Top World News
"Evil Personified": Nurse Who Killed 17 Patients Jailed For Over 700 Years
05/04/24 10:39 AM
A US nurse who administered lethal doses of insulin to several patients over three years in an attempt to kill them was on Saturday sentenced to 380-760 years in prison. She was responsible for the deaths of at least 17 patients.i
'Integrated conspiracy': Experts reveal Jack Smith's Supreme Court contingency plan
04/29/24 8:39 PM
Special counsel Jack Smith may have a contingency plan if the Supreme Court gives Trump a win, according to a new analysis.The Supreme Court heard former President Donald Trump's claim to presidential immunity from the federal election conspiracy case last week — and while it's unlikely they will totally throw out the charges, some legal experts think they might find certain official presidential acts could be immune from prosecution. They might punt back to the lower courts to decide which parts of the indictment can and can't move forward, a complication that could further delay the case.But according to the New York Times, there's a possible way Smith could move ahead in this event.ALSO READ: Revealed: What government officials privately shared about Trump not disclosing financesAccording to reporter Charlie Savage, Smith's attorney Michael Drebeen as good as told the justices what they would do at oral argument: he "said that even if the court ruled out basing charges on Mr. Trump’s official actions, prosecutors believed that they could still lawfully present evidence about the official conduct as relevant context that would help jurors understand Mr. Trump’s private acts. 'There’s really an integrated conspiracy here that had different components,' Mr. Dreeben said. Mr. Trump, he added, used his official powers to try to ensure his private efforts to overturn the election were more likely to succeed, and the jury will need to see the entire picture to understand the sequence, why each step occurred and the gravity of the conduct."Trump's attorney John Sauer, on the other hand, urged the court to pre-emptively rule out even using official acts as evidence, not simply as the basis for charges. However, the report noted, "Samuel Buell, a Duke University professor of criminal law, said it was 'quite ordinary' that information is admitted as relevant evidence even though it is not about an action that would itself be subject to a criminal charge" — especially in cases where the alleged crime took place over a long time span and had multiple alleged co-conspirators.Even if this happens, the Supreme Court ruling immunity exists for some of Trump's actions could add months more to a trial that is already facing long odds to be heard before the election.All of this comes as Trump stands trial in a separate case in Manhattan.
'No way': Foreign policy experts question Noem’s 'dubious' account of meeting Kim Jong Un
05/03/24 12:50 PM
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's hopes of becoming presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's running mate may have been destroyed by the puppy shooting controversy. Noem has been drawing widespread criticism — even among fellow Republicans — for an anecdote in her new book "No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong With Politics and How We Move America Forward" in which she describes taking a dog to a gravel pit on a farm, shooting it and killing it.Although that anecdote is receiving a great deal of attention, it is only one of the many things Noem talks about in her book. Noem, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years before becoming South Dakota governor, also talks about her foreign policy experience.But according to the Dakota Scout, an "alleged meeting" with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un described in Noem's book is "in dispute."READ MORE: 'I hated that dog': Kristi Noem recalls taking family pup to gravel pit and killing itScout reporters Austin Goss and Jonathan Ellis, in an article published on May 2, explain, "In 'No Going Back,' Noem says she met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while serving in Congress on the House Armed Services Committee. Last year, as governor, she says she canceled a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. But neither account has been verified by congressional travel documents or outside sources reviewed by The Dakota Scout. And The Scout confirmed with the French president's office that Macron never had a meeting scheduled with Noem."A Capitol staffer interviewed by The Scout, presumably on condition of anonymity, said of Noem's alleged meeting with Jong Un, "It's b*****t."According to Goss and Ellis, "That staffer was among a dozen staffers interviewed by The Scout who said they had no knowledge of the meeting, or who said Noem had never mentioned it before…. Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee from 2013-2015. During that period, committee members, including Noem, visited China in 2014. But there is no record of Kim being in China then."George A. Lopez, a professor at Notre Dame University in Indiana known for his focus on foreign policy, pointed out that even former President Barack Obama didn't meet with Jong Un during that period.READ MORE: It's a 'tragedy' not to force rape victims to give birth: Kristi NoemLopez (not to be confused with the comedian/actor), told the Scout, "I don't see any conceivable way that a single junior member of Congress without explicit escort from the U.S. State Department and military would be meeting with a leader from North Korea. What would have been so critical in his bag of tricks that he would have met with an American lawmaker, this one distinctively?"Another scholar known for foreign policy expertise, Virginia Commonwealth University's Benjamin Young, described Noem's account of meeting Jong Un as "dubious."Young told the Scout, "There's no way. There's no way…. I cover North Korea very closely, and I have never heard of Kim Jong Un meeting congressmen or congresswomen."READ MORE: Kristi Noem's damage control response to puppy shooting story: She also killed 3 horsesRead the Dakota Scout's full report at this link.
