International
US agency discovers $5m meth disguised as watermelons
US agency discovers $5m meth disguised as watermelons
United States officials announced that a substantial seizure of illicit substances had been effected, wherein a staggering quantity of methamphetamine, valued at over $5 million, was discovered cleverly concealed and disguised within a shipment of watermelons.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said more than 2 tonnes of methamphetamine, also known as meth or ice, was uncovered when a man driving a commercial tractor-trailer sought entry into the U.S. from Mexico.
Upon conducting a meticulous and thorough inspection, CBP officers discovered 1,220 packages artfully wrapped in paper, ingeniously disguised as watermelons within the shipment.
Subsequent testing and analysis confirmed that the contents of these packages were, in fact, methamphetamine, with an estimated street value exceeding a staggering $5 million.
Earlier in the month, officials uncovered 508 packages hidden among a shipment of celery in similar circumstances.
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Testing confirmed the packages contained methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $755,000.
Speaking on the operations, Area Port of Otay Mesa Director Rosa Hernandez expressed her utmost pride and admiration for the exceptional work of her team over the past few weeks, citing their remarkable success in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods.
Director Hernandez vowed that, as drug cartels continue to evolve and refine their smuggling techniques, her team will persist in finding innovative and effective ways to prevent these dangerous drugs from entering the country, thereby ensuring the interception of other contraband.
“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods.
“As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue to find new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs.
“Other contraband will be stopped from entering the country,’’ Area Port of Otay Mesa director Rosa Hernandez stated.
US agency discovers $5m meth disguised as watermelons
International
Miss Switzerland finalist reportedly strangled, dismembered by husband
Miss Switzerland finalist reportedly strangled, dismembered by husband
A former Miss Switzerland finalist was allegedly str@ngled and dismembered with a jigsaw before being pureed in a blender by her husband.
The body of 38-year-old model Kristina Joksimovic was found back in February in Binningen, near Basel in Switzerland.
According to Mail Online, her husband, only named by pseudonym Thomas, 41, had an appeal for release from custody rejected today by the Federal Court in Lausanne after admitting to killing his wife.
An ongoing investigation concluded today there were ‘concrete indications of mental illness’ underlying the case.
Kristina, the mother of their two children, was allegedly killed because she had previously come at him with a knife.
Another said the relationship had been ‘in crisis for months’, with police allegedly called out beforehand over reports of physical violence.
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Investigators have said Thomas, a businessman, showed a ‘conspicuously high level of criminal energy’ in their assessment.
They cited a ‘lack of empathy and cold-bloodedness after killing his wife’, and his efforts to cover up her d£ath, adding that the defendant had ‘sadistic-sociopathic traits’.
Prosecutors say that the defendant had previously strangled his wife before killing her, local outlet BZ Basel reports.
Investigators have said Thomas, a businessman, showed a ‘conspicuously high level of criminal energy’ in their assessment.
They cited a ‘lack of empathy and cold-bloodedness after killing his wife’, and his efforts to cover up her death, adding that the defendant had ‘sadistic-sociopathic traits’.
Prosecutors say that the defendant had previously strangled his wife before killing her, local outlet BZ Basel reports.
Kristina, a Binningen native with Serbian roots, had reportedly switched from modelling to becoming a catwalk coach. She also trained Miss Switzerland candidates to follow in her footsteps.
Miss Switzerland finalist reportedly strangled, dismembered by husband
International
Israeli airstrikes hit UN school, homes in Gaza, 34 killed
Israeli airstrikes hit UN school, homes in Gaza, 34 killed
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli airstrikes across Gaza overnight and Wednesday hit a UN school sheltering displaced Palestinian families as well as two homes, killing at least 34 people, including 19 women and children, hospital officials said.
The deadliest strike came Wednesday afternoon, targeting the UN’s Al-Jawni Preparatory Boys School in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas militants planning attacks from inside the school. The claim could not be independently confirmed.
At least 14 dead from the strike, including two children and a woman, were brought to Awda and Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospitals nearby, officials from the facilities said. At least 18 people were wounded in the strike, they said.
One of the children killed was the daughter of Momin Selmi, a member of Gaza’s civil defense agency, which works rescuing wounded and bodies after strikes, the agency said in a statement. Selmi hadn’t seen his daughter for 10 months, since he remained in north Gaza to keep working while his family fled south, the agency said.
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Tens of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by Israeli offensives and evacuation orders are living in Gaza’s schools. The Al-Jawni school, one of many in Gaza run by the UN agency for Palestinians UNWRA, has been hit by multiple strikes over the course of the war.
Israel frequently bombs schools, saying they are being used by Hamas militants. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties from its strikes, saying its fighters base themselves and operate within dense residential neighborhoods.
More than 90 percent of Gaza’s school buildings have been severely or partially damaged in strikes, and more than half the schools housing displaced people have been hit, according to a survey in July by the Education Cluster, a collection of aid groups led by UNICEF and Save the Children.
Israel’s 11-month-old campaign in Gaza has killed at least 41,084 Palestinians and wounded another 95,029, the territory’s Health Ministry said Wednesday. Israel launched its campaign vowing to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250 others.
Earlier Wednesday, a strike hit a home near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, killing 11 people, including six brothers and sisters from the same family ranging in age from 21 months to 21 years old, according to the European Hospital, which received the casualties.
A strike late Tuesday on a home in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza killed nine people, including six women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the civil defense. The civil defense said the home belonged to Akram Al-Najjar, a professor at the Al-Quds Open University, who survived the strike.
Israeli airstrikes hit UN school, homes in Gaza, 34 killed
ARAB NEWS
International
Nigerian nurse jailed three years in UK for causing her baby’s death
Nigerian nurse jailed three years in UK for causing her baby’s death
Ruth Auta, a 28-year-old Nigerian nurse working in the United Kingdom, has been sentenced to three years in prison for neglect, following the tragic death of her ten-week-old baby, Joshua Akerele.
The incident occurred on December 20, 2022, when Auta left her infant son alone in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours while she completed her shift at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Upon returning home, Auta discovered Joshua unresponsive in his cot and immediately called emergency services, reporting that her baby was not breathing.
Despite resuscitation efforts by paramedics, Joshua was pronounced dead an hour after their arrival. Medical tests suggested that the baby may have overheated due to excessive layers of clothing and bedding.
Auta was subsequently charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2024. During the investigation, it was revealed that Auta had lied about the circumstances surrounding Joshua’s death.
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Although she initially told authorities that she had fed the baby and then fell asleep with him, CCTV footage showed Auta leaving and returning to her accommodation without Joshua, contradicting her story.
Further incriminating evidence came from text messages in which Auta instructed her childminder to falsely claim that she had been caring for Joshua on the day of the incident. The childminder later confirmed she had not seen the baby for several days.
On June 6, 2024, Auta was apprehended at Gatwick Airport while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria with a one-way ticket, further raising suspicions about her attempts to evade justice.
In her ruling, District Crown Prosecutor Sara Davie of CPS North West condemned Auta’s actions, stating, “Ruth Auta failed to provide the care her baby needed and chose to leave him alone. As a nurse, she should have been aware of the dangers of leaving her child unattended. Her attempts to evade justice further demonstrate her lack of remorse.”
The heartbreaking case has left many in shock, with calls for increased awareness about child safety and the responsibilities of caregivers.
Nigerian nurse jailed three years in UK for causing her baby’s death
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