French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to make key economic, immigration and education reforms despite France's divisions and political challenges that have included months of protests against pension changes and recent rioting over a teen killed by police. Macron said in a wide-ranging interview with Le Point magazine published Thursday that he will meet next week with the country’s “main political leaders” for talks about issues confronting France. The talks would be aimed at proposing new bills and possibly referendums, he said. Macron last year lost his majority in the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, forcing him to use political maneuvering to pass any new legislation. That was “no big deal,” he said in the interview, noting that his centrist government managed to pass some new laws since then with support from members of the center-left and the traditional right. Macron wants to avoid a repetition of the major political crisis prompted by the parliamentary deadlock earlier this year over a reform to cut costs by raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. His government used a special constitutional power to force the legislation through without a vote at the National Assembly, infuriating opponents who staged a months-long firestorm of protest. Macron promised to address the roots of several days of unrest around France sparked at the end of June by the police killing of a 17-year-old boy. He told Le Point that those who participated in the riots, including many aged under 18, acted out of a “will for revenge” against police and the state institutions. “There was no political message, nor a social or religious message,” he said. The 45-year-old president vowed to implement a major education reform that would including reducing students’ vacation days, and would allow students with learning difficulties to return to school sooner after holidays than others. “There are too many vacations,” Macron said. He also said that an immigration bill that has been postponed several times this year due to the lack of a parliamentary majority would be debated in the coming months. He said his government would hold talks with opposition parties to build a proposal. “We must significantly reduce immigration, starting with illegal immigration,” he said. The external borders of the European Union must be better protected, he argued. The comments come as a number of boats have capsized or otherwise been in distress in recent days off the North African coast and near Italian shores. Tens of thousands of migrants have tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea this year hoping to reach Europe. Macron vowed to bring the unemployment rate down to 5%. France unemployment rate reached 7.2% this year, its lowest rate since 2008. He said his policies since 2017 have boosted France's growth and improved its economic “attractiveness” to foreign. “We must do more to reduce unemployment by all means,” he said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide French general put in charge of Notre Dame rebuild found dead on mountain Rishi Sunak defends Bibby Stockholm plan after series of setbacks Migrants could return to Bibby Stockholm in next few days, says minister

The son of a Los Angeles County fire captain has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murdering a California woman who was shot and abducted from a park. Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday. Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. These also include attempted murder, kidnapping to commit another crime, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two counts of attempted forcible rape. Vazquez was randomly kidnapped on Sunday while in a car with her boyfriend in a Whittier park. While Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in the parked car at Penn Park, an armed man approached them and began shooting. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned, he “discovered blood” near it and Vazquez was gone. Vazquez’s body was found the following day in Moreno Valley. Read More Andrea Vasquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez?

Prosecutors said new DNA results are expected in just a matter of weeks in their case against a Massachusetts man accused of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe. Ms Walshe, 39, was last seen at her home just after midnight on New Year’s Day. Her body has not been found, but prosecutors are trying to prove that her husband, Brian Walshe, murdered and dismembered the mother-of-three. In a court appearance on Tuesday, prosecutors said they are awaiting the results of DNA testing as they continue to build their case against Mr Walshe, WHDH reported. The convicted art fraudster was arrested on 8 January on charges for hindering the police investigation after prosecutors said that traces of blood and a knife were found in the basement of her family home. On 17 January, he was charged with his wife’s murder. While court proceedings continued on Tuesday, another search for Ms Walshe was conducted in a wooded area of Peabody, Massachusetts. The search location was less than a mile from the Peabody Transfer Station where investigators said they found evidence in this case back in January. But the search yielded nothing, according to Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrisey’s office. “Two persons in the Peabody community unconnected to the prosecution of Brian Walshe contacted State Police investigators with their belief that an area of that community may be of investigative interest in that matter,” spokesman David Traub said in a