Situated on a lane at the edge of Church Enstone, Easter Cottage was built in 1889, one of a pair of workers cottages for Heythrop village about two miles from Chipping Norton. It is now on the market for a guided price of £1,350,000. The five-bedroom property covering 2,445 square foot is not Listed - the deceptively spacious property was extended in 2009 and more recently in 2012. An entrance porch opens to the hallway itself looking through into the snug, with French doors to the terraces beyond. The 22ft sitting room with a fireplace and a wood burning stove has sash windows and decorative shelving and alcoves. With under floor heating, the open plan kitchen has a bright floral inspired dining area. Appliances in the kitchen include a Sandyford range cooker, also providing heating and hot water, an integrated dish washer and a separate gas rings. There is also useful utility/boot room with an electric oven/microwave, as well as a study with a door to the garden. On the first floor are three double bedrooms, including an ensuite, a single bedroom and a family bathroom. On the second floor there is a further double bedroom with dressing area and ensuite bathroom. Outside, there is off street parking to the front of the property. The gardens, designed by the current owners, are planted with a "spectacular" array of shrubs and perennials, and a terrace outside the kitchen is described as a suntrap all year round. A flower filled pathway with green house and raised vegetable beds leads to a pretty lawned area, with fruit trees, wildlife pond and west facing pergola ideal for al fresco dining. Nicky Quentel, a director for Savills residential team in Oxford, said: "Easter Cottage is a charming and much-loved period home, with enchanting, well stocked gardens. "Inside, the property provides excellent accommodation over three floors. "With a pub in the village and so many wonderful walks, it is a great home for enjoying the best of the Cotswolds." Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get: Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our appTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A United Nations watchdog has been selected to lead an external probe into allegations of sexual misconduct against the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, The Associated Press learned Tuesday. The move will likely generate conflict of interest concerns owing to the prosecutor’s wife’s past work for the oversight body. Chief prosecutor Karim Khan provided updates on the court’s politically sensitive investigations into war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, Gaza and Venezuela among other conflict areas during the institution’s annual meeting this week in The Hague, Netherlands. But hanging over the gathering of the ICC’s 124 member states are allegations against Khan himself. An in October found that at the same time the ICC was readying a warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan was facing internal accusations that he tried to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship and groped her against her will over a period of several months. The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, which oversees the ICC, into the allegations but hadn’t said who it would select to conduct the probe. At this week’s meeting, Päivi Kaukoranta, a Finnish diplomat currently heading the ICC’s oversight body, told delegates that she has settled on the U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight Services, two diplomats told the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. Two respected human rights group last month already expressed concern about the possible selection of the U.N. because Khan’s wife, a prominent human rights attorney, worked at the agency in Kenya in 2019 and 2020 investigating sexual harassment. The International Federation for Human Rights and Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, in a joint statement, said Khan should be suspended while the probe is being carried out and called for “thoroughly vetting the chosen investigative body, firm, or institution to ensure it is free from conflicts of interest and possesses demonstrated expertise.” What they described as Khan’s “close relationship” with the U.N. agency deserved added scrutiny, the two groups said. “We strongly recommend ensuring that these concerns are openly and transparently addressed before assigning the mandate to the OIOS,” the two organizations said. Kaukoranta declined to comment when asked about the investigation by the AP on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual meeting. The U.N. and Khan’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The accusations against Khan surfaced when two court employees in whom the alleged victim confided came forward with the accusation in May, a few weeks before Khan , his defense minister and three Hamas leaders on war crimes charges. A three-judge panel last month for the Israelis and the sole remaining Hamas leader whose death from Israel’s bombing campaign hasn’t been confirmed. AP reported that Khan traveled frequently with the woman after transferring her to his office from another department at the ICC’s headquarters. During one foreign trip, Khan allegedly asked the woman to rest with him on a hotel bed and then “sexually touched her,” according to whistleblower documents shared with the court’s watchdog and seen by the AP. Later, he came to her room at 3 a.m. and knocked on the door for 10 minutes. Other allegedly nonconsensual behavior cited in the documents included locking the door of his office and sticking his hand in her pocket. He also allegedly asked her on several occasions to go on a vacation together. After the