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- Summerland residents return home as around 1,200 properties cleared for re-entry
- Justice Department seeks reinstatement of criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
- Builders uncover £7.6 million in gold hidden within walls of Belgian property
- Hiker rescued from Rocca Capra area of Mount Etna in Italy
- Maritime diaper banks report increased demand amid rising costs for families
- Trump administration files 31 lawsuits for state voter data access, status updates provided
- Five teenagers named following fatal wrong-way crash on M9 in Co Kildare
- Helicopter crash in Sifnos, Greece, kills three, including British couple
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Summerland residents return home as around 1,200 properties cleared for re-entry
7:00 am
Get you up to speed: Summerland residents begin returning home as roughly 1,200 properties cleared for re-entry
Some Summerland residents have returned to their homes after being evacuated for over a week. The situation follows a recent emergency declared due to wildfire threats in the area.
Authorities have begun assessing the structural integrity of homes in Summerland as residents return. A full investigation into the incident is underway, with no timeline given for its completion.
Local officials have confirmed that some residents of Summerland are returning home following an extended evacuation period. The municipality is now assessing damage and has advised those returning to remain vigilant and to comply with any ongoing safety guidelines.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how many residents have returned to their homes.
Summerland residents return home as around 1,200 properties cleared for re-entry
After more than a week, some Summerland residents are finally walking back through their front doors.
Justice Department seeks reinstatement of criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
5:00 am
Get you up to speed: Justice Department asks court to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The Justice Department requested a federal appeals court to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported, by reversing a lower court’s ruling in Tennessee. The court order dismissed charges against Abrego Garcia, accused of human smuggling, after the judge found the prosecution to be retaliatory.
The Justice Department has appealed a lower court decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, seeking to reinstate charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who faces allegations of human smuggling. Meanwhile, Abrego Garcia, who has pleaded not guilty, is also involved in a separate federal case regarding his potential deportation to Liberia, which is currently blocked by a federal judge.
The Justice Department has requested the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit to overturn a federal judge’s prior dismissal of charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, asserting that the prosecution was based on solid evidence and not vindictive motivations. Abrego Garcia’s defence team contends the indictment was retaliatory and indicates intent to appeal the Justice Department’s position and challenge the legitimacy of the charges.
What remains unclear — It is not clear whether the Justice Department will provide the actual decision makers, including AG Todd Blanche, to testify under oath in the case.
Justice Department seeks reinstatement of criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Monday to reinstate the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last year, by reversing a lower court order that found them to be vindictive in nature.
In May, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a criminal indictment against Abrego Garcia, who had been accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling immigrants in the U.S. illegally. The judge found that the Justice Department prosecuted Abrego Garcia in retaliation for his efforts to challenge his wrongful deportation to El Salvador last year.
In a filing Monday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the Justice Department denied that the prosecution was vindictive, arguing it had “multiple legitimate bases to prosecute” Abrego Garcia.
“The decision to seek an indictment against Abrego Garcia for human smuggling was made by career prosecutors based on the evidence, the law, and their firm belief that there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Abrego Garcia had committed the offenses charged,” the Justice Department said in a news release.
The Justice Department argued that the court order from May “marks a dramatic expansion of the power of courts to dismiss serious criminal charges based on subjective assessments of a prosecutor’s motivations.”
In a statement to WTX US News, Abrego Garcia’s defense team called the Justice Department’s news release “flat wrong,” saying that “the indictment and prosecution of Abrego Garcia was, in fact, vindictive; the evidence before the district court established just that; and the proof was clear notwithstanding the DOJ’s refusal to call the actual decision makers, including AG [Todd] Blanche, to testify under oath.”
“This case was initiated vindictively and on instructions from the White House after our client successfully won his Supreme Court case,” his defense team added.
Abrego Garcia was charged last year with two counts of human smuggling stemming from a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where he was pulled over by state Highway Patrol and was found to have numerous people in his vehicle. He had pleaded not guilty.
