Category: Crime

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Trump indicted in Georgia 2020 election probe

The former president is accused of violating the Peach State’s anti-racketeering law, conspiring, making false statements, and encouraging a public official to neglect their oath…reports Asian Lite News

Former President of the United States Donald Trump was indicted by the Georgia grand jury in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State, New York Post reported on Tuesday.

The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charge Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination and 18 associates for a scheme intended to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

It reported, the charge against the former president includes violation of the Peach State’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, false statements, and asking a public official to violate their oath of office.

According to the New York Post, all 19 defendants are charged with Georgia’s equivalent of the federal RICO statute, which can be used against any group of individuals deemed to use criminal means to attain an objective. The acronym refers to the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

“[The] Defendants … [30] unindicted co-conspirators … and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in … false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury,” the 98-page indictment read.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who launched the investigation into Trump and his associates nearly two years ago, told reporters at a late-night press conference that she intended to try all 19 defendants together and that they would be given less than two weeks to turn themselves in.

“I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023,” Willis said.

Hoping to move quickly, Willis added that her office will be seeking to take the case to trial “within the next six months.” If approved by a judge, that would make Georgia the first jurisdiction and Willis the first prosecutor to put a former American president on trial.

Trump denounces fourth indictment

Coming out hard after his fourth indictment, former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that he will produce an “irrefutable” report that “should” lead to all charges against him getting dropped, New York Post reported.

“A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11:00 A.M. on Monday of next week in Bedminster, New Jersey. Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others – There will be a complete EXONERATION! They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!” Trump said on ‘Truth Social’ platform.

The charges, against the former President was brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

The raps against him include violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, false statements, and asking a public official to violate their oath of office, New York Post reported.

Right after the indictment, Trump denounced the ruling and called the situation a “total shutdown of democracy”.

“These monsters, all controlled and coordinated by the DOJ and Radical Left Lunatics, are Criminalizing Political Speech, a total SHUTDOWN OF DEMOCRACY!” Trump stated on Truth Social.

“WITCH HUNT!” he added in a subsequent post.

ALSO READ: Trump indicted again

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-Top News Crime USA

Trump indicted again

Those indicted, including the former president, have until Friday to surrender….reports Asian Lite News

Former US President Donald Trump was charged along with 18 alleged accomplices in connection with attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election count in the state of Georgia.

Late Monday night, Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating Georgia state’s racketeering act.

The other charges were about soliciting a public officer, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents.

Besides Trump, the others who were indicted included the former President personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and many members of his legal team who led efforts to overturn the 2020 election outcome not only in Georgia but also other states, which are not included in the Monday indictment, such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Those indicted, including the former president, have until Friday to surrender.

These charges emerged from an investigation launched by Georgia’s Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis into a phone call from Trump to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2020.

“What I want to do is this,” Trump said in the call with Raffensperger, according to the recording.

“I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes, which is one more than (the 11,779 vote margin of defeat) we have, because we won the state.”

The Fulsome County indictment is the fourth for the former president, following, in the order listed, charges of paying off an adult film star to keep quiet about an affair (filed by New York City), mishandling official papers from his presidency (filed by Justice Department), conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election (filed by the Justice Department).

The former president has countered these indictments by calling them politically motivated, to prevent him, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 president election. 

Trump has already been charged by federal prosecutors in Washington D.C. with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to incumbent President Joe Biden. 

The former President has pleaded not guilty in all the cases.

ALSO READ: Trump’s right to free speech on Jan 6 event not absolute, says judge

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-Top News Crime USA

Report sounds alarm over increase in suicides among elderly in US

dead body

CDC’s Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry said that the troubling increase in suicides requires immediate action across society to address the staggering loss of life from tragedies that are preventable…reports Asian Lite News

A new report has sounded an alarm over an increase in suicide cases, especially among the older population in the US, as nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide in 2022.

According to the report published by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is an 8.1 per cent rise in suicide deaths among adults aged 65 and older in just one year.

In 2022, 10,433 people, above the age of 65, died by suicide and in 2021, the number was 9,652.

The provisional estimates released today indicate that suicide deaths further increased in 2022, rising from 48,183 deaths in 2021 to an estimated 49,449 deaths in 2022, an increase of approximately 2.6 per cent, as per the report.

However, two groups did see a decline in numbers, American Indian and Alaska Native people (down 6.1 per cent) and people 10-24 years old (down 8.4 per cent).

“Nine in ten Americans believe America is facing a mental health crisis. The new suicide death data reported by CDC illustrates why. One life lost to suicide is one too many. Yet, too many people still believe asking for help is a sign of weakness,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is making unprecedented investments to transform how mental health is understood, accessed and treated as part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda. We must continue to eliminate the stigmatization of mental health and make care available to all Americans,” he added.

CDC’s Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry said that the troubling increase in suicides requires immediate action across society to address the staggering loss of life from tragedies that are preventable.