two co-workers reported the alleged behavior, the court’s internal watchdog interviewed the woman but she opted against filing a complaint due to her distrust of the watchdog, according to the AP investigation. Khan was never questioned and the watchdog’s inquiry was closed within five days. Although the 900-employee ICC has long had a “zero-tolerance” policy on sexual harassment, an outside review of the court’s inner-workings in 2020 found an unacceptable level of predatory behavior by male bosses, a lack of women in senior positions and inadequate mechanisms for dealing with complaints and protecting whistleblowers. “There is a general reluctance, if not extreme fear, among many staff to report any alleged act of misconduct or misbehavior” by a senior official, the experts concluded in their 348-page report. “The perception is that they are all immune.” Although the ICC’s policies have been updated since the report, a 2024 internal reported obtained by AP showed that 30% of respondents to a staff survey reported they had experienced discrimination, abuse or harassment in the previous 12 months. While the court’s watchdog could not determine wrongdoing, it nonetheless urged Khan in a memo to minimize contact with the woman to protect the rights of all involved and safeguard the court’s integrity. Complicating any truth-seeking investigation have been attempts by Israel and others to undermine the court’s credibility. Under Khan, the ICC has become more assertive in combating crimes against humanity and along the way it has added to a growing list of enemies. Last September, following the opening of a probe into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, the court suffered a debilitating cyberattack that left staff unable to work for weeks. It also hired an intern who was later criminally charged in the U.S. with being a Russian spy. Israel has also been waging its own influence campaign ever since the ICC recognized Palestine as a member and in 2015 opened a preliminary investigation into what the court referred to as “the situation in the State of Palestine.” London’s The Guardian newspaper and several Israeli news outlets reported this summer that Israel’s intelligence agencies for the past decade have allegedly targeted senior ICC staff, including putting Khan’s predecessor under surveillance and showing up at her house with envelopes stuffed with cash to discredit her. Netanyahu himself, in the days leading up to Khan’s announcement of war crimes charges, called on the world’s democracies “to use all the means at their disposal” to block the court from what he called an “outrage of historic proportions.” ___ Goodman reported from Miami. Molly Quell And Joshua Goodman, The Associated Pressr3 philhealth 。

8 Stocks I'm Buying As I Hone My Buying Strategy For 2025Georgia's ombudsman accuses police of torturing pro-EU protestersThis month marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption by the Constituent Assembly of the draft Constitution of India, on November 26, 1949. The Union government has announced that it intends to commemorate this momentous occasion with a special joint sitting of Parliament. There are bound to be several self-congratulatory speeches, from all sides of our fractious political divide. But the speech that should haunt us all is that of the principal draftsman of the Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, on the eve of the Constitution’s adoption. On November 25, 1949, in his magisterial summation of the work of the Drafting Committee he chaired, and before commending its work to the Assembly, he pointedly observed: “however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot.” The working of the Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar pointed out, depended on how the people and the political parties applied it. The drafters had made provision for relatively easy amendment, so as to permit the document to keep up with the needs of the times. But the rest depended on the way successive generations of its custodians chose to implement it. The lacunae that B.R. Ambedkar identified Dr. Ambedkar highlighted the fact that “there is complete absence of two things in Indian society” — equality and fraternity. “On the 26th of January 1950,” he declared, “we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life?” In calling for a social and not merely political democracy to emerge from the Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar stressed the absence of fraternity as the second major ingredient that was missing in India. “Fraternity means a sense of common brotherhood of all Indians — of Indians being one people. It is the principle which gives unity and solidarity to social life.” But thanks to the caste system — the entire structure of caste, he averred, was ‘anti-national’ — religious divisions and the absence of a common sense of nationhood among some Indians, fraternity had not yet been achieved. But it was indispensable, since liberty, equality and fraternity were all intertwined and could not flourish independently of one another. “Without equality,” he pointed out, “liberty would produce the supremacy of the few over the many. Equality without liberty would kill individual initiative. Without fraternity, liberty would produce the supremacy of the few over the many. Without fraternity, liberty and equality could not become a natural course of things. It would require a constable to enforce them.” What has changed Today, 75 years later, it is well worth asking what progress we have made to achieve the aims of the Constitution’s drafters, and in particular to fill the lacunae that Dr. Ambedkar identified. Equality has advanced, no doubt, with the abolition of untouchability