List of All Articles with Tag 'ca'

Thirty-three people are confirmed dead after a building collapsed onto another in the city of Douala.

A couple from London were able to escape the island but say travel agents were "nowhere to be seen".

Several homes, businesses and roads were left badly damaged after heavy rainfall at the weekend.

Bryan Kohberger has claimed that the DNA evidence tying him to the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students may have been planted at the crime scene – as the deadline for him to give an alibi for the slaying looms. In a recent court filing in Latah County Court, the 28-year-old criminology student suggested that police officers could have somehow placed his DNA on the knife sheath which was left behind by the killer at the college rental home in Moscow, Idaho. “The State’s argument asks this Court and Mr Kohberger to assume – is that the DNA on the sheath was placed there by Mr Kohberger, and not someone else during an investigation that spans hundreds of members of law enforcement and apparently at least one lab the State refuses to name,” Mr Kohberger’s attorneys wrote. Prosecutors fired back at the suggestion that the evidence was “rigged”, writing in a filing that “the State is at a loss as to how that theory supports a claim that the lGG information is material to the preparation of his defense”. Mr Kohberger was tied to the 13 November murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin through a knife sheath left at the scene. The sheath – for a military or Ka-Bar style knife – was found partly under Mogen’s body after she and Goncalves were found stabbed multiple times on Mogen’s bed on the third floor of the home. DNA on the button clasp of the sheath was then found to match that of the 28-year-old accused killer. Mr Kohberger’s attorneys have sought to cast doubts on the strength of this DNA evidence, in particular the use of genetic genealogy. According to the affidavit in the case, the FBI used genetic genealogy databases to try to identify the DNA source. Trash was then collected from the suspect’s parents’ home in the Poconos Mountains and a familial match – from Mr Kohberger’s father – was made to the sheath, according to the criminal affidavit. Following Mr Kohberger’s arrest on 30 December, DNA samples were then taken directly from the suspect and came back as “a statistical match”, say prosecutors. Mr Kohberger’s attempts to cast doubts on the evidence come ahead of a looming deadline for the accused mass killer to offer an alibi for the night of the murders. Under Idaho law, defendants have 10 days to provide a written statement about where they claim to have been at the time of the alleged crime and offering information about any witnesses who can support their claim. On 23 May – one day after he was arraigned on four murder charges – Latah County Prosecutor’s Office put in a demand for Mr Kohberger’s notice of alibi. Back then, Mr Kohberger’s legal team asked Judge John Judge for an extension to this deadline, saying that they needed more time due to the wealth of evidence in the high-profile case. The judge extended the deadline through to 24 July. As of Monday morning, the Idaho cases of interest website – where the latest filings in the case are shared – had gone down. Mr Kohberger is facing the death penalty if convicted of the murders of Goncalves, 21, Mogen, 21, Kernodle, 20, and Chapin, 20. He is scheduled to stand trial on 2 October after being indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder and one burglary charge. Mr Kohberger is accused of breaking into an off-campus student home on King Road in the early hours of 13 November and stabbing the four students to death with a large, military-style knife. Two other female roommates lived with the three women at the property and were home at the time of the massacre but survived. One of the survivors – Dylan Mortensen – came face to face with the masked killer, dressed in head-to-toe black and with bushy eyebrows, as he left the home in the aftermath of the murders, according to the criminal affidavit. For more than six weeks, the college town of Moscow was plunged into fear as the accused killer remained at large with no arrests made and no suspects named. Then, on 30 December, law enforcement suddenly swooped on Mr Kohberger’s family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania and arrested him for the quadruple murders. The motive remains unknown and it is still unclear what connection the WSU PhD student had to the University of Idaho students – if any – prior to the murders. However, the affidavit, released in January, revealed that Mr Kohberger was tied to the killings through his DNA on the knife sheath, surveillance footage showing his white Hyundai Elantra close to the crime scene and cellphone activity. The murder weapon – a fixed-blade knife – has still never been found. As a criminal justice PhD student at WSU, Mr Kohberger lived just 15 minutes from the victims over the Idaho-Washington border in Pullman. He had moved there from Pennsylvania and began his studies there that summer, having just completed his first semester before his arrest. Before this, he studied criminology at DeSales University – first as an undergraduate and then finishing his graduate studies in June 2022. While there, he studied under renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland who interviewed the BTK serial killer and co-wrote the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him. He also carried out a research project “to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime”. Read More Bryan Kohberger’s criminology professor weighs in on Rex Heuermann’s arrest in Gilgo Beach murders probe Plan to demolish home where four University of Idaho students were murdered is delayed Bryan Kohberger could face the firing squad for the Idaho murders. What would this mean?

