Father charged along with son (14) in US school shooting


WINDER - A 14-year-old boy was charged with shooting four people dead at a US high school, while his father was charged with manslaughter, authorities said Thursday, after the country's latest outburst of gun violence.

The teen faces four felony murder counts after allegedly killing two fellow pupils, also aged 14, as well as two teachers at Apalachee High School in the southern state of Georgia on Wednesday.

Nine people -- most of them children -- were wounded in the attack. Authorities have said they are recovering.


The suspect's father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was in custody and faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children, making him the latest American parent to face criminal charges after a child was involved in a mass shooting.

The charges come after Gray "knowingly" allowed his son to possess a weapon, Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Chris Hosey told a press conference.

Citing unnamed sources, CNN reported that the gun used in the shooting -- which it described as an AR 15-style assault rifle -- had been purchased for the teenager by his father as a holiday gift.

The GBI had said the suspect would be charged as an adult. He was scheduled to appear in court on Friday, with more charges expected.

"The investigation into the shooting at Apalachee HS is still active & ongoing," the agency said in a post on X."This is day 2 of a very complex investigation & the integrity of the case is paramount," it continued, adding that all four victims would be autopsied on Thursday. Father charged along with son (14) in US school shooting
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FCC fines major US operators for illegal data sharing


The fines were first proposed in February 2020

This week, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined major US wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint (since acquired by T-Mobile), T-Mobile, and Verizon nearly $200 million for illegally sharing customer location information to third parties without their consent.

According to the FCC, the carriers sold access to their customers’ location information to ‘aggregators’, who then resold the access to this information to third-party location-based service providers.

This allowed “highly sensitive data to wind up in the hands of bail-bond companies, bounty hunters, and other shady actors,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement.

Under the Communications Act of 1934, carriers are required to take “reasonable measures” to protect certain customer information, which includes location information.

“Our communications providers have access to some of the most sensitive information about us. These carriers failed to protect the information entrusted to them. Here, we are talking about some of the most sensitive data in their possession: customers’ real-time location information, revealing where they go and who they are,” said Rosenworcel in a separate press release.

Specifically, the FCC fined T-Mobile $80 million, Sprint $12 million, AT&T $57 million, and Verizon $47 million.

Although the FCC’s fines are significant, they represent just a tiny fraction of the operator’s annual revenues. Verizon’s $47 million fine, for example, is less than 1% of its total 2023 revenue, which was nearly $77 billion.

T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have stated that they strongly oppose the FCC’s findings, and all three companies intend to appeal the decision. 

“[The FCC’s] decision is wrong, and the fine is excessive,” said T-Mobile in a statement. “We intend to challenge it.”

AT&T similarly claimed that the fines lacked “both legal and factual merit”.

“It unfairly holds us responsible for another company’s violation of our contractual requirements to obtain consent, ignores the immediate steps we took to address that company’s failures, and perversely punishes us for supporting life-saving location services. Source: https://totaltele.com/fcc-fines-major-us-operators-for-illegal-data-sharing/
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'Rust' armourer found guilty over deadly on-set shooting

NEW MEXICO - The armourer who loaded the gun that killed a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. A jury in New Mexico took just over two hours to find Hannah Gutierrez guilty for the death of Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 during filming of the budget Western. A 10-day trial heard how Gutierrez had been ultimately responsible for the use of live rounds on set -- a red line across the industry. The court had also heard how she had repeatedly failed to adhere to basic safety rules, leaving guns unattended, and allowing actors -- including Baldwin -- to wave weapons around. "This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake and that one mistake was accidentally putting a live round into that gun," prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the jury in her closing argument Wednesday. "This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another." Hutchins was hit by a live round fired from the Colt .45 that Baldwin was holding for a scene inside a wooden church on the New Mexico set. Director Joel Souza was wounded by the same bullet. Baldwin has repeatedly denied responsibility, insisting he did not pull the trigger. Ballistics experts have dismissed the claim, saying the gun could not have discharged any other way. His own involuntary manslaughter trial is expected in July. The tragedy sent shockwaves through Hollywood and led to calls for a complete ban on the use of weapons on movie sets. Industry insiders, however, insisted that rules were already in place to prevent such incidents, and that those working on "Rust" had not followed them. 'Rust' armourer found guilty over deadly on-set shooting
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Two Indian nationals charged in elder fraud gold bar courier scam

Cleveland – Anil Mangukia, 39, of Edison, New Jersey, and Yash Navadia, 25 of Secaucus, New Jersey, who were Indian Nationals, were both indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with money laundering conspiracy for their roles in an elder fraud gold bar courier scam (“Courier Scam”) targeting older Americans. They allegedly stole more than $127,000 and attempted to steal an additional $650,000 from a victim in Warrren, Ohio.

