List of All Articles with Tag 'ame'

Serbia's populist leader has sharply denounced opposition plans to block a key bridge and motorway in Belgrade on Friday to press their demands in the wake of last week's mass shootings in the Balkan country that left 17 people dead, including many children. President Aleksandar Vucic said that the planned opposition protest later on Friday amounted to “violence in politics” and “harassment” of citizens. But, Vucic said, police would not intervene to prevent it “unless people's lives are in danger.” “What gives them the right to block other people's normal lives?” said Vucic, adding that the opposition were “abusing the tragedy” following the shootings that deeply rattled the nation and triggered calls for change. “They are harassing citizens and not allowing them to travel,” Vucic insisted. “But we don't like to beat protesters, like France and Germany do.” The rally on Friday comes a week after thousands marched in Belgrade. They were demanding the resignations of government ministers and the withdrawal of broadcast licenses for two private TV stations which are close to the state and promote violence. They often host convicted war criminals and crime figures on their programs. Protests with the same demands have been held in the past week in various cities and towns in Serbia. Opposition officials said the bridge blockade in Belgrade on Friday evening would last for two hours. The two shootings happened in just two days, leaving 17 people dead and 21 wounded. A 13-year-old boy last Wednesday used his father's gun to open fire at his school in central Belgrade, while a day later a 20-year-old randomly fired at people in a rural area south of Belgrade. Opposition parties have said that Vucic's populist government has fueled intolerance and hate speech, while taking hold of all institutions, thus stoking divisions. Vucic has denied this. He has called his own rally for May 26 in Belgrade that he said would be the “biggest ever.” “We do not organize spontaneous rallies in order to play with people's emotions,” Vucic insisted. “Ours will be a rally of unity, when we will announce important political decisions.” Vucic also told reporters that citizens had handed in more than 9,000 weapons since police announced a one-month amnesty for people to surrender unregistered guns and ammunition or face possible prison sentences after that period. Serbia is estimated to be among the top countries in Europe when it comes to the number of guns per capita, many of them left over from the wars in the 1990s. Other anti-gun measures after the shootings include a ban on new gun licenses, stricter controls on gun owners and shooting ranges, and tougher punishments for the illegal possession of weapons. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

The author of a grief book who is now accused of murdering her husband allegedly fought with him over a deal to buy a new home, fresh documents have revealed. Kouri Richins, 33, reportedly used a fentanyl-spiked cocktail to kill her 39-year-old husband Eric Richins last year. KPCW got hold of search warrants that suggested Ms Richins wanted to flip a 20,000 sq ft mansion, something her late husband thought was too expensive. The documents revealed that the property was a source of disagreement in their marriage. “The couple was under contract at the time of Eric’s death in March 2022. Public search warrants say it was going to cost them nearly $2m and that Eric thought it was too expensive,” said the KPCW report. The documents stated the husband’s family members thought he planned to tell Ms Richins they weren’t buying the mansion. A day after her husband died, on 5 March 2022, the author closed the deal. The documents also revealed that the family planned to tell her that she was being cut out of his will, “making her financially unstable”. Two weeks after Richins’ death, the wife put the home back up online with an asking price of about $4.8m. Court documents stated that Richins believed his wife had tried to poison him before, and that she attempted to change his life insurance policy just before his death, according to FOX13. Richins came from a prominent Mormon family in Kamas, Utah, while his wife wrote a children’s grief book called Are You With Me? Her arrest warrant stated she allegedly spent $1,800 for 60 fentanyl pills which investigators said she described to a drug dealer as “the Michael Jackson stuff”. Phone records allegedly showed she claimed to be buying the painkillers for an “investor” who had a back injury, and initially asked for hydrocodone, before later demanding “something stronger”. Police claimed she first spent $900 on 30 pills. While her husband became “very ill” after a meal on Valentine’s Day, he survived. “Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him,” the documents read. The arrest warrant claimed she went back to the dealer and bought another 30 pills for $900 and allegedly used them to murder her husband on 4 March by putting them in a Moscow Mule drink. Officials determined the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose with five times the lethal dosage found in his body. Court records showed that, over the past few months, Ms Richins has been attempting to have her husband’s sister removed as a trustee for his estate, which is valued at $3.6m. She was arrested on Monday and booked into Summit County Jail where she has been held without bond. She has been charged with murder and drug possession and is set for a detention hearing on 19 May. Read More Author of grief book who is now accused of murder allegedly used fentanyl spiked cocktail to kill husband Author promoted grief book for children on TV before arrest for husband’s murder Kouri Richins wrote a kids book to help her sons cope with their dad’s death. Now she’s accused of his murder

