercely criticised the legal cases brought against him, calling them “empty and lawless”.
He accused Democrats of weaponising the judicial system to target him as a political opponent.
In a strongly worded statement, Trump alleged that over $100 million in taxpayer money had been wasted in what he described as a politically driven effort to undermine his influence.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” he said, pointing to high-profile prosecutors, including Georgia’s Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James, as key figures in what he called a “political hijacking.”
READ ALSO:
- PH refinery: 200 trucks will load petroleum products daily, says Presidency
- US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
- 4 Nigerians arrested in Libya for alleged drug trafficking, infection charges
Trump also accused Willis of colluding with Nathan Wade, whom he described as “her lover” and lacking the experience to handle such cases.
He claimed Wade was paid “millions,” allegedly enabling lavish trips and cruises.
Letitia James, who is pursuing a civil fraud case against Trump, was also criticised.
He claimed she had campaigned on a promise to “get Trump” in her bid for office, an action he labelled “unethical” and “probably illegal.”
Trump also mentioned Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, alleging that Bragg initially resisted prosecuting him but was pressured into action by the Justice Department and the Democratic Party.
Describing the series of legal actions as a “low point in the history of our Country,” Trump maintained his resolve, declaring: “I persevered, against all odds, and WON.”
Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him
International
US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
A United States federal jury sentenced two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, to 30 years in prison for scamming certain US citizens $3,500,000.
This was mentioned in a news statement made public on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.
According to the statement, the Nigerians, Ibekie and Aniukwu mislead their victims by informing them that they had received big inheritances that required payment to claim.
The couple would then ask their victims to transfer money, promising to refund them after the inheritances were claimed.
It also stated that the duo carried out romance scams by establishing romantic relationships with their victims and demanding them to send money after they had built trust in their victims.
It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.
“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.
“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.
READ ALSO:
- 4 Nigerians arrested in Libya for alleged drug trafficking, infection charges
- BREAKING: Port Harcourt refinery begins operation
- Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats
“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”
According to the statement, after being arraigned on 14 charges, the duo pleaded guilty to their different alterations.
Following their guilty pleas, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, and Aniukwu was sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 8.
The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Illinois, on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.
“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”
Meanwhile, Jennifer Gosha, an accomplice of the Nigerians and a US citizen, is expected to be sentenced on December 18 after pleading guilty.
“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.
US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
-
metro17 hours ago
BREAKING: Port Harcourt refinery begins operation
-
Business2 days ago
Just in: Dangote refinery reduces petrol price for marketers
-
metro1 day ago
40-foot container falls on car in Lagos
-
Politics3 days ago
2027: Lagos Speaker, Obasa joins gov race, may battle Seyi Tinubu, others
-
Politics1 day ago
Lagos 2027: Seyi Tinubu campaign team releases his life documentary
-
International1 day ago
Trump to sack 15,000 transgender officers from U.S. military: Report
-
Entertainment1 day ago
Polygamy best form of marriage for Africa – Okey Bakassi
-
metro2 days ago
Policewoman dismissed in Edo threatens to kill children, commit suicide