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Collapse at coltan mine in eastern Congo kills 12, sources say

Collapse at coltan mine in eastern Congo kills 12, sources say

Reuters4 hours ago

KINSHASA, June 20 (Reuters) - A collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has killed at least 12 people, a mining source and a civil society source said on Friday.
The sources said that dozens more escaped from the artisinal mine when it collapsed on Thursday. The reasons for the collapse were not immediately clear. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized control over the mine last year.

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Where does your stolen car end up? The parts of the world criminal gangs typically transport them to
Where does your stolen car end up? The parts of the world criminal gangs typically transport them to

Daily Mail​

time43 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Where does your stolen car end up? The parts of the world criminal gangs typically transport them to

Your stolen car could be halfway around the world in the blink of an eye as well-funded gangs have established a seamless supply network to ship pinched motors from the UK to various locations across the globe. And we can reveal the major routes organised criminal operations are typically taking to export stolen cars to different countries - with many of these vehicles ending up as far away as Africa. A new joint investigation by Thatcham Research and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) has laid bare for the first time the international scale of UK vehicle crime operations. It found that a motor stolen in the UK is most likely to end up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 38.5 per cent of robbed cars exported there. With geography a key factor, Congo's central positioning on the African continent, deep seaport, and borders with nine countries make it an ideal distribution hub for stolen vehicles. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the second most common destination (20.1 per cent), followed some way behind by Cyprus (6.7 per cent). Despite the UK having the highest levels of in-vehicle security - such as trackers and immobilisers - in the world, a vehicle is stolen every five minutes, based on 2024 data. Earlier this week This is Money revealed Britain's most targeted cars, with Lexus and Abarth the brands proportionally most likely to be pinched based on the volume of thefts against the number of available cars in the UK. The investigation found that Jamaica and Georgia were the fourth and fifth most popular export markets for car theft gangs between the years 2021 and 2024. Respectively, 5.7 per cent and 5.1 per cent of stolen UK cars ended up in these countries. The huge spike in motor crime and illegal exports is being driven by a number of wide-ranging factors, including the scarcity of vehicle parts, desirability of certain markets and models, geopolitical events, and even natural disasters. Geography might play a key role in Congo, but flooding in the UAE last April is believed to be behind the surge in thefts of SUVs, with criminal enterprises exploiting the shortage of official replacement vehicles and spare parts by using stolen motors to fill the void. Thatcham gives the example that dealerships of targeted brands were quoted three months for the delivery of a replacement vehicle whereas it can take a ship just 25 days to travel from London Gateway to Jevel Ali, south-west of Dubai. Cyprus, like Congo, has a geographical pull; it's a gateway country to other destinations for parts and vehicles which border the Mediterranean. Jamaica, on the other hand, has seen a rise in part due to the imposition of an imported car tariff, making criminal trade more profitable. And because both Cyprus and Jamaica drive on the left, the high standard specification of UK vehicles and the steering wheel position are key factors in these markets appearing third and fifth respectively. The investigation reveals the typical routes taken by criminal organisations shipping stolen cars around the world Georgia is one of the countries that's seen geopolitical factors have an impact on the illegal vehicle market. Heavy sanctions and withdrawal of an official presence by manufacturers in neighbouring Russia has seen an increase in demand for vehicles and parts, with Georgia a key destination for stolen cars. The conflict in the region has also altered the types of vehicles being stolen, with pickup trucks rising to 16.8 per cent of vehicles intercepted in 2024, up from 4.7 per cent the year before. Chief research and operations officer at Thatcham, Richard Billyeald commented: 'Parts scarcity, vehicle desirability, natural disasters and geopolitical events is driving an illegal market in a wide variety of luxury cars, SUVs and pickups, with insurers settling claims worth £640m in 2024. 'We will continue to work with vehicle makers to improve vehicle security and establish how to remotely disable stolen vehicles in a safe manner, as well as making stolen parts more difficult to reuse.' Investigators open up a shipping container at Felixstowe amid suspicions stolen cars are inside Dispatches: Britain's Car Theft Gangs Exposed is on Channel 4 On Thursday, a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary showed the NaVCIS action attempting to tackle illegal exports of stolen UK cars. This included the dramatic opening of a shipping container at a UK port, revealing three pick-up trucks inside which were intended to be smuggled to Africa. 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Stolen cars are stacked in the containers, sometimes with five models inside Casual theft has disappeared but criminal gangs have taken over Thatcham said the rise in vehicle crime is the direct result of organised gangs operating criminal businesses for huge financial gain, which now far overshadows the volume of 'casual thefts' seen in Britain previously. Billyeald said: 'Casual thefts and joy riding of the 1980s and '90s has all but disappeared, with vehicle manufacturers having succeeded in making it very difficult for amateurs to steal modern vehicles. 'However, the organised criminal gangs who have replaced them are well-funded and sophisticated in their approach, combining specialist electronic equipment with an international logistics network.' He said that a collaborative approach needs to be established in order to take down these criminal operations. 'Raising vehicle security alone will not prevent thefts, we believe that beating these criminals requires cooperation between government agencies, vehicle manufacturers and ourselves to reduce the value of stolen assets and therefore the incentive to steal them,' he told us.