Wildfires have also broken out on the Greek islands of Corfu and Evia as thousands are evacuated.

India's Parliament was disrupted for a third day Monday by opposition protests over ethnic clashes in a remote northeastern state in which more than 130 people have been killed since May. Opposition lawmakers carried placards and chanted slogans outside the Parliament building as they demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the violence in Manipur state before a debate on the issue. Last week, Modi broke more than two months of public silence over the ethnic clashes, telling reporters that mob assaults on two women who were paraded naked were unforgivable, but he did not refer directly to the larger violence. His comments came after a video showing the assaults sparked widespread outrage on social media despite the internet being largely blocked and journalists being locked out in the state. It shows two naked women surrounded by scores of young men who grope their genitals and drag them to a field. The video was emblematic of the near-civil war in Manipur, where mobs have rampaged through villages and torched houses. The conflict was sparked by an affirmative action controversy in which Christian Kukis protested a demand by mostly Hindu Meiteis for a special status that would let them buy land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups and get a share of government jobs. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government is ready to discuss the situation in Manipur. "I request the opposition to let a discussion take place on this issue. It is important that the country gets to know the truth on this sensitive matter,” he said in the lower house of Parliament. Both houses of Parliament were adjourned various times as the opposition stopped proceedings with their demand for a statement from Modi. Sessions were also disrupted on Thursday and Friday. The main opposition Congress party's president, Mallikarjun Kharge, tweeted it was Modi's “duty to make a comprehensive statement inside the Parliament on Manipur violence.” Violence in Manipur and the harrowing video have triggered protests across the country. On Monday, scores of people gathered in Indian-controlled Kashmir and protesters carrying placards took to the streets of the eastern city of Kolkata. Over the weekend, nearly 15,000 people held a sit-in protest in Manipur to press for the immediate arrest of anyone involved in the assault, which occurred in May. They also called for the firing of Biren Singh, the top elected official in the state who also belongs to Modi's party. The state government said last week that four suspects had been arrested and that police were carrying out raids to arrest other suspects. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Overview of the media in South Africa, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.

Provides an overview of South Africa, including key dates and facts about this African country.

