International

UK: Protesters loot shops amid escalating riot

Published

4 months ago

August 5, 2024

UK: Protesters loot shops amid escalating riot

In the latest wave of unrest in United Kingdom, rioters hurled bricks, bottles, and flares at police officers, resulting in several injuries.

The chaos included looting and arson of shops, with demonstrators shouting anti-Islamic slurs as they clashed with counter-protesters.

During a rally in Rotherham, anti-immigration protesters broke a window at a migrant hotel and ignited a fire outside.

The altercations with police occurred around 2 PM on Sunday.

Some protesters were seen breaking into the hotel, while others set fire to a bin nearby. Despite police efforts to control the situation, the fire continued to burn.

Supporters of far-right activist Tommy Robinson were also present, chanting in his favour. Some masked demonstrators threw objects at police officers at the Holiday Inn in South Yorkshire, injuring at least one officer.

UK leader Keir Starmer addressed the nation, warning far-right protesters that they would “regret” their actions, marking England’s worst rioting in 13 years. The unrest, linked to the murder of three children earlier in the week, has spread across the country for the fifth consecutive day.

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Misinformation about a mass stabbing in Southport has fueled the violence, leading to clashes between anti-immigration protesters and police. Starmer condemned the “far-right thuggery” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The riots initially erupted in Southport following a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party. The suspect, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, is accused of killing three children and injuring ten others. False rumors about Rudakubana’s background circulated on social media, exacerbating the unrest.

Supporters of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam organization, have been implicated in the violence. Attacks on at least two mosques have prompted the UK interior ministry to offer emergency security measures for Islamic places of worship.

The rallies, promoted under the slogan “Enough is enough,” have seen participants waving British flags and chanting “Stop the boats,” referring to irregular migrants crossing from France. Anti-fascist groups have organized counter-rallies, including one in Leeds where they chanted, “Nazi scum off our streets.”

While many protests have turned violent, some, like a peaceful rally in Aldershot, have remained calm. Participants there held signs reading “Stop the invasion” and “We’re not far right, we’re just right.”

A protester in Nottingham expressed frustration, stating, “People are fed up with being told you should be ashamed if you’re white and working class, but I’m proud to be white working class.”

UK: Protesters loot shops amid escalating riot

AFP

International

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

Published

12 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

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.

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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

Published

13 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

President-elect Donald Trump

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.”

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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.

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

International

US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam

Published

13 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

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.

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“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.