According to court documents, coconspirators posed as a customer service employee at a company or bank. They contacted a victim—typically an elder person—and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The purported customer service employee then referred the victim to another perpetrator who posed as a government agent, claiming that the fake government agent would assist the victim in avoiding or mitigating the effects of the account compromise. The fake government agent would discuss the incident with the victim, validate the false story told by the purported customer service or bank employee, and instruct the victim to either (1) move the victim’s money to another account that the perpetrators controlled, or (2) purchase gold or other valuable items and move them to the perpetrators’ account, claiming that the new account was secure and safe from the purported hackers. The perpetrators then used the stolen funds for their own benefit, without the victim’s knowledge or consent.

According to court documents, the defendants caused their victims to engage in several different types of transfers, such as the following: (i) withdrawing currency, converting it to cryptocurrency, and transferring the cryptocurrency to the coconspirators, who claimed they would deposit it into secure accounts; (ii) initiating bank transfers directly from victim’s accounts to acquire things of value that were handed over or otherwise transferred to coconspirators, who claimed that they would then convert those items into funds and deposit them in a secure account for the victim.

According to court documents, the defendants and their coconspirators also obtained proceeds from the Courier Scam directly from victims, traveling to meet victims either at their homes or nearby designated locations. There, the victims would give the defendants and their coconspirators U.S. currency, gold bars, or gold coins under false pretenses, persuaded that the perpetrators would secure the victims’ property.

“Our Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who commit financial scams that defraud our elderly citizens of their hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko. “Financial fraud schemes of any variety cause serious financial harm to our community members, but those that target the elderly are particularly reprehensible. We encourage all members of the public to remain vigilant against such hoaxes and report suspected scams to law enforcement.”

“The FBI is focused on finding and investigating criminals preying on the trust of older Americans,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Scams are becoming more complex, with several layers of deceit in their ploy and bad actors working in groups to give the illusion of legitimacy. The FBI will not yield in its pursuit to identify these criminals and dismantle scam and fraud-based networks.”

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). Two Indian nationals charged in elder fraud gold bar courier scam
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Manager admits to key role in Indian Call Center scam

A 28-year-old Indian citizen recently entered a guilty plea in a years-long international conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud between 2017 and 2020. Zaheen Malvi, who was living illegally in Heber Springs, Arkansas, assisted Indian call centers in a telemarketing scheme that extorted millions of dollars from hundreds of victims in the United States, announced U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani, in a May 15, 2023, press release. U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen accepted the plea and set sentencing for Aug. 14. At that time, Malvi faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He will remain in custody pending that hearing. As part of his plea agreement, Malvi will pay restitution to the scheme’s identified victims. Malvi first acted as a runner in the scheme, going to different Target stores in the Chicago area and depleting funds from gift cards that victims had transferred to the call centers. In later years, Malvi managed other runners as they traveled around the country, picking up packages filled with cash that call center victims had mailed. “The Indian call centers perpetrating these scams are relentless,” U.S. Attorney Hamdani is quoted saying in the press release. “They prey on the fears and insecurities of the most vulnerable among us, such as the elderly. But we are relentless too. Today, one more criminal is finally held to account for the many years he helped funnel money from victims into the pockets of overseas scammers…and tomorrow, we keep working.” One common script used in the scheme involved coercing victims into believing federal agents were investigating them. The “agent” on the phone would convince the victim the only way to clear his or her name from investigation was to buy gift cards and transfer the redemption codes to the call center or mail cash in a package to a name and address the call center provided. Runners in the United States would then deplete the gift card funds and pick up the packages.The Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), consistently warns people of similar scams. For more information visit https://www.ssa.gov/scam/Manager admits to key role in Indian Call Center scam
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Convicted lab owner Minal Patel, ordered to forfeit over $187 million in health care fraud proceeds