Former Chelsea star is hit with FIVE-YEAR ban from football and fined after furious row with Samuel Eto'o
Former Chelsea star is hit with FIVE-YEAR ban from football and fined after furious row with Samuel Eto'o

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Former Chelsea star is hit with FIVE-YEAR ban from football and fined after furious row with Samuel Eto'o

Former Chelsea star Geremi has been handed a five-year ban from football by Cameroon's FA and fined £13,000 following a dispute with federation president Samuel Eto'o. The 46-year-old, who earned 118 caps for Cameroon - the joint-second highest in the country's history - lifted the Premier League title with Chelsea in both 2005 and 2006. He also enjoyed spells at Real Madrid, Middlesbrough, and Newcastle before hanging up his boots in 2011. Since retiring, Geremi has often found himself at the centre of controversy. He previously held a role with the National Union of Footballers of Cameroon (Synafoc), but has now been hit with a lengthy ban after a fallout with Eto'o. The feud between the pair dates back to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, during Cameroon's clash with Gambia. Geremi was reportedly involved in a heated exchange with a member of Eto'o's staff, which quickly escalated and resulted in the two having to be separated by those nearby. Reports in Cameroon claim Geremi was 'forcibly removed' by nearby security on the orders of FeCafoot officials - and the governing body has now ruled that the former midfielder must serve a lengthy ban as a consequence of his actions. 'We declare Geremi Sorel Njitap, the president of Synafoc, guilty of breaking the behaviour rules of our code of ethics,' a statement read. We sentence him to a ban from all forms of football activity for five years, and to a fine of ten million West African francs [£13,000]. He has ten days to submit a written appeal.' Geremi's assistant, Daniel Blaise Ngos, has also been sanctioned over the incident, receiving a two-year ban and a £6,500 fine. Geremi is expected to launch an appeal against the ruling, with reports suggesting he could take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to overturn or reduce both the ban and £13,000 fine. He made headlines last year after splitting from his wife following DNA tests that revealed the two children he believed were his were actually fathered by her former partner.

Collapse at coltan mine in eastern Congo kills 12, sources say
Collapse at coltan mine in eastern Congo kills 12, sources say

Reuters

time4 hours ago

  • Reuters

Collapse at coltan mine in eastern Congo kills 12, sources say

KINSHASA, June 20 (Reuters) - A collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has killed at least 12 people, a mining source and a civil society source said on Friday. The sources said that dozens more escaped from the artisinal mine when it collapsed on Thursday. The reasons for the collapse were not immediately clear. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized control over the mine last year.

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