UNITED STATES
Murder suspect extradited
A man accused of murdering a Border Patrol agent in a case linked to the government’s “Fast and Furious” gun-running sting on Tuesday was extradited from Mexico, the Department of Justice said in a statement. Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, who is charged with the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, was scheduled to appear yesterday in Arizona federal court, the department said. Prosecutors allege Osorio-Arellanes was part of a “rip crew” seeking to rob drug dealers along the border that confronted Terry and three other Border Patrol agents in a shootout north of Nogales, Arizona, in 2010.
UNITED STATES
Six indicted for conspiracy
Federal prosecutors say a Filipina and five of her family members have been indicted for conspiring to funnel about US$20 million in Philippine public funds obtained through an intricate bribery and fraud scheme into the country. The Department of Justice on Tuesday said that Janet Napoles and the others allegedly diverted Philippine government funds intended to benefit poor Filipinos and used the money to purchase assets, including property and luxury vehicles. Napoles and the others are charged with money laundering and conspiracy. Officials are working to have the defendants extradited from the Philippines.
JAPAN
Journalist seen on video
The government yesterday said it is doing its utmost for the rescue of a journalist believed to be held in Syria after a video of a man appearing to be him was posted on the Internet on Tuesday. Freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda was last heard from in Syria in June 2015. Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference that he believed the man in the video was Yasuda. “We are pursuing our utmost effort [for his rescue] through various information networks,” he said. The man in the video said he was in harsh environment and needed an immediate rescue. He spoke in Japanese, but said he was a Korean named “Umaru.”
THAILAND
Mozambican man deported
A Mozambican fugitive wanted for a string of kidnaps for ransom and murders was repatriated at midnight on Tuesday amid a crackdown on foreign gangsters using the nation as a bolt-hole. Momade Assif Abdul Satar entered the kingdom three years ago shortly after being freed on parole from a jail for the 2000 gangland-style murder of an investigative journalist. Interpol issued a “red notice” after allegations Satar continued to run a ransom-kidnap business across Mozambique and South Africa from overseas that grabbed wealthy executives and charged up to US$3 million for their release. “He was extradited at midnight on a flight to Kenya,” for onward travel to Mozambique, Tourist Police Major-General Surachate Hakparn said. “We will not allow foreign criminals to use Thailand as base for their operations.”
UNITED STATES
Belgian tourist dies on hike
A Belgian tourist has died of apparent heat-related causes while hiking at a popular rock formation called “The Wave” near the Utah-Arizona border. Kane County sheriff’s Sergeant Alan Alldredge said 49-year-old Christophe Pochic was found dead on Monday night after his 16-year-old son called his mother at a hotel to tell her that his dad had become disoriented and needed help. It is the first death at The Wave in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument since a trio of deaths in 2013, Alldredge said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number