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- Mayor faces backlash after using Taser on adviser during demonstration
- Italy battles illegal waste dumping crisis in Terra dei Fuochi area
- Ted Cruz reports ‘full-on revolt’ during meeting on anti-weaponisation fund
- Man shot by police after car allegedly driven at officers during pursuit
- At least 90 confirmed dead after gas explosion at Chinese coal mine
- Belgium allows terrorist cell member Mohamed Bakkali temporary prison leaves
- EU must reform, consolidate, use joint debt to cope with spending needs, IMF says
- Russia Plans New Military Doctrine Amidst Ongoing Tensions with NATO
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Mayor faces backlash after using Taser on adviser during demonstration
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Get you up to speed: Mayor uses Taser against own adviser to see if it works | News World
Mayor Carlos Bruce of Surco, Peru, used a Taser on his adviser, Arturo Bobbio, in an incident that was captured on video and circulated online. Bobbio was briefly incapacitated after being hit with the stun gun, which is typically used to subdue individuals.
An investigation is underway following the release of footage showing Mayor Carlos Bruce using a Taser on his adviser, Arturo Bobbio, which has led to public scrutiny. Surco municipality recently acquired stun guns for its security personnel, raising concerns about their use and oversight within the local government.
Mayor Carlos Bruce claimed the clip of him using a Taser on his adviser, Arturo Bobbio, was taken out of context, asserting that Bobbio’s participation was voluntary and carried no real risk. The Surco municipality, which recently purchased stun guns for its security personnel, may face scrutiny as public commentary likened the incident to a scene from the “Jackass” franchise, raising questions about workplace safety protocols.
What remains unclear — It is not confirmed whether the mayor’s claims about the adviser’s voluntary participation are substantiated.
Mayor faces backlash after using Taser on adviser during demonstration
Most of us don’t expect to be Tasered while at work, thankfully.
But that is what happened to the unlucky adviser working for the mayor of the Peruvian town, Surco.
It has landed the mayor, Carlos Bruce, in hot water after a clip of him using the stun gun spread online.
Footage shows Arturo Bobbio, the mayor’s adviser and municipal manager, standing up a few feet from Bruce, who holds the yellow self-defence weapon.
The adviser was floored after being hit with thousands of volts from the stun gun (Picture: TV Perú Noticias)
Bobbio appears to be aware of what is coming up as he braces for the impact of the electrical current normally used to subdue criminals and suspects.
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He squeezes his fists and another man supports him while Bruce grips the device with both hands before the volts hit the adviser from behind.
The pulse from the stun gun makes him convulse as his body receives thousands of volts.
He moves uncontrollably before his feet appear to give in as he falls onto the floor while being supported by his colleague.
Mayor Bruce said the edited clip was taken out of context of a situation that occurred in a private setting, according to TV Peru Noticias.
He claimed that Bobbio’s participation was voluntary and that there was no real risk to him.
Online commentators compared the bizarre exercise to a scene from the hit American 2000s movie franchise Jackass featuring wild pranks and stunts by Johnny Knoxville and his crew.
Another one joked that it looked like a Peruvian version of The Office TV series.
It comes after the Surco municipality is said to have purchased stun guns for its security personnel.
Stun guns can typically eject between 2,000 and 50,000 volts.
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Italy battles illegal waste dumping crisis in Terra dei Fuochi area
5:00 pm
Italy battles illegal waste dumping crisis in Terra dei Fuochi area
Environmental Crisis
The Terra dei Fuochi, a region in southern Italy, is heavily impacted by illegal waste dumping, burial, and burning activities.
The Terra dei Fuochi, a region in southern Italy, is heavily impacted by illegal waste dumping, burial, and burning activities.
Environmental Impact
Illegal waste disposal in Terra dei Fuochi poses significant public health risks and ecological damage across expansive regions, highlighting urgent environmental accountability measures.
Illegal waste disposal in Terra dei Fuochi poses significant public health risks and ecological damage across expansive regions, highlighting urgent environmental accountability measures.