Exhibit from court record. Provided by Justice Department. PHOTO Justice.gov
MIAMI – On Sept. 22, U.S. District Court Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz, in Miami, ordered the defendant, Minal Patel, to forfeit over $187 million in health care fraud proceeds including over $30 million seized from personal and corporate bank accounts, a 2018 Red Ferrari Spider, a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover, and real property. Minal Patel, 44, of Atlanta, owned LabSolutions LLC (LabSolutions), a lab enrolled with Medicare that performed sophisticated genetic tests. Patel, who has already been convicted, is accused of having conspired with patient brokers, telemedicine companies, and call centers to target Medicare beneficiaries with telemarketing calls falsely stating that Medicare covered expensive cancer genetic tests, the Justice Department press release of October 3, 2023, said. After the Medicare beneficiaries agreed to take a test, Patel paid kickbacks and bribes to patient brokers to obtain signed doctors’ orders authorizing the tests from telemedicine companies. To conceal the kickbacks and bribes, Patel required patient brokers to sign sham contracts that falsely stated that the brokers were performing legitimate advertising services for LabSolutions, when the brokers were deceptively marketing to Medicare beneficiaries and paying kickbacks and bribes to telemedicine companies for genetic testing prescriptions. Patel knew the telemedicine doctors robo-signed prescriptions for expensive genetic testing even though they were not treating the beneficiaries, often did not even speak with them, and made no evaluation of medical necessity, the Justice Department press release noted.From July 2016 through August 2019, LabSolutions submitted more than $463 million in claims to Medicare, including for thousands of medically unnecessary genetic tests, of which Medicare paid over $187 million. “Patel enriched himself with the fruits of his crimes, including with the purchase of luxury items like a 2018 Red Ferrari Spider,” the press release said. Convicted lab owner Minal Patel, ordered to forfeit over $187 million in health care fraud proceeds
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Mexico`s ex-governor shot dead in restaurant’s toilet


Aristoteles Sandoval, the former governor of Mexico’s troubled western state of Jalisco was shot dead in a restaurant bathroom in the popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta on Friday.

State attorney general Gerardo Octavio Solis said that Sandoval was dining with four others when at around 1:40 am he got up from the table and went to the toilet, where the killer shot him in the back. 

Although only one gunman fired at Sandoval, he may have been accompanied by as many as nine accomplices who waited outside the restaurant, Solis said. 

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that Sandoval did not die immediately, but when his bodyguards tried to evacuate him from the restaurant, their escape was blocked by more gunmen in the street outside, who opened fire, seriously injuring one of the bodyguards. The former governor died soon afterwards at a local hospital. 

According to officials, Sandoval had 15 police bodyguards assigned to him as well as bulletproof vehicles. Two of the bodyguards were present but were outside the restaurant when the attack took place. 

Solis said that staff at the restaurant cleaned the crime scene, removing blood and bullet casings, and erasing video of the attack. “There are no clues - they practically swept the place clean,” Solis told Televisa. He said eight to 10 suspects were involved in the attack but did not indicate who was responsible.

Jalisco is the heartland of one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal gangs, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The gang controls much of the state since it rose to power during the former governor’s term from 2013 to 2018. Mexico has been marred by gang violence for years. More than 34,500 murders were reported last year, but the country already set a new record as during the first six months of 2020 there were more than 17,400 murders - a 1.7 percent increase compared with the same period last year. - Aljazeera, The Guardian Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
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Gunmen attack in Naigeria school, hundreds missing


Hundreds of students feared missing after unidentified gunmen attacked a secondary school in north-western Nigeria on Friday evening.

No student was injured in the attack, said authority.

Witnesses said that the attackers targeted the Government Science Secondary School - where more than 800 students are said to reside - in Katsina state on Friday evening.

On Saturday, the military said it had located the gunmen's hideout in a forest and exchanged gunfire with them.

The outcome was unclear but officials said there were no reports of students being injured. However, witnesses said they saw a number of students being taken away by the gunmen.

In a statement on Saturday, police said that during an exchange of fire, some of the gunmen were forced to retreat. Students were able to scale the fence of the school and run to safety, they said.About 200 students who had fled - and were initially deemed missing - later returned. One police officer was taken to hospital after being shot and wounded, police said. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
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Chatroom sex abuse ringleader jailed for 40yrs


A South Korean court has sentenced the mastermind of one of the country’s biggest online sex abuse rings to 40 years in jail. 

Cho Ju-bin was found guilty of running a group that blackmailed girls into sharing sexual videos that were then posted in pay-to-view chatrooms.

Citing a district court in Seoul on Thursday, CNN reported that the accused had distributed a wide range of sexually explicit content. Cho Ju-bin created these offensive contents by tempting and blackmailing many victims.

