Two Israeli embassy staff members killed in Washington shooting
Two Israeli embassy staff members, a young couple about to be engaged, were killed by a lone gunman as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday (May 21) night. The single suspect, tentatively identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted "Free Palestine, Free Palestine", after being taken into custody, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police Chief.
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CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
'Suited and booted' immigration officials may stoke Club World Cup anxiety
NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY :U.S. Customs and Border Protection has promised to be "suited and booted" at the first round of Club World Cup soccer matches, as the curtain-raiser event for next year's World Cup kicks off amidst anxiety from some fans in the United States. The tournament starts in Miami on Saturday as soccer great Lionel Messi and his MLS team Inter Miami play Egypt's Al Ahly, as protests over U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies continue across the country. "CBP will be suited and booted, ready to provide security for the first round of games," the department wrote in a widely reported social media post that added to some fans' concerns over attending the Club World Cup. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment over the now-deleted post. Tom Warrick, a former DHS deputy assistant secretary, told Reuters that while it is a normal practice for agencies like ICE and CBP to provide surge capacity security at major sporting events, the language from the post caused understandable alarm. "I suspect it was just a moment of inattention before somebody cleared a message that someone else should have said, 'Oh, whoa, wait a minute, we need to change the messaging'," said Warrick, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank. "They may also need to change the security posture because very clearly, you know, uniformed officers or people in tactical gear are going to be looked at very differently, especially by a sporting event that is of such interest to people who come from countries that have citizens that have been the target of some of Trump's immigration enforcement measures." Trump deployed the Marines in Los Angeles this week in response to civilians protesting against his immigration policies, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up raids to deliver on his promise of record-level deportations. California Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders said the deployment was unnecessary, while Trump defended his decision, saying the city would be in flames if he had not done so. Protests so far have been mostly peaceful. "I'm scared because things have got ugly. But let's hope that things calm down a bit and let us enjoy the games," said bricklayer Tono, who was originally from Monterrey, in northern Mexico, and now works in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old, who has been in the United States for five years and declined to share his last name, said he and his friends had tickets to see Liga MX side Monterrey, who play all three of their group-stage matches at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. "If things get uglier, we'll talk about it, after all we have time to decide," he said. The Club World Cup will see 32 teams competing in 12 stadiums across the United States, after world soccer's governing body FIFA expanded the format in a billion-dollar gamble to revolutionise the club game. The tournament is a curtain-raiser for the 2026 World Cup, as organisers try to fan enthusiasm for the quadrennial global spectacle in the soccer-ambivalent U.S., which is co-hosting next year's finals with neighbours Canada and Mexico. Jorge Loweree, managing director at U.S. advocacy group American Immigration Council, said that soccer owes some of its growing popularity in the U.S. to immigrants. "It's reasonable to expect that lots and lots of folks that just want to attend these events are either immigrants themselves here permanently, temporarily - even folks that may be undocumented," he told Reuters.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says 5 members killed in Hamas attack
WASHINGTON: The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Wednesday (Jun 11)accused militant group Hamas of attacking a bus with its members en route to deliver aid, saying at least five people were killed and multiple others injured. The group said in a statement that around 10pm local time "a bus carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team... were brutally attacked by Hamas." "We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage," the statement read. In an email to AFP the group said all the passengers on the bus were Palestinian and all were aid workers. They were en route to GHF's distribution center in the area west of Khan Younis. "We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms," the group said in its statement. "These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others." An officially private effort with opaque funding and backed by Israel, GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine. But GHF's first week of operations, in which it said it had distributed more than seven million meals' worth of food, has been marred by criticism. The Israeli military faces allegations of near GHF sites. Israeli authorities and the GHF - which uses contracted US security - denied any such incident took place.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Harvey Weinstein convicted of sex crime as jury deliberations continue
NEW YORK: A Manhattan jury on Wednesday (Jun 11) found former movie producer Harvey Weinstein guilty on one sex crimes charge, while remaining deadlocked on another and acquitting him of a third. The partial verdict follows fractious deliberations in a retrial after his 2020 conviction was overturned. Weinstein, 73, was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. He was acquitted of charges related to an alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002, when she was 16. Jurors have yet to reach a decision on whether Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. Deliberations on that count will continue on Thursday. TENSIONS IN THE JURY ROOM The fifth day of deliberations was marked by heated exchanges among jurors. Justice Curtis Farber said one juror, referred to as Juror One, reported receiving a threat from another panelist. 'Juror One has made it very clear that he is not going to change his position,' Farber said. 'He indicated that at least one other juror made comments to the juror that 'I'll meet you outside one day,' and there's yelling and screaming.' Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, moved for a mistrial following these revelations. While the judge initially planned to dismiss the jury for the day, a note was sent indicating that a partial verdict had been reached. The retrial began on Apr 23 and was initiated after the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction, citing judicial errors. That trial was seen as a major milestone in the #MeToo movement. Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty, is also serving a 16-year sentence in California following a separate 2022 conviction for rape. He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex and assault. CLOSING ARGUMENTS AND LEGAL STRATEGIES In closing arguments delivered on Jun 3, prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office described Weinstein as a serial predator who used his Hollywood influence to lure and assault women. The defence countered that the encounters were consensual and claimed that the accusers lied after failing to achieve success in the entertainment industry. 'Weinstein engaged in 'mutually beneficial' relationships,' the defence argued, adding that the women involved received auditions and other career opportunities. HOLLYWOOD MOGUL TO INMATE Weinstein co-founded the Miramax film studio, which produced acclaimed movies including Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. In 2018, five months after accusations against him became public, his personal production company filed for bankruptcy. More than 100 women, including prominent actresses, have come forward with misconduct allegations against Weinstein. He has remained incarcerated at Rikers Island during the retrial, reportedly suffering several health issues. In September, he underwent emergency heart surgery.