Environmental Concern
“The illegal dumping and burning of waste in Terra dei Fuochi must be addressed urgently to protect the health of local communities.”
“The illegal dumping and burning of waste in Terra dei Fuochi must be addressed urgently to protect the health of local communities.”
Pope Leo XIV visits southern Italy's 'Land of Fires'
The Terra dei Fuochi, or land of fires, is a vast area in southern Italy scarred by illegal dumping, burying and burning of waste.
Ted Cruz reports ‘full-on revolt’ during meeting on anti-weaponisation fund
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Get you up to speed: Sen. Ted Cruz says Blanche faced “full-on revolt” over “anti-weaponization fund” in meeting with GOP senators
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas described a contentious two-hour meeting on Thursday with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization fund.” The meeting, attended by around 45 Senate Republicans, ended with lawmakers cancelling votes ahead of the Memorial Day recess due to opposition to the fund.
The meeting between Republican senators and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, which took place on Thursday, ended without resolution as lawmakers cancelled votes and left for the Memorial Day recess. Approximately 45 of the 53 Senate Republicans attended, with significant dissatisfaction expressed regarding the new “anti-weaponization fund” announced earlier in the week.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz described a recent meeting with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization fund” as “one of the roughest meetings” he has experienced, highlighting strong opposition among Senate Republicans. The Justice Department maintained that the fund is separate from the current reconciliation talks and expressed intent to collaborate with the Senate for the approval of essential funding.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how many senators expressed support for the fund during the meeting with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Ted Cruz reports ‘full-on revolt’ during meeting on anti-weaponisation fund
Washington — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said a two-hour meeting Thursday with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization fund” was “one of the roughest meetings I’ve seen in my entire time in the Senate.”
“There were fireworks at an epic level,” Cruz said Friday on his podcast. “Fiery does not begin to cut it.”
Blanche was dispatched to the Capitol to try and convince skeptical Republican lawmakers to drop their opposition to the nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were politically persecuted. The announcement of the fund — part of a settlement to resolve President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS — came as senators prepared to vote on a reconciliation package to fund border security and immigration enforcement through the end of Mr. Trump’s term.
The reconciliation measure is unrelated to the Justice Department fund, but Democrats vowed to force votes on amendments targeting the fund during the Senate’s vote-a-rama on the funding package, which was expected to begin Thursday. Instead, lawmakers canceled votes after the Blanche meeting and went home for the Memorial Day recess.
“We were going to lose those amendment votes because of the 40-plus Republicans in the room, I’d say half of them were ready to vote with the Democrats on this,” Cruz said. “If the judgment fund had not been announced this week, we would be right now on the Senate floor, we’d be funding border security.”
“We will see the administration announcing at a minimum a modification of this, because if they don’t, they’ve got a full-on revolt in the Senate,” he added.
Cruz said about 45 of the 53 Senate Republicans were attendance and “at least half of them were blasting the attorney general and they were pissed.”
“They were screaming at the acting attorney general,” he said. “There were multiple senators who were yelling at the attorney general — and it was not calm, it was yelling — and they were saying this feels like self-dealing.”
Cruz said Blanche tried to assure senators that Mr. Trump and his family, as well as those who assaulted police officers or committed acts of violence connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, would not be eligible for pay outs from the fund. Some Jan. 6 defendants have already said they intend to apply for payouts.
“Todd Blanche was adamant, and he said not just ‘no,’ but ‘hell no,'” Cruz recalled about the response to senators’ concerns about the Jan. 6 defendants.
In a statement Thursday, a Justice Department spokesperson said the meeting included “a healthy discussion on the settlement.”
“[Blanche] made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation, indeed not a single dime from the money the President is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the Fund,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to work with the Senate to get critical reconciliation funds approved.”
