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☆ Human rights lawyer to political reformer: Who is Keir Starmer, the UK's new would-be prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks ahead of the U.K.'s general election on July 4, 2024. The left-of-center opposition party retains a commanding lead of around 20 points over current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, according to the latest YouGov poll. But who is Keir Starmer — Labour's leader and the clear favorite to become prime minister after Britain's July 4 election? Starmer also served as a human rights adviser during former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair's Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement. Labour leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie with students after a campaign event at Three Counties Medical School on May 29, 2024.

Persons: Sir Keir Starmer, Anthony Devlin, Rishi Sunak's, Nigel Farage's, Keir Starmer —, Starmer, Margaret Thatcher's, Tony Blair's, Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer, Christopher Furlong Organizations: Labour Party, Getty, Conservative, Britain's Labour Party, Labour, Conservatives, British, National Health Service, University of Leeds, University of Oxford, Shell, Tony Blair's Northern, Service, Counties Medical School, Wealth Fund Locations: London, England, Victoria, EU, Britain

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong’s leader responded on Tuesday after three people were charged by British police for allegedly spying on behalf of the city’s intelligence services. Relations between Hong Kong and its former colonial ruler Britain have soured in recent years following mass pro-democracy protests in the Chinese city in 2019 and 2020. The British government has criticized Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed crackdown on almost all opposition in the years following the protests, while Hong Kong authorities have bristled at Britain providing a safe haven for pro-democracy leaders sought by the Hong Kong police. Hong Kong leader Lee noted in his Tuesday news conference that one of the men charged was the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London but did not directly address a question over whether it was involved in surveillance of Hong Kong dissidents in the UK. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee is speaking at a press conference on April 30, 2024.

Persons: Hong, Chi Leung, Peter, Wai, Matthew Trickett, Chung Biu Yuen, Hong Kong’s, John Lee, ” Lee, Chi Leung Wai, Yui Mok, Jonathan Brady, Yuen, Louisa Cieciora, Lee, Vernon Yuen, ”, Dominic Murphy Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, British, Hong, city’s Metropolitan Police, Hong Kong, Embassy, Westminster Magistrates, Administrative, Police, Hong Kong Economic, Trade Office, . Hong, Economic, Trade, Metropolitan Police, UK National Security, Crown Prosecution Service, Command, Met Police Locations: Hong Kong, Westminster, London, city’s, Britain, Hong Kong’s Beijing, . Hong Kong, England

☆ Pedro Sanchez: Spanish PM refuses to quit, vowing to fight ‘unfounded’ attack on his wife
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Al Goodman | Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“I have decided to continue, with more force if possible, as the head of the Spanish government,” the 52-year-old prime minister said. Sanchez thanked his Spanish Socialist Party members for their support. Manos Limpias acknowledged on the same day that it had relied on press reports for its court complaint. Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty ImagesSanchez’ Socialist party performed strongly in recent regional elections in Spain’s northern Basque region. Sanchez became prime minister in 2018 after winning a no-confidence vote against the conservative Mariano Rajoy.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Begoña Gomez, Sanchez, Gomez, Manos Limpias, “, ”, it’s, Gomez “, Manos, General’s, Hazte, Javier Soriano, Mariano Rajoy, “ Pedro, –, we’ve, Español’s Pau Mosquera Organizations: CNN, Spanish, Spanish Socialist Party, Madrid, Superior Court of Justice, AFP, Getty, Socialist, Socialist Party, Español, Español’s Locations: Madrid, Spanish, Spain’s, Basque, Catalonia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Spain, ”

