Man jailed for three years for punching police officer in UK anti-Muslim riots
Britain has been gripped by an escalating wave of violence that erupted early last week
In towns and cities groups of a few hundred rioters have clashed with police
Updated 07 August 2024
Reuters
LONDON: A British man was on Wednesday jailed for three years for violent disorder during anti-Muslim riots last week, one of the first sentences from a wave of violence after the killing of three girls in northwest England.
Derek Drummond, 58, was sentenced to three years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court having pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker by punching a police officer.
The sentence is believed to be first imposed for a charge of violent disorder since trouble erupted after three young girls were killed in a knife attack in the seaside town of Southport.
“The genuine and collective grief of the residents of Southport was effectively hijacked by this callous behavior,” Judge Andrew Menary said.
Another man, Declan Geiran, 29, was jailed for 30 months after pleading guilty to violent disorder and arson by setting the seatbelt of a police van on fire in Liverpool city center on Aug. 3.
Liam Riley, 41, was jailed for 20 months having pleaded guilty to violent disorder and a racially-aggravated public order offense.
Opinion
This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)
Thousands of riot police stood ready Wednesday as Britain remained on alert for disturbances during far-right protests across the country.
Nightly riots, during which mosques and migrant targets have been attacked, erupted after the three children were murdered.
Police said they were investigating several racially-motivated hate crimes in Belfast on Tuesday, including an attack on a young boy that left him with minor facial injuries.
And far-right groups plan demonstrations Wednesday in more than 30 locations, with immigration lawyers and buildings hosting asylum seekers primary targets, according to posts on messaging app Telegram leaked to the British media.
The government has said 6,000 specialist police are on standby to deal with the disorder, which has seen more than 425 people arrested and at least 120 charged, according to latest police figures.
World leaders split as ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Updated 4 sec ago
AFP
PARIS: Israel and its allies denounced the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as Turkiye — and rights groups — welcomed the move. The court also issued warrants for Israel’s former defense minister as well as Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif. They were issued in response to accusations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, set off by the militant Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack. “The anti-Semitic decision of the International Criminal Court is comparable to the modern-day Dreyfus trial — and it will end in the same way,” Netanyahu said in a statement. He was referring to the 19th-century Alfred Dreyfus affair in which a Jewish army captain was wrongly convicted of treason in France before being exonerated. “The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” Argentina “declares its deep disagreement” with the decision, which “ignores Israel’s legitimate right to self-defense against the constant attacks by terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah,” President Javier Milei posted on social media platform X. “(It’s) an important step toward justice and can lead to redress for the victims in general, but it remains limited and symbolic if it is not supported by all means by all countries around the world,” Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said of the warrants against Israeli politicians. “It is not a political decision,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, speaking during a visit to Jordan. “It is a decision of a court, of a court of justice, of an international court of justice. And the decision of the court has to be respected and implemented.” “This arrest warrant against Mr.Deif is massively significant,” said Yael Vias Gvirsman, who represents 300 Israeli victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks. “It means these victims’ voices are being heard,” she added, speaking from outside the court in The Hague. The Palestinian Authority, a rival of Hamas, said that “the ICC’s decision represents hope and confidence in international law and its institutions.” It urged ICC members to enforce “a policy of severing contact and meetings’ with Netanyahu and Gallant. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is now officially a wanted man,” said Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard. “ICC member states and the whole international community must stop at nothing until these individuals are brought to trial before the ICC’s independent and impartial judges.” “The ICC arrest warrants against senior Israeli leaders and a Hamas official break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law.” The ICC’s decision “is a belated but positive decision to stop the bloodshed and put an end to the genocide in Palestine,” Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan welcomed the warrants as “an extremely important step.” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said his country would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they visited, although he added he believed the ICC was “wrong” to put Netanyahu on the same level as Hamas. Spain said it would follow the ruling, with official sources telling AFP the country “respects the decision and will conform to its commitments and obligations in compliance with the Rome Statute and international law.” “It is important that the ICC carries out its mandate in a judicious manner. I have confidence that the court will proceed with the case based on the highest fair trial standards,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said. “Sweden and the EU support the important work of the court and safeguard its independence and integrity,” Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said. “The fight against impunity wherever crimes are committed is a priority for Belgium, which fully supports the work of the (ICC),” Belgium’s foreign ministry said on X. “Those responsible for crimes committed in Israel and Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of who committed them.”