statement. “A search of that area by the Massachusetts State Police SERT team yielded nothing.” Police in Cohasset first announced that Ms Walshe was missing in a statement on 5 January and asked for the public’s help in finding her. Authorities said that she was last seen at her home shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, and described her as being 5 feet 2 inches tall, 115 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion. They state that she speaks with an Eastern European accent. She had been due to take a ride-share car from her home to Boston’s Logan Airport to take a flight to Washington DC, where she works in real estate, police said. Tishman Speyer reported her missing on 4 January, and police in Cohasset performed a welfare check at the family home. A criminal affidavit in the case states that Mr Walshe told police that he last saw his wife at their home early on 1 January when she took an Uber or Lyft to the airport. He also told authorities that he went to a Whole Foods and a CVS in Swampscott, Massachusetts, 40 miles away, on 1 January and took his child to get ice cream the following day. The affidavit states that police did not find that any Uber or Lyft ride had taken place on New Year’s Day, and Ms Walshe never took a flight to DC or arrived in the city by any other means of transport. Prosecutors also say they reviewed video footage of Whole Foods and CVS and did not see Mr Walshe at either location. The search for Ms Walshe initially focused on wooded areas near the family’s home. Officials said that 20 troopers from a specialised search and rescue were joined by three police K9 teams and a police helicopter in the search. State police divers also searched a small stream and drained the home’s swimming pool. Ms Walshe lived with her family in Cohasset, Massachusetts, but worked in real estate in Washington DC during the week. Ms Walshe was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and was working at the Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox when she met Mr Walshe in 2008. After their 2015 marriage, they had three sons between two and six years old. The couple’s three young boys were placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families following Mr Walshe’s first arrest. Read More Ana Walshe: Timeline of missing Massachusetts mother’s disappearance Desperate searches for two missing women who vanished days apart in Colorado resort town

Vladimir Putin has said that the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had a “complicated fate” in his first remarks about the plane crash said to have killed him. In a televised speech, the Russian president offered his condolences to the families of the 10 people who died in the crash on Wednesday evening, while appearing to eulogise Prigozhin, 62, as a “talented businessman”. Putin said that the Wagner chief had made “serious mistakes in his life” – seemingly a reference to the attempted mutiny led by Prigozhin in June that was the most significant challenge to the Russian leader's authority during his 20 years in power. It was that armed uprising, ended after 24 hours by a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin with Wagner fighters 125 miles from Moscow, that led many to believe that Prigozhin would face retribution from Putin. The episode was an embarrassment for the Russian leader of the kind he has repeatedly – and severely – punished over the years. “I have known Prigozhin for a long time, since the 1990s. He made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved the necessary results for himself but also for the greater good when I asked him. He was a talented man, a talented businessman,” Putin said from the Kremlin, speaking about Prigozhin in the past tense. Speculation over the fate of the Wagner chief has been swirling for more than 24 hours, after the Russian civil aviation authority said that Prigozhin was on the plane that went down between Moscow to St Petersburg, leaving no survivors of the seven passengers and three crew on board. The passenger manifest included Prigozhin and his second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, who baptised the group with his nom de guerre, as well as Wagner's logistics chief, a fighter wounded by US airstrikes in Syria, and at least one possible bodyguard. US officials, speaking to The New York Times, have suggested that an explosion on the plane was the likely cause for the crash, but cautioned that no definitive conclusions had been drawn. One official also told the Associated Press that an explosion fell in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics”. In Russia, the Baza news outlet, which has sources among law enforcement agencies, suggested that Russian investigators looking into the crash were considering a theory that a bomb had been planted on board. While the Kremlin would see the benefit of such a line of inquiry, leaders of a number of nations have already suggested that nothing this big could occur in Russia without Putin being aware. Ukraine's President Zelensky, whose nation Putin's forces invaded in February last year, suggested as much in announcing that his nation had nothing to do with the plane coming down. "We have nothing to do with this. Everyone understands who does," he said. Prigozhin's Wagner forces have been involved in some of the bloodiest fighting in eastern Ukraine, particularly around the city of Bakhmut, and have faced accusations of war crimes. “I can’t say anything good about these subhumans,” Mr Zelensky added, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. “It’s either a judgment at the Hague, or God’s judgement.” Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, said: “It is no coincidence that the whole world immediately looks at the Kremlin when a disgraced ex-confidant of Putin suddenly falls from the sky, two months after he attempted an uprising.” Putin said that those on the plane had “made a significant contribution” to the fighting in Ukraine. “We remember this, we know, and we will not forget,” the president said, with Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region, also present. The Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region north of Moscow. On Thursday, men were carrying away black body bags on stretchers. Part of the plane's tail and other fragments lay on the ground near a wooded area where forensic investigators had erected a tent. Kuzhenkino resident Anastasia Bukharova, 27, told the Associated Press that she was walking with her children Wednesday when she saw the jet, “and then – boom! – it exploded in the sky and began to fall down”. She said she was scared it would hit houses in the village and ran with the children, but it ended up crashing into a field. Russian authorities said on Thursday that the investigation into the crash would be led by Ivan Sibul, a veteran investigator who has previously examined other high-profile plane crashes. Prigozhin long railed against how Russian generals were waging the war in Ukraine. For a long time, Putin appeared content to allow such infighting – and Prigozhin seemed to have the unusual latitude to speak his mind. In the deal that ended his revolt, Prigozhin was due to head to Belarus with some of his fighters to settle. Thousands of fighters have set up in Belarus, including training Belarusian troops near the Polish border, but Prigozhin has been photographed back in Russia. Poland is sending up to 10,000 of its troops to its border with Belarus, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki believing that their threat will only grow. “The Wagner Group comes under Putin's leadership. Let everyone answer the question for themselves – will the threat be bigger or smaller? For me, that's a rhetorical question,” he said on Thursday. Putin said he was told that Prigozhin had returned from Africa – where Wagner has an extensive presence – earlier on Wednesday, shortly before his apparent death, and had held meetings with officials in Moscow. Seemingly referring to Wagner's extensive – and lucrative – deployment in Africa, which is essentially an extension of Russian power in the region, Putin said that Prigozhin had “worked not only in our country, and achieved results, but also abroad, particularly in Africa. He was involved there with oil, gas, precious metals and stones”. An informal memorial to Progozhin in St Petersburg attracted plenty of flowers on Thursday, and Putin’s remarks on Wagner's service may be aimed at calming some of the vitriol that has come Moscow's way in the wake of the crash. “Prigozhin died as the result of the actions of Russia’s traitors,” wrote the Grey Zone, a social media outlet close to Wagner. “But even in hell, he’ll be the best! Glory to Russia!” Other Wagner-affiliated sources suggested they would seek to avenge Prigozhin’s death, with one video purportedly showing Wagner fighters carrying the message that Moscow should “expect us”. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More Ukraine war - live: Putin breaks silence on Prigozhin’s death as Wagner fighters warn Moscow ‘expect us’ Wagner Group: Timeline of Yevgeny Progozhin’s private army as leader ‘killed in plane crash’ Prigozhin's purported demise seems intended to send a clear message to potential Kremlin foes The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, is reported to have been killed in a plane crash northwest of Moscow - exactly two months after leading a short-lived and unsuccessful mutiny against president Vladimir Putin. The plane crash which happened near the village of Kuzhenkino, northwest of Moscow, during a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday evening. Western intelligence agencies believe that Putin may have had a hand in downing the aircraft. The Wagner Group has become best known for its involvement in Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, but the private army, which Prigozhin claimed had 25,000 soldiers at the beginning of the war, has been around since 2014 and has been involved in several other conflicts. Here, The Independent takes a look at Wagner’s involvement in other countries, when it got involved in Ukraine and the events surrounding Prigozhin’s failed mutiny back in June, which sent shockwaves through Russia. 2014 - Wager group is founded by Prigozhin Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman known as Putin’s chef because he provided catering services to the Kremlin, said he founded the group back in 2014 and it was involved in Russia’s invasion and annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. Wagner forces have been involved in Syria’s civil war since 2015, supporting pro-government forces and oil fields. The group has had a growing presence in Africa in recent years and has been detected in Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mail. 28 March 2022 - mercenaries are deployed to Ukraine Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) first reported that Wagner had been deployed in Ukraine on 28 March 2022, just a month into the Kremlin’s invasion – after Russian losses had already begun to hamper the pace of the initial assault. But some reports suggest they had been involved since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February. Military consultant Nicholas Drummond told