The fate of “doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow is in the hands of the jury as her dramatic murder trial draws to a close. Closing arguments concluded in Ada County Courthouse, Boise, Idaho, and the jury of seven men and five women began deliberations on Thursday afternoon before concluding four hours later. While the judge banned cameras from the courtroom, the hotly-anticipated verdict will be livestreamed. Ms Vallow, 49, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell, 49. Tylee and JJ were last seen in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019. Over the last six weeks, prosecutors laid out their case that Ms Vallow conspired with Mr Daybell and her brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims – as part of their doomsday cult beliefs and greed. Ms Vallow, meanwhile, made the shock decision not to offer any defence in the trial. Instead, turning on Mr Daybell via her attorney during closing arguments. Read More Cult beliefs, hazmat suits and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder trial Lori Vallow trial verdict will be livestreamed, judge rules after banning video of testimony

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Donald Trump is appealing the verdict in the E Jean Carroll case after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Ms Carroll was awarded $5m earlier this week by the jury in the civil trial in Manhattan. The appeal was filed not long after Judge Lewis Kaplan entered the jury’s verdict in the case, according to CNN. Ms Carroll, an author and magazine journalist, claimed in the trial that Mr Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Berghof Goodman department store in the mid-1990s. Mr Trump has consistently denied the allegation. The Trump legal team filed the notice of appeal in the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. The notice was filed only hours after Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the civil trial, wrote a ruling in support of the jury’s verdict, ordering the former president to pay the full $5m. The Trump legal team previously indicated that they would appeal the case. Ms Carroll argued that Mr Trump raped her and that he then defamed her when he rejected her claim and said she made up the story to sell books. The jury awarded Ms Carroll about $2m for the civil battery claim in relation to the sexual assault and about $3m for the subsequent defamation. The jury didn’t find Mr Trump liable for rape. While Ms Carroll testified extensively in the trial, Mr Trump didn’t attend. The twice-impeached ex-president mocked Ms Carroll at the CNN town hall that aired just a day after the verdict. The town hall has been criticised as divisive and even being “a volcano of bulls***” by commentators who accused the network of providing Mr Trump with a platform for airing several dubious claims. Mr Trump described Ms Carroll as a “whack job” and called the trial “rigged”. He was asked what he would tell voters who said the verdict disqualifies him from being president. “Well there aren’t too many of them because my poll numbers just came out – they went up,” Mr Trump said to the crowd, which, according to CNN, was composed of Republicans and undecided voters. The former president also called Ms Carroll’s allegations a “made-up story”. “I swear on my children, which I never do, I have no idea who this woman – this is a fake story, a made-up story,” he said. Mocking her, he said he was too famous to hang around department stores. Ms Carroll had told the jury in her testimony that she and Mr Trump had engaged in playful banter after a chance encounter at Bergdorf Goodman one evening in the mid-1990s. But after taking an escalator up to a deserted 6th floor to look for lingerie, Mr Trump led her to a dressing room, pushed her up against a wall and sexually assaulted her, she claimed. “I was very famous then and I owned the Plaza Hotel right next door and I owned the buildings around it – I’m not going into a dressing room of a crowded department store,” he said at the town hall. He also reiterated claims he did not know Ms Carroll at all, and called the trial “rigged.” “She wasn’t raped, OK? … And I didn’t do anything else either, OK, because I don’t know who the hell she is,” he said during the town hall, as the audience was heard laughing. On Thursday, Ms Carroll told The New York Times that she may sue Mr Trump again after his “vile” comments on CNN. Ms Carroll said that the former president’s comments were “just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people”. Her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, told the paper that “Everything’s on the table, obviously, and we have to give serious consideration to it”. “We have to weigh the various pros and cons and we’ll come to a decision in the next day or so, probably,” she added. Read More Trump town hall – live: Trump to appeal E Jean Carroll verdict as she threatens to sue him again Trump may be sued again by E Jean Carroll after he called sexual abuse claim ‘fake’ at CNN town hall CNN faces backlash over chaotic Trump town hall event

The US president visited Ireland last month to mark the Good Friday Agreement's 25th anniversary.