CNN also reported that people used to be members of the chatrooms of the Telegram app in exchange for money. At least 10,000 people used the chatrooms, with some paying up to $1,200 (Tk 101,390) for access. Some 74 people, including 16 underage girls, were exploited.

Meanwhile, Cho violated the law to protect children from sexual abuse. He used to earn money by selling these exploiting videos.Online sexual harassment has caused quite a stir in South Korea. The name of the accused was not disclosed at the beginning. However, Cho’s name was revealed in the petition signed by 5 million people of the country. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
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800-page report shows how Tarrant eluded detection


New Zealand’s Royal Commission on Tuesday submitted a comprehensive report into last year’s Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 Muslim worshippers were killed.

The nearly 800-page Royal Commission of Inquiry report shows that the attacker, Brenton Tarrant, kept a low profile and told nobody of his plans.

It concludes that despite the shortcomings of various agencies, there were no clear signs the attack was imminent aside from the manifesto Tarrant sent out just eight minutes before he began shooting, which came too late for agencies to respond.

But the report does detail failings in the police system for vetting gun licenses and says that New Zealand’s intelligence agencies were too alert on the threat posed by Islamic extremism at the expense of other threats.

Among 44 recommendations, the report says the government should establish a new national intelligence agency.

In 2019, 51 Muslims were killed in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch by a man named Brenton Tarrant.In August, the 30-year-old Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to 92 counts of terrorism, murder, and attempted murder. https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
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आदर्श क्रेडिट कोआपरेटिव की 1500 करोड़ की संपत्ति जब्त, जनता का पैसा रिश्तेदारों को डायवर्ट


आदर्श समूह मुकेश मोदी वीरेंद्र मोदी व उनके परिवार तथा महेंद्र टांक व सौरभ टांक के रिद्धि सिद्धी समूह व अन्य आरोपितों का है। नई दिल्ली, प्रेट्र। प्रवर्तन निदेशालय (ईडी) ने आदर्श क्रेडिट कोआपरेटिव सोसायटी लि. (Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society Limited) की 1489 करोड़ रुपये की संपत्ति सोमवार को जब्त कर ली। इसमें 1464.76 करोड़ की अचल संपत्तियां व बैंक में जमा 24.44 करोड़ रुपये शामिल हैं। जनता के जमा धन के गबन के आरोप में ईडी ने यह कदम उठाया है। मोदी व टांक का है ग्रुप आदर्श समूह मुकेश मोदी, वीरेंद्र मोदी व उनके परिवार तथा महेंद्र टांक व सौरभ टांक के रिद्धि सिद्धी समूह व अन्य आरोपितों का है। ईडी द्वारा जब्त की गई संपत्तियां राजस्थान, हरियाणा, नई दिल्ली, गुजरात, महाराष्ट्र व उप्र में हैं। मनी लांड्रिंग के अपराध से संबंधित होने के कारण मनी लांड्रिंग रोकथाम अधिनियम (पीएमएलए) 2002 के तहत इन्हें फिलहाल अस्थाई रूप से जब्त किया गया है। भारी मात्रा में फंड डायवर्ट किया गया निवेशकों का आरोप था कि आदर्श क्रेडिट कोऑपरेटिव सोसाइटी लिमिटेड में समय पूरा होने के बाद भी पैसे वापस नहीं लौटाया गया। ईडी की जांच में सामने आया कि मुकेश के परिवार और रिश्तेदारों की कंपनियों में वेतन, प्रोत्साहन और कमीशन के माध्यम से भारी मात्रा में फंड को डायवर्ट किया गया। मुकेश और अन्य लोगों की वजह से आदर्श क्रेडिट कोऑपरेटिव सोसाइटी लिमिटेड (ACCSL) को लगभग 4,000 करोड़ रुपये का भारी नुकसान हुआ। दिसंबर 2018 में दर्ज हुआ था केस आदर्श समूह के खिलाफ दिसंबर 2018 में राजस्थान पुलिस के स्पेशल आपरेशन ग्रुप ने एफआइआर दर्ज की थी। आइपीसी की विभिन्न धाराओं में मुकेश व राहुल मोदी व आदर्श समूह के अन्य लोगों के खिलाफ धोखाधड़ी, हेराफेरी, आपराधिक षड्यंत्र व अन्य धाराओं में केस दर्ज किया था। कई निवेशकों ने सोसायटी के खिलाफ शिकायतें की थीं। इसी एफआइआर के आधार पर ईडी ने भी मामला हाथ में लिया। Source: https://www.jagran.com 
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‘Killing of Irani scientist is insane, provocative and illegal’



Top US senator Bernie Sanders has strongly condemned the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent Iranian physicist, saying that the murder is illegal and “an attempt to thwart the possibility of Iran’s negotiation with the new US administration.”

