An ammunition depot explosion in Syria kills at least 7 people and injures scores
There was no official statement as to what has caused the blast in Idlib province. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the explosion took place at an ammunition depot.
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UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Ex-Guatemalan mayor has initial U.S. court hearing on drug charge
Aug. 6 (UPI) -- An ex-Guatemalan mayor could spend the rest of his life in jail if convicted for allegedly working to import more than five kilos of cocaine into the United States from his Latin American nation. The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday in a statement that Romeo Ramos Cruz, 57, was extradited from Guatemala on Monday and present for an initial court hearing on Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C. Ramos Cruz, formerly the mayor of Santa Lucia in Guatemala's Escuintla Department in the south-central part of the country only miles to the Pacific Ocean, allegedly abused his authority to coordinate cocaine shipment logistics destined for the illicit U.S. drug market. He was charged on one count of conspiracy. Guatemala has a long history of politicians who either pilfer the public coffers or join the cartel that in recent years has shifted its illegal drug operations into Guatemala via Mexico. DOJ says from 2002 to last year the former chief of the Guatemalan city of nearly 59,000 inhabitants served as a "key" player in a Guatemala-based trafficking cartel that's sole purpose was to transport cocaine to the United States. According to court records, in one instance he agreed to help disguise a cocaine shipment from Venezuela to Guatemala as cement, and prepared an official letter on government letterhead in order to evade inspection by Guatemalan authorities. The United States has maintained a more dynamic relationship with Guatemala over the last 25 years following the end to its bloody 35-year-long civil war, but issues of inequality and exploitation of its native population still persist. "I don't understand why the US supports corrupt politicians that later are against their own policies and want to govern forever changing laws and constitutions," Carlos Torrebiarte, VP of Guatemala's right-leaning Association for the Defense of Private Property, posted last Tuesday on social media. "It happened with Noriega, Sadam, Ortega, Lula, Petro, in Afghanistan, etc.," he said. He claimed that it's "happening in Guatemala with Arevalo," in reference to the country's center-left President Bernardo Arevalo. The arrest of and extradition of Ramos Cruz was a coordinated international effort by law enforcement from the FBI, DEA, ICE, INTERPOL and Guatemalan authorities part of the so-called "Operation Take Back America" initiative in the Trump administration's crackdown on migration. The former Guatemalan politician faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Theme park fraudsters duped widower, 91, out of $60M by convincing him God was ‘commanding him' to fund it: suit
They took him for a ride. A devoutly religious 91-year-old widow was bamboozled into dumping $60 million into an Oklahoma theme park by alleged fraudsters — who posed as God and 'commanded him' to fork over his cash for the failed project, according to a new lawsuit. Gene Bicknell, a wealthy former Florida businessman, was 'tricked' into sinking his fortune into the American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita by three park officials, two of whom sent him hundreds of text messages posing as the big man upstairs and other religious figures, according to a lawsuit filed July 25. 4 A devoutly religious 91-year-old widow alleges he was 'tricked' into sinking his fortune into the American Heartland Theme Park by park officials posing as the big man upstairs and other religious figures. American Heartland 4 According to the court papers, they ultimately constructed nothing more than a gravel road and a fence. Andy Dossett / Examiner-Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The years-long scheme of 'psychological manipulation' was allegedly carried out by Missouri-based preacher Larry Wilhite and supposed entertainment industry executives Richard Silanskas and Stephen Hedrick, according to the lawsuit, filed in Oklahoma federal court. 'AWAKE MY CHILD. THIS IS A DAY OF GREAT DECISION AND URGENCY,' declares one of the messages, supposedly sent from God on May 2, 2022. 'This mission will not tolerate anything but ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE,' it read, allegedly ordering Bicknell to hand over millions for the theme park. 'I AM INSTRUCTING YOU TO EMPTY THE STOREHOUSES AND ACCELERATE THIS MISSION WITHOUT DELAY,' it proclaimed. Previous 1 of 6 Next Advertisement The messages received by Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma The messages received by Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma Advertisement The messages received by Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma Message from Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma Advertisement More messages purportedly from 'God' followed, prompting Bicknell — a former Pizza Hut franchise owner from a 'humble' upbringing — to begin spending millions on land for the 1,000-acre theme park, which was initially designed to rival Disney destinations, according to the lawsuit. 'For years, those electronic messages preyed upon Gene's devout Christian faith and admonished [him] to obey 'God's' will without doubts or second-guessing,' the suit states. 4 The 1,000-acre theme park was initially designed to rival Disney destinations, according to the lawsuit. American Heartland 4 The park was initially scheduled to open in 2026 and has been delayed until at least 2028, according to reports. Business Wire via AP Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! 'Silanskas and Wilhite made Gene believe that God Himself was commanding Gene to infuse ever more cash into the Project.' But after years of allegedly fleecing the elderly man out of more than $60 million and spending some of the dough on 'themselves and their family members,' they ultimately constructed nothing more than a gravel road and a fence, the court papers state. The alleged scam caused Bicknell to suffer 'severe emotional distress' and 'a stroke,' according to the lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial and an unspecified monetary damages. The theme park officials ultimately 'operated a criminal enterprise that defrauded Bicknell and duped him into sinking his remaining fortune,' according to the suit. The stalled $2 billion theme park project — which was slated to include a modern indoor water park and an RV area, hotel and cabins — was initially scheduled to open in 2026 and has been delayed until at least 2028, according to reports. A lawyer for Bicknell declined to comment Wednesday. Wilhite, Silanskas and Hedrick couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two Chinese nationals in California accused of illegally shipping Nvidia AI chips to China
By Karen Freifeld (Reuters) -Two Chinese nationals in California were arrested and charged with illegally shipping tens of millions of dollars' worth of AI chips to China, including Nvidia H100s, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte, exported the advanced Nvidia chips and other technology to China from October 2022 through July 2025 without the required licenses from the U.S. Commerce Department, the Justice Department said, citing an affidavit filed with the complaint. According to the affidavit, Geng and Yang's El Monte-based company, ALX Solutions, was founded in 2022, shortly after the U.S. imposed sweeping export controls on technology to China to slow Beijing's military modernization and began to require licenses for the chips. China opposed the U.S. move as harming normal trade. Over 20 shipments from ALX went to shipping and freight forwarding companies in Singapore and Malaysia, which are often used as transshipment points for illegal goods to China, a federal agent, who works for the Commerce Department, said in the affidavit. ALX received a $1 million payment from a China-based company in January 2024 and other payments from companies in Hong Kong and China, not from the freight forwarding companies, the agent said. Nvidia H100s are advanced chips that can be used to train large language models and many other applications. Records show that from at least August 2023 to July 2024, ALX Solutions bought over 200 Nvidia H100 chips from San Jose, California-based server maker Super Micro Computer, declaring that the customers were in Singapore and Japan, the agent said. On one 2023 invoice valued at $28,453,855, ALX said the customer was in Singapore, but a U.S. export control officer in Singapore could not verify the chips arrived in the country and the company did not exist at the listed location, the document says. "This case demonstrates that smuggling is a nonstarter," a Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement. "We primarily sell our products to well-known help us ensure that all sales comply with U.S. export control rules." Diverted products have "no service, support or updates," the statement added. Super Micro said in a statement it was "firmly committed to compliance with all U.S. export control regulations." It said it did not comment on ongoing legal matters, but cooperated with authorities in any such proceedings. Geng and Yang appeared in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, the Justice Department said. Geng, a permanent resident, was released on $250,000 bond. Yang, who overstayed her visa, has a detention hearing on August 12. Lawyers for the defendants did not respond to requests for comment.