The Independent: “Wagner was involved from the start but the group started to become a key player when the initial assault ran into difficulty. “By the end of March, it was very evident that the invasion had gone wrong. Putin used Prigozhin as a troubleshooter and Wagner was there to fill the gaps.” 14 April - Prigozhin calls for end to war Prigozhin urges Putin to end the war and to tell the Russian people that the country had achieved the aims of its “special military operation. He claimed that Russia had taken a “fat chunk” of Ukrainian territory, and that the most strategic route for its armed forces - who have suffered severe losses - would be to defend existing gains. His comments, which came in a rambling statement posted online, marked the first time a senior figure in the war publicly called for the Kremlin to stop the war. Over the next few months - and up until the weeks before his reported death - he would go on to repeatedly criticise the Kremlin’s strategy in the war and complain about the number of troops he was losing. 4 May - Prigozhin rages at top military brass Prigozhin launches blistering attack on Russia top military brass after suffering heavy losses on Bakhmut. In an expletive-ridden video, recorded in a field littered with corpses, blamed the Kremlin for the deaths. “These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh,” he says, pointing to roughly three dozen bodies he says are Wagner fighters. “They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices.” 20 May - Wager claims it has taken Bakhmut Wagner claims that its forces have taken control of the city of Bakhmut after the longest and most grinding battle of the Russia-Ukraine war, but Ukrainian defense officials dismiss claims as false. In a video posted on Telegram, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said the city came under complete Russian control at about midday Saturday. He spoke flanked by about half a dozen fighters, with ruined buildings in the background and explosions heard in the distance. However, after the video appeared, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said heavy fighting was continuing. 25 May - Wagner troops leave Bakhmut Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has started withdrawing its forces from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and transferring its positions there to regular Russian troops, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video published on Thursday. "We are withdrawing the units from Bakhmut. From today at five in the morning, May 25 until June 1, most of the units will rebase to camps in the rear. We are handing our positions to the military," he said. 23/24June - Prigozhin leads rebellion against Kremlin Prigozhin leads rebellion against the Kremlin and demands the sacking of defence minister Sergei Shoigu, who he blames for Russia’s faltering campaign in Ukraine Thousands of Wagner fighters move rapidly from Russia’s south towards the capital in a "march for justice", reportedly making it to within 120 miles from the city before Priogozhin calls off their advance. 27 June - Belarus president claims he convinced Prigozhin to call off mutiny Alexander Lukashenko says that he convinced Prigozhin in an emotional, expletive-laden phone call to end the mutiny. Under a deal brokered by Lukashenko, an old friend, Prigozhin abandoned what a "march for justice" by thousands of his men on Moscow in exchange for safe passage to exile in Belarus. 6 July - Prigozhin ‘free’ man in St Petersburg Lukashenko says Prigozhin is in St Petersburg and a "free" man - despite staging rebellion weeks earlier. The Belarusian leader said then "maybe he went to Moscow, maybe somewhere else, but he is not on the territory of Belarus". 18 July - Prigozhin welcomes troops to Belarus Wagner chief appears in video allegedly showing him welcoming his troops to Belarus. 27 July - Images suggest Wagner chief attended meeting in St Petersburg Images posted online appear to show Prigozhin attending a meeting in St Petersburg, where Putin was also in attendance for the Russia-Africa summit. 22 August - Prigozhin posts final video before reported death In the video, Mr Prigozhin was seen toting an assault rifle and wearing military fatigues, with his comments suggesting the clip was shot in an unnamed African country. The Wagner boss said during the clip that he is recruiting “strongmen” and said the group will “fulfil the tasks that were set” by the Russian government. The video was shared on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group, as Mr Prigozhin said the mercenary group was “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free”. 23 August - Prigozhin reportedly killed in plane crash Prigozhin is presumed dead after being named among passengers on a private jet that crashed into a field near Moscow with no survivors. Kremlin stays silent on plane crash throughout the following day. Read More If the Wagner mercenary chief is dead, he got the death he deserved Minister warns against jumping to conclusions over Wagner chief’s reported death The downed Russian jet carried Wagner's hierarchy, from Prigozhin's No. 2 to his bodyguards The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