In a Twitter message on Saturday, Sanders said the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was insane, provocative and illegal. 

“A new US administration is set to take power, and the assassination makes it clear that it is a move to thwart a possible diplomatic process between Iran and the United States,” he said. 

However, we should not allow such incidents to happen at all. Not murder but the diplomatic way is the best way forward, Bernie Sanders added.

Meanwhile, John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser to US President Donald Trump, has backed the assassination of Iranian scientist Fakhrizadeh. He asserted that the killings are justified in order to thwart the possibility of Iran building an atomic bomb. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
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Pakistan fails to nab 19 most wanted LeT terrorists even 12 years after 26/11 attack


NOV 26, 2020 LAHORE: Twelve years after the 26/11 attack, Pakistan has placed 19 members of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in a list of the "Most Wanted Terrorists" for their role in the heinous assault, but it has not initiated any serious efforts to nab them and also punish seven others who are facing trial here. The security agencies here are clueless about the whereabouts of these 19 most wanted terrorists. Some of them have been hiding in Pakistan and others are believed to have fled the country. These terrorists were either crew members of the boats used by the attackers or financiers of the 26/11 attack. The move to place 19 LeT terrorists in the list apparently came following the Paris-based global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog's recent decision to retain Pakistan on its grey list till February 2021. The Financial Action Task Force made the decision after Islamabad failed to fulfill its six key obligations, including failure to take action against two of India's most wanted terrorists - Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed head Masood Azhar. The security agencies have prepared a list of over 1,200 most wanted/high profile terrorists in Pakistan to enable more coordination among authorities to go after them, officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said. The FIA, Pakistan's top investigating agency, has been probing the Mumbai terror attack case since 2009 and is looking for the 19 "most wanted terrorists" involved in the deadly terror assault that sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a war. In November 2008, 10 LeT terrorists sailed into Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks, killing 166 people and injuring over 300. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged after trial in India. On the 12th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, its mastermind Saeed is in jail in Lahore, serving a collective over 21-year sentence under terror financing charges. Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 last year. Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the LeT. And the LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has been operating with impunity in the country after securing bail in the Mumbai terror attack case over five years ago. The 26/11 case has been pending in the anti-terrorism courts of Rawalpindi/Islamabad since 2009. The other six accused -- Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum -- who are facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attack, are lodged at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The Pakistan government says it has recently introduced a number of fresh legislations to enable security forces to confront terrorist groups more effectively. Making the information about the 19 most wanted LeT terrorists public for the first time, the FIA says Amjad Khan of Multan was a crew member of LeT (boat Al-Hussaini and boat Al-Fauz). "He also purchased the boat Al Fauz which was used during the Mumbai terror attacks. He also purchased a Yamaha motor-boat engine, life jackets, inflatable boats etc. From ARZ Water Sport Karachi these things were used in Mumbai terror attacks and recovered by Indian authorities," it says. Iftikhar Ali, a resident of Faisalabad, obtained Voice-over Internet Protocol (VOIP) connection for terrorist communication, it says. The FIA further says Shahid Ghafoor of Bahawalpur was a captain/Tandol of boats Al Hussaini & Al Fauz. "Muhammad Usman of Sahiwal, Ateequer Rehman of Lahore, Riaz Ahmed of Hafizabad, Muhammad Mushtaq of Gujranwala, Muhammad Naeem of DG Khan, Abdul Shakoor of Karachi, Muhammad Sabir of Multan, Usman Bashir of Lodhran, Shakil Ahmed of Rahim Yar Khan and Abdul Rehman of Bawalnagar were crew members of boats Al Hussaini & Al Fouz used by the terrorists," the FIA says. Giving details of the other most wanted LeT terrorists, the FIA says Usman Zia of Rawalpindi transferred Rs 80,000 in the account of accused Hammad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz in ABL Karachi. Similarly, Abbas Nasir of Khanewal transferred Rs 2,53,690 in their account. Javed Iqbal of Kasur and Mukhtar Ahmed of Mandi Bahauddin transferred Rs 1,86,430 and Rs 2,98,047 respectively in Sadiq's account. The FIA says Ahmed Saeed of Bbatagram transferred Rs 21,00,000. Muhammad Khan of Turbat provided Al-Hussaini boat to the terrorists involved in the 26/11 attack. Talking to the news channels on the current status of the Mumbai attack case, FIA's chief prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar said: "The case proceedings have come to halt after India refused to send its 24 witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements and other evidence. The case cannot move further till India's cooperation on the issue." Practically, there have not been any proceedings in this case for the last two years or so. Neither the Imran Khan government intends to challenge the bail of Lakhvi in the Supreme Court. According to the FIA, the prosecution does not have strong enough evidence to challenge Lakhvi's bail. Neither Saeed nor any of his associates convicted in terror financing cases have applied for bail in superior court. "Perhaps the convicted JuD men are told to wait for Pakistan coming out of the FATF's grey list before they move to court for bail," a political analyst commented. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News
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Trump’s campaign website defaced by hackers