Investigators have been spotted digging up the backyard of Rex Heuermann’s home amid reports that the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect may have killed at least one victim inside a sound-proofed room in his basement. Search teams carried out what was described as a “major excavation” on Sunday at the one-storey home in Massapequa Park, Long Island, where the 59-year-old architect lived with his wife and two adult children. Cadaver dogs and a ground-penetrating radar machine were brought in to scour the ground before excavators were seen digging up the earth with a backhoe. At one point, a huge wooden deck was dismantled and a blue tent was erected to shield the search from view. A neighbour told The New York Post on Sunday that authorities had found a sound-proofed room in the basement of the home and that Mr Heuermann is believed to have killed at least one of his victims down there. “He’s got a soundproof room in his basement,” Robert Musto, a 64-year-old longtime neighbour said he had been told by law enforcement on the scene. “What do you think that was for? They’re saying there’s evidence he killed at least one of the girls down there. “The cops are going to dig all that out. Said they’re focused on the soundproof room in the basement but they’re going to look at everything.”A former coworker confirmed the existence of a soundproof basement room to the paper, claiming that the accused serial killer once took time off work in order to carry out the bizarre construction of the vault in his family home. The individual, who was not named, recalled Mr Heuermann building the concrete-lined vault which is around two to three feet thick. “it’s not just a hidden room – it’s a serious vault,” they said. “It had a huge heavy-duty safe door. He went and poured new concrete walls, massive amount of concrete to encase this room. It was maybe 2 or 3 feet thick.” New York officials have not confirmed the existence of the sound-proofed basement room or publicly said that they believe Mr Heuermann may have killed one or more victims in the room. However, officials are probing the possibility that the accused serial killer killed the victims inside his family home. His wife and two children were out of town at the time of each of the three murders he is charged with. Law enforcement sources previously told CNN that a vault of some sort had been located in the basement of the Massapequa Park home – and that a trove of up to 300 firearms had been found inside. The married father-of-two had 92 legal gun permits and was a keen hunter, according to police. In the 11 days since Mr Heuermann was arrested in connection to the infamous serial killer case, investigators have been searching for evidence tying him to the murders including any trophies taken from the victims. As well as extensively searching his home, officials are probing other locations connected to the accused murderer including storage units two miles away in Amityville. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies are also looking into unsolved murders and missing persons cases all across America including in Las Vegas, South Carolina and Atlantic City. Over in South Carolina, Chester County Sheriff’s Office said that they were looking for evidence to assist New York officials. “The Chester County Sheriff’s Office was requested by the Gilgo Beach Task Force to assist in gathering evidence in Chester County relevant to their investigation,” the department tweeted. Mr Heuermann owns a property in Chester next to his brother Craig. The pickup at the centre of the murder investigation was seized from his brother’s home last week. Mr Heuermann was arrested on the night of 13 July when a team of officers swooped as he left his office in Midtown Manhattan where he ran an architecture business. He was charged with three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello. He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who together with the three is known as the “Gilgo Beach Four” and was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City. The four women were found within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape and some wrapped in burlap – their bodies dumped along Gilgo Beach. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held without bond. Court records show that Mr Heuermann was linked to the killings through a pimp’s tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, “sadistic” online searches, phone calls taunting victims’ families, his wife’s hair found on the victims’ bodies – and a pizza crust. The first piece of the puzzle came when a witness in the Amber Costello case revealed details about a vehicle that a client was driving when she was last seen alive. Costello, who worked as a sex worker, was seen alive on the evening of 2 September 2010 when she left her home in West Babylon. A witness said she had gone to meet a client who was driving a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche. Last year, a registration search showed that local man Mr Heuermann owned a first-generation model of the truck at the time of Costello’s disappearance. He also matched the witness’ description of the man believed to be the killer: a large, white “ogre”-like male in his mid-40s, around 6’4’ to 6’6” tall, with “dark bushy hair,” and “big oval style 1970’s type eyeglasses”. The discovery of the car led investigators to hone in on Mr Heuermann including executing 300 subpoenas, search warrants and other legal processes to obtain evidence to determine his potential involvement in the killings. Among this was Mr Heuermann’s alleged use of burner phones, with prosecutors saying that he used burner phones to contact the three women and arrange to meet them at the time when they went missing. He also allegedly took two of the victims’ cellphones – and used one to make taunting phone calls to one of their families where he boasted about her murder, court documents state. Mr Heuermann’s DNA was found on one of the victims, while his wife’s hairs were found on three of the four women he is connected to. His arrest comes after the horrific serial killer case has captured the nation’s attention for more than a decade. The Gilgo Beach murders had long stumped law enforcement officials in Suffolk County who believed it could be the work of one or more serial killers who targeted sex workers and dumped their bodies along the remote beaches on Ocean Parkway. The case began in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert vanished after leaving a client’s