It began just like any other Wednesday night at the popular biker bar. Motorcycle riders and enthusiasts had gathered for drinks, food and fun with friends at Cook’s Corner, one of the most famous biker bars and restaurants in southern California. But, this one night took a devastating turn when a gunman opened fire, leaving at least three people dead and many others injured. The mass shooting suspect – identified by authorities as retired police officer John Snowling– was then shot and killed by responding officers. Reports suggest that Snowling’s wife Marie Snowling, who is being treated in hospital for gunshot wounds, was the target of the attack. Now, the southern California biker community has been left reeling, as the latest community rocked by the effects of gun violence in America. Cook’s Corner has been met with an outpouring of love and support on its Instagram account in the wake of the mass shooting. “I’m still trying to process what happened tonight,” Diana Simon, who works at Cook’s Corner, wrote on Facebook. “The loss and what it has done to all I care about. We are a family at Cook’s Corner. Marie lights up every room she walks in. Her smile and enthusiasm for life… it’s just so wrong. It all doesn’t feel real.” Here’s what we know so far about the shooting: The deadly shooting At around 7.04pm on Wednesday 23 August, authorities received a 911 call about a shooting at Cook’s Corner biker bar in California’s Orange County. Police said that the gunman opened fire at the bar, killing at least three people. Another six victims were injured including five who were hospitalised with gunshot wounds. Witnesses told CBS and KCAL News that the gunfire began in the picnic area. They said they initially heard about five or six shots before a brief pause. Shortly after, the shooting continued with an increased volley of fire. One witness told the outlet that he and a cook barricaded themselves in the kitchen to hide from the gunman. They armed themselves with a frying pan and waited until it was safe to come out, he said. The cook had been shot in the arm during the encounter. The witness also claimed that a pregnant woman had begged the gunman to spare her, saying “please don’t shoot me, I’m five months pregnant”. The gunman allegedly told her to “get out of here” and let her leave. Another man was not so fortunate, however, with the witness saying his friend was fatally shot in the back by the gunman. Police said that officers arrived on the scene of the shooting around two minutes after the 911 call came in. There, they encountered the gunman who was fatally shot at the scene. Six victims were taken to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo for treatment. Two are in critical condition while four others are in stable condition. The suspect The suspected gunman was identified on Thursday as retired police officer John Snowling. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said that Snwoling had been employed by the Ventura Police Department from 1984 until his retirement in 2014. According to an article published in 2012, Snowling led a patrol task force within the agency. Local media reports said that the incident began as a domestic dispute between the shooter and his wife, Marie Snowling. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said it was looking into reports that the suspect first shot his wife at the bar. Despite earlier reports that Ms Snowling had not survived, her father William Mosby told The Orange County on Thursday that she is recovering from her injuries at Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo. “Her friend in the bar said she was shot in the lower jaw,” Mr Mosby told the outlet. “I’m extremely relieved, what I heard was the worst.” Mr Mosby described Snowling as a “crazy husband” who couldn’t cope with Ms Snowling’s request for a divorce. Ms Snowling’s friend Betty Fruichantie also told NBC that the two were enjoying a live performance at the popular biker’s bar when the gunman entered the establishment. “We were sitting there listening to the band and all of sudden, from behind us, we hear shooting. A bunch of shooting,” Ms Fruichantie said. “I thought it was just firecrackers, she didn’t say anything. People were getting shot. People were getting shot.” Ms Fruichantie said that Ms Snowling had recently filed for divorce and was staying with friends. The reaction The devasting shooting has left many in shock, including community members, gun control groups and lawmakers. In a press conference, undersheriff Jeff Hallock described the night as “difficult” for everyone involved and for the community. “I want to start off by offering condolences to the families of the victims and to the entire Trabuco Canyon community,” he said. California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he was monitoring the shooting “and coordinating with local officials as more details become available”. Orange County supervisor Katrina Foley tweeted: “We must do more to protect survivors. Another domestic dispute led to another mass shooting. This as US v. Rahimi, being heard by SCOTUS following Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal decision ruling this lifesaving federal ‘red flag’ law unconstitutional. We must do more to protect survivors.” Senator Dave Min from Orange County said he was "devastated" by the news. “Our district is one of the safest areas in the country, and yet we too are repeatedly afflicted with the scourge of mass shootings,” he said. “An office park in Orange, a church in Laguna Woods, a bar in Trabuco Canyon. There is no place in America that is safe from the scourge of gun violence. There is no community not affected.” There have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Read More Cook’s Corner shooting – live: Ex-cop John Snowling named as suspect who killed three in California biker bar Gunman in Cook’s Corner shooting identified as retired police officer John Snowling At least four dead in shooting at historic California biker bar

