UN urges Israel and Palestinians to halt West Bank violence in statement backed by US and Russia
The U.N. Security Council is urging Israel and the Palestinians to avoid actions that can further inflame tensions in the volatile West Bank
2023-06-28 08:47
Tourist who carved name into Colosseum identified as British fitness trainer
The tourist who caused outrage in Italy after carving names into a wall of the Colosseum has been identified as a British fitness trainer. The man has been identified as Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old fitness instructor and delivery driver who is originally from Bulgaria and lives in Bristol, according to The Telegraph. He was filmed by an onlooker etching his and his girlfriend’s name into a wall of the 2,000-year-old monument last Friday. Wearing a blue floral print shirt, he used a key to write “Ivan + Hayley 23” in full view of the public. His girlfriend was identified as 33-year-old Hayley Bracey, according to The Telegraph. He turned around and grinned as an angry bystander asked: “Are you serious, man?” The video titled “A*****e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome” was uploaded to YouTube on Friday by the man who filmed the scenes. It went viral across social media, garnering international headlines as people roundly condemned him. Police have not named the suspect but the Carabinieri – military police for the Italian armed forces – said the man has been identified and he and his girlfriend were “a couple who are resident in England”. In an official statement, it said they identified them “through traditional investigations and photographic comparisons the person accused of etching their name and that of his girlfriend on the walls of the Colosseum”. The man could face a fine of up to €15,000 (£12,850) and a prison sentence of up to five years if convicted for defacing the historical monument under Italian laws. Rome’s Colosseum is a Unesco world heritage site where gladiators fought with one another and also battelled wild animals including lions, leopards, bulls and ostriches. Its construction began under the reign of the emperor Vespasian in the first century AD. Italian police will send a note to the suspect’s residence in England to inform him that he is under investigation, according to Il Messaggero. Ms Bracey, however, is not being investigated. The Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano thanked the police for identifying the alleged suspect of the “uncivilised and absurd act committed at the Colosseum”. “It was an act that offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history,” he said. “Now I hope justice will take its course by rigorously applying the laws.” The minister said that the government was considering a law that would impose stringent punishment on those found guilty of defacing or damaging the country’s historical and cultural heritage sites. “Those who cause damage will pay,” he said. It is not the first time tourists were investigated and punished for defacing a historical site. In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined €20,000 (£17,000) for engraving a “K” on a wall, and given a suspended four-year jail sentence. The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument. Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019. Read More Outrage in Rome after tourist filmed carving his and girlfriend’s names into Colosseum Italy looks for man seen in viral video carving names into Rome's almost 2,000-year-old Colosseum Watch: Couple carve names into Italy’s ancient Colosseum as hunt for vandals is launched Tourist who carved name into Italy’s Colosseum is suspected British fitness trainer Italian police say the man filmed carving his name on the Colosseum is a tourist living in Britain Tourist filmed carving his and girlfriend’s names into Colosseum in Rome
2023-06-30 17:49
Hunter Biden judge agrees to drop old gun count after indictment replaces scuttled plea deal
A gun count that had been part of a collapsed plea deal in the Hunter Biden case has been dismissed as a judge signed off on a prosecution request
2023-10-12 01:52
How much did Christine Brown's engagement ring cost? Internet trolls Robyn as she dons 'cheap version' of 'Sister Wives' star's ring
'Sister Wives' star Christine Brown got engaged to David Woolley in April 2023
2023-11-24 13:55
Uttar Pradesh: India school shut down over slapping row
A school in India is ordered sealed after its teacher asked students to slap their Muslim classmate.
