A Canadian woman was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington Thursday in the mailing of a threatening letter containing the poison ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House. Pascale Ferrier, 56, had pleaded guilty to violating biological weapons prohibitions in letters sent to Trump and to police officials in Texas, where she had been jailed in 2019 after refusing to leave a park area as it closed. Her defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Ferrier has no criminal record prior that and is an “inordinately intelligent” French immigrant who had earned a master’s degree in engineering and raised two children as a single parent. But in September 2020, prosecutors said Ferrier made the ricin, a potentially deadly poison derived from processing castor beans, then mailed it to Trump with a letter that referred to him as “The Ugly Tyrant Clown” and read in part: “If it doesn’t work, I’ll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I’ll be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT.” The letter from Pascale Ferrier, which also told Trump “give up and remove your application for this election,” was intercepted at a mail sorting facility in September 2020, before it could reach the White House. She was arrested trying to enter a border crossing in Buffalo, New York, carrying a gun, a knife and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Investigators also found eight similar letters to Texas officials. In a winding speech, Ferrier told the judge that she considers herself a “peaceful and genuinely kind person,” but gets angry about problems like unfairness, abuses of power and “stupid rules." She spoke about feeling like she had done little to support her values while raising her children, and considered herself to be an “activist” rather than a “terrorist.” “I want to find peaceful means to achieve my goals,” she said. U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich handed down the 262-month sentence outlined in a plea agreement with prosecutors, which also requires Ferrier to leave the country once she is released and be under supervised release for life if she ever returns to the U.S. The judge noted a “real disconnect" between the Canadian grandmother who has worked toward another degree while behind bars and the crimes Ferrier pleaded guilty to. “That isn't really activism, that's productive,” she said. Prosecutor Michael Freedman said the sentence was an “appropriately harsh punishment” that sends a clear message. “There is absolutely no place for politically motivated violence in the United States of America,” he said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 21, 2023--

Provides an overview of San Marino, including key dates and facts about this small European state.

The Swedish government wants to increase the country's defense budget by 28% as it prepares to join the NATO alliance

Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa has resigned in a televised address, just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff in a probe into alleged corruption in his administration's handling of lithium mining and hydrogen projects. The 62-year-old, Portugal's Socialist leader since 2015, asserted his innocence but said that "in these circumstances, obviously, I have presented my resignation to the president of the republic". The state prosecutor's office said the Supreme Court was examining suspects' "use of the prime minister's name and his involvement" when carrying out allegedly illicit activities. It said the minister of infrastructure, Joao Galamba, and the head of the environmental agency were among those named as suspects. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa quickly accepted Mr Costa's resignation. He is expected to dissolve parliament and call for a new election. He said in a statement that he is calling parliament to convene on Wednesday, and he will speak to the nation after the Council of State gathers on Thursday. The prime minister teared up while thanking his family for their support. "I totally trust the justice system," he said. "I want to say eye to eye to the Portuguese that my conscience is clear of any illicit or censured act." He acknowledged that he was not "above the law". An investigative judge had issued arrest warrants for Mr Costa's chief of staff Vitor Escaria, the mayor of the town of Sines, and three other people because they represented a flight risk and to protect evidence, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. The judge is investigating alleged malfeasance, corruption of elected officials and influence peddling related to lithium mine concessions near Portugal's northern border with Spain and plans for a green hydrogen plant and data centre in Sines on the south coast. The police raids included the premises of the ministry of the environment, the ministry of infrastructure, Sines town council, private homes and offices. Portugal's lithium mines and green hydrogen projects are part of the continent's green initiative being pushed, and heavily funded, by the European Union. Mr Costa has been a major backer of the projects and an ally of Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. He had looked set to remain in power for several years after his Socialists scored a landslide victory in elections last year, but in December 2022, his infrastructure and housing minister was forced to quit amid an outcry over a €500,000 (£434,000) compensation payment made to a board member of state-owned flag carrier TAP Air Portugal. The junior minister for infrastructure also stepped down. Ten senior government officials have left their jobs since Mr Costa's party won the 2022 ballot. Mr Costa said he had no prior indication he was being scrutinised by legal authorities. "This is a phase of my life that comes to an end," he said. Associated Press Read More Hundreds gather at vigil held for Ukrainian soldiers killed in missile attack Where the GOP presidential candidates stand on the war in Ukraine Orcas sink another yacht in relentless 45-minute attack Hundreds gather at vigil held for Ukrainian soldiers killed in missile attack Where the GOP presidential candidates stand on the war in Ukraine Orcas sink another yacht in relentless 45-minute attack

Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will start deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month – Moscow’s first move of such bombs outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russian president said the weapons would be deployed after special storage facilities are ready in just under a month’s time. It comes after he, last month, announced he wanted to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, in an apparent warning to Nato over its support for Ukraine. “Everything is going according to plan,” Mr Putin told his ally and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. “Preparation of the relevant facilities ends on July 7-8, and we will immediately begin activities related to the deployment of appropriate types of weapons on your territory,” he said, according to a Kremlin transcript of his remarks. Earlier, Ukraine‘s domestic security service said it had intercepted a telephone call proving a Russian “sabotage group” blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric station and dam in southern Ukraine. The destruction of the facility on Tuesday unleashed mass flooding, forcing thousands of residents to flee and wreaking environmental havoc. Read More Ukraine goes on attack in Zaporizhzhia – as counteroffensive steps up Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Before-and-after satellite images show profound toll of Ukraine dam collapse

The family of Bob Violette say he died trying to protect a group of kids at the bowling alley

xQc slammed the new policy on Twitch after the streaming platform introduced a new guideline that content creators do not agree with

By Jacqueline Thomsen (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed civil rights lawyer Nusrat Choudhury to the U.S. District

A funeral service has been held near Athens for a Greek soccer fan killed in an attack led by Croatian supporters that has rattled European sporting officials

The Dutch Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that a Palestinian man cannot sue Israel’s former defense minister and another former senior military officer over their roles in a deadly Gaza 2014 airstrike

Twitter Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk on Tuesday revealed details about new features including adding calls and encrypted