A three-year-old was struck by a stray bullet while jumping on a couch in New York on Monday night. Lovely Toney was at home in an apartment complex in the hamlet of Ridge, Long Island, when police arrived looking for murder suspect Gary Jones. Detectives were in the building to interview Jones’s friend, who is a resident in the same complex, and soon found that the suspect was there at that moment too. They subsequently instructed everyone to leave the apartment, before Jones came out of another room and began shooting. Of the multiple shots fired, three rounds went through the wall into the apartment next door and a bullet struck Lovely, causing her to bleed heavily. Describing the harrowing scene to CBS, Lovely’s father James Toney said: “No three-year-old, any child, should experience anything inside their home. She was fresh out of the tub, dripping wet from getting out of the bath.” “She just jumped on the couch, and she must have had her hand up, because the shot went through the hand, through the stomach,” he added, explaining: “I turned around and my daughter was standing there with blood running.” Lovely was rushed to hospital and underwent life-saving surgery. At a press conference Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison released bodycam footage of the incident and praised the “heroism” of apartment residents and the “quick action” of police officers and detectives at the scene, without whom the incident could have resulted in “horrific tragedy.” Mr Harrison explained that the “timely manoeuvre of getting that three-year-old child into a vehicle, rushing to a hospital” were what saved Lovely’s life. Referring to the family’s trauma, he said: “I have a grandson who is three years old. I can’t imagine going through that same situation.” “But I will say thank God for the men and women of this department,” Mr Harrison finished. Jones was found dead in the neighbouring apartment later, as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The murder suspect was wanted by police for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Central Islip in June. Read More Woman arrested and charged with threatening to kill judge presiding over Trump’s Jan 6 case Cook’s Corner shooting – live: Four killed, including gunman, and 6 injured at California biker bar Philadelphia officer to be fired over shooting death of Black man as new video contradicts police account Will Donald Trump go to prison?

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis has requested a 23 October trial for all 19 defendants in the 2020 election subversion case, including former President Donald Trump. Ms Willis was responding to the request for a speedy trial from one of the defendants, lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. His filing didn’t get much attention on Wednesday as former New York Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani stole the spotlight as he surrendered to the authorities in Atlanta and had his mugshot taken. Mr Chesebro made the filing as a legal gamble to throw a wrench into the proceedings in the hopes that Ms Willis wasn’t ready for it, but Ms Willis seemingly called his bluff, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The issue of the trial date is now up to the Judge in the case. More follows...

Newly-released bodycam footage shows the dramatic moment police arrested Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife for the Microsoft executive’s murder. Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, 36, was taken into custody in front of the couple’s children at her Washington state home just before 9am on 17 August 2023 after a year-long investigation. Bridegan, who was a father of four and a software developer at Microsoft, was ambushed and shot dead in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022 after driving his children home. More than a year later, half-a-dozen police officers descended on the ex-wife’s home and could be heard yelling “Warrant! Police,” as seen in a bodycam video obtained by Fox News. A frazzled-looking Gardner-Fernandez is handcuffed and brought out onto the porch in a black t-shirt and pink printed pajama shorts. Someone is heard asking if they should get her pants while the woman’s mother cries while waiting outside. She can be heard asking police about her 12-year-old twin grandchildren, “Can I be with the kids, or can you at least bring the kids out to me?” One of Gardner-Fernandez’s children can be heard asking her mother, “Where are your jeans, mom?” Another child responds, “I know where they are.” Gardner-Fernandez reappears in pants and is heard on the video telling her children “I love you” before she is escorted to the police car. The footage also shows Gardner-Fernandez to a police interview room. She later extradited to Jacksonville where she faces charges of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse. Gardner-Fernandez, her husband Mario Fernandez Saldana and Henry Tenon have all been charged in the death of the Microsoft executive. State Attorney Mellisa Nelson said the couple will be prosecuted together. They are seeking the death penalty. “Shanna’s arrest ends one horrific chapter of our pursuit for justice for Jared and now we opened a new one. This next chapter will be excruciating. We are confident in the ability of the State’s Attorney’s Office and law enforcement to bring truth to light we expect to see justice carried out to the fullest extent of the law.” Read More Jared Bridegan’s widow reveals last time she saw him alive as ex-wife fights extradition over murder – latest Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan was shot dead in a chilling ambush. Did his ex wife arrange it?