She further stated that everyone can play a role in efforts to save lives and reverse the rise in suicide deaths.”

“Today’s report underscores the depths of the devastating mental health crisis in America. Mental health has become the defining public health and societal challenge of our time. Far too many people and their families are suffering and feeling alone,” said US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, the report read.

“These numbers are a sobering reminder of how urgent it is that we further expand access to mental health care, address the root causes of mental health struggles, and recognize the importance of checking on and supporting one another. If you or a loved one are in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, please know that your life matters and that you are not alone. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 for anyone who needs help,” he added.

Last week, CDC announced seven new recipients in CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP), now funding 24 programs to implement and evaluate a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention, with a special focus on populations that are disproportionately affected by suicide. CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action offers states and communities evidence-based strategies to prevent suicide, according to the report. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Alarming rise in suicide attacks in Pakistan

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-Top News Asia News Crime

‘Taliban’s treatment of women is crime against humanity’

The Taliban swept back into power two years ago this month, as western forces and diplomats hastily withdrew…reports Asian Lite News

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has called on the International Criminal Court to prosecute the Taliban for crimes against humanity over the “systematic brutalisation of women and girls” in Afghanistan

Brown also urged the UK government and its allies to impose sanctions on regime officials responsible for the near-total exclusion of women and girls from education and the workplace.

The Taliban swept back into power two years ago this month, as western forces and diplomats hastily withdrew.

Their initial promises of a more moderate rule than that between 1996 and 2001, during which they were unrecognised by most of the outside world, has proved hollow.

The triumph of hardliners within the Taliban movement meant girls were excluded first from secondary school then from all education. Women were barred from working for aid organisations, prompting most to suspend operations there.

The Taliban had already insisted on segregated aid distributions, so without female workers Afghan women could no longer be helped. Last month there was a rare protest by Afghan women in Kabul after the Taliban decreed that beauty salons, one of the last public spaces open to women, be closed as “un-Islamic”.

Brown, the United Nations’ special envoy for global education, said the evidence of crimes against humanity being committed by the Taliban since their return to power was “overwhelming”.

“They’ve been excluded from education, excluded from employment, excluded from visiting public places,” he told the BBC. “It’s probably the most heinous, the most vicious, the most comprehensive abuse of human rights that’s taking place around the world today. And it is systematically being inflicted on millions of girls and women across Afghanistan. And that’s why the United Nations and others are calling it gender discrimination. Some call it gender apartheid. That’s why it’s seen as a crime against humanity — and it’s right, then, for the international criminal court, which has responsibility for dealing with crimes against humanity, to both investigate and to prosecute those people who have been responsible for this crime.”

Taliban fire shots, beat women protesters in Kabul.

Brown voiced support for sanctions against the Taliban as an entity, which have not been imposed since the takeover. “What we need is a prosecution,” he said. “But we also need sanctions. I’m urging the UK government to sanction the individuals responsible for this policy. The European Union has done it, but America and others can do it.”

Only financial sanctions relating to some Taliban leaders have remained in force since 1999. A 2021 resolution by the UN security council allowed for the provision of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan without breaking international law on sanctions.

Brown said he was shocked that there is “so little international pressure on the regime”, suggesting that the pressure of a potential prosecution could force the Taliban to rethink its approach. He also urged leaders and clerics from Muslim-majority countries to help persuade the Taliban that “Islam is a religion that values women and girls” and denounce the misuse of Islam as a means to deny them rights.

ALSO READ-Report slams Taliban interference in humanitarian aid  

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-Top News Crime Dubai

Dubai Court denies early release for convicted killers after 15 years

The Dubai Criminal Court, in a 2007 ruling, sentenced the five men to 10 years for murder followed by deportation…reports Asian Lite News

 A Dubai court has turned down an appeal for early release by a group of five men from India and Pakistan, who were convicted of murdering a security guard more than 17 years ago.

The men were found guilty of killing the guard at a building site in Jebel Ali in January 2006, and were sentenced to 25 years of life imprisonment by a Dubai Court of Appeal in 2007, The National newspaper reported.

Having served 15 years in prison already, the men were unable to convince the judges at the Dubai Court of Appeal with the documents presented on Monday.

The court heard that the men were part of a 10-member gang who in January 2006 broke into the building site to steal 100 metres of cable worth Dh3,300.

The five broke into the site, stole the cables and assaulted and strangled the security guard.

Their other accomplices were identified as the driver, two who kept a lookout and two who helped to break into the building site.

The robbers then loaded the stolen cable into a vehicle and drove to Sharjah where they sold it and divided the money among themselves.

The guard, whose age and nationality was not revealed, had tried to confront the robbers.

His body was found the next morning by his brother who reported the matter to Dubai Police.

While eight men were apprehended locally, two had escaped to Oman.

