Latest news with #borderpolice
Associated Press
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: Panama protests have lasted 45 days and counting
ARIMAE, Panama (AP) — Protests have persisted in parts of Panama for a month and a half. They've covered a range of issues including the changes to social security and opposition to a security agreement giving U.S. soldiers and contractors access to some facilities in Panama. Authorities and protesters were injured Thursday in eastern Panama when border police tried to open a highway blocked in an Indigenous community. President José Raúl Mulino has said he will not reverse the social security changes, nor will he allow protesters to obstruct roads. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Washington Post
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Protesters and police clash in eastern Panama
ARIMAE, Panama — Authorities and protesters were injured Wednesday in eastern Panama when border police tried to open a highway blocked in an Indigenous community as part of monthlong demonstrations against changes to the country's social security system. Border police in riot gear launched tear gas and fired rubber-coated metal balls to disperse balaclava-wearing protesters firing rocks from slingshots and throwing Molotov cocktails.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
German immigration clampdown ruled illegal by federal court
Germany 's tough new migration approach, which involves turning asylum seekers back at the border, has been described as unlawful by Berlin's federal administrative court. The ruling, which cannot be appealed, undercuts a pledge by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government, sworn in last month, to cut immigration numbers. Monday's case was taken by three Somali nationals, two men and a woman, turned back on May 9th by German border police at the railway station in Frankfurt an der Oder to Poland. The police, acting under a new regulation passed by the federal interior ministry, refused to allow the three to file for asylum in Germany and returned them to Poland the same day. The police sent them back, the government ruled in court, because they were coming from a safe third country. READ MORE On Tuesday the court said the border police actions, and the regulation they were following, ignored necessary legal steps and violated asylum provisions. [ EU warns Poland for suspending Dublin migrant regulation Opens in new window ] 'Persons who express the wish to seek asylum while at a border check on German territory may not be sent back,' the court ruled. At least, it added, until it is known which European country has frontline responsibility for their asylum application under the EU's Dublin system. Until Monday the interior ministry had cited emergency provisions and a danger to public order as its justifications for setting aside EU law. In court it argued that one quarter of the 230,000 asylum applications filed last year in Europe were filed in Germany. The court dismissed this argument, saying 'it remains open what these numbers mean for public order or security'. It also criticised the unilateral nature of Berlin's new policy as contradicting the 'loyal co-operation' required of EU member states 'to look, in a serious way, for common solutions'. The opposition Green Party called the ruling as a 'severe defeat' for Chancellor Merz and his interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt . [ Germany increases border checks: Alexander Dobrindt oversees radical policy shift Opens in new window ] 'Merz and Dobrindt ignored the warnings and broke EU law, and have now run into a brick wall,' said Katharina Dröge, Green co-leader. Green Bundestag parliamentary floor leader Irene Mihalic called the ruling a warning to the government 'to abide by the law in the future and not to knowingly exceed its own powers for populist purposes'. Germany's police union also welcomed the ruling, saying 'the approach was legally iffy from the start'. Immigration lobby group Pro Asyl said an 'unlawful practice of national unilateral action in asylum policy has failed, this nonsense must now come to an end'. Mr Dobrindt insisted on Monday evening he would stick to his policy. 'There is a legal basis for it, regardless of individual case rulings,' he said, adding that the three plaintiffs had sought to enter Germany three times previously. .