being accompanied by the world’s oldest and farthest-reaching affirmative action programme, in the form of reservations, initially for Scheduled Castes and then for the Other Backward Classes (OBC). These reservations, which were initially intended to be temporary, have now been entrenched in our system and may be said to be politically unchallengeable. But the task of promoting social and economic equality, which Dr. Ambedkar pointed to, is far from complete. The clamour for further opportunities for those who believe that Indian society continues to deny them the equality of outcomes that the numbers warrant, continues to roil our politics. The escalating demand for a caste census is bound to have further implications for the evolution of India’s constitutional practice. As for fraternity, the mobilisation of votes in our contentious democracy in the name of caste, creed, region and language have ensured that the social and psychological sense of oneness that Dr. Ambedkar spoke about, is still, at best, a work in progress. But there is no doubt that the sense of nationhood that he felt had not yet come into existence has now become embedded across the country. One only needs to look at the crowds at a cricket match involving the Indian team, or the national outrage and mourning after an international conflict such as the Kargil war (1999) or the Galwan incident (2020), to be aware that there is a strong sense of nationhood despite the persistence of local or sectarian identities. Yet, by reifying caste reservations, India has promoted equality but arguably undermined fraternity. Fraternity had a special place in Dr. Ambedkar’s vision; the word was, in many ways, his distinctive contribution to India’s constitutional discourse. It also had an economic dimension, with the implicit idea that the assets of the better-off would be used to uplift the untouchables and other unfortunates. Fraternity would both result from and lead to the erosion of social and caste hierarchies. But, as the sociologist Dipankar Gupta has argued, the extension of reservations to the OBCs saw caste as ‘an important political resource to be plumbed in perpetuity’. Professor Gupta avers that this ‘is not in the spirit of enlarging fraternity, as the Ambedkar proposals are’; while Dr. Ambedkar’s ultimate aim was the annihilation of caste from Indian society, for Mandal, caste was not to be “removed”, but to be “represented”.’ It entrenched caste rather than eliminating it from public life. Highs and worrying lows This debate may well go on. Still, we can be grateful that the ascent to power of the very elements of Indian politics who had initially rejected the Constitution has not resulted in its abandonment. There is a certain irony to a Bharatiya Janata Party government celebrating a document that its forebears in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Jana Sangh had found “un-Indian” and devoid of soul. That soul has evolved over 75 years and 106 amendments, and the Constitution still thrives. But the hollowing out of many of the institutions created by the Constitution, the diminishing of Parliament, pressures on the judiciary and the undermining of the democratic spirit — leading to the V-Dem Institute labelling India as an “electoral autocracy”, policed by the “constable” Dr. Ambedkar warned against — mean that much still remains to be done by its custodians. “Independence,” Dr. Ambedkar said in concluding his memorable speech, “is no doubt a matter of joy. But let us not forget that this independence has thrown on us great responsibilities. By independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame except ourselves.” Seventy-five years later, let us vow to the reduce the number of things we need to blame ourselves for — and let the Constitution show us the way. Shashi Tharoor is a fourth-term Indian National Congress Member of the Lok Sabha for Thiruvananthapuram, and the award-winning author of 26 books, including ‘The Battle of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism and What it Means to be Indian’ (2021). He is a member of the Congress Working Committee. Published - November 26, 2024 01:00 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit constitution / parliament / Parliament proceedings / India / history / politics / political parties / Reservation / unrest, conflicts and war / Bharatiya Janata Party / Independence Day

Reliance Consumer Products offers products such as oils, Glimmer beauty soaps, pulses, staples, and Puric hygiene soaps. It also offers Alan Bugles snacks and Snactac biscuits. Published: November 30, 2024 7:19 PM IST By Edited by In a major move, billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) is offering trade partners and distributors margins of 6-8 percent, which is double the industry average, as an incentive to stock and promote its daily essentials and grocery products, said executives with direct knowledge of the matter. Notably, major consumer goods firms like Britannia, Coca-Cola, Parle, Hindustan Unilever, Reckitt, and Nestle offer margins between 3 percent and 5 percent to traders and distributors. Reliance Consumer Products, the FMCG division of Reliance Retail, offers products such as oils, Glimmer beauty soaps, pulses, staples, and Puric hygiene soaps. It also offers Alan Bugles snacks and Snactac biscuits. “Reliance Consumer Products is replicating the strategy it began with (cola brand) Campa to all categories it is present in ... it is a disruptive strategy and works to incentivize the supply chain, more so for new entrants,” Economic Times quoted an executive as saying. “The company is offering these trade margins starting with smaller markets and plans to scale up distribution in metros over