They were arrested by Omani authorities and extradited to the UAE, The National reported.

The Dubai Criminal Court, in a 2007 ruling, sentenced the five men to 10 years for murder followed by deportation.

Their five accomplices received half of that sentence with deportation.

However, the Dubai Court of Appeal revised the sentences later that year, with the primary culprits receiving a life imprisonment sentence, which is 25 years.

Their accomplices had their sentences doubled to 10 years.

While a fresh appeal can be submitted in two years, Hassan Elhais of Al Rowaad Advocates told The National that request for an early release is examined by a dedicated committee as per the UAE laws.

Elhais said the committee evaluated the behaviour of each prisoner during their jail term and the potential threat they might pose upon release.

“The committee’s focus isn’t on the initial crime or the ensuing circumstances as that’s the purview of the sentencing judges,” he told The National.

ALSO READ-Dubai court appoints experts to oversee Arabtec’s liquidation

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-Top News Asia News Crime

7 killed in Roadside blast in Pakistan

After the occurrence, law enforcement and security personnel established a perimeter around the vicinity and initiated a search mission with the aim of apprehending those responsible….reports Asian Lite News

A bomb went off near a vehicle in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, killing at least seven people including a local politician, government officials and police said.

The incident took place late on Monday night when a roadside bomb hit the vehicle of a chairman of a union council and others who were returning from a wedding ceremony in Panjgur district of the province, Deputy Commissioner of Panjgur Amjad Somro told local media.

The bomb was detonated through remote control, said police, adding that the vehicle was completely damaged in the explosion, Xinhua news agency reported.

Following the incident, police and security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to arrest the culprits.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

ALSO READ: India faces urgent challenge as Pakistan returns to Khalistan playbook

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-Top News Crime USA

Cyberattack hits California-based healthcare system

Fraudsters get creative, come up with newer ways to dupe people. (Photo:Unsplash)

Ransomware attacks, including on medical systems, have become increasingly common as they digitize patient records and upgrade to cloud-based servers…reports Asian Lite News

A California-based health-care system faced a cyberattack this week. As a result, some services at affiliated locations were shut down, forcing reliance on paper records, The Washington Post reported.

Prospect Medical Holdings owns more than a dozen hospitals in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and it also operates a network of more than 160 outpatient centers and clinics, its website says.

Prospect in an emailed statement to The Washington Post, confirmed that the attack “has disrupted our operations” and said its offices were in touch with the FBI and third-party cybersecurity specialists.

The statement said: “Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation. This incident is a firm reminder that cybersecurity threats pose a real risk for health-care organizations across the nation. Prospect Medical Holdings is not the first health system that has been targeted by bad actors and, unfortunately, it will not be the last. We are working with investigators and law enforcement agencies to address this urgent situation.”

Eastern Connecticut Health Network, which is within the Prospect system, said it was “experiencing IT complications” on its website as of Saturday evening, shutting its outpatient medical imaging and outpatient blood draw services, among others. Emergency rooms for two hospitals in the network diverted patients on Thursday, the Hartford Courant reported, as per The Washington Post.

CharterCARE Health Partners in Rhode Island on Thursday wrote on Facebook that its “computer systems are down and temporarily affecting inpatient and outpatient operations.” It added its staff was “following downtime procedures, including the use of paper records, until this is resolved.”

On Saturday, Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut said on Facebook that the incident “is affecting all Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. affiliates.” It added that “a few of its outpatient services” were not available Friday and Saturday, including outpatient blood draw and diagnostic imaging services. The hospital previously posted that it also relied on paper records for parts of this week as a result of the attack.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that systems were also down on Thursday in Pennsylvania-based Crozer Health, which experienced a similar attack in 2020.

Ransomware attacks, including on medical systems, have become increasingly common as they digitize patient records and upgrade to cloud-based servers. Hackers deploy them to block an organization’s access to its own computer network and to extort a ransom from it, as per The Washington Post.

Prospect Medical Holdings’s statement read: “While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: ‘Internal matter of Pakistan’: US on Imran’s arrest

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Crime India News Politics

SC Puts a Hold on Rahul Gandhi’s Conviction Over ‘Modi Surname’ Remark

Truth is my weapon in this struggle to save democracy: Rahul Gandh

In March, Gandhi faced disqualification as an MP following a conviction by a Surat court, leading to a two-year prison sentence for his comment on the prevalence of the surname “Modi” among thieves….reports Asian Lite News

In a big win for Rahul Gandhi, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed conviction of the former Congress President in the ‘Modi surname’ defamation case, which cost him his Lok Sabha membership, saying that no reasons were given by the trial judge for imposing the maximum punishment of two years in the case.

