WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The son of one of six women of Asian descent killed when a white man went on a shooting rampage in a series of Georgia spas had raised $1.5 million Friday after setting up a GoFundMe page to help provide for himself and his younger brother. Randy Park, 23, had aimed to raise $20,000 after his mother Hyun Jung Grant was shot dead at the Gold Spa in Atlanta, […]
Tag: crime
Malaysia coast guard makes record $26mn meth seizure
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s coastguard has made its largest ever seizure of methamphetamine, a top official said on Sunday, seizing 2.12 tonnes of the drug disguised as tea in a shipment believed to have come from Myanmar. Coastguard chief Zubil Mat Som said the drugs found on a boat in northern Penang state were worth around 105.9 ringgit ($26.2 million). A local suspected trafficker was arrested. “It is the coastguard’s record-breaking seizure […]
Trump administration carries out another execution despite appeals, pandemic
by Charlotte PLANTIVE Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A convicted murderer died by lethal injection on Thursday as the administration of President Donald Trump carries out a series of federal executions in its waning days in power, ignoring calls for clemency and Covid-19 outbreaks behind bars. Brandon Bernard, a 40-year-old African-American inmate, was put to death at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for his role in a 1999 double murder […]
Vatican admits mistakes by John Paul II in US cardinal abuse case
by Catherine Marciano and Ella Ide VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The Vatican admitted Tuesday that late pope John Paul II ignored advice against promoting US clergyman Theodore McCarrick to cardinal given rumours of sexual misconduct against him that were later substantiated. The admission was made in the 450-page findings of a two-year investigation into who knew what about McCarrick’s abuse of at least one teenage boy and a number of male seminarians. The latest in […]
‘Plantdemic’ hits Philippines as demand for greenery grows
by Mikhail FLORES MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — A gardening craze dubbed “plantdemic” has spread across the Philippines after coronavirus restrictions fuelled demand for greenery, sending plant prices soaring and sparking a rise in poaching from public parks and protected forests. Photos of delicate flowers and broad-leafed foliage cultivated in backyards and on balconies have flooded social media as housebound Filipinos turn to nature to relieve stress and boredom. “It’s unbelievable. People are super interested […]
13 charged in plot to kidnap US governor and start civil war
by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Thirteen men, including members of two right-wing militias, have been arrested for plotting to kidnap the Democratic governor of the US state of Michigan and “instigate a civil war”, officials said Thursday. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer thanked law enforcement for thwarting the kidnap plot and rebuked President Donald Trump for failing to condemn hate groups. Announcing the arrests, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel described […]
Mother allegedly suffocates five children to death in Germany
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A 27-year-old German woman is suspected of smothering five of her children as she was feeling “emotionally overwhelmed”, investigators said Friday, a day after the lifeless bodies were found in their family apartment. The suspect then attempted suicide by throwing herself under a train, before being rescued with serious but not life threatening injuries, said lead investigator Marcel Maierhofer. She is believed to have “carried out the act while she was […]
Gold-hunting diggers destroy Sudan’s priceless past
by Sammy Ketz Agence France-Presse JABAL MARAGHA, Sudan (AFP) — When a team of archaeologists deep in the deserts of Sudan arrived at the ancient site of Jabal Maragha last month, they thought they were lost. The site had vanished. But they hadn’t made a mistake. In fact, gold-hunters with giant diggers had destroyed almost all sign of the two millenia-old site. “They had only one goal in digging here — to find gold,” said shocked […]
Indigenous Guatemalans ask for help following village arson attack
COBAN, Guatemala (AFP) — An indigenous community in Guatemala that suffered an arson attack on their village by an armed group has called for further help despite authorities sending police to protect them. Some 40 families were forcibly evicted from their homes, which were then set alight by armed raiders in the early hours of Sunday. “We ask for help for these families and also for ourselves (because) unfortunately they robbed us and left us […]
Daimler strikes $2.2 bn diesel settlements in US
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Daimler has approved settlements worth $2.2 billion over emissions cheating software in its diesel vehicles in the US, the German carmaker said Thursday. The company has “reached an agreement in principle with various US authorities to settle civil and environmental claims regarding emission control systems of approximately 250,000 diesel passenger cars and vans in the United States,” it said in a statement. The agreement includes $1.5 billion to be paid to US […]
China sentences Canadian to death over drug charge
BEIJING, China (AFP — A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death on Thursday in a ruling that could further inflame, tensions between China and Canada. The Guangzhou Intermediate Court said in a statement it had handed Xu Weihong the sentence for manufacturing drugs, and all his personal property would be confiscated. The ruling comes after China sentenced two other Canadians to death on drug trafficking charges last year, as a diplomatic row escalated […]
Interpol warns of ‘alarming’ cybercrime rate during pandemic, to spike again once vaccine becomes available
LYON, France (AFP) — Global police body Interpol warned Monday of an “alarming” rate of cybercrime during the coronavirus pandemic, with criminals taking advantage of people working from home to target major institutions. An assessment by the Lyon-based organisation found a “significant target shift” by criminals from individuals and small businesses to major corporations, governments and critical infrastructure. “Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty […]