☆ Julian Assange’s mission was to change the world - but at what cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Julian Assange leaves a Melbourne court after facing charges of computer hacking in 1995. WikiLeaks/ReutersUnder a global spotlightAs WikiLeaks continued its disclosures, Assange found himself the latest cause célèbre – his every movement intensely scrutinized. … He liked the fuss that (the disclosures) caused but he was oddly incurious actually about the documents.”Others offer alternative explanations for Assange’s eccentricities. There were mounting calls for Assange to leave WikiLeaks and, when he didn’t, many cut ties with it. Outside the confines of his diplomatic shelter, the world questioned whether Assange was trying to circumvent justice.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange, ”, He’s, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biden, Assange’s, Anthony Albanese, Assange, “, ” –, Julian Assange, Ian Kenins, Sarah Palin’s, Atika Shubert, Shubert, ” Shubert, célèbre, Fidel Narvaez, “ Assange, ” Narvaez, James Ball, Joe Raedle, ” Ball, Ball, …, Narvaez, Hans Crescent, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Abu Hamza al, Masri, Stella Assange, Daniel Leal, Stella, “ I’m, Nick Vamos, It’s, Alice Jill Edwards, Agnès Callamard, El País, Der Spiegel, Jameel Jaffer, Xiaofei Xu, Alex Stambaugh Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, Court, Ecuadorian, Army, Australian, Pentagon, NASA, University of Melbourne, Fairfax Media, of Scientology, Republican, CNN, Chelsea, Apache, Reuters, Guardian, Ellingham, Hans, London’s Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, of Justice, Britain's, Getty, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service, Human Rights, UN, Amnesty, The New York Times, Columbia University Locations: United States, Australian, London’s, Australia, Townsville, Queensland, cybercrime, Melbourne, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, London, Afghanistan, ”, Sweden, Ecuador, UK’s, Belmarsh

German national Jian G, who worked for AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, was arrested by Saxony State criminal police in Dresden and had his residences searched, the prosecutor’s office said early Tuesday. The aide was later suspended by the European Parliament, a spokesman for the body told CNN. Prosecutors said he passed on information about “negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament” to China in January. The far-right AfD party has nine seats in the European Parliament, and is competing alongside Germany’s traditional parties in the European elections in June. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the homes and workplace of the trio were searched in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg.

Persons: Jian G, Maximilian Krah, ”, Jens Schlueter, Jian, “, Krah, Nancy Faeser, Thomas R, – Herwig, Ina F, –, Wang Wenbin Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, International Trade, Security, Defence, Foreign Trade, Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of State Security, ” Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Crown Prosecution Service Locations: China, Europe, Saxony, Dresden, Germany, United States, Bad Homburg

CNN —Three people in Germany have been arrested under suspicion of spying for China, while two people have been charged in the United Kingdom for espionage offenses. “Allegations suggest the suspects have had ties to a Chinese secret service since before June 2022,” the German prosecutor’s office said in a statement. The couple are accused of buying and exporting a specialized laser to China without authorization, violating European Union regulations. Germany’s justice minister Marco Buschmann congratulated the prosecutor’s office in a post on social media platform X, writing that the arrests highlighted the need to stay vigilant. Separately in the UK, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced charges against two men who allegedly breached the UK’s Official Secrets Act on behalf of China.

Persons: Thomas R, Thomas, Herwig, Ina F, Marco Buschmann, Nick Price Organizations: CNN, Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Foreign Trade, Ministry of State Security, Britain’s, Prosecution Service, CPS, Terrorism, Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police, ’ Locations: Germany, China, United Kingdom, Westminster, London

☆ Man pleads guilty to theft of solid gold toilet worth $6 million from Blenheim Palace
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A man has pleaded guilty to stealing a toilet made entirely from 18-carat gold and worth more than $6 million from the English stately home where wartime leader Winston Churchill was born. It had been plumbed into the building so the theft also caused significant damage and flooding, police reported at the time. "Daddy, Daddy", a large scale recreation of the drowning Disney character Pinocchio, created by artist Maurizio Cattelan, is seen in a pool at Blenheim Palace on September 12, 2019. The golden toilet, titled "America," was part of the same exhibition at the stately home. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesAt Blenheim Palace, the toilet was installed in a room next to the one in which Churchill was born.

Persons: Winston Churchill, James Sheen, Maurizio Cattelan, ”, Sheen, America ”, Donald Trump’s, Vincent Van Gogh’s, Leon Neal, Churchill, Cattelan, Michael Jones, Frederick Sines, Frederick Doe, Bora Guccuck Organizations: CNN, Oxford Crown, UK’s, Media, Prosecution Service, National Horse Racing Museum, America, Guggenheim, Blenheim, New Yorker Locations: Blenheim, Italian, Five Wells, Newmarket, New York City, United States, Oxford, Ascot , Berkshire, London

☆ Luis Rubiales: Prosecutors seek 2.5-year jail term for Spanish soccer boss over unwanted World Cup kiss
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Heather Chen | Pau Mosquera | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Spanish prosecutors are seeking a prison term of two years and six months for former soccer chief Luis Rubiales for giving an unwanted kiss to star forward Jennifer Hermoso after Spain’s World Cup victory. The kiss was televised globally and the scandal overshadowed a historic moment for Spain’s women’s team which was celebrating its first-ever World Cup win. Rubiales described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso has strongly denied – and said he faces “excessive persecution” from authorities. Vilda had been filmed seeming to inappropriately touch a female staff member during the Women’s World Cup Final. He was replaced by Montse Tomé, the first woman in Spanish national team history to hold the position.