The campaign website of United States President Donald Trump was hacked on Tuesday — just a week earlier before the upcoming US presidential election on November 3. However, the US officials said the hack was a very short period of time.

A message has been posted after hacking the website called donaldjtrump.com. “This site has been seized,” said the message on the website. 

It was also written that President Donald Trump has spread a lot of fake news in the world.

In a statement on Tuesday, Trump’s campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told the media that President Trump’s campaign website had been hacked and distorted this evening. “The website was recovered very quickly. They could not get any important information from there ‍as no sensitive information has been stored on the site,” he said.

“We’re working with people from law enforcement to find out who hacked the website,” he said, adding that they are looking into the matter.

The DonaldJetramp.com website requests information and funding for Trump's election campaign.

The website was “seized” in the style of the FBI, the US Department of Homeland Security. The hackers claimed to have “leaked secret information” in a message. They also said that if anyone wants to reveal and keep confidential information, they have to deliver the cryptocurrency to their specified address. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
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Maldives ex-vice president sentenced to 20 years for graft


Maldives former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb

Maldives former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption charges related to leasing tropical islands for hotel development. 

The Maldives Criminal Court also fined the 38-year-old, who pleaded guilty last month under a plea bargain, $129,892 on Monday. 

Adeeb was charged with embezzlement, money laundering and misuse of government authority among other offences, according to an order of Judge Hassan Saeed. 

According to an asset recovery commission, the islands in the popular holiday destination were sold below-market prices. As a result, the government lost nearly $259m. 

In his statement to the court, Adeeb said he was ready to cooperate to recover the missing money. 

Last year, Maldivian police arrested Adeeb after he fled the Indian Ocean archipelago and sought asylum in India.

Adeeb, who became the Maldives’ youngest vice president in July 2015 at the age of 33, suffered a spectacular fall from grace just months later following a mysterious blast on then-President Abdulla Yameen’s speedboat. 

Yameen, who lost a 2018 presidential election and in 2019 was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering, escaped the explosion unharmed but his wife and two aides were injured.

Authorities in the Maldives swiftly moved to arrest Adeeb, and brought him to trial, first on charges of corruption relating to the theft of nearly $80m from state coffers from the lease of islands for tourism, and later on accusations of plotting to kill Yameen.

The following year, Adeeb was sentenced to a total of 33 years in jail in trials rights groups called unfair.

In May last year, an appeals court overturned the sentences against Adeeb and ordered retrials, citing political interference in the convictions. Prosecutors appealed the ruling in the money-laundering case, and the Supreme Court seized Adeeb’s passport pending a new decision.

He was released from house imprisonment in July 2019. Source:  https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
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Huge weapons recovered from Pakistani drone; claims India (video)


Security forces have recovered a large number of arms and ammunition dumped in Jammu and Kashmir by drone through the Pakistan border.

The arms and ammunition were recovered from the Naiwala Khal area in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday; report PTI, India Today.

Among the weapons recovered were two AK-47 rifles, three magazines, 90 rounds of ammunition, and a pistol. The Jammu and Kashmir administration claimed that the weapons were sent to the Indian border from Pakistan.

According to intelligence sources, the operation was carried out in the border area and illegal weapons were recovered from within 12 km of the Pak-India border.

The local police also claimed that heavy weapons were sent for the rebels in Jammu and Kashmir.

Authorities say drone strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) have increased in Jammu and Kashmir. A senior official also claimed that the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad was behind it.

