Latest news with #flailing
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Thug Celtic fan attacked man with glass bottle in Glasgow's Gallowgate on way to game
Witnesses reported seeing him flailing his arms around in an attempt to start a fight FOOTIE YOB BAN Thug Celtic fan attacked man with glass bottle in Glasgow's Gallowgate on way to game Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CELTIC season ticket holder who attacked a man on the way to a game has been banned from Glasgow on matchdays. Sean Connolly, 40, pounced on Jason McGrady in the city's Gallowgate on September 14 2024. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 1 Police witnessed the attack happen at Glasgow's Gallowgate in September 2024 Credit: Alamy Celtic were due to play Hearts in a match Brendan Rodgers' side went on to win 2-0. Fire safety officer Connolly was noted by witnesses to be swinging his arms around in an attempt to start a fight. Prosecutor Jason Black told Glasgow Sheriff Court: "Connolly struck Mr McGrady to the hand with a glass bottle. "He then punched him to the face and body." A member of the public attempted to intervene but Connolly continued to attack Mr McGrady by pushing him onto the road. This was overseen by police officers who arrested Connolly who had travelled to the game from his home in Cumbria. Connolly was taken into custody where he made the reply to caution and charge: "I fought my ground." Mr McGrady meantime was noted to have an injury to his hand but refused medical treatment. Connolly pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr McGrady to his injury. John Kilcoyne, defending, told today's sentencing that the dad-of-one has a "hazy recollection" of the incident. Cheeky Celtic supporters hoist Irish flag at site of Scotland's new superjail The lawyer added: "He is deeply ashamed and disappointed in himself - he has shown remorse and regret." Sheriff Bernard Ablett ordered Connolly to do 176 hours of unpaid work and put him under supervision for nine months. The sheriff also gave Connolly a football banning order as well as the restriction not to enter Greater Glasgow during Celtic home matches for a period of 18 months. He said: "You should understand that this was a serious offence in that you assaulted your victim to his injury. "A bottle was used in the assault and the nature of the offence has been reflected in my sentence. "You have crossed the custodial threshold but with your settled family background and having stayed out of trouble since 2012 I will impose a community disposal." Meanwhile, at the same game, another Celtic fan held by police for shouting at Hearts supporters assaulted a sergeant and was caught with a knife.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Take control of the Panama Canal, locals tell Trump
Huddled together on a dirt bank outside a building site on the edge of the Panama Canal, the men shout fervidly about Donald Trump. The majority of Panamanians have reacted with revulsion to Mr Trump's pledge to 'take back' the key waterway – with thousands having marched and burned effigies of the US president in protest. But this gaggle of out-of-work construction workers are not excoriating Mr Trump – they are passionately cheering him on. 'May Trump come, take the canal in his pocket and remove all those people from its administration. They are thieves,' one worker, who asked to remain anonymous, bellows, his arms flailing. Amid rising frustration with José Raúl Mulino, Panama's president, is an emerging belief that the canal benefits just a few 'elites', resulting in some Panamanians to call for Mr Trump's intervention. In his first 100 days, Mr Trump has turned the 51-mile waterway which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans into a political hot rod, claiming it is under Chinese control. Although the Panamanian government has repeatedly denied any Chinese influence, a Hong Kong-based firm, CK Hutchison Holdings, does manage two ports adjacent to the canal, which some analysts have suggested raises competitive and security concerns for the US. Panama was one of the first countries to recognise Taiwan as part of China. The Trump administration has pressured the firm to sell those interests to a US consortium that includes BlackRock Inc. In December, a spokesman for China insisted the country 'will as always respect Panama's sovereignty' with regards to the waterway. Only Panamanians are entitled to work on the canal and it is run by the Panama Canal Authority – but some workers have cited concern with Mr Mulino and what they claim is Chinese influence. Work is currently under way on the canal's fourth bridge after a Chinese consortium won a $1.4 billion contract to build it, with local workmen claiming they have been shafted in favour of foreigners. 'We are Panamanians and we want to work here but we are unemployed, but the Chinese, they are working. The Panamanians are humiliated,' another worker, who did not want to be named, said. Marvin Moreno, a welder who is currently working on the construction of the fourth bridge, is among the cohort of Panamanian workers egging Mr Trump on to seize the canal. 