the coming quarters,” he added. Price Lower Than Competitors The business policy of RCPL to offer their products at rates strikingly 20–40 percent lower than their business rivals is undoubtedly shaking things up in the trade market. The pricing approach of this company is all set to ignite fierce price competition. “After Reliance’s play in FMCG goes national, margins for the industry in general are bound to increase. Almost all daily essentials categories, from soap and biscuits to staples, are seeing heightened competition from regional players, so terms of trade become even more crucial, which all large category players want to protect,” Economic Times quoted an executive at a large distributor platform. Price War In Markets For instance, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have begun to give larger trade-level incentives in only some markets where Campa is present in order to counteract the latter’s lower costs, this executive stated. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo sell 250 ml bottles for Rs 20, while RCPL sells 200 ml bottles of Campa for Rs 10. Notably, big brands such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are now giving larger trade-level incentives in selected markets where Reliance’s new soft drink Campa Cola is present. The brands are doing it to counter Mukesh Ambani company’s lower costs. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo provide the choice of 250 ml bottles for just Rs 20 per bottle, while RCPL serves up their own deal; 200 ml bottles of Campa at a fair price of Rs 10 each. The Higher Profits Strategy RCPL, under Mukesh Ambani’s guidance, is accelerating its strategies to significantly boost profits by focusing more on local corner shops and general trading mediums. These channels account for a substantial 85-90 percent of the revenue stream in smaller markets or tier-2 cities. However, the company’s consumer division has a slight presence in the rapid online commerce platforms. According to the executive, the profits given by the company incudes support for the distributor sales force. Given that RCPL doesn’t spend much on marketing and advertising, it’s rather typical for retailers to offer promotions to stimulate interest. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and . Read more on Latest on . TopicsBEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrian insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, establishing positions in the country's largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province. They faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized control of Aleppo International airport, the first international airport to be controlled by insurgents. The fighters claimed they seized the airport and postefd pictures from there. Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no defense from government forces, to seize towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled by government troops in 2016. They claimed Saturday evening to have entered Hama city. The swift and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Syria's President Bashar Assad and raised questions about his armed forces' preparedness. The insurgent offensive launched from their stronghold in the country's northwest appeared to have been planned for years. It also comes at a time when Assad's allies were preoccupied with their own conflicts. Turkey, a main backer of Syrian opposition groups, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop government attacks on opposition-held areas in recent weeks, which were in violation of a de-escalation agreement sponsored by Russia, Iran and Ankara. Turkish security officials said a limited offensive by the rebels was planned to stop government attacks and allow civilians to return, but the offensive expanded as Syrian government forces began to retreat from their positions. The insurgents, led by the Salafi jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and including Turkey-backed fighters, launched their shock offensive on Wednesday. They first staged a two-pronged attack in Aleppo and the Idlib countryside, entering Aleppo two days later and securing a strategic town that lies on the highway that links Syria's largest city to the capital and the coast. By Saturday evening, they seized at least four towns in the central Hama province and claimed to have entered the provincial capital. The insurgents staged an attempt to reclaim areas they controlled in Hama in 2017 but failed. Syria’s armed forces said in a statement Saturday that to absorb the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it redeployed troops and equipment and was preparing a counterattack. The statement acknowledged that insurgents entered large parts of the city but said they have not established bases or checkpoints. Later on Saturday, the armed forces sought to dispel what it said were lies in reference to reports about its forces retreating or defecting, saying the general command was carrying out its duties in “combatting terrorist organizations.” The return of the insurgents to Aleppo was their first since 2016, following a grueling military campaign in which Assad's forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery. The lightning offensive threatened to reignite the country's civil war, which had been largely in a stalemate for years. Late on Friday, witnesses said two airstrikes hit the edge of Aleppo city, targeting insurgent reinforcements and falling near residential areas. The Observatory said 20 fighters were killed. Insurgents were filmed outside police headquarters, in the city center, and outside the Aleppo citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. They tore down posters of