Donald Trump returned to prime-time mainstream television on Wednesday evening when he took part in a CNN town hall event in New Hampshire in which he used the platform to repeat debunked lies about the 2020 presidential election, praise Vladimir Putin and rehash other familiar falsehoods, prompting the network to attract criticism for hosting him. The network’s own anchors were among those questioning the broadcast, with Jake Tapper lashing out at the ex-president for calling a Black law enforcement officer “a thug” and making fun of E Jean Carroll’s sexual assault. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and DC police officer Michael Fanone likewise criticised the programme, with the New York representative saying CNN should be “ashamed”. The town hall came just one day after Mr Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming the ex-Elle magazine columnist by a Manhattan jury, who ruled he must pay Ms Carroll $5m in damages. Mr Trump referred to the victim as a “whack job” and again insisted he had never met her. Mr Trump barrelled through the hour-long broadcast in a blizzard of dishonest statements, at times talking over moderator Kaitlan Collins’s fact-checking and requests that he answer the questions asked. Read More ‘Putin’s puppet’ Trump refuses to say if Ukraine should win the war against Russia Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election at CNN town hall Trump calls Kaitlan Collins ‘nasty’ in tense exchange over classified documents at CNN town hall Disastrous Trump town hall begs the question: What was CNN thinking?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has parlayed his country's NATO membership and location straddling Europe and the Middle East into international influence during two decades in power. Like other world leaders with global ambitions, he finds his tenure imperiled by matters closer to home. Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday are taking place amid rampant inflation and months after a catastrophic earthquake killed over 50,000 people in the country's south. The government has come under criticism for mismanaging the economy and failing to prepare the quake-prone nation for February's natural disaster. Polls show Erdogan facing the toughest reelection race of his career. A six-party opposition alliance united behind the candidacy of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the social democratic Republican People’s Party, promising to undo democratic backsliding, repatriate Syrian refugees and to promote the rights of Turkish women. Here’s a look at the main domestic issues shaping the election, and where Erdogan and his challenger stand: ERDOGAN'S ECONOMICS Contrary to the mainstream economic theory of interest rate increases helping to keep consumer prices in check, Erdogan maintains that high borrowing rates cause inflation. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, under pressure from the president, repeatedly slashed interest rates to boost growth and exports. Instead, the value of the Turkish lira nosedived, and the rate cuts exacerbated a cost of living crisis. Inflation peaked at 85% in October. The official April figure was 44%, although independent groups say they think the actual rate is much higher. To offset the impacts of inflation and win back votes, Erdogan has engaged in a public spending spree ahead of the elections, increasing the minimum wage and pension payments. The opposition alliance has promised to restore the central bank's independence and a return to orthodox economic policies, if Kilicdaroglu becomes president. Erdogan reportedly has asked Mehmet Simsek, his internationally respected former finance minister, to return to the position, a sign that a new government may embrace more orthodox policies, if the Turkish leader wins a third presidential term. RECOVERING FROM DISASTER Turkey is grappling with a difficult recovery from February's 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the deadliest quake in the country's modern history. It destroyed or damaged more than 300,000 buildings. Hundreds of thousands of residents are sheltering in temporary accommodation like tents. Some 658,000 people were left jobless, according to the International Labor Organization. The World Bank estimates that the earthquake caused $34.2 billion in “direct damages” — an amount equivalent to 4% of Turkey's 2021 gross domestic product. The recovery and reconstruction costs could add up to twice that much, the international financial institution said. Erdogan’s government, meanwhile, has been accused of setting the stage for the devastation with lax building code enforcement. Some people left homeless or struggling to earn money also found the government's earthquake response to be slow. The Turkish leader has centered his election campaign on rebuilding the 11 worst-hit provinces. Erdogan has pledged to