'Right now [Trump] is the best option because the president we have is putting Panamanians practically against a wall. He is practically acting as a dictator,' he told The Telegraph during his lunch break. Mr Moreno, 42, said Mr Trump has 'his good things and bad things'. He said the Panamanian government was 'attacking our sovereignty', not Mr Trump. Since taking office, Mr Trump has criticised former president Jimmy Carter for 'foolishly' returning the canal, which was constructed by the US in the early 1900s, to Panama. Two treaties signed in 1977 ceded the canal back to the Central American country – with the canal turned over on Dec 31, 1999. The US is the canal's biggest user, with some 40 per cent of all US container traffic crossing it each year. Amid claims America is being 'ripped off' by the canal, Mr Trump had dispatched Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, and Pete Hegseth, his defence secretary, to Panama – with the latter delivering a press conference from the side of the canal, the US flag next to him, telling the world: 'We will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence.' Both visits paid dividends. Following Mr Rubio's visit in February, Mr Mulino said he had made an 'important' decision to pull out of China's Belt and Road Initiative, the country's massive investment project. But the biggest wins for Mr Trump were those ironed out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries during Mr Hegseth's visit in April. The deal agrees to give US military vessels free passage of the canal, something critics say violates the neutrality treaty, and, crucially, it allows US troops to return to three areas on Panamanian soil for joint military training. 'It is an invasion... I said camouflaged invasion, because that's how I view it,' Ricardo Lombana, the leader of Panama's opposition, told The Telegraph. 'This is our country, and you're giving a designated area to a foreign government or to foreign military,' he said, adding that the concessions are likely illegal and are being challenged in court. Javier Martínez-Acha, Panama's foreign affairs minister, has insisted the deal 'does not imply a surrender of sovereignty, nor does it violate the national constitution, nor the neutrality treaty'. Days after The Telegraph spoke to Mr Lombana, Mr Trump said he wanted more. Writing on his Truth Social platform, he demanded both US military and commercial ships be given free passage through the Panama and Suez canals – claiming they would 'not exist' without the US. One person taken aback by Mr Trump's allegations about the canal was Jorge Quijano, the former administrator of the Panama Canal Authority. When he hosted Mike Pence and Mr Rubio during Mr Trump's first term, both men, he said, praised the canal and how the Panamanians were operating it – and made no mention of Chinese influence. 'The way he negotiates is like a magician, he has his hand here, but he's doing something else over here… I think his intention was always having military forces here,' he told The Telegraph. Mr Quijano fears that the canal by nature is 'indefensible' and the only way to protect it is to 'keep it neutral'. While some workers are supportive of Mr Trump, other Panamanians are so vehemently opposed they are willing to lay down their lives to stop him. Sebastian King, special adviser for the union of marine engineers, can still remember the moment US troops tied his hands behind his back and held a rifle to his head during the US invasion of Panama in 1989. Mr King accepted that China may have a 'soft fist influence' in countries in Latin America, but blamed the US for allowing China to win infrastructure projects by not putting in competitive bids for infrastructure projects. 'The people who think Trump is the answer to our problems are mistaken,' he said. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
NJ bus aide who was on phone as disabled 6-year-old strangled herself sentenced to 3 years
A New Jersey school bus aide who was on her phone while the disabled 6-year-old behind her strangled on her wheelchair harness has landed three years behind bars. Amanda Davila, 28, was found guilty of child endangerment earlier this year in the death of little Farj Williams, who died on the way to summer programs at an elementary school in Franklin Park in Somerset County in 2023. Surveillance video showed Davila was wearing earbuds and owas n her phone at the time, unaware that Farj began struggling when the bus hit a bumpy patch, 'which made the four-point harness become tight around her neck' according to the criminal complaint obtained by Farj was nonverbal and suffered from a chromosomal disorder known as Emanuel syndrome, which can stunt physical and mental development. The distracted aide didn't notice the little girl trying to get her attention by gasping, kicking the bus window and flailing her arms and legs, authorities said. By the time the bus arrived at its destination, Farj was unconscious. She later died at the hospital. Defense lawyer Michael Policastro lamented at his client's sentencing last week that this was a terrible tragedy but noted that Davila did not have a prior record and was the mother of a 4-year-old child with severe autism. He argued for probation and said Davila was only part of the problem. 'She takes responsibility for any part she played,' Policastro told the judge, according to ABC 7. 'She's one slice of the pie.' Then Davila stood to address the court and apologized for her actions. 'I'm sorry. My heart goes out to the mother and the family,' Davila said in a quiet voice. She had been found not guilty of the more serious changes of aggravated and reckless behavior. Her reckless-endangerment conviction did not necessarily guarantee prison time, NBC said. Judge Peter Tober ended up sentencing Davila to three years in prison plus a $20,000 payment to the victim's compensation fund. She has 45 days to appeal her sentence. 'She had one job. She didn't do it, and because she didn't do it, Fajr Williams is dead,' said Assistant Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Mclaughlin, according to NBC 4. The victim's mother said nothing as she walked out of court, according to ABC 7. The family had received a $5 million settlement with the school-bus operator.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis is throwing an immigration fit. Make his special session extra special.