house on foot near Gilgo Beach. She called 911 for help saying she feared for her life and was never seen alive again. During a search for Gilbert in dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered the remains of another woman. Within a matter of days, the remains of three more victims were found close by. By spring 2011, the remains of a total of 10 victims had been found including eight women, a man, and a toddler. Police have long thought that it could be the work of one or more serial killers. Gilbert’s body was then found in December 2011. Her cause of death is widely contested with authorities long claiming that it is not connected to the serial killer or killers but that she died from accidental drowning as she fled from the client’s home. However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation and her mother believes she was murdered. Like Gilbert, most of the victims targeted were sex workers while some are yet to be identified. Read More More families await answers in Gilgo Beach killings – and the names of other victims Pizza crust, burner phones and his wife’s hair: How Long Island police tied Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders BTK killer makes chilling comparisons between himself and Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was to deliver a state-of-the-nation speech Monday after his first year in office, which saw him allow an expanded U.S. military presence and refuse to rejoin the International Criminal Court in a move aligned with his predecessor, whose bloody anti-drugs crackdown was under an ICC investigation. More than 20,000 police, backed by other security forces and army troops, were deployed to keep order amid protests and secure the House of Representatives, where Marcos will deliver his speech before a joint session of Congress. Marcos, 65, rose to power in June last year in a landslide victory that was among the most dramatic political comebacks in recent history. His father was ousted as a dictator accused of widespread human rights violations and plunder in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising that became a harbinger of change at the time in authoritarian regimes worldwide. The president has refused to apologize and has steadfastly defended his father’s legacy. Marcos told reporters last week that his speech would be “a performance report for Filipinos to see if the flurry of pronouncements, the many words, had an impact or were just mere words." "That's what I want to explain to people — that we have made significant progress. We can see the difference now not only in terms of how the systems work, how the government works. It is also in how we are now seen or judged in the international community,” Marcos said. He was expected to press his campaign call for national unity, although deep divisions remain. About 6,000 left-wing, labor and human rights groups staged protests ahead of his speech in Congress with diverse demands, including for wage increases, to address attacks against political activists and journalists, and to recall a government program to phase out traditional but aging passenger jeepneys. A group of drivers began a three-day strike on Monday to protest the jeepney phaseout, but no major transport paralysis was reported by midday, police said. Marcos approved the suspension of school classes and government work in metropolitan Manila on Monday due to the planned transport strike and an approaching typhoon. Despite a police restriction on the burning of effigies, left-wing activists burned a mock giant coin that depicted a smiling Marcos flashing the peace sign with his fingers on one side and as a thief holding a gun and bag of cash in the other. Pro-Marcos groups separately held a musical concert and displayed congratulatory streamers. Since assuming the presidency, Marcos has embarked on more than a dozen foreign trips, including to the United States and China, to seek investments and boost trade. He was scheduled to leave for Malaysia on Tuesday for a three-day visit. The government said the foreign trips are crucial to drum up economic reforms and initiatives, including a bill that Marcos signed into law last week creating the country’s first sovereign wealth fund, which aims to pool money for infrastructure and other projects. But opponents said the trips, including one that brought him to Singapore to watch Formula One races in October, reflected the president’s misplaced priorities given problems at home, including soaring food prices early in his presidency. Marcos made himself agriculture chief to directly deal with what he said last year was a looming food crisis caused in part by the war in Ukraine. He has held the post until now despite calls for him to appoint another official so he can focus on other concerns. In February, Marcos approved an expansion of the U.S. military presence in the Philippines to add four new bases from five existing sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the longtime treaty allies. The move, which Marcos said would help boost the Philippines’ coastal defense, dovetails with the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China. China warned the move “will drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife and damage its economic development at the end of the day.” But Philippine officials said the move was not aimed at China. Marcos's moves to reaffirm ties with Washington was a key turnaround from the often-hostile approach his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, took toward Manila’s treaty ally. In a decision that clearly favored Duterte but came under attack from human rights activists and Marcos' opposition, he refused to take steps to bring the Philippines back to the ICC and said his administration would not cooperate with its investigation into thousands of killings under Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from The Hague-based court in 2019 in a move rights activists said was an attempt to evade accountability and prevent an international probe into the killings in his anti-drugs crackdown. The ICC, however, has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed when the Philippines was still a member state of the court. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Gunman who killed co-workers at New Zealand building site died from self-inflicted wound, police say Moscow, Crimea hit by drones as Russian forces bombard Ukraine's south Macron promotes French interests on a trip to South Pacific where US-China rivalry is intensifying