Assad, stepping on some and burning others. The push into Aleppo followed weeks of simmering low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas. The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, primarily Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battles at home. A ceasefire in Hezbollah’s two-month war with Israel took effect Wednesday, the same day that Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days. Speaking from the heart of the city in Saadallah Aljabri square, opposition fighter Mohammad Al Abdo said it was his first time back in Aleppo in 13 years, when his older brother was killed at the start of the war. “God willing, the rest of Aleppo province will be liberated" from government forces, he said. There was light traffic in the city center on Saturday. Opposition fighters fired in the air in celebration but there was no sign of clashes or government troops present. Journalists in the city filmed soldiers captured by the insurgents and the bodies of others killed in battle. Abdulkafi Alhamdo, a teacher who fled Aleppo in 2016 and returned Friday night after hearing the insurgents were inside, described “mixed feelings of pain, sadness and old memories." “As I entered Aleppo, I kept telling myself this is impossible. How did this happen?” Alhamdo said he strolled through the city at night visiting the Aleppo citadel, where the insurgents raised their flags, a major square and the university of Aleppo, as well as the last spot he was in before he was forced to leave for the countryside. “I walked in (the empty) streets of Aleppo, shouting, ‘People, people of Aleppo. We are your sons,’” he told The Associated Press in a series of messages. Aleppo residents reported hearing clashes and gunfire but most stayed indoors. Some fled the fighting. Schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors, according to Sham FM radio, a pro-government station. Bakeries were open. Witnesses said the insurgents deployed security forces around the city to prevent any acts of violence or looting. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday Aleppo's two key public hospitals were reportedly full of patients while many private facilities closed. In social media posts, the insurgents were pictured outside of the citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. In cellphone videos, they recorded themselves having conversations with residents they visited at home, seeking to reassure them they will cause no harm. The Syrian Kurdish-led administration in the country's east said nearly 3,000 people, most of them students, had arrived in their region after fleeing the fighting in Aleppo, which has a sizeable Kurdish population. State media reported that a number of “terrorists," including sleeper cells, infiltrated parts of the city. Government troops chased them and arrested a number who posed for pictures near city landmarks, they said. On a state TV morning show Saturday, commentators said army reinforcements and Russia’s assistance would repel the “terrorist groups,” blaming Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ push into Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Russia’s state news agency Tass quoted Oleg Ignasyuk, a Russian Defense Ministry official coordinating in Syria, as saying that Russian warplanes targeted and killed 200 militants who had launched the offensive in the northwest on Friday. It provided no further details. Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON: US prosecutors on Monday asked a US judge to drop the criminal case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat, citing his impending return to the presidency following his successful 2024 campaign. Prosecutors working with Special Counsel Jack Smith cited a longstanding US Justice Department policy that sitting presidents should not face criminal prosecution. The move represents a remarkable shift from the special prosecutor who obtained indictments against Trump in two separate cases accusing him of crimes that threatened US election integrity and national security. It shows how Trump's election victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris was not just a political triumph, but also a legal one. Trump pleaded not guilty in August 2023 to four federal charges accusing the Republican of conspiring to obstruct the collection and certification of votes following his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, who as president will again oversee the Justice Department, was expected to order an end to the federal 2020 election case and an attempt by Smith to revive a second case accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified documents after leaving office in 2021. The Justice Department policy, dating back to the 1970s, holds that a criminal prosecution of a sitting president would violate the US Constitution by undermining the ability of the country's chief executive to function. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan will still have to approve the request from prosecutors. Trump's lawyers had previously said they would seek to dismiss the charges based on a US Supreme Court ruling in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution over official actions taken while in the White House. Smith attempted to salvage the case following the high court ruling, dropping some allegations but arguing the rest were not covered by presidential immunity and could proceed to trial. Chutkan had been due to decide whether the immunity decision required other portions of the case to be thrown out. A trial date had not been set. The case was brought following a probe led by Smith into Trump's attempts to hold on to power following his 2020 election defeat, culminating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters following a fiery speech by Trump near the White House. Trump denied wrongdoing and argued that the US legal system had been turned against him to damage his presidential campaign. He vowed during the campaign that he would fire Smith if he returned to the presidency.SMU is accustomed to road-like environment it’ll face in ACC championship game vs. Clemson