Abrego Garcia is also involved in a separate federal court case in Maryland around the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to deport him. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said it is seeking to deport him to the African nation of Liberia, but a federal judge has blocked that for now.
Builders uncover £7.6 million in gold hidden within walls of Belgian property
4:00 am
Get you up to speed: Builders find hoard of gold worth £7,600,000 hidden in house walls | News World
Builders in Dendermonde, Belgium, discovered gold worth an estimated £7.6 million during renovations on a property owned by welfare organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen. The gold, consisting of bars and coins, has been handed to police, who are investigating to identify the rightful owner.
An investigation by the local prosecutor is seeking to establish the origins of the gold and identify its rightful owner, a process which could take years. Under Belgian law, the original owner has five years to claim the treasure; if unclaimed, it may be divided between the builders and the welfare organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
Local officials have expressed surprise at the discovery of £7.6 million in gold, with CAW Oost-Vlaanderen’s director Geert Hillaert hoping the treasure could support the charity’s initiatives. An investigation by the local prosecutor is underway to trace the gold’s origin, with a five-year window for claims, while police have cautioned against treasure hunting at the construction site.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how long the investigation will take to determine the rightful owner of the gold discovered in Dendermonde.
Builders uncover £7.6 million in gold hidden within walls of Belgian property
Builders were stunned after discovering the treasure inside a property in Dendermonde, Belgium (Picture: Police Dendermonde/Cover Media)
Builders renovating a property were stunned after discovering gold worth an estimated £7.6million hidden inside its walls.
The haul of gold bars and coins was uncovered as workers drilled into the foundations of the building in Dendermonde, Belgium, while installing new sewage pipes.
Among the crew was 18-year-old student Kobe, who was working a summer job.
He initially thought the coins were ordinary €1 pieces before spotting what appeared to be a gold nugget.
Kobe told Belgian broadcaster VRT: ‘Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement.
‘At first I thought they were €1 coins. But then we also saw a gold nugget lying there. That’s when we realised it was something bigger.’
An investigation is underway to try to track down the original owner (Picture: Police Dendermonde/Cover Media)
The haul, reportedly worth around €9million (£7.6million), was handed to police.
Site manager Mario said: ‘There are so many coins and bars – it would be almost impossible.
‘Besides, that would be theft.’
Kobe added: ‘€9million – you simply can’t keep that hidden.’
The property in East Flanders is owned by welfare organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
Director Geert Hillaert said his reaction was ‘surprise and amazement’ and hopes the treasure could eventually help fund the charity’s work and meet the ‘enormous need we experience daily’.
But exactly who will end up with the fortune could take years to establish.
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The incredible haul included coins as well as gold bars (Picture: Police Dendermonde/Cover Images)
The local prosecutor has launched an investigation to discover where the gold came from and identify its rightful owner.
Under Belgian law, an owner has five years to come forward and claim the treasure.
If nobody does, hidden treasure found on someone else’s property can be divided between the finder and the property owner – potentially leaving the builders and charity in line for a huge windfall.
However, that would not apply if the gold is found to be linked to criminal activity.
Police have warned would-be treasure hunters to stay away from the construction site, saying it has already been thoroughly searched and the gold moved to a secure location.
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Hiker rescued from Rocca Capra area of Mount Etna in Italy
3:40 am
Hiker rescued from Rocca Capra area of Mount Etna in Italy
Hiking Incident
The man was hiking in the Rocca Capra area of the volcano, located at approximately 1,400 metres above sea level.
The man was hiking in the Rocca Capra area of the volcano, located at approximately 1,400 metres above sea level.
Geographic Isolation
Hiking in the isolated Rocca Capra area, situated at 1,400 metres above sea level, highlights the operational challenges and risks associated with such remote locations.
Hiking in the isolated Rocca Capra area, situated at 1,400 metres above sea level, highlights the operational challenges and risks associated with such remote locations.
Official comments
“Rescue teams are on standby as we work to locate the missing hiker in the Rocca Capra area,” said a spokesperson for local emergency services.
“Rescue teams are on standby as we work to locate the missing hiker in the Rocca Capra area,” said a spokesperson for local emergency services.