'Operation Madonna': Rio readies for singer's free mega-concert
05/01/24 10:56 AM
Madonna's long-awaited free concert on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach has upended the neighborhood, with over a million fans expected -- but for retired resident Mario Renato Borges, it's the least the singer deserves."Welcome, Queen," read some posters near the huge stage erected on the Brazilian beach, where Madonna will on Saturday give the biggest show of her 40-year career and the last of her "Celebration Tour."The 65-year-old American singer arrived in the coastal city on Monday after more than 80 shows in Europe, the United States and Mexico. This will be her only stop in South America.The "Like A Virgin" and "Material Girl" performer traveled to Brazil with three planes and 270 tons of equipment, according to her production company.She has set up camp at the luxurious Copacabana Palace hotel, connected to the stage by a suspended catwalk that dozens of fans crowded under this week, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star.- The biggest dance floor -Thanks to free admission, organizers expect Madonna's concert to produce the "world's biggest dance floor" of up to 1.5 million people -- a figure only reached on the same beach by the Rolling Stones in 2006."The traffic is chaos but the concert will be great, especially because it's Madonna, the queen of pop," says resident Borges, who lives in Leme, a neighborhood at the end of Copacabana Beach.Madonna's fourth performance in Rio will contribute some 293 million reais (US$57 million) to the local economy, an income 30 times higher than what city authorities invested, according to the mayor's office.Around 150,000 foreigners are expected to swarm the city, with most hotels already fully booked."This will undoubtedly be one of Rio's biggest international events. It will boost our economy and attract tourists from Brazil, Latin American and all over the world," said the city's Tourism Secretary Daniela Maia.- Return of the conical corset -Madonna fever is clear to see in Rio -- the so-called "Marvelous City" -- as the hours tick down to her performance.At the Lix printing shop in the popular downtown Saara shopping district, the songs of the "Material Girl" are playing on loop to inspire devotees who can choose from personalized fans, hats or mugs.Manager Livia Reis, 23, tells AFP that her store went viral on social media shortly after the concert was announced thanks to an influencer who visited the Madonna-inspired shop."A guy came in, took a photo and a video, and sent them to a fan club with 150,000 followers in Portugal. From there, it jumped to TikTok and Instagram," she says.One particularly popular item is a replica of the conical corset created by French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, which Madonna famously wore on stage in 1990.Sold as a bra or a top, the item is "doing very well," says Reis, who expects there will be "queues out of the door" in the days ahead of the concert.- Patrols on the corners -"All this activity is good for tourism, hotels and restaurants. But let's hope the security is up to the task," says 68-year-old Rio local Borges.The mayor's office has prepared an operation equivalent to New Year's Eve celebrations in Copacabana, one of the most famous in the world that typically brings down some one million people."Operation Madonna" will see some 4,500 agents deployed, working with drones and facial recognition cameras. There will be police patrols on almost every street corner in the neighborhood.Nagila Alves, 54, who works for a pest control company, was on her way to a client's home when she stopped to take a photo of the impressive stage set up for Madonna."I will always love her. Madonna is timeless," she tells AFP, adding she plans to delay her arrival on Saturday to dodge the crowds swarming to the front of the stage.
11 Of The Best Things To Do In London This Mother's Day And Paddy's Day Weekend
03/17/23 5:02 PM
It's a Mother's Day *and* Paddy's Day double whammy, people.View Entire Post ›
13 killed as heavy rains unleash landslide in Haiti
05/03/24 6:25 PM
Officials say at least 13 people died in northern Haiti following two days of heavy rains
17 Very British Tweets About The Very British Queue To See The Very British Queen's Coffin
09/24/22 1:25 AM
"If you’re British, this is the queue you’ve been training for all your life. The final boss of queues."View Entire Post ›
4 Babies Found Dead In US Woman's Freezer, No Charges Filed
05/04/24 7:58 AM
No charges are being filed against a woman after the bodies of four babies were found in her Boston apartment freezer in 2022, a US district attorney announced this week.
6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Philippines
05/04/24 5:35 AM
An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 rocked Leyte province in the central Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
12/08/22 8:18 AM
Trevor Reed's release from Russia highlighted concerns over the continued detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another former Marine, Paul Whelan.View Entire Post ›