Persons: Luis Rubiales, Jennifer Hermoso, Rubiales, Hermoso, Spain’s, –, Jorge Vilda, Albert Luque, Rubén Rivera, CNN Rubiales, Spain’s women’s, Vilda, Montse Tomé Organizations: CNN, Public Ministry, Royal Spanish Football Federation, FIFA, Prosecutors, Spanish, Hermoso Locations: Spain, Spanish

☆ A Chinese takeaway worker who had 61,000 bitcoin worth $1.8 billion seized by police found guilty of money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In 2021, police seized 61,000 bitcoin from digital wallets linked to the Chinese takeaway worker. AdvertisementA former Chinese takeaway worker was found guilty of a money laundering offense after police discovered that she'd converted bitcoin worth billions into cash and big-ticket items including jewelry and properties in Dubai. The case unfolded after police seized 61,000 bitcoin from digital wallets linked to Wen in 2021. The crypto haul, which was worth £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) then and would now be valued at $3.8 billion, the CPS said. AdvertisementWhen challenged, the woman said she'd made the money legitimately through bitcoin mining, and later claimed her employer gave her 3,000 bitcoin then worth about £15 million.

Persons: Jian Wen, Wen, —, Prosecutors, Cash, Jian, CPS Wen, she'd, Andrew Penhale, Adrian Foster Organizations: Service, Southwark Crown, CPS, UK . Police Locations: London, Dubai, Southwark, Leeds, China

☆ Self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor is not ‘Satoshi Nakamoto,’ UK judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London — An Australian computer scientist who claims he invented bitcoin is not “Satoshi Nakamoto,” the pseudonymous inventor of the cryptocurrency, a judge at London’s High Court ruled on Thursday. Craig Wright has long claimed to have been the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin, published under the pseudonym. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) took Wright to court to stop him suing bitcoin developers, asking for a ruling that Wright was not Satoshi. Judge James Mellor said at the end of closing arguments on Thursday that the evidence Wright was not Satoshi was “overwhelming.”“Dr Wright is not the author of the Bitcoin white paper,” Mellor said. But he added: “Dr Wright’s conduct is also deadly serious.

Persons: London —, Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright, Wright, Satoshi, James Mellor, ” “ Dr Wright, ” Mellor, “ Dr Wright, Jack, “, ”, Dr Wright, Jonathan Hough, ” Hough, Dr Wright’s, Wright’s, Mellor Organizations: London, London’s, Alliance, COPA, Twitter Locations: Australian, ”

☆ Andrew Tate Is Arrested in Romania on U.K. Warrant, Spokesman Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | More About Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Andrew Tate, the wealth-flaunting online influencer known for his misogynistic views, and his brother, Tristan, were taken into custody Monday night in Romania on a European arrest warrant issued by the British authorities, a spokesman for Mr. Tate said. The charges related to the arrest were made between 2012 and 2015 and include allegations of sexual aggression, the spokesman said. It is unclear which British force issued the warrant or why the case has been reopened. The Bucharest Court of Appeal in Romania is expected to make a decision Tuesday afternoon on whether to extradite the Tate brothers to Britain, the spokesman said. The spokesman said the brothers “categorically reject all charges and express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence.”

Persons: Andrew Tate, Tristan, Tate, “, ” Organizations: Crown, Service, Appeal Locations: Romania, Bucharest, Britain

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Online influencer Andrew Tate was detained in Romania and handed an arrest warrant issued by British authorities, his spokesperson said Tuesday. Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate were detained Monday evening for 24 hours on allegations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case dating back to 2012-2015, spokesperson Mateea Petrescu said. But four years later we were told the U.K. authorities would not prosecute him,” they state on their campaign page. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year and they have denied the allegations. After their arrest in Romania, the Tate brothers were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest.