AP News Summary at 2:29 p.m. EST

Although Shenghua Wen entered the United States on a student visa, eventually settling in San Bernardino County, law enforcement officials say he had a more nefarious purpose: exporting shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea. Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested Wen, 41, at his Ontario home, alleging he acted as an operative for the North Korean government, smuggling illicit goods concealed inside shipping containers from Long Beach. Wen, who authorities said is a Chinese national living illegally in the U.S. after overstaying his visa, has been charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which deals with sanctions and frozen foreign assets. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Wen’s federal public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is illegal to supply North Korea with certain technologies and military supplies without U.S. government approval, according to U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada. “North Korea engaged in a scheme to circumvent and evade those restrictions,” Estrada said at a news conference Tuesday morning. “It’s essential we keep sensitive materials, including military equipment, outside the hands of our adversaries where they can harm us or our allies.” Wen, who arrived in the U.S. in 2012, was “key to this scheme and central to this plot” by North Korea, Estrada said. Before leaving China, Wen met with North Korean officials at two consulates, where they allegedly directed him to procure goods in the U.S., according to a Nov. 26 criminal complaint. In an interview with federal authorities, Wen said he was probably chosen for this role because he was good at smuggling, according to prosecutors. Wen told authorities that while he was in the U.S., two North Koreans living in China, whom he identified as Jin Yong Nan and Cui, reached out to him. Wen kept in contact with Cui via an encrypted messaging platform, according to the complaint. In his interview with federal authorities, Wen allegedly admitted he shipped two containers of firearms and other items to North Korea via Hong Kong in October and December 2023. One shipment was labeled as a refrigerator, another as camera parts, Estrada said. Wen allegedly received money for the containers and shipping fees — totaling at least $2 million — from North Korean officials. To obtain the weapons, Wen paid $150,000 to buy Super Armory, a business with a federal firearms license that he later registered in Texas. Wen allegedly used the company and people known as straw purchasers to assemble shipments, according to the complaint. Authorities said he would then drive the guns and ammo from Texas to California. Federal authorities said they also found emails and text messages from January to April, between Wen and a U.S.-based broker about obtaining a civilian airplane engine. During a September interview with authorities, Wen said North Korean officials told him to purchase plane engines, which would be used to help develop the North Korean military drone program, according to the complaint. At Wen’s home on Aug. 14, law enforcement officials seized two devices that he allegedly intended to send to North Korea for military use: a chemical threat identification device and a handheld countersurveillance gadget that detects electronic eavesdropping, according to the complaint. On Sept. 6, law enforcement seized about 50,000 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition — stored in his white Ford van — that he’d allegedly obtained to send to North Korea, authorities said. Wen told authorities he believed the North Korean government wanted the items he sent to prepare for an attack against South Korea, according to the complaint. Wen allegedly told authorities that the government wanted him to obtain military uniforms to be used by the North Korean military to disguise its soldiers during a surprise offensive. Wen’s student visa was valid from Dec. 5, 2012, to Dec. 3, 2013, according to the complaint. Estrada said it’s unclear whether that was legitimate and whether he was actually studying. Wen was ordered removed from the U.S. in 2018 and, after a 2021 arrest, he signed a form acknowledging his overstay status, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. It’s unclear how he was able to stay in the country. Estrada said authorities learned about Wen through multiple tips, including from some individuals from whom he tried to purchase items. “We can’t say how long he was operating this. The investigation continues,” Estrada said.Daily Post Nigeria Gov Alia calls for unity against insecurity in Benue Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport News Gov Alia calls for unity against insecurity in Benue Published on December 28, 2024 By Ochogwu Sunday The governor of Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has called on the people of Benue to remain resilient and united in the fight against insecurity in the state. Governor Alia made this call on Saturday, December 28, 2024, while speaking at this year’s Prayer Pilgrimage for Peace held at the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist, Gboko. The appeal comes a few days after suspected herdsmen launched an unprovoked attack on the Anwase community in Kwande Local