Al Arabiya
17-05-2025
- Al Arabiya
One wounded, attacker killed in Jerusalem stabbing: Israeli police
The perpetrator of a stabbing attack that left a police officer wounded was shot and killed in annexed east Jerusalem on Friday, Israeli police said. Israel's first responders, the Magen David Adom, said they had 'treated at the scene and evacuated' the 25-year-old officer to hospital. 'A short time ago, a police officer was stabbed in the Old City of Jerusalem,' a police statement said Friday night, adding the attacker was shot by officers at the scene. In an update, the force said the officer had 'noticed the suspect and deemed him suspicious. At a certain point, the terrorist charged at the officer and stabbed him in the back with the knife in his possession.' Another officer, along with a nearby border police officer, 'quickly responded and neutralized the terrorist. He was pronounced dead at the scene.' There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Magen David Adom said the wounded officer had been 'fully conscious,' adding his 'condition is moderate, and he is suffering from injuries to his upper body.' The first responders said the attack took place by the Chain Gate, which provides access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The site is Islam's third-holiest and a symbol of Palestinian national identity. Known to Jews as the Temple Mount, it is also Judaism's holiest place, revered as the site of the second temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Israel has occupied east Jerusalem and its Old City since 1967.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- The Sun
Moment drug-smuggling pals DIVE into water during boat chase as they attempt to flee Border Force with cocaine in hull
THIS is the shocking moment a group of drug-smuggling pals dove into the water during a boat chase as they tried to flee from border police. Bruce Knowles, 56, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 32, were intercepted off the coast of Suffolk by cops while carrying 350kg of cocaine - worth £39m - in the hull of their boat. 4 4 4 4 Incredible footage shows the moment officers approached the vessel as it raced "suspiciously" along the coastline in June 2024. Pulling up alongside, border police begin shouting at the two smugglers to stop moving. After Gumrukguoglu and Knowles pull up alongside the officers, the force can be heard asking questions to the drug smugglers. As their boats begin to drift apart, one officer can be heard saying they are going to board the smugglers' ship. Just as they begin to attempt to do so, Gumrukguoglu and Knowles race away at speed, in an attempt to escape the officers. As the cops chase them down, Gumrukguoglu launches himself off the boat in a desperate attempt to flee. Shouts of "man in the water" can be heard as Border Force officers continued their hot pursuit of Knowles. After eventually stopping him alongside their boat, they ask the criminal to "stand down", as he had "been warned". However, in a last-ditch attempt, Knowles also dived into the water, and attempted to flee towards the nearby coast. The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed on Friday that both Knowles and Gumrukguoglu have now been sentenced in regards to the crimes. Brit teen facing life in prison after being 'caught with 14kg of cannabis' in her luggage after huge airport arrest Both men had been charged with importing a controlled drug and pleaded guilty to this at Ipswich Crown Court in August last year. On Friday, Knowles was sentenced to 17 years and three months in prison, while Gumrukguoglu was given 15 years in prison. Paul Orchard, NCA operations manager, said: "This was a fast-moving and dynamic interception of two men attempting to smuggle in a huge quantity of Class A drugs. "Knowles and Gumrukguoglu continued to try and evade arrest to avoid a significant loss for their crime group. They now face long prison sentences. "With thanks to our partners in Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, a significant amount of class A drugs have been removed from the criminal marketplace where further criminality and exploitation would have followed. "The NCA is committed to protecting the public from serious and organised crime and stopping criminals from fuelling the UK drugs trade." Charlie Eastaugh, Border Force Maritime Director added: "Border Force officers are committed to disrupting organised crime and keeping Britain safe by preventing deadly drugs from reaching our streets. "During this pursuit, maritime officers bravely intercepted these criminals and seized 350kg of cocaine, ensuring those who threatened our border security are now facing the full force of the law." HOW THE SMUGGLING UNFOLDED In a statement, the NCA confirmed the pair's crimes and sentencing. The agency said: "Two men who jumped from a boat and attempted to swim to shore after 350 kilos of cocaine was discovered in the hull have been sentenced. "Bruce Knowles, 56, from Dereham, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 32, from the Netherlands, were intercepted on a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk in June 2024. "The men had been spotted on the vessel and failed to stop for a Border Force cutter. Gumrukguoglu jumped from the boat and swam towards the beach as Knowles restarted the engines and attempted to flee. "After a pursuit, the boat was grounded on the beach – but as officers moved in to arrest Knowles, he also jumped overboard to try to escape." The NCA explained that officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police chased down Gumrukguoglu after he fled from the beach, later managing to arrest him on the same day in nearby Wrentham, Norfolk. After the smugglers' boat was towed to a harbour in Lowestoft, NCA officers discovered the enormous haul of cocaine - worth an estimated £39 million - hidden under the tarpaulin in the hull of the boat. Investigators believe Knowles and Gumrukguoglu travelled towards French waters to pick up the drugs from a larger ship, before bringing them back to the UK. Four Brits arrested at sea trying to smuggle £100 million worth of cocaine into UK jailed for combined 90 years FOUR Brits nicked at sea trying to smuggle £100million of cocaine into the UK have been jailed for a total of 90 years. The quartet set out on fishing boat the Lily Lola to pick up drugs in the Channel off the Isles of Scilly. An Apple AirTag on each bag dropped at sea indicated its location. A Border Force vessel intercepted the gang off north Cornwall and found on board 1,078 1kg blocks of cocaine from South America. As officers approached, a covert audio device hidden on the gang's boat recorded one of them saying, 'We're f****d'. Michael Kelly, 45, of Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed abode, admitted conspiring to smuggle cocaine. They got 21 and 18 years respectively. Jon Williams, 45, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, both of Swansea, were convicted of the charge at Truro crown court. They got 26 and 25 years. The court heard Godfrey was asleep on deck in a chair when the fishing boat was raided in September. The gang also left 19 drug bags at sea.