Persons: Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate, Mateea Petrescu, Tate, “, ”, ” Petrescu, Tristan Organizations: British, Tate, Court, Crown Prosecution Service Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania, Bucharest, ’, Westminster, Bucharest Municipality, Ilfov County

☆ ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’: Climate activists who targeted famous Vermeer painting win court appeal against jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was targeted by climate activists in October 2022. Given the length of time that the demonstrators spent in pre-trial detention, the court said, a prison sentence would have been excessive. To punish these activists severely might have a “chilling effect” on others, the court said in a media statement. Just Stop Oil Belgium is not affiliated with its British namesake, environmental activist group Just Stop Oil. CNN was unable to contact the Belgian organization directly but has reached out to Extinction Rebellion Belgium for comment, as it has previously issued statements on behalf of Just Stop Oil Belgium.

Persons: Johannes Vermeer’s, Johannes Vermeer's, Lex Van Lieshout Organizations: CNN, Getty, Netherlands Public, Service, Hague, Appeal Locations: Belgian, Belgium, The Hague, Netherlands

☆ Sam Kerr: Australian soccer star pleads not guilty to ‘racially aggravated offense’ in London
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Sam Kerr, Chelsea FC star and Australia women’s captain, pleaded not guilty to a “racially aggravated offense” of a police officer, British authorities said Monday. The 30-year-old striker was charged following an incident involving an officer on January 30 last year in Twickenham, a suburb of southwest London. Kerr was charged “via postal charge requisition on 21 January with a racially aggravated offense under Section 4A Public Order Act 1986,” the Met Police added. CNN has reached out to Chelsea FC, who declined to comment. Last year, she led the Australia women’s team in making national history by becoming the first team – men’s or women’s – to reach a soccer World Cup semifinal.

Persons: Sam Kerr, Kerr, ”, – Organizations: CNN, Chelsea FC, Australia women’s, Metropolitan Police, Met Police, Thames, Crown Prosecution Service, Wimbledon, Court, Football Australia, “, ” Football Australia, Chelsea, League, Super League, AFC, Uzbekistan Locations: Twickenham, London, Kingston, United Kingdom, Perth

☆ Julian Assange makes last-ditch attempt in UK court to avoid extradition to the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange attends a seminar at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation in Stockholm on August 14, 2010. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange and his bodyguards are seen after a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2010. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange’s, Priti Patel, Assange, Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Chelsea Manning, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Assange’s, Edward Fitzgerald, ”, “, ” Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Assange “, ” Mark Summers, Stella, Julia Hall, Rebecca Vincent, ” Vincent, Nick Vamos, “ It’s, Vamos Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, European, of Human Rights, Ecuadorian, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, British, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Army, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, Eastern, of, Department, US, UK’s, Media, Foreign Press Association, Amnesty, International Campaigns, US Espionage, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service Locations: United States, British, Belmarsh, Queensland, Australia, Westminster, London, Afghanistan, AFP, Stockholm, Iraq, Geneva, Switzerland, Sweden, Ecuador, Austin , Texas, Ecuadorian, United Nations, United Kingdom, Quito, Southwark, America, of Virginia, Guantanamo, Australian, Europe, UK’s

☆ Luis Rubiales: Judge proposes former Spain soccer boss should stand trial for unwanted kiss
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A judge has proposed that Spain’s former soccer boss, Luis Rubiales, should stand trial for giving an unwanted kiss to star forward Jennifer Hermoso after the national team’s 2023 Women’s World Cup victory, the National Court press office in Madrid said in statement Thursday. Rubiales had described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso has denied, saying she did not consent and was not respected. Rubiales resigned as RFEF president last September following weeks of pressure and now faces potential prosecution over his alleged actions. After that, the judge could issue an order to send the case for trial, which – if it occurs – would be held before a panel of three other judges at the National Court, the court spokesperson added. Hermoso was the last to testify in the investigation phase, appearing before the judge last January 2.