German tourists have vandalised a 460-year-old landmark with football-related graffiti, police in Italy have said. The Vasari Corridorio in Florence, Italy, had “DKS 1860”, a reference to Munich FC, spray painted on seven of its archways. The tourists, aged 20 and 21, are alleged to have defaced the corridor while staying in an Airbnb with nine others, according to Carabinieri military police. It comes after dozens of Italian landmarks have been vandalised this year, with one man claiming he wasn’t aware of the “antiquity” of Rome’s Colosseum after he was filmed scratching his and his girlfriend’s name into it. The suspects were caught after police raided the Airbnb and found two cans of spray paint and paint-stained clothing in the property. In a statement, the Florentine Carabinieri told CNN: “The Carabinieri of the Operations Unit of the Florence and of the Uffizi Carabinieri Station, analyzing video surveillance footage, managed to identify two individuals who, at 5.20 this morning, damaged the very important artistic site.” Italy’s Culture Ministry said the vandalism would require 10,000 euros worth (£8,570) of repairs, with work to be carried out under the watch of 24-hour armed guards. In June a man was caught by a fuming sightseer engraving “Ivan + Hayley 23” into the 2,000-year-old Colosseum in Rome. Read More Tourists branded ‘imbeciles’ for destroying €200,000 Italian statue Tourist filmed climbing into Rome’s Trevi Fountain to fill her water bottle Tourist who carved name into Rome’s Colosseum claims he didn’t know how old it was

The suspected gunman in Wednesday night’s shooting at a biker’s bar in California has been identified as retired police officer John Snowling. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Snowling, a former officer from the City of Ventura, died during a confrontation with law enforcement. Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said he couldn’t confirm whether Snowling was killed by deputies but said it was “safe to assume” so, local news station KTLA reports. The violence broke out around 7pm at the Cook’s Corner bar. Four people, including the suspected gunman and his wife, were killed. Six others were wounded. This is a developing story ... check again for updates.

Elon Musk’s rebranded social media platform X took two days to suspend the account of a gunman identified by authorities as Laura Carleton’s killer. Travis Ikeguchi, 27, posted hate-filled screeds about the LGBTQ+ community and threatened law enforcement officers on the platform formerly known as Twitter. On 18 August, Ikeguchi fatally shot Carleton, 66, after yelling homophobic slurs about a Pride flag hanging outside her Mag.Pi fashion store in Glen Cedar, California. He was identified as the killer by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office on 21 August, when a spokesperson said a review of his social media accounts on X and Gab showed extremist anti-LGBTQ+ views and intense hatred for law enforcement. Ikeguchi had pinned an image of a burning Pride flag to the top of his X account. After numerous users reported him for violating the platform’s safety standards, X finally suspended his account on Wednesday (23 August). CNN reported that the account was suspended 30 minutes after it contacted the platform seeking comment. After Mr Musk purchased the platform last year, he fired roughly 80 per cent of its employees including most of its content moderators and compliance team. Under previous management, accounts associated with violent incidents were typically suspended straight away. On X, Ikeguchi posted anti-semitic statements, followed and boosted rightwing personalities Jordan Peterson and Matt Walsh, and expressed support for anti-vaxx presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr X did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Independent. Carleton, a fierce LGBTQ+ ally and mother of nine, had faced repeated threats for displaying a Pride flag from her clothing store, family say. The Lauri Carleton Memorial Fund has been set up to support community projects she was involved in in the Lake Arrowhead area. Read More Laura Carleton memorial fund set up to keep LGBTQ+ ally’s ‘spirit alive’ Laura Carleton’s murder over Pride flag captured on store surveillance camera Laura Carleton’s killer was the son of a decorated police officer