Man shot by police after car allegedly driven at officers during pursuit
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Get you up to speed: Man shot after car ‘driven directly at police during getaway attempt’ | News UK
Armed police shot a motorist attempting to evade a traffic stop on Bury New Road in Whitefield, Bury, at approximately 3pm on Friday. The driver was hospitalised with a non-life-threatening arm injury, and no police officers were injured during the incident, which is under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Investigations are ongoing following the incident, which has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as per standard procedure. A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the supply of class A drugs, with police maintaining a visible presence in the local area to address community concerns.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct ‘as per standard procedure’. Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop reassured the community, stating that increased police presence in the area aims to address concerns and assist residents during ongoing investigations.
What remains unclear — It is not specified why the driver attempted to evade police or the specific circumstances leading to the traffic stop.
Man shot by police after car allegedly driven at officers during pursuit
Armed police shot a motorist who ‘drove directly at them’ while trying to ‘get away’ from a traffic stop.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) tried to pull the vehicle over on Bury New Road in Whitefield, Bury, at 3pm on Friday.
Police said ‘the car failed to stop and drove directly at our officers to get away’.
A GMP firearms officer then shot the driver.
The driver was taken to hospital for an injury to his arm, which has been described as neither life threatening nor life changing.
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No police officers were injured in the incident and investigations are ongoing, police said.
GMP said the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct ‘as per standard procedure’.
A 20-year-old white British man has been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop said: ‘We know people in the area will be concerned by what has happened and the visible increase in police officers in the local area as our investigations continue.
‘Thankfully no members of the wider public, or officers were harmed in the incident this afternoon and we thank people for their patience while we remain at the scene.
‘Should anyone have any concerns, please speak with our officers who are out in the local area, they are there to listen and assist where possible.’
At least 90 confirmed dead after gas explosion at Chinese coal mine
1:00 pm
Get you up to speed: At least 90 dead and others missing after Chinese coal mine explodes | News World
A gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi province, has resulted in the confirmed deaths of 90 people. Over 240 workers were on duty underground at the time of the explosion, with nearly 40 individuals reported still trapped as emergency services respond.
As of 4pm local time, nine individuals remain reported missing within the Liushenyu coal mine, prompting the deployment of a third batch of rescuers to aid in the search for survivors. The Liushenyu facility was identified in a 2024 report as one of over 1,000 coal mines with ‘severe safety hazards’.
President Xi Jinping has urged authorities to “spare no effort” in rescuing survivors and treating the injured, while Premier Li Qiang demands timely and accurate information about the incident. In response to the tragedy, executives from the Shanxi Tongzhou Group have been arrested, and six national emergency mine rescue teams have been deployed to assist in the ongoing rescue operations.
What remains unclear — The specific cause of the gas explosion is still under investigation.
At least 90 confirmed dead after gas explosion at Chinese coal mine
Some 90 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China.
More than 240 workers were on duty underground at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi province when the explosion occurred at around 7.30pm on Friday.
President Xi Jinping called on authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in rescuing survivors and treating those injured by the blast.
The cause of the incident in Qinyuan county is currently under investigation, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.
More than 90 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s Shanxi province (Picture: Reuters)
As part of the probe, executives from the Shanxi Tongzhou Group responsible for managing the facility have been arrested.
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Six national emergency mine rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.
At least four workers had died due to high levels of carbon monoxide in the mines.
Nearly 40 people remained trapped underground as of 7am local time, local news sources reported.
How the explosion unfolded
At 7.35pm local time, a gas explosion broke out at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, Shanxi province. A total of 247 workers were underground at the time.
By 9.43pm emergency services were alerted to dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the facility.
Some 200 people had been taken to safety by 6am.
Initial reports put the death toll at eight, with the number of fatalities increased to more than 50 by midday today and then 90.
An investigation was since opened into the incident, and executives from Tongzhou Group, which manages the site, have been arrested.
As of 4pm local time, nine people have been reported still missing in the facility, as a third batch of rescuers descend the mine to search for survivors.
Source: Xinhua/CCTV.
A total of 123 people are currently recovering in hospital after being pulled from the wreckage, including four in a critical or serious condition.
Another nine people were still reported as missing as of 2pm.
According to Xinhua, the entrance to the mineshaft was muddy, while ropes used to pull carts had made deep ingresses in the ground.
Emergency services were pictured lowering water pipes into the mines.