Government Area, where about 11 innocent residents were gruesomely murdered on Christmas Day. Addressing the state’s security challenges, Alia emphasised that achieving peace requires a collective commitment to bridge divides, heal wounds, and build a society where every citizen can thrive. “We have a problem on our hands, and this problem did not start from somewhere else. It started from within ourselves before external forces began leveraging it to destroy us,” the governor stated. He added that lasting peace in the state depends on citizens setting aside their differences and taking a deliberate stand against insecurity, stressing that while he serves as the leader, all the people collectively constitute the government. Alia reiterated his administration’s commitment to fostering peace in the state, urging residents to take intentional steps toward achieving it. “For us to get peace, we have to be deliberate; we have to be direct. God has given us peace, and we must also give peace,” he said. The governor expressed gratitude to those working tirelessly to restore peace in their communities, particularly acknowledging the significant efforts of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Katsina-Ala, Most Rev Isaac Dugu, for the return of peace in Sankera. He also called for the continuation of the Peace Mass to include other tribes in the state that are equally affected by insecurity. Related Topics: Alia Benue Don't Miss IDF completes raid on northern Gaza hospital, arrests 240 terror suspects You may like Gwamna Hyacinth ya yi alƙawarin binciko maharan ranar Kirsimeti Benue: They’ll pay dearly for it – Alia fumes as herdsmen slaughter 11 people on Christmas Day Gunmen reportedly kill 11 in Benue Gwamna Alia ya bayar da hutun Kirsimeti na makonni biyu a Benue Gov Alia declares two-week public holidays for Benue workers Gwamnatin Benue ta ba da hutun mako 2 Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd

The ZRP has announced that they are investigating a case of abuse of two minors in a video that circulated. In the video that Crime Watch Zimbabwe shared, two minor boys were being beaten by a man wearing blue trousers. The man can be heard in the video asking the boys to strip so that he beats them. One of the boys shared that he was not wearing any underwear, to which the older man replied that it didn’t matter. The assault continued while other grown-ups watched , and one behind the camera was cheering for the beating to continue. Another woman joined in the attacks with a small log and began beating the two minors on the heads before she was held back. She kept wanting to come back to beat them, but another woman held her back. ALSO READ: Man Kills His 2-Month-Old Baby With A Log While Beating His Wife Minors In Need Of Medical Assistance After Flogging The people who were beating the children in the video are reported to be neighbours to their mother. One of the minors reportedly can not walk and requires medical attention after the beatings. The police have since released a statement on X regarding the video: Reference is made to a disturbing video circulating on social media, depicting a man wearing blue work suit trousers brutally assaulting two minors. The assault is further exacerbated by the arrival of a woman who joins in the attack. The suspects have been identified and investigations are currently underway to ensure that the law takes its course without fear or favour. The incident occurred in Madziwa area, Mashonaland Central Province. ALSO READ: Fortune Chasi Expresses Desire To Return To The Energy Ministry As Electricity Situation Worsens The police are urging the public not to take matters into their own hands regarding the law. Follow Us on Google News for Immediate Updates

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Douglas Wick won a Best Picture Oscar nomination for his first solo producing effort with 1988’s Working Girl, and then in 2000 he won the Best Picture Oscar for Gladiator. Lucy Fisher worked in various studio capacities at MGM, Fox, Zoetrope, Warner Bros where she was EVP Worldwide Production from 1981, to then going to Columbia/Tri Star as Vice Chairman in 1995. Wick went on to also produce movies like Mike Nichols’ Wolf, Girl Interrupted, Hollow Man, and Stuart Little, and was joined by his wife (since 1986), Lucy Fisher who left the studio game and joined him in running Red Wagon Entertainment where they produced Peter Pan, Stuart Little 2, Jarhead, Bewitched, the Divergent series , and won Best Picture Oscar nominations for Memoirs Of A Geisha and Gatsby. In 2006 together they received the prestigious David O’ Selznick Achievement In Motion Pictures Award from the Producers Guild Of America . Later, Fisher would go on to become President of the PGA with Gail Berman in 2018. Oh, and Doug graduated Cum Laude from Yale and Lucy graduated Cum Laude from Harvard. Nice. Now they are enjoying a new hit movie with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator ll which opened to a strong $55 million over the weekend in North America and now has a global total of $221 million after just 10 days in release. The pair joined me in conversation for this week’s edition of my Deadline video series, Behind The Lens where they talk about the Herculean task of producing and bringing the long awaited Gladiator sequel to the screen, the challenges and ideas along the way to make it work, stories from the trenches of their other productions, plus how their personal and working relationship makes for the ideal marriage in Hollywood. To watch and go ‘behind the lens’ with Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher just click the link above. Join me every Monday for a new episode of Behind The Lens.