Mount Etna lightning strike kills hiker from the US
The man is believed to have been hiking in the isolated Rocca Capra area of the volcano, in the Valle del Bove, around 1,400 metres above sea level.
Maritime diaper banks report increased demand amid rising costs for families
1:00 am
Get you up to speed: Maritime diaper banks report growing demand as families struggle with costs
The Fredericton diaper bank reports that some clients are requesting additional support due to the increasing cost of infant essentials. This situation is affecting household budgets in the area.
The Fredericton diaper bank is currently assessing the increased demand from clients facing financial strain due to rising costs of infant essentials. Investigations into additional support measures for affected households are ongoing, with no timeline provided for the implementation of new resources.
The Fredericton diaper bank has responded to increasing demand for support as clients struggle with the rising cost of infant essentials. In light of this, officials are exploring measures to enhance resources for affected families.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how many clients have requested additional support.
Maritime diaper banks report increased demand amid rising costs for families
Fredericton diaper bank says some clients are seeking more support as the rising cost of infant essentials puts pressure on household budgets.
Trump administration files 31 lawsuits for state voter data access, status updates provided
11:00 pm
Get you up to speed: The Trump administration has filed 31 lawsuits seeking states’ voter data. Here’s where they stand.
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia to obtain complete voter registration lists, which include sensitive data like birthdates and Social Security numbers. So far, the Trump administration has lost 23 of those cases, with a federal judge dismissing the initial lawsuit against Georgia for being filed in the wrong court.
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia regarding access to unredacted voter registration lists, with the current status of those cases still pending in several states including Delaware and Washington. So far, the administration has lost 23 cases and has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Oklahoma after the state agreed to provide its voter registration list.
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia to obtain complete voter registration lists, citing compliance with federal voting laws. In response to a federal judge’s dismissal of an initial case against Georgia for improper filing, the Justice Department has refiled it, while continuing to appeal previous rejections, including a decision concerning Michigan’s voter rolls.
What remains unclear — The outcome of pending cases in Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Vermont, and Washington is still undetermined.
Trump administration files 31 lawsuits for state voter data access, status updates provided
Washington — President Trump’s administration has mounted efforts in nearly all 50 states to obtain their complete voter rolls containing sensitive information about registered voters in their states.
The Justice Department has argued that the information is needed to ensure states are complying with two federal voting laws, the Help America Vote Act and the National Voter Registration Act, which aim to ensure states have programs in place for maintaining accurate voter rolls.
The administration sent letters to most of the states last year seeking unredacted electronic copies of their statewide voter registration lists, which include voters’ birthdates, addresses, partial Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers.
A number of states have turned over publicly available versions of their voter rolls, but have declined to provide their complete lists. In response, the Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia in an effort to force them to hand over the voter data.
So far, the Trump administration has lost 23 of those cases. Federal judges have rejected the Justice Department’s lawsuits for unredacted voter rolls from:
A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s initial case against Georgia because it was filed in the wrong court, and government lawyers have since refiled it. The Justice Department voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Oklahoma after the state agreed to turn over its voter registration list.
The other cases remain pending. Those are in Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
The Justice Department has appealed most of the decisions dismissing its cases. So far, one appeals court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, has upheld a lower court decision rejecting the administration’s attempt to obtain Michigan’s voter rolls.
The Trump administration’s bids to gain access to states’ unredacted voter registration lists are part of the president’s efforts to exert more power over federal elections. Mr. Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at U.S. elections, though both have been blocked by the courts.
The first executive order, signed last year, would require documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The second, announced in March, tightens the rules for mail-in voting and requires the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Service to compile and maintain lists of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote.
Mr. Trump is also pushing Congress to enact a package of voting regulations called the SAVE America Act, which would significantly curtail mail-in voting and impose new voter ID requirements.
The president has long taken aim at mail-in voting and claimed it leads to widespread fraud, though he has not put forth evidence in support of those claims. He has also claimed that Democratic states allow noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections. It is a federal crime for noncitizens to vote.
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