If state legislators must be in Tallahassee this week for a special session called by the governor, I've got some suggestions on how to make their time worthwhile. For starters, they did the right thing by ignoring the wishes of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been desperately trying to invent a role for himself in the 'mass deportation' plans of Donald Trump. Despite immigration being a federal issue, DeSantis is flailing around making like he's in charge. And he wants state lawmakers to play along. He wants the power to suspend local officials who don't participate and support the federal deportation crackdowns. He wants to reclassify the unlawful entry into this country as a state crime. And he wants to require people wiring money to other countries to first show identification that shows their immigration status. Lawmakers in his own party have called his efforts premature, and want him to wait for the regularly scheduled session in March. They plan to use the week coming up with proposed legislation of their own. That's a pleasant way of saying, 'Back off, junior.' I'd like to see the Florida Legislature using this time to pass some meaningful legislation now that we've entered the period of mass deportations. Something can certainly be done now that ICE agents are raiding workplaces and hauling away construction workers, farmhands, line cooks, landscapers, home health-care aids and others. Opinion: Trump erases what Latin America needs most from U.S.: Our lawful example Here are some bills I propose for this special session: *** Name: The Field Hand Freedom Act of 2025 Purpose: This statewide plan teaches documented Florida citizens the proper way to pick peppers, harvest cane and bring in crops before they rot in the field. 'Patriot pickers' get free bus transportation to and from the fields and a five-minute water break every four hours, whether they need it or not. Participants sign waivers that absolve the landowner of any culpability in the event the workers throw out their backs, experience a sun-related injury or mental distress. *** Name: The Maid In Florida Initiative Purpose: To teach Floridians basic housekeeping skills while making them available for an emergency deployment to tourist hotels facing a critical labor shortage. Documented Florida citizens participating in the program receive a weeklong course in hotel hospitality. They learn to clean toilets, strip and make up beds, and clean up mysterious stains on the carpet. These patriotic Floridians are then surged, as needed, by the governor as part of his Clean Sweep Reaction Force to address deportation-created shortages in the labor force of the state's critical hospitality sector. After training, these poop troops are awarded the prestigious MAGA Maid designation, which allows them to be honored with other Florida heroes during a very special Hannity. Opinion: How dare women go to college? DeSantis' new university trustee pick will fix it. *** Name: The Clean Plate Fund Purpose: To provide dishwashing services from documented Floridians to restaurants strapped for employees after so many of their former workers vanished due to renewed deportation efforts. Restaurants experiencing dishwasher shortages can apply for money from the fund to send out documented Floridians to wash dishes for the restaurant. Also, diners can get 20 percent rebates on their dinners if they go into the restaurant kitchen after their meals and wash their own dishes. Caution: Restaurants should not expect these replacement workers to work as hard as the ones you lost. A good rule of thumb ratio is three U.S. citizen dishwashers for every one Haitian and/or Guatemalan you lost. *** Name: Let's Get to Work on Grandma's Bed Pan Initiative Purpose: Floridians can celebrate the mass deportation of undocumented workers around us by taking over the care of their bedridden old relatives. Do you know how to change the sheets on a bed with the person still lying in it? You'll learn in this exciting new program run by the state. *** Name: The 'Mow Your Own Lawn' Sales-Tax Holiday Purpose: This is similar to the sales-tax holiday the state has in August for back-to-school items. The 'Mow Your Own Lawn' sales-tax holiday will help defray the costs for all the lawn mowers, edge trimmers, leaf blowers and other yard maintenance equipment you'll need to buy now that your longtime gardener has been sent away and legal ones are stretched too thin. Floridians will finally get to experience the joys of a 12-month growing season and its demands for pruning, trimming and mowing. *** Name: The 'One Nail at a Time' Act Purpose: Have you ever thought what would it be like to remodel your own bathroom or kitchen, fix your own roof leak, or even build a new house from scratch? Well, you can think of it now. With construction trade workers decimated by the mass deportations, you can now experience the joys of homebuilding yourself. And to make it more enjoyable, the state of Florida will suspend all inspections and code compliance on your creations. That's not a wall collapse, that's the sound of freedom. Frank Cerabino is a news columnist with The Palm Beach Post, which is part of the USA Today Network. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: DeSantis flails, calls FL special session on immigration | Opinion
