Michelle Agyemang Linda Caicedo Wieke Kaptein Vicky Lopez Claudia Martinez Ovando
Minnesota Man Gets 28 Years For Pandemic-Era Food Fraud
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a leader of a sprawling, pandemic-era food fraud plot in Minnesota to 28 years in prison. Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, must also pay nearly $48 million in restitution. He faces potentially more years in prison at a later sentencing hearing after previously pleading guilty in a juror bribery case involving a bag of $120,000 in cash. Farah is one of dozens of people charged in the Feeding Our Future case in which prosecutors alleged a scheme to steal $300 million from a federally funded program meant to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. Farah and several co-defendants went to trial last year where he...
Afghanistan’s Taliban Have ‘Weaponized’ The Judicial System To Oppress Women, UN Expert Says
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have “weaponized” the legal and judicial system to oppress women and girls in what amounts to “crimes against humanity,” the independent U.N. investigator on human rights in the country said. Richard Bennett said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly circulated Wednesday that after seizing power in 2021 the Taliban suspended the 2004 constitution and laws protecting the rights of women and girls. These include a landmark law that criminalized 22 forms of violence against women, including rape and child and forced marriage. The Taliban dismissed all judges under the previous U.S.-backed government, including approximately 270...
Trump To Put Additional 25% Import Taxes On India, Bringing Combined Tariffs To 50%
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to place an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its ally to 50%. The tariffs would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes. Trump’s moves could scramble the economic trajectory of India, which until recently was seen as an alternative to China by American companies looking to relocate their manufacturing. China also buys oil from Russia, but it was not included in the order...
Man Accused Of Killing Israeli Embassy Staffers Indicted On Federal Hate Crime And Murder Charges
The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty. Elias Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. He was heard shouting...
A Roadside Bomb Targeting Police Vehicle In Northwest Pakistan Kills 2 Officers And Wounds 14
A powerful roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive northwest of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least two officers and wounding 14 others, mostly passersby, officials said. The attack took place in the city of Wana in South Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police chief Adam Khan. Militant violence has surged in recent weeks, claiming the lives of dozens of security personnel. Pakistan is also preparing for a military operation in Bajur, another northwestern district, where elders are in talks with the government and insurgents...
Army Sergeant Shot 5 Soldiers Before He Was Tackled And Arrested At Fort Stewart, Officials Say
A sergeant shot five soldiers Wednesday at one the country’s largest Army bases before he was quickly tackled by other Fort Stewart troops, forcing a brief lockdown, officials said. Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but officials said the shooter was Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, who used a personal handgun, not a military firearm. Radford opened fire where he worked but officials wouldn’t speculate about a motive, authorities said. The injured soldiers are stable and expected to recover, said Brig Gen. John Lubas. The soldiers who tackled Radford helped ensure his arrest, said Lubas, who commands...