A CNN host was seemingly shocked when Mike Pence took a surprising stance by defending Donald Trump’s supporters during an interview on Sunday. Dana Bash was caught off guard when Mr Pence defended Mr Trump’s supporters, despite the violent storming of the Capitol during the 6 January insurrection in 2021 and calls for his hanging. During CNN’s State of the Union interview, Mr Pence brought up the issue when Bash questioned him about potential concerns regarding future violence due to ongoing provocative remarks made by his former boss. Mr Pence said he was “infuriated” on 6 January 2021, with “people ransacking the Capitol and engaging in violence against law enforcement officers”. “I would say not just the majority, but virtually everyone in our movement, are the kinds of Americans who love this country, who are patriotic and law-and-order people who would never have done anything like that there or anywhere else,” he said. While Mr Trump’s “words were reckless, based on what I know, I am not yet convinced that they were criminal”, he said, much to Bash’s surprise. “That’s pretty remarkable that you’re not concerned about it, given the fact that they wanted to hang you on 6 January,” she said. “There has been an effort to take those that perpetrated violence on January 6 and use a broad brush to describe everyone in our movement,” Mr Pence replied. Bash said she was speaking about the repeated “potential to incite those who were incited on January 6”. Earlier this year, Mr Pence said the former president’s “reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day”. Yet, during the interview with Bash, he said while he believed Mr Trump’s actions attempting to overturn the election were “wrong”, he said he was “not yet convinced they were criminal”. Mr Trump, who is currently the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, remains under the scrutiny of prosecutors across the country over a wide range of issues. Read More Trump news - live: Former president’s Jan 6 actions reckless but not criminal, says Mike Pence Oui, oui: Jill Biden heads to Paris to help mark US return to UN educational and scientific agency Jack Smith has contacted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp over Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election Florida man pleads guilty over Jan 6 as DeSantis denies insurrection Nervous Republicans turn to New Hampshire in hopes of stopping Trump DeSantis downplays Jan. 6, says it wasn't an insurrection but a 'protest' that 'ended up devolving'

Crime Stoppers have walked back on their promise to return donors almost $63,000 even as Carlee Russel returned home by herself following her claimed 13 July abduction. Ms Russell, 25, told police she was kidnapped after stopping to help a toddler in diapers who was walking alone on Interstate 459 on the evening of 13 July. She came back home two days after the alleged abduction. More than $63,000 were raised during the two-day search for the Alabama woman. But the organisation that offers anonymous tips about criminal activity now said the money will not be returned after initially making the promise. “This investigation is still ongoing, and accordingly, there is no basis to refund any contributions at this time,” Crime Stoppers said. Meanwhile, Alabama police have expressed doubt over Ms Russell’s abduction claims and revealed she appeared to have made suspicious internet searches about kidnappings prior to the incident. Her friend has pleaded with the public to stop cyberbullying Ms Russell. Read More Carlee Russell sent several bizarre tweets before disappearing Alabama lawyer says police is using ‘every other synonym for lie except saying she lied’ in Carlee Russell case Boyfriend of Carlee Russell deletes social media posts after police cast doubt over her kidnapping story Police doubt Carlee Russell’s kidnapping claims. Could she face consequences?