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After Hathras, another woman raped, killed in Uttar Pradesh

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Even as the embers of the Hathras incident continue to smoulder, yet another incident of a Dalit woman being gangraped and killed in Balrampur district has taken place. According to reports, a 22-year-old Dalit college student was raped and brutalized in the Gaisari village of Balrampur on Tuesday.

Two persons have been arrested in connection with the crime.

The woman, a second-year B. Com student, had gone to a college in a nearby town to pay her fees on Tuesday. According to the family, she also worked in a private firm.

The girl did not return home till late in the evening and the family made several attempts to contact her on her phone.

Later in the night, the woman reportedly came home in a rickshaw in a semi-conscious state. She had a cannula injected in her forehand which indicated that she had undergone treatment.

Family members said that the woman looked dazed and in a serious condition. The family rushed her to a nearby hospital, but she died on the way.

The family has also alleged that the woman was lethally injected before she was raped.

Balrampur Superintendent of Police, Dev Ranjan Verma, said: "The family said that the woman did not reach home on time on Tuesday. They tried to contact her but could not get in touch. After some time, she came home in a rickshaw with a glucose drip attached to her arm and she was in a bad state. The relatives took her to a hospital but she died on the way."

According to the mother of the victim, she was unable to speak when she came back home and could only manage to utter the words, "I am in a lot of pain, I won't survive."

"She had gone to get her admission done at 10 in the morning. We have the receipts. On her way back, 3-4men forcibly put her in their car, injected her and raped her. The accused broke her back and her legs and sent her back in a rickshaw. She had no strength left to even walk," the mother told reporters.

However, the Balrampur Police, in a tweet, said reports about her limbs and waist being broken are not true and these injuries have not been confirmed in the autopsy report.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim's brother, the Balrampur police registered a case and arrested two accused, Shahid and Sahil, on charges of gangrape and murder on Wednesday night.

The police also said that the victim was raped in the back room of a grocery store in the Gaisari village. The victim's sandals were found outside the room and the owner of the grocery store is the alleged mastermind of the crime.

Police investigations also revealed that the accused had tried to get the victim treated after raping her.

They called a nearby doctor to come and see the victim but the doctor got suspicious of the situation and refused to treat her in the absence of a guardian.

"A boy named Sahil came to call me around 5 pm. He took me to his uncle Shahid's grocery shop. When I reached there, they told me to see a patient from their family. I saw that the room was empty and asked them who the woman was. They told me she is the daughter of a government secretary. I said I will not treat her until a woman or elder from the vicinity is present. They told me to go back to my clinic and said they will call the secretary and get the victim to my clinic. I do not know where they went after that," the doctor told local reporters.

The doctor also confirmed that the victim did not have an IV drip attached when he saw her.

Meanwhile, in what seems to be a replay of the Hathras incident, the Balrampur victim was also cremated in a hurry late on Tuesday night amidst a heavy police deployment.

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Twitter account of PM Modi's personal website hacked

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Twitter said it has fixed the account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal website that was briefly hacked in the wee hours and tweets asking people to donate Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were posted on it. Twitter said it has secured the compromised account known as @narendramodi_in.

The affected account is linked to PM Modi's personal website and has more than 2.5 million followers.

"We are actively investigating the situation. At this time, we are not aware of additional accounts being impacted," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

According to Twitter, this breach was not due to a compromise of its systems or service.

"There is no indication or evidence of any correlation between this account compromise and the incident that took place in July," the company said in a statement shared with IANS.

Twitter faced a mega crypto hack in July that spread a Bitcoin scam by hijacking accounts of high-profile celebrities, politicians and businesses as a result of a phone spear-phishing attack.

"I appeal to you all to donate generously to PM National Relief Fund for Covid-19, Now India begin with crypto currency, Kindly Donate eth (Ethereum) 0xae073DB1e5752faFF169B1ede7E8E94bF7f80Be6 (sic)," read one tweet from the hackers.

Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency platform by market capitalisation, behind Bitcoin.

Another tweet read: "I appeal to you all to donate generously to PM National Relief Fund for Covid-19, Now India begin with crypto currency, Kindly Donate Bitcoin to 0xae073DB1e5752faFF169B1ede7E8E94bF7f80Be6 (sic) #eth #crypto".