Police report details 2017 sexual assault allegations against Trump nominee for top US defense post
The Monterey police department referred the complaint to the Monterey County district attorney, who declined to file charges saying there was no sufficient proof
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has denied the assault allegations and told police at the time that “there was ‘always’ conversation and ‘always’ consensual contact”
Updated 49 min 13 sec ago
Reuters
WASHINGTON: A woman filed a sexual assault complaint in 2017 against Pete Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to take charge of the Pentagon, according to a California police report.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has denied the assault allegations and told police at the time that “there was ‘always’ conversation and ‘always’ consensual contact,” between him and the woman, according to the report.
The case was referred to the Monterey County district attorney by the Monterey police department, but it declined to file charges since they could not be “supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” The Monterey police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As far as the media (is) concerned, it’s very simple: The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it,” Hegseth told reporters on Capitol Hill where he met with Republican senators to build support for his nomination.
The police report, released by the City of Monterey on Wednesday night, does not have the complainant’s name but refers to her as Jane Doe. The report has surfaced after media outlets, including Reuters, filed requests for details about the incident that surfaced after Hegseth was named Trump’s defense secretary nominee.
The report says that Doe told an officer that she was attending a conference at a hotel in Monterey, California, in October 2017, where Hegseth was the keynote speaker.
Doe, according to the report, said she had been drinking and remembers leaving a bar with Hegseth. She said her next memory was being in an unknown room, with Hegseth blocking the door when she tried to leave.
“Doe remembered saying ‘no’ a lot. Jane Doe stated she did not remember much else,” the report said. The report added Doe said that her next memory was on a couch or bed with Hegseth over her and his dog tags hovering in her face.
While Hegseth was bare chested, “Jane Doe did not notice any tattoos, scars and or marks on Hegseth’s body,” the report said. Hegseth has a number of tattoos, including a large Jerusalem cross on his chest, Reuters has previously reported.
Doe, the report said, went to the hospital four days after the incident, where an examination was carried out. A copy of the medical exam was not included in the report. The report did not specify the hospital.
The police report said that video surveillance footage showed “Doe and Hegseth walking together, with arms locked together. Hegseth seemed to be talking and Jane Doe was smiling. Both did not have an unsteady gait.”
The report quoted a redacted name as saying that “DOE was not sure, but believes that something may have been slipped into her drink, as she cannot remember most of the night’s events.”
Hegseth says he told her he didn’t have protection and said they could stop if that was a problem, the report said.
“Hegseth stated Jane Doe said, ‘No No No, it’s not a problem. Hegseth stated he did not want to get anyone pregnant,” the police report said.
“This police report confirms what I have said all along — that the incident was fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed,” Hegseth’s attorney Timothy Parlatore said.
Trump has stood by Hegseth, calling the allegations false in a statement on Thursday.
“Pete Hegseth is a highly-respected Combat Veteran who will honorably serve our country when he is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense, just like he honorably served our country on the battlefield in uniform,” said the statement.
The disclosure of the charges came as former US Representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as Trump’s attorney general, after the House Ethics Committee deadlocked on releasing a report into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws amid fallout over sex trafficking probe
"It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz said
Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial when he was accused of abusing his power
Updated 22 November 2024
AP
WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be US attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition US military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden.
Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. She’s been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump said in a social media post. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. told Fox Business on Sunday that the transition team had backups in mind for his controversial nominees should they fail to get confirmed. The swift selection of Bondi came about six hours after Gaetz withdrew.
Gaetz stepped aside amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer.
That announcement capped a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement.
“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” he added. Hours later, Gaetz posted on social media that he looks “forward to continuing the fight to save our country,” adding, “Just maybe from a different post.”
Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
Last week, Trump named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible attorney general contender, Matt Whitaker, was announced Wednesday as the US ambassador to NATO.
Bondi, too, is a longtime loyalist. She has been a vocal critic of the criminal cases against Trump as well as Jack Smith, the special counsel who charged Trump in two federal cases. In one radio appearance, she blasted Smith and other prosecutors who have charged Trump as “horrible” people she said were trying to make names for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.”
If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Bondi would instantly become one of the most closely watched members of Trump’s Cabinet given the Republican’s threat to pursue retribution against perceived adversaries and concern among Democrats that he will look to bend the Justice Department to his will. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only conferred broad immunity on former presidents but also affirmed a president’s exclusive authority over the Justice Department’s investigative functions.