Persons: CNN —, Luis Rubiales, Jennifer Hermoso, Francisco de Jorge, “, Rubiales, Hermoso, Jorge Vilda, CNN’s Kathleen Magramo Organizations: CNN, National Court, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Defense, Rubiales Locations: Madrid, Spain

☆ Peter R. de Vries: Group suspected of killing Dutch crime reporter also wanted to kidnap PM Mark Rutte, witness says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Caitlin Danaher | Rose Roobeek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The group suspected of murdering a crime reporter in the Netherlands in 2021 also wanted to kidnap Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, according to a witness in the case. The protected witness made the comments during an interrogation by the investigative judge in December 2022, according to the prosecution service. Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, pictured on May 24, 2017 in Arnhem, in the Netherlands, was killed in 2021 in a murder that shocked the country. The trial against nine suspects in the murder of de Vries will start on January 23, according to the prosecution service. The nine suspects, of Polish and Antillean descent, are between 24 and 37 years old, the prosecution service said.

Persons: Mark Rutte, ”, Peter R, Vries, Parool, Rutte, de Vries, De Vries, de Organizations: CNN, Dutch, Netherlands Public Prosecution Service, RTL TV, “, Getty, RTL Netherlands Locations: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Arnhem, de Waal, AFP

☆ Exclusive: Poland, seeking to tap EU funds, to move fast to join EU prosecutor's office
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Alan Charlish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The EPPO is an independent public prosecution office of the European Union which deals with cases affecting the bloc's financial interests. Asked to comment on reports that he will become justice minister, Bodnar said, "There are such discussions, but nothing is certain. "For the European Public Prosecutor's Office, joining only requires a letter from the prime minister," he said. He said that he hoped EPPO prosecutors would come to Poland and investigate instances of alleged misuse of EU funds in public institutions such as the National Centre of Research and Development (NCBR). "Most investigations should be done by Polish prosecutors," Bodnar said.

Persons: Adam Bodnar, Kacper, Bodnar, Donald Tusk, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Zbigniew Ziobro, Alan Charlish, Nick Macfie Organizations: Human Rights, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Public Prosecutor's, European Union, and Justice, liberal Civic Coalition, Human, Public, Office, National Centre of Research, Development, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Brussels, Polish

LONDON (AP) — Four men were charged Monday over the theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the sprawling English country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born. The toilet, valued at 4.8 million pounds ($5.95 million), was an artwork titled “America” and intended as a pointed satire about excessive wealth by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan. It was part of an art installation at Blenheim Palace, near the city of Oxford, a few days before it vanished overnight in September 2019. The Crown Prosecution Service said Monday it has authorized criminal charges against four men, ages 35-39, over the theft. The golden toilet was fully functioning, and prior to the theft, visitors to the exhibition could book a three-minute appointment to use it.

Persons: Winston Churchill, Maurizio Cattelan, ”, Will, Matthew Barber Organizations: Crown Prosecution Service, Police, UNESCO, Guggenheim Museum, Thames Valley Police, BBC, Oxford, ’ Locations: Blenheim, Oxford, New York

☆ Four Men Charged in the Case of the Missing Golden Toilet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four years ago, a fully functioning 18-karat gold toilet was stolen from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. On Monday, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service announced that it had authorized charges against four men in connection with the theft of the golden loo — an artwork by the Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, titled “America,” which had been on display as part of an exhibition at the palace, which is in Oxfordshire, England. The Crown Prosecution Service said in a news release that it had charged James Sheen, 39, with burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and transferring criminal property; Michael Jones, 38, with burglary; and Fred Doe, 35, and Bora Guccuk, 39, with conspiracy to transfer criminal property. The four men will appear at a court in Oxford, England, on Nov. 28 for the first stage in potentially lengthy criminal proceedings. Britain’s courts system has a severe backlog in cases.

Persons: Winston Churchill, Maurizio Cattelan, James Sheen, Michael Jones, Fred Doe, Bora Guccuk Organizations: Prosecution Service, Crown Prosecution Service Locations: Blenheim, Italian, Oxfordshire, England, Oxford

☆ Fact Check: Video of convoy with Palestinian flags is from 2021, not 2023 protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A 2021 video showing a convoy of cars in London flying a Palestinian flag and broadcasting antisemitic messages from a megaphone has been misrepresented as footage from October 2023 amidst the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. “NEW: Palestine supporters parade through the streets of London, flying Palestinian flags while calling on people to r*pe Jewish women”, reads the caption of a Facebook post sharing the video as if recent. British media and Reuters reported on the incident in the video in May 2021. The claims were shared after Jewish charity organization Community Security Trust reported that antisemitic incidents in Britain had tripled since the outbreak of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. A video showing people shouting anti-Semitic abuse from a convoy of vehicles in London, is from May 2021 not October 2023.

