Tag: Florida

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Trump arrives in Florida to face charges

On June 9, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Trump with 37 counts in the case…reports Asian Lite News

Former US President Donald Trump has arrived in Florida ahead of a court appearance on Tuesday in connection with the mishandling of classified documents that he carried with him while leaving the White House in January 2021.

On June 9, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Trump with 37 counts in the case, including willful retention of national defence information that ranges from the country’s nuclear weapons to attack plans for foreign countries; conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding a document or record; corruptly concealing a document or a record; concealing a document in a federal investigation; scheme to conceal; and making false statements and representations.

Trump, who is the first former American President to face federal charges, flew in to his Trump Doral resort near Miami on Monday evening from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The former President who is campaigning to make a return to the White House in 2024 and has denied any wrongdoing, appeared muted but unflustered as he strolled into the BLT Prime restaurant at the resort, the BBC reported.

Trump greeted guests at the steakhouse with his signature thumbs-up, and even posed for a photo with a group of men.

“With you all the way,” shouted one patron seated at the bar, to which Trump replied, “thank you very much”, before security escorted him to the dining area.

Meanwhile, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters that the city was preparing for Trump’s court appearance.

Police will be deployed in anticipation of crowds up to 50,000 people, the BBC quoted the Mayor as saying.

“We encourage people to be peaceful,” Suarez added.

On June 10, a day after he was indicted, Trump said the case amounted to “election interference” by the “corrupt” FBI and the DOJ.

The former President will appear in court alongside a close aide, Walt Nauta, who was charged and faces six criminal counts related to the alleged handling of national security documents.

The two are scheduled to make their initial appearances at 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon (12.30 a.m. Wednesday IST).

A federal judge has denied a request by news organisations for photo and video access during Tuesday’s hearing — though a court sketch artist will be present.

Later, Trump is expected to return to Bedminster to make remarks to the media, the BBC reported.

The 49-page indictment details the former President’s “reckless” treatment of classified documents — he showed them to people without the necessary security clearance on two occasions, and his attempts to withhold them from FBI investigators despite grand jury subpoenas.

The indictment shows — with photographs — these boxes were stored in publicly accessible places in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, which has been his home — in the ballroom, bathrooms, and the business centre.

The document also contains transcriptions of audio recordings of the former President’s remarks in which he acknowledges that the documents he is showing to people are classified and that he cannot and should not be doing that.

According to legal experts, criminal charges could lead to substantial prison time if Trump is convicted.

But the former President has vowed to continue his campaign for a second term at the White House no matter what the verdict is.

ALSO READ: Trump calls his indictment ridiculous, baseless

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-Top News UAE News USA

Hurricane Ian: Emiratis in Florida moved to Washington

Destruction caused by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico.(photo: twitter.com/pedropierluisi)

The evacuation was executed under the supervision of Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States of America…reports Asian Lite News

The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington D.C., has evacuated UAE citizens in Florida to Washington D.C., after Tropical Storm Ian turned into a powerful hurricane threatening the State of Florida.

The evacuation was executed under the supervision of Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States of America.

In the midst of Hurricane Ian, an emergency evacuation plan was developed by the Embassy’s Emergency and Crisis Committee, which included members from the Embassy, various technical offices, the Annexes, and scholarship agencies. 141 Emirati nationals have been evacuated thus far. The evacuation plan included various means of transportation to transfer UAE nationals out of Florida, including by chartering a private plane (for 119 evacuees), booking seats on commercial flights (for 13 evacuees), and having individuals drive out of Florida (9 evacuees), wherein they were safely evacuated to Washington, DC.

Due to critical weather conditions and the difficulty of finding commercial flights to Washington D.C., the Embassy’s Emergency and Crisis Committee arranged the evacuation of some UAE nationals from Florida to safe neighboring states. As part of the evacuation plan, the Embassy also assigned a task force to look after the citizens and their escorts upon arrival at the hotel in Washington D.C., ensuring their needs were met and providing the necessary support during their stay.

In light of the situation, Shaima Gargash, Deputy Head of Mission in Washington D.C., stated, “Our embassy ensures that we are taking all the necessary precautions to safeguard the security and safety of UAE nationals in the United States.”

Gargash added, “We perform our duties in close and direct coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.”

The UAE Embassy expressed its acknowledgement of and appreciation for the effective role of the Embassy’s diplomats, employees, and Attachés. The Embassy also extended its utmost appreciation to the UAE Government for its unlimited support for its citizens around the world.

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UAE News

UAE Minister State for Foreign Trade concludes two-day visit to Florida

UAE Minister State for Foreign Trade concludes two-day visit to Florida

The leaders discussed ways to enhance collaboration between the UAE and Florida, with a focus on investment, tourism, city planning, and healthcare…reports Asian Lite News

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Trade HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi recently concluded a successful two-day visit to Florida, which focused on expanding the bilateral UAE-US trade and commercial relationship. His trip to the “Sunshine State” builds on recent economic development missions to the UAE by local South Florida officials.

Minister Al Zeyoudi met with Broward County Mayor Michael Udine, Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, and Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz.

The leaders discussed ways to enhance collaboration between the UAE and Florida, with a focus on investment, tourism, city planning, and healthcare. These meetings follow a delegation in March by Florida mayors to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai where they engaged with the UAE business community and attended closing events for Expo 2020 Dubai including visiting the US Pavilion.