2023-08-28 13:20
LSU stars Olivia Dunne and Angel Reese shine on Sports Illustrated 'Money Issue' cover, discuss impact of 7-figure NIL deals
Olivia Dunne said, 'There's definitely an underlying problem, which is that the money needs to go to support women's sports'
2023-09-14 17:56
23 freight cars, new vehicles heavily damaged in train derailment in northern Arizona
Authorities say a freight train has derailed in northern Arizona involving 23 cars, but no injuries have been reported
2023-06-09 02:17
A look at what to expect as latest UN climate talks get under way in oil-rich UAE
The Middle East plays host to its second straight U.N. climate conference over the next two weeks, with countries hoping to agree on new ways to keep the planet from catastrophic heating by the end of the century
2023-11-30 13:27
Where is Maya Kowalski now? Family of girl, 17, sues Florida children's hospital for $220M after her mom kills herself over false accusations
Doctors at the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital accused Maya's parents of fabricating symptoms of her debilitating condition
2023-06-25 15:29
Hurricane Hilary: Scenes of devastation in California shock the Internet
California authorities are urging residents not to travel, citing the risk of mudslides, deteriorating roads, hazardous debris flows, and floods
2023-08-21 14:55
Capitol police sergeant injured on Jan 6 praises Trump arraignment: ‘Our democracy is worth fighting for’
When Donald Trump pleaded not guilty after being arrested and arraigned on Thursday for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election, among those present in the courthouse was Aquilino Gonell. A US Capitol police officer, Mr Gonell resigned in December last year as he sought to continue recovering both “physically and mentally” from the trauma of the Jan 6 insurrection that occurred in 2021. “Our Democracy is worth fighting for,” the retired officer injured in the Capitol riot wrote on X (formerly Twitter) soon after the proceeding. “Not prosecuting is far riskier than having no consequences for the alleged power grab attempts. Justice and the rule of law must win for our democracy to survive,” he said of the former president who was indicted Monday on four charges as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the alleged conspiracy surrounding the events from 6 Jan Capitol riot. Describing the incident, he wrote, “[As] Capitol Police sergeant, I found myself defending everything I sacrificed, and our very own democracy when it was threatened by an all out assault by a mob.” “As an American, the events on January 6 were shocking,” he said. “I was attacked by more than 50 people (one way or another) that I know of. I have given testimony to the congressional committee, investigators, prosecutors and the court.” He had earlier last year, while providing testimony before Congress, compared the experience of being at the Capitol on that day to his experience in Iraq with the US Army. “On January 6, for the first time, I was more afraid working at the Capitol than during my entire Army deployment to Iraq,” he had said in prepared remarks. “In Iraq, we expected armed violence, because we were in a war zone. But nothing in my experience in the Army, or as a law enforcement officer, prepared me for what we confronted on Jan 6.” He told legislators how he was punched, pushed, kicked, shoved, sprayed with chemical irritants and “blinded with eye-damaging lasers” – injuries that required multiple surgeries and a six-month medical leave. In a poetic twist of fate, Mr Trump’s latest arraignment brought him to the exact same courthouse where hundreds of people have been tried, convicted and sentenced to terms in prison as long as 18 years for charges in connection with the Jan 6 insurrection. Mr Trump, the man Liz Cheney once credited with having “assembled” and “summoned” members of the mob, is now the latest defendant among them. Mr Gonell was present in court along with two other police officers – Daniel Hodges and Harry Dunn – who defended the Capitol that day. They watched the former president’s arraignment from inside the court. Taking stock of the location’s symbolism where Mr Trump was produced, Mr Gonell said: “The same court in which hundreds of rioters have been sentenced. It’s the same court former President Trump is being arraigned in today for his alleged involvement before, during, and after the siege.” Read More Live updates: Trump pleads not guilty at arraignment in 2020 election case Trump pleaded not guilty. The stakes couldn’t be higher Trump was told not to talk to witnesses in 2020 election conspiracy case. That could be a challenge. Trump appears to stumble over his name and age at arraignment Watch view of the Capitol on day Donald Trump scheduled to be arraigned Trump supporters falsely claim former president faces death penalty
2023-08-04 17:21
Yellen seeks to calm a fraught but close-knit US-China trade relationship
By David Lawder and Joe Cash WASHINGTON/BEIJING As U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tries to steady an increasingly
2023-07-07 12:16
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