Persons: “, ”, Read Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Reuters, Metropolitan Police, Crown, Service, Jewish, Community Security Trust, Thomson Locations: London, Israel, Palestine, Britain

☆ Bernie Ecclestone: Ex-F1 boss spared jail after admitting tax fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Ex-Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone was spared an immediate prison sentence on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to misleading Britain’s tax authority about overseas assets worth more than 400 million pounds ($492 million). Ecclestone has also agreed a civil settlement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), under which he will pay 652.6 million pounds covering tax, interest and penalties for 18 tax years between 1994 and 2022, prosecutor Richard Wright said. The 92-year-old appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court and pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation, just over a month before he was due to stand trial. Belinda Jiao/ReutersJudge Simon Bryan gave Ecclestone a 17-month prison sentence suspended for two years, meaning he will only go to jail if he commits another criminal offense during that time. His lawyer Montgomery had noted at a previous hearing in January that Ecclestone was charged shortly after he made “unpopular” comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Persons: Reuters —, Bernie Ecclestone, Ecclestone, Richard Wright, Belinda Jiao, Simon Bryan, Clare Montgomery, Ecclestone “, ” Ecclestone, Andrew Penhale, ” Richard Las, “, Elizabeth Cook, Bryan, Mr Ecclestone, Montgomery, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Reuters, HM Revenue, Customs, Southwark Crown, HMRC, Brabham, Crown Prosecution Service Locations: Southwark, Singapore

☆ Ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone spared jail after admitting tax fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ecclestone has also agreed a civil settlement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), under which he will pay 652.6 million pounds covering tax, interest and penalties for 18 tax years between 1994 and 2022, prosecutor Richard Wright said. The 92-year-old appeared at London's Southwark Crown Court and pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation, just over a month before he was due to stand trial. Ecclestone gave an unintelligible response to reporters as he left the court and got into a waiting Range Rover. Richard Las, chief investigation officer and director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said Ecclestone had "lied to HMRC". The decision also states that Ecclestone paid around 250 million pounds in income and capital gains tax to HMRC between 1999 and 2017.

Persons: Bernie Ecclestone, Belinda Jiao, Ecclestone, Richard Wright, Simon Bryan, Clare Montgomery, Andrew Penhale, Richard Las, Bryan, Mr Ecclestone, Montgomery, Vladimir Putin, Sam Tobin, William James, Alex Richardson, Susan Fenton Organizations: Formula, Southwark Crown, HM Revenue, Customs, HMRC, Crown Prosecution Service, Thomson Locations: Southwark, London, Britain, Singapore

☆ UK killer nurse Letby to be re-tried over one alleged attempted murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Members of the media work near a large screen showing a picture of convicted hospital nurse Lucy Letby, ahead of her sentencing, outside the Manchester Crown Court, in Manchester, Britain, August 21, 2023. However, the jury were unable to agree on six charges of attempted murder involving five other infants. At a hearing at Manchester Crown Court, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced they would now seek a new trial over one of those charges, with the trial date provisionally set for next year. "These decisions on whether to seek retrials on the remaining counts of attempted murder were extremely complex and difficult," said Jonathan Storer, a chief crown prosecutor. Earlier this month, lawyers for Letby, who maintains her innocence, submitted an application seeking permission for an appeal against her convictions.

Persons: Lucy Letby, Phil Noble, Letby, Countess, Chester, Jonathan Storer, Michael Holden, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: Manchester Crown Court, REUTERS, Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, England

☆ Two People Killed in Explosion in Northern Hungary -Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Two people, including a police officer, were killed and several others injured in an explosion during a police operation in the northern city of Esztergom, online media reported on Wednesday. Hungarian online media reported that the blast went off in a house on the outskirts of the city near the Slovak border as police responded to a threat. Local media said the explosion also killed the perpetrator, who was yet to be identified. In a Facebook post, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed condolences to a police officer killed on duty without specifically referring to the incident reported in local media. His ruling Fidesz parliamentary group also said in a statement that a police officer was killed in an explosion in the northern city of Esztergom.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Gergely Szakacs, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Wednesday . Police Locations: BUDAPEST, Esztergom, Hungarian

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