construct 319,000 homes within the year and attended a number of groundbreaking ceremonies, trying to convince voters that only he can rebuild lives and businesses. Kilicdaroglu says his government would give houses to quake victims for free instead of the 20-year repayment plan envisaged by Erdogan’s government. REFUGEES NO LONGER SO WELCOME Refugees, especially those fleeing civil war in neighboring Syria, were once greeted with open arms in Turkey, but anti-migration sentiment is on the rise amid the economic downturn. A shortage of housing and shelters in the quake-hit provinces has increased calls for Syrian refugees to go home. The Kilicdaroglu-led opposition alliance and other opposition parties have vowed to repatriate Syrians within two years. Kilicdaroglu says he will seek European Union funds to build homes, schools, hospitals and roads in Syria and encourage Turkish entrepreneurs to open factories and other businesses there. Under mounting public pressure, Erdogan’s government has begun constructing thousands of brick homes in Turkish-controlled areas of northern Syria to encourage voluntary returns. His government is also seeking a reconciliation with Syrian President Bashir Assad to ensure their safe return. Officials say there are some 5 million migrants and refugees in Turkey, including around 3.7 million Syrians and 300,000 Afghans, but anti-migrant parties say the figure is closer to 13 million. A MORE DEMOCRATIC TURKEY? The coalition of six parties has declared a commitment to restore Turkey as a parliamentary democracy and to give citizens greater rights and freedoms should their alliance win the elections. Erdogan succeeded in getting a presidential system of governance narrowly approved by referendum in 2017 and introduced in 2018. The new system abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated a vast amount of powers in the hands of the president. The alliance has outlined plans for a greater separation of powers, including an increased role for parliament and an independent judiciary. Kilicdaroglu has also promised to do away with a law that makes insulting the president a criminal offense punishable by prison. He also has pledged to free former pro-Kurdish party co-chair Selahattin Demirtas and philanthropist businessman and human rights activist Osman Kavala from prison. The six parties have also promised to abide by decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, which has called for Demirtas and Kavala’s release. WILL THE ELECTION AFFECT WOMEN’S AND LGBTQ+ RIGHTS? Seeking to widen his support from voters, Erdogan has expanded his own political alliance of two nationalist parties to include a small Islamist party and also secured the backing of a radical Kurdish-Islamist party. The parties newly recruited into Erdogan's camp have Islamic agendas, which have raised fears about the future of women’s rights in Turkey. They want to scrap laws on alimony and domestic violence protection, arguing they encourage women to leave their husbands and threaten traditional family values. Erdogan already has removed Turkey from a European convention that aims to prevent domestic violence - a nod to religious groups that claimed the treaty encourages divorce and LGBTQ+ rights. Pandering to his pious and conservative supporters, Erdogan and other members of his ruling party have called LGBTQ+ individuals “deviants.” The Kilicdaroglu-led alliance has vowed to rejoin the European treaty and to uphold the rights of women and minority communities. Kilicdaroglu has also reached out to conservative women, assuring them they will be able to continue wearing Islamic-style headscarves that were once banned in schools and government offices under Turkey’s secular laws. WHAT ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY? The opposition alliance has signaled it would pursue a more Western-oriented foreign policy and seek to rebuild ties with the United States, the European Union and NATO allies. The opposition says it would work for Turkey’s reinstatement to the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program, from which the country was ousted following the Erdogan government’s purchase of a Russian-made air defense system. At the same time, a government led by the parties trying to oust Erdogan from power is expected to try to balance Turkey’s economic ties with Russia. An opposition win also could result in Turkey ending its veto of Sweden’s request to join NATO. Erdogan’s government has blocked Sweden’s accession into the alliance, pressing the country to crackdown on Kurdish militants and other groups that Turkey regards as terrorist threats. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Moscow hosts landmark Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks Turkey's closely watched vote may set country on new course As key votes loom, Turkish parties vow to send migrants home