“Florida is the commercial gateway to the Americas and the UAE sits at the crossroads of global trade and commerce. It makes perfect sense that the Emirates is developing close ties with this economically vibrant region,” said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. “The UAE was pleased to host multiple delegations of Florida mayors recently and we remain committed to expanding economic partnership opportunities here.”

In Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Minister Zeyoudi attended high level business development and networking events and meetings hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, The International Trade Consortium (ITC), Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership promoting economic development in Florida, and eMerge Americas, an organizing focused on establishing Miami as the tech hub of the Americas.

ALSO READ:UAE stresses on ocean-based climate solutions at UNOC

In 2021, Florida exported over $1 billion of goods to the U.A.E., making it one of the top 10 states exporting to the Emirates. These exports supported an estimated 6,000 U.S. jobs. The U.A.E. also exported over $180 million of goods to Florida that same year.

During Mayor Suarez’s visit to the UAE in March, he signed a sister city agreement alongside HE Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, deepening ties between the cities of Dubai and Miami. Crown Prince of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended that signing ceremony.

In July 2021, Emirates Airline began its first-ever passenger service between Dubai and Miami, opening new business and leisure opportunities between the U.A.E. and South Florida. Emirates has also been flying to Orlando since 2015, and it previously serviced South Florida through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from 2016 through 2020.

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USA

2 killed in Florida bus shooting

The three wounded include two in critical condition and one with non-life-threatening injuries….reports Asian Lite News

Two died and three others were injured after a shooting inside a transit bus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, authorities said.

Four people were transported to the hospital “as a result of the shooting that occurred on a bus”, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said in a tweet on Thursday afternoon.

One of the hospitalised died from the shooting, Xinhua news agency quoted local media reports as saying.

The three wounded include two in critical condition and one with non-life-threatening injuries.

The bus came to a stop in the parking lot of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department but the shooting did not involve the police.

“The suspected shooter is in custody at this time,” the police continued. “We do not believe there to be any further threat to the public.”

The police added that a car crash also occurred due to the incident, injuring three additional people “who were treated on scene”.

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-Top News USA

Coast Guard searching for 39 missing off Florida

The RCMP added that it is aware that some media outlets are publishing the possible identities of the four victims…reports Asian Lite News

The US Coast Guard has said that it is searching for 39 people who were missing after a vessel reportedly capsized off Florida during the weekend.

Taking to Twitter, the Coast Guard said on Tuesday that “a good Samaritan” rescued a man clinging to a capsized vessel approximately 45 miles (about 72.4 km) east of Fort Pierce Inlet in Florida, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The survivor reported he left Bimini, Bahamas, with 39 other people Saturday night and encountered severe weather, causing the vessel to capsize. According to the survivor, no one was wearing a life jacket,” the statement said. The Coast Guard suspected that it was a “human smuggling venture.”

US-Canada border incident

Meanwhile, Although some media outlets have identified the four members of a Gujarati family who froze to death on January 19 near the Canada-US border as residents of Dingucha village near Gandhinagar, authorities in Ottawa have refused to confirm their names.

“Authorities have told us that the bodies of the victims can be identified only after they have been ‘defrosted’. It may take one or two days,” Indian sources in Winnipeg said.

In a statement on Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which discovered the bodies 12 metres inside Canada, said: “Our investigators are working closely with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Manitoba and pursuing other investigative avenues to confirm the names. We are also in regular contact with Indian consular officials who have arrived in Manitoba. Once the identities have been confirmed, our priority will be to formally notify the next of kin.”

The RCMP added that it is aware that some media outlets are publishing the possible identities of the four victims.

“As a law enforcement organization, we will not be in a position to confirm these names until we have 100 percent certainty of their identities and next of kin notification is completed,” it said.

A team from the Indian consulate in Toronto was sent to Winnipeg on January 20 to coordinate with the Canadian authorities to identify and repatriate the bodies to India.

In a related development on Monday, a 47-year-old American human smuggler Steve Shand who was arrested with seven other Indians by US border agents, was ordered to be released with conditions by a court in Minnesota.

US District Court Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in Minnesota ordered that he should surrender all his travel documents, not leave his home in Florida except for court appearances, not possess any weapons and report any interactions with police.

Shand agreed to all the conditions for his release.

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-Top News USA

Death toll in Florida building collapse rises to 28

“Bringing the building down in a controlled manner was critical to expanding our scope of search,” Levine Cava said. “Truly, we could not continue without bringing this building down.”…reports Asian Lite News.

Another three bodies were found on Monday as search resumed after the demolition of remainder of the condominium which partially collapsed 12 days ago in Surfside, southeastern US state Florida, increasing the death toll to 27.

As many as 118 people are still unaccounted for, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news briefing.

Search efforts resumed around midnight after the demolition around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday in a process that “uses small, strategically placed explosives and relies on gravity to bring the building down in place,” the mayor said.

“Bringing the building down in a controlled manner was critical to expanding our scope of search,” Levine Cava said. “Truly, we could not continue without bringing this building down.”

The demolition allowed the crew to access the area closest to the building that they had not been able to access before, she said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Friday that tropical storm Elsa’s expected arrival in South Florida this week has made the demolition of the whole building necessary, the Xinhua news agency reported.

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