The tweets were later taken down by Twitter Source: https://southasiamonitor.org/
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Interpol issues global arrest warrant against Nirav Modi's wife in PNB fraud case

AUG 25, 2020 NEW DELHI: An Interpol global arrest warrant has been issued against Ami Modi, wife of prime accused in the over USD 2 billion PNB bank fraud case Nirav Modi, on charges of money laundering, officials said on Tuesday. They said the ''red notice'' has been issued by the global police body on the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Once such a notice issued against a fugitive, the Interpol asks its 192-member countries to arrest or detain the person if spotted in their countries after which extradition or deportation proceedings can begin. Ami Modi is stated to have left country soon after the alleged bank fraud case came into light in 2018. The ED has charged Ami Modi for conspiring and money laundering with her husband and jeweller Nirav Modi apart from his uncle Mehul Choksi and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Nirav Modi (49), is currently lodged in a UK jail after being arrested in London in March, 2019 and is currently fighting extradition to India. He has been declared a fugitive economic offender by a Mumbai court early this year and the court had also ordered confiscation of his assets. The ED has already confiscated about Rs 329 crore of his linked properties. The businessman, Choksi and others are being probed by the ED on money laundering charges in connection with an over USD 2 billion alleged bank fraud at a PNB branch in Mumbai. Similar Interpol notices have been earlier been issued against Nirav Modi's younger brother Nehal Modi and sister Purvi Modi. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source:  Jammu Links News
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Pakistan confirms putting Dawood Ibrahim's name in new terror sanctions list

AUG 23, 2020 ISLAMABAD: Days after including India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim on its new sanctions list, Pakistan on Sunday tried to wriggle out of its admission on his presence in the country by claiming that its notifications about the 88 banned terror groups and their leaders were based on the details provided by the UN. Seeking to escape from getting blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, Pakistan on Friday imposed tough financial sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders, including Ibrahim, 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar. The Pakistan government ordered the seizure of all movable and immovable properties of these outfits and individuals, and freezing of their bank accounts. Underworld don Ibrahim, who heads a vast and multifaceted illegal business, has emerged as India''s most wanted terrorist after the 1993 Mumbai bombings. In 2003, the US declared Ibrahim as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. India has repeatedly asked the Government of Pakistan to hand over Ibrahim to India so that he can be prosecuted for the crimes committed by him. It is reported that Ibrahim is based in the southern port city of Karachi. Pakistan''s Foreign Office issued a midnight statement in response to the media reports that Islamabad had admitted in the two new notifications issued on August 18 that Ibrahim was residing in the country. It said that the SROs (Statutory Regulatory Orders) issued reflect the information contained in the list entry of UN designated individuals/entities. It said the reports in certain sections of the media about Pakistan imposing new sanctions measures, through these SROs, were not factual. The assertions made by some sections of the media, as to Pakistan admitting to the "presence of certain listed individuals on its territory, based on the information contained in the SRO, are baseless and misleading", it claimed. "It is once again reiterated that the information contained in the SRO is reproduced as per the details in the list entry of the individuals/entities designated under the two sanctions regime, which is publicly available, and contains names of individuals who despite their confirmed deceased status still continue to be on the sanctions list," it said. The Foreign Office said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued two consolidated SROs on August 18, reflecting the current status of the UN Taliban and ISIL (Da''esh) and AQ Sanctions list. These lists contain names of individuals and entities designated under the two sanction regimes established pursuant to the UN Security Council resolutions, it said, adding that the consolidated SROs are issued periodically as a routine matter. Similar SROs have been issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past, as per statutory requirements to meet our international obligations. The last such SROs were issued in 2019, the Foreign Office said. The Paris-based FATF put Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019, but the deadline was extended later due to COVID-19 pandemic. Though various sanctions were in place against almost all of those listed by the UNSC, the Pakistan government through the new notifications on Friday consolidated and documented the previously announced measures, Pakistani media reports said on Saturday. The UNSC Sanctions Committee deals with sanctions on entities and individuals declared as terrorists. All states, including Pakistan, are bound to implement the sanctions which include assets freeze, an arms embargo, and travel ban. It is believed that the latest move by the Pakistan government is part of its efforts to wriggle out of the grey list of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog FATF. On August 12, Pakistan Parliament''s lower house passed four bills related to the tough conditions set by the FATF after the government and the Opposition reached a consensus. The legislation was part of the efforts by Pakistan to move from the FATF''s grey list to the white list. In its third and final plenary held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June, the FATF decided to keep Pakistan in the "grey list" as Islamabad failed to check the flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu. With Pakistan''s continuation in the ''grey list'', it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB, and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the nation which is in a precarious financial situation. If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, there is every possibility that the global body may put the country in the ''Black List'' along with North Korea and Iran. The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations - the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News
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