CNN’s move to give Donald Trump a platform to repeat debunked lies about elections and air his problematic views is being widely criticised by political commentators. The network’s own anchors were among those responding to Wednesday’s town hall event, as Jake Tapper lashed out at the former president for calling a “Black law enforcement officer a thug” and making fun of E Jean Carroll’s sexual assault. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michael Fanone criticised the decision to host the event – the former tweeting on the night that CNN should be “ashamed”. The town hall in New Hampshire came just one day after Mr Trump was found liable of sexually abusing and defaming writer E Jean Carroll by a jury. The former president used the platform afforded to him by the news network to mock the woman he has been ordered to pay $5m. In a blizzard of falsehoods, Mr Trump barrelled through the hour-long broadcast at times talking over moderator Kaitlan Collins’s fact-checks and orders to answer the question asked. Read More Trump rants about E Jean Carroll’s cat after he is found liable of sexual abuse A sexual abuse ruling. 26 accusations. Yet Trump is still frontrunner to be the next President Trump news – live: E Jean Carroll praises sexual abuse trial verdict as CNN pressured to axe town hall

Donald Trump refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden at CNN’s controversial town hall event and called his defeat “rigged” and “sad.” The one-term president was immediately confronted by moderator Kaitlan Collins over his election lies and was asked to finally admit that he had been fairly and legally beaten by Mr Biden. “Unless you are a very stupid person you see what happens…most people understand what happened, it was a rigged election and it was a shame we had to go through it,” he told Collins. She then asked him to acknowledge that he lost the election, telling him that he and his supporters had lost more than 60 lawsuits across the country. Mr Trump then cited claims by “True the Vote”, a conservative vote monitoring organisation, and said that they had “found millions of votes on government cameras where they were stuffing ballot boxes, it is a sad thing for our country and for the world.” Collins told him that the false election claims had already been debunked by Republican election officials across the country. Mr Trump then claimed that “people were afraid to take on the issue” and that “we have elections that were horrible in this country”, citing Philadelphia, Detroit and Atlanta, all cities in swing states that went to Mr Biden. “There is no evidence of that,” she told him. The event, which has been criticised for giving Mr Trump’s election lies and baseless conspiracy theories live airtime, took place in front of an audience of 400 Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters in New Hampshire on Wednesday night. Later, when Mr Trump claimed the election was “rigged” while talking about the border wall, Collins told him, “The election was not rigged Mr President, you can’t keep saying that all night long.” Read More CNN Trump town hall — live: Trump refuses to admit 2020 loss and says he does not owe Mike Pence an apology Kaitlan Collins: CNN’s new star anchor who holds Trump’s future in her hands Republicans offer no evidence of crimes at press conference on alleged ‘Biden family corruption’ Republicans try to distract from the Trump and Santos debacle with a Biden nothingburger National Archives leader confirmed amid turmoil over Trump probe

Donald Trump used his platform on CNN to lash out at E Jean Carroll just a day after a jury found that he had sexually abused and defamed the former journalist. Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman in New York in 1996, and then “destroying” her reputation when he claimed she was lying. The jury didn’t find Mr Trump liable of raping Ms Carroll, but it found the one-time president more likely than not sexually abused Ms Carroll. Mr Trump was also found liable for defamation and awarded her a total of $5m. The twice-impeached president mocked Ms Carroll at the CNN town hall that aired just a day after the verdict. The town hall has been severely criticised as divisive and even being “a volcano of bulls***” by commentators who accused the network of providing Mr Trump a platform for airing several dubious claims. He described her as a “whack job” and called the trial “rigged”. He was asked what he would tell voters who said the verdict disqualifies him from being president. “Well there aren’t too many of them because my poll numbers just came out – they went up,” Mr Trump said to the crowd which, according to CNN, was composed of Republicans and undecided voters. The former president also called Ms Carroll’s allegations a “made-up story”. “I swear on my children, which I never do, I have no idea who this woman – this is a fake story, a made-up story,” he said. Mocking her, he said he was too famous to hang around department stores. Ms Carroll had told the jury in her testimony that she and Mr Trump had engaged in playful banter after a chance encounter at Bergdorf Goodman one evening in the mid-1990s. But after taking an escalator up to a deserted 6th floor to look for lingerie, Mr Trump led her to a dressing room, pushed her up against a wall and sexually assaulted her. “I was very famous then and I owned the Plaza Hotel right next door and I owned the buildings around it – I’m not going into a dressing room of a crowded department store,” he said at the town hall. He also reiterated claims he did not know Ms Carroll at all, and called the trial “rigged.” “She wasn’t raped, OK? … And I didn’t do anything else either, OK, because I don’t know who the hell she is,” he said during the town hall, as the audience was heard laughing. Earlier on Tuesday after the verdict, Mr Trump had falsely claimed he “wasn’t able to defend” himself in the trial after he rejected an offer to testify. On Tuesday morning, the former president wrote on Truth Social that he was “waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me”. Read More Five key takeaways from CNN’s divisive town hall with Donald Trump E Jean Carroll reveals she was ‘shaken’ throughout Trump civil rape trial before ‘overwhelming’ verdict CNN’s anchors and insiders lead horrified reaction to Trump town hall: ‘We’re going to get crushed’ Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

George Santos, the New York congressman who rose to prominence for a string of exaggerations, lies, and irregularities related to his personal background and campaign finances, pleaded not guilty after being hit with a series of federal charges. He told the press after exiting the courthouse on Wednesday that the probe is a “witch hunt” and that he’s planning to run for reelection. Mr Santos surrendered to the authorities and was taken into custody at a federal courthouse. He was released on a $500,000 bond ahead of his next court appearance on 30 June. Mr Santos has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Utah GOP Senator Mitt Romney led the calls for him to go, saying, “He has demonstrated by his untruthfulness that he should not be in the United States Congress — perhaps should not even be on the public streets”. Read More Wire fraud, money laundering and stealing public money: Here are the 13 charges against George Santos George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign following arrest Inside George Santos’ drag queen days as ‘Kitara Ravache’ - and how his ‘young and fun’ past was exposed George Santos: Every lie disgraced Republican Congressman has been accused of making