“If a constituency in Parliament goes unrepresented, is it not a relevant ground (to suspend conviction)? No whisper by the trial judge for the need to impose the maximum sentence. Not only the right of one individual is being affected, but the entire electorate of the constituency,” observed a bench comprising of Justices B.R. Gavai, P.S. Narasimha, and Prashant Kumar Mishra during the hearing. 

Further, the bench remarked that had Gandhi been awarded a sentence of 1 year, 11 months and 29 days, he would have been not disqualified as a Member of Parliament. 

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi, termed the conviction as “strange” while referring to many other judgements of the Supreme Court to justify that Gandhi’s conviction in the case deserves to be suspended. “Everybody aggrieved is a BJP office-bearer or a karyakarta (party worker),” he said.

On the other hand, senior advocate Jethamalani, appearing for the complainant BJP MLA in the defamation case, said that Gandhi’s intention was to defame every person with the surname ‘Modi’ just because it is the same as that of a Prime Minister. 

“You (Rahul Gandhi) have defamed an entire class out of malice,” he said. He also referred to the admonition awarded to Gandhi by the Supreme Court in 2019 in contempt proceedings over his remarks on the Rafale case.

The Supreme Court was hearing the plea filed by former Congress president against the Gujarat High Court’s verdict refusing a stay on his conviction in the ‘Modi surname’ defamation case.

On July 15, the Congress leader had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat high court’s order where a bench of Justice Hemant Prachchhak had observed that granting a stay on his conviction would be an exception, and not a rule.

Gandhi was disqualified as an MP in March, after a Surat court convicted him and sentenced him to two years in prison for his “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname” remark made during an election rally in Karnataka in April 2019. Gandhi’s remark was interpreted as an attempt to draw an implicit connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.

In March, the sessions court in Surat had dismissed Gandhi’s plea seeking suspension of his conviction by the magistrate court, stating that his disqualification will not result in an irreversible loss to him. The Congress leader was disqualified under a rule that bars convicted MPs from holding the Lok Sabha membership. 

According to legal experts, after the stay has been granted by the top court on Rahul Gandhi’s conviction, it will be sufficient to restore his Lok Sabha membership.

ALSO READ: Congress holds ‘maun satyagraha’ in Kerala against Rahul’s disqualification

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Crime Defence India News

India inked 27 bilateral pacts, 16 MoUs to prevent drug trafficking

New Delhi, Aug 02 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai speaks in Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/Sansad TV)

Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai shared the information in a written reply in the Upper House of the Parliament….reports Asian Lite news

India has signed 27 bilateral agreements, 15 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and two agreements on security cooperation with different countries for combating illicit trafficking of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Rajya Sabha was told Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai shared the information in a written reply in the Upper House of the Parliament.

“Since illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and its abuse is a translational problem, Government of India has entered into bilateral agreements with 27 countries, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 16 countries and two agreements on security cooperation for preventing illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.”

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Jayant Chaudhary had put forward a question to the Minister of Home Affairs on whether the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is aware of large scale trafficking of drugs in Manipur and the actions taken and contemplated to be done thereon.

To this, MoS Rai stated in a written reply that NCB on the directions of MHA has identified two places to install vehicle scanners at international border and hinterland of Manipur state to check the movement of drugs.

He added that to resolve various issues on drugs having international implications, “Director General Level Talks and Field Level Officer meeting have been organised between NCB, India and Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), Myanmar

Rai also said that the nexus between Narcotics businesses and terrorist activities is examined on case to case basis.

In order to tackle drug peddling and drugs supply including in Manipur, Government of India has taken steps like introducing NCORD mechanism in 2016 to have effective coordination of actions among various ministries, departments, Central and State law enforcement agencies dealing with narcotics.

Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism has been further strengthened by addition of new members at different levels to make it more effective and comprehensive, he stated in the reply.

MP Rai also said that a Special Task Force on Darknet and Crypto Currency has been constituted to monitor suspicious transactions related to drugs on Darknet. (ANI)

ALSO READ: 12th round of India-UK FTA talks set for Monday

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Crime Defence USA

US Senate in lockdown

US Capitol Police said later it was standing by to prepare the Senate office buildings for re-opening….reports Asian Lite News

The US Senate was locked down as US Capitol Police investigated reports of “an active shooter” in the office buildings.

“Our officers are searching in and around the Senate office buildings in response to a concerning 911 call. Please stay away from the area as we are still investigating,” US Capitol Police tweeted at 2:45 p.m.

US Capitol Police asked people inside the Senate buildings to shelter in place as police officers were searching the buildings for the suspected shooter. An all-clear was given at 4:04 p.m, Xinhua news agency reported.

US Capitol Police said later it was standing by to prepare the Senate office buildings for re-opening.

US Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told reporters that the 911 call about an active shooter might have been a bogus one and that there was no confirmation of an active shooter.

The Senate is currently in summer recess and most lawmakers are not in Washington, D.C.

ALSO READ: US envoy Geeta Rao arrives to attend G20 meet