One rescued miner in hospital recalled seeing ‘lots of smoke’ before he was carried out of the facility.
Coal mine explosions in China are often caused by flooding, although regulations introduced since the early 2000s have reduced the number of fatalities from incidents.
The latest blast is one of deadliest reported in recent years.
Rescuers prepare to descend the mine shaft following the blast (Picture: AP)
Coal accounts for more than half of China’s energy consumption. A quarter of the resource is mined in Shanxi province.
The Liushenyu facility was one of more than 1,000 coal mines listed in a report as having ‘severe safety hazards’ in 2024.
Premier Li Qiang called for information to be released in a ‘timely and accurate manner’.
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Belgium allows terrorist cell member Mohamed Bakkali temporary prison leaves
12:00 pm
Belgium allows terrorist cell member Mohamed Bakkali temporary prison leaves
Prison Leave Granted
Mohamed Bakkali, sentenced to 30 years for his role in the November 2015 Paris attacks, has been allowed six temporary leaves from a maximum-security prison in Belgium.
Mohamed Bakkali, sentenced to 30 years for his role in the November 2015 Paris attacks, has been allowed six temporary leaves from a maximum-security prison in Belgium.
Prison Leave Controversy
Temporary releases for Mohamed Bakkali, a key figure in the Paris attacks, ignite public outcry, highlighting tensions between justice policies and victim rights in Belgium and France.
Temporary releases for Mohamed Bakkali, a key figure in the Paris attacks, ignite public outcry, highlighting tensions between justice policies and victim rights in Belgium and France.
Official Response
“The decision was based on a thorough review of the case and under very strict conditions,” stated Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden regarding Mohamed Bakkali’s temporary prison leaves.
“The decision was based on a thorough review of the case and under very strict conditions,” stated Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden regarding Mohamed Bakkali’s temporary prison leaves.
Uproar as Paris attacks coordinator Mohamed Bakkali granted prison leave
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A key member of a terrorist cell that carried out the November 2015 Paris attacks has been allowed multiple temporary prison leaves and could be eligible for conditional release.
Mohamed Bakkali was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a French court in 2022 for his role in helping coordinate the deadly attacks that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more after gunmen stormed Paris’ Bataclan theatre and suicide bombers struck across the city.
Bakkali, who was extradited to Belgium in 2018, was also sentenced to 25 years in prison in Belgium for his part in planning another attack on a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris.
Belgian prosecutors told Agence France-Presse on Friday that a Brussels court had decided Bakkali could be temporarily allowed out of the Ittre detention facility, a maximum-security prison that opened in 2002.
The Brussels prosecutor’s office said the court had made the decision “despite the prosecution’s opposition,” adding that “the prosecution has no right to appeal, and the decision is therefore final.”
“It is up to the prison director to implement it,” it said.
Le Monde reported that the leave periods are a preliminary step toward the potential granting of parole under electronic monitoring.
The decision, which allows Bakkali to leave prison six times for 36 hours each, has sparked backlash in both Belgium and France.
“His prison releases and his possible upcoming release after serving one-third of his sentence are a slap in the face to the victims, to the investigators, and to the justice of democracies,” Thibault de Montbrial, a French lawyer and president of the Center for Reflection on Internal Security, wrote on X.
Matthieu Valet, a Member of the European Parliament from France’s far-right National Rally party, said it was “a huge middle finger to French justice and the victims.”
“Those who take part in these networks must serve their full sentences, without privileges,” he said.
In Belgium, Denis Ducarme, a Member of Parliament from the Reformist Movement, likened the decision to “turning one’s back on the memory of the victims and the pain of the families.”
“What a country. What a disgrace,” he added.
Vlaams Belang MP Alexander van Hoecke said his party would now be submitting a bill aimed at ensuring “convicted terrorists are no longer eligible for an exit permit or penitentiary leave.”
Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden said the decision to allow Bakkali to leave his detention facility had been granted after “a thorough review of the case” and under “very strict conditions.”
Verlinden added that Bakkali had previously been allowed out but for shorter periods of time.
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