Bondi would inherit a Justice Department expected to pivot sharply on civil rights, corporate enforcement and the prosecutions of hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol — defendants whom Trump has pledged to pardon.
It’s unlikely that Bondi would be confirmed in time to overlap with Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump that are both expected to wind down before the incoming president takes office. Special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that historically are made public, but it remains unclear when such a document might be released.
In 2013, while serving as Florida attorney general, Bondi publicly apologized for asking that the execution of a man convicted of murder be delayed because it conflicted with a campaign fundraiser.
Bondi said she was wrong and sorry for requesting then-Gov. Rick Scott push back the execution of Marshall Lee Gore by three weeks.
Before she ran for state attorney general in 2010, Bondi worked for the Hillsborough County state attorney.
Elon Musk blasts Australia’s planned ban on social media for children
Updated 22 November 2024
Reuters
SYDNEY, Nov 22 : US billionaire Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, has criticized Australia’s proposed law to ban social media for children under 16 and fine social media platforms of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for companies for systemic breaches. Australia’s center-left government on Thursday introduced the bill in parliament. It plans to try an age-verification system to enforce a social media age cut-off, some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date. “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians,” Musk, who views himself as a champion of free speech, said in a reply late on Thursday to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s post on X about the bill. Several countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, but Australia’s policy could become one of the most stringent with no exemption for parental consent and pre-existing accounts. France last year proposed a ban on social media for those under 15 but allowed parental consent, while the US has for decades required technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13. Musk has previously clashed with Australia’s center-left Labor government over its social media policies and had called it “fascists” over its misinformation law. In April, X went to an Australian court to challenge a cyber regulator’s order for the removal of some posts about the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney, prompting Albanese to call Musk an “arrogant billionaire.” ($1 = 1.5359 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by David Gregorio)
Philippines cleans up after sixth major storm in weeks
There have been no other reports so far of deaths or injuries
Power outages across the island province of Catanduanes could last for months
Updated 22 November 2024
AFP
Manila: Filipinos cleared fallen trees and repaired damaged houses on Monday after the sixth major storm to batter the Philippines in a month smashed flimsy buildings, knocked out power and claimed at least one life. The national weather service had warned of a “potentially catastrophic” impact from Man-yi, which was a super typhoon when it hit over the weekend, but President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday it “wasn’t as bad as we feared.” Packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 kilometers an hour, Man-yi slammed into Catanduanes island late Saturday, and the main island of Luzon on Sunday afternoon. It uprooted trees, brought down power lines, crushed wooden houses and triggered landslides, but did not cause serious flooding. “Though Pepito was strong, the impact wasn’t as bad as we feared,” Marcos said, according to an official transcript of his remarks to media, using the local name for Man-yi. One person was killed in Camarines Norte province, which Marcos said was “one casualty too many.” Police said the victim, a 79-year-old man, died after his motorbike was caught in a power line. There have been no other reports so far of deaths or injuries. “We will now carry on with the rescue of those (in) isolated areas and the continuing relief for those who are, who have been displaced and have no means to prepare their own meals and have no water supplies,” Marcos said. Power outages across the island province of Catanduanes could last for months after Man-yi toppled electricity poles, provincial information officer Camille Gianan told AFP. “Catanduanes has been heavily damaged by that typhoon — we need food packs, hygiene kits and construction materials,” Gianan said. “Most houses with light materials were flattened while some houses made of concrete had their roofs, doors and windows destroyed.” In the coastal town of Baler in Aurora province, clean-up operations were underway to remove felled trees and debris blocking roads and waterways. “Most of the houses here are made of light materials so even now, before the inspection, we are expecting heavy damage on many houses in town,” disaster officer Neil Rojo told AFP. “We’ve also received reports of roofs that went flying with the wind last night... it was the fierce wind that got us scared, not exactly the heavy rains.” Storm weakens Man-yi weakened significantly as it traversed the mountains of Luzon and was downgraded to a severe tropical storm as it swept over the South China Sea toward Vietnam on Monday. More than a million people in the Philippines fled their homes ahead of the storm, which followed an unusual streak of violent weather. Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts. At least 163 people in the Philippines died in the past month’s storms, which left thousands homeless and wiped out crops and livestock. About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Southeast Asian nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window. Man-yi also hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season — most cyclones develop between July and October. This month, four storms were clustered simultaneously in the Pacific basin, which the Japan Meteorological Agency told AFP was the first time such an occurrence had been observed in November since its records began in 1951.
