O'Shae Sibley: Suspect, 17, pleads not guilty to hate crime
Prosecutors allege the murder of professional dancer O'Shae Sibley was an anti-gay hate crime.
2023-08-12 01:57
Niger coup: Russia warns Ecowas not to take military action
Protesters gather in Niamey after a West African bloc approve intervention against coup leaders.
2023-08-12 01:47
MLB standings based on record since the All-Star break: Dodgers roll, Braves falter
MLB standings since the All-Star break have set the stage for the most important stretch of the season. Who is taking their chance and who has missed it?We're about a third of the way through the second half of the MLB season and rolling towards a dramatic September finish.With the All-...
2023-08-12 00:51
Teen accused of fatally stabbing O’Shae Sibley pleads not guilty to murder as a hate crime
The 17-year-old boy charged with stabbing O’Shae Sibley to death at a gas station in Brooklyn has pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Dmitriy Popov was previously indicted by a grand jury on murder in the second degree as a hate crime, among other charges. Mr Popov’s next court date is set for October, ABC 7 reported, adding that the teen faces a minimum of 20 years in jail and a maximum of 25 years to life. The outlet reported that Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez underscored the importance of prosecuting this incident as a hate crime. “Many powerful people across this country have talked about this case and have been concerned that justice prevails,” said Mr Gonzalez. “I’m assuring the community that we are taking this case very seriously, that we’re going to make sure that justice prevails.” The 17-year-old is accused of killing Sibley, a gay 28-year-old professional dancer, who, reportedly just after 11pm on 29 July, was dancing to a Beyonce song with a friend at a Mobil gas station in Brooklyn. That’s when a separate group of young men allegedly began hurling homophobic insults saying that they didn’t like “gay dancing” in their neighbourhood, according to eyewitnesses. Sibley suffered “a stab wound to the torso. EMS responded and removed the victim to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased,” a spokesperson for NYPD said. Mr Popov’s lawyer Mark Pollard previously told The Independent that his client was a “good Christian boy” who regularly attended church. “I have no idea where that came from. I just know he’s not Muslim. It’s very strange,” Mr Pollard told The Independent. The teenage suspect turned himself in to authorities after a week of trying to bring him in, although he was easily identified through video footage. “This is a city where you are free to express yourself, and that expression should never end with any form of violence,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference last week. Read More 17-year-old suspect in the New York stabbing of a dancer is indicted on a hate-crime murder charge O’Shae Sibley was stabbed to death for the crime of being ‘Black, gay and dancing’ Teen accused of stabbing O’Shae Sibley in homophobic attack is a ‘good Christian boy’, lawyer says
2023-08-11 23:59
Maryland police reveal ‘potential witnesses’ on hiking trail where Rachel Morin was killed
Authorities in Maryland are hoping to speak to a group of individuals who were on the trail the same time as Rachel Morin on the night the 37-year-old was killed. The group of people who had dogs with them on the trail Saturday evening may have seen something, Harford County officials said as they urged them to come forward. Morin was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail around 6pm on 5 August. Her boyfriend Richard Tobin reported her missing that night after she failed to return home. The mother-of-five’s body was found the next day, and her death is being investigated as a homicide. Detectives said they received information that between 6pm and 7.30pm, the group of potential witnesses were walking on the Ma & Pa Trail from the Rt. 24 tunnel toward the split in the trail that leads to the Williams Street trailhead. The individuals were described as either being three men, two women and two dogs or two men, three women and two dogs. It’s the most recent update in the disappearance and killing of the mother-of-five that has gripped the Bel Air community. Hundreds of tips have come in, but authorities do not yet have a “solid suspect” in the case. “We do not have a solid suspect. Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. Mr Gahler urged the public to keep sending in tips, no matter how insignificant it may be. “Together we will solve this crime and find the heinous coward who took Rachel Morin from her family and friends,” he said in a briefing on Wednesday. Anyone who believes they may be the individuals that the detectives are looking for or if anyone has information that could be helpful, contact Sgt. Maddox at maddoxc@harfordsheriff.org. Read More Rachel Morin – update: Police seek mystery group of potential witnesses on Bel Air trail near time of killing Rachel Morin’s mother breaks silence on daughter’s killing Man who described grisly state of Rachel Morin’s body never actually saw it, sheriff says
2023-08-11 22:58
US consumers are feeling gloomier about the economy for the first time this summer
Americans became slightly more gloomy about the economy this month, following two straight months of growing optimism.
2023-08-11 22:28
Alabama riverboat captain reveals past ‘trouble’ with pontoon boat owners after brawl
The captain of the Harriott II riverboat revealed that he has had “trouble” in the past with the group who were arrested and charged with assault for their actions in the Montgomery waterfront brawl. A fight broke out over the weekend along the dock after a deckhand asked the owners of a pontoon boat to move it a few feet, so that the Harriott II—which was carrying 227 passengers—could safely dock. The pontoon boat was partially blocking the riverboat’s designated space, the Montgomery Police chief previously said. The exchange, which was captured on video, quickly got out of hand when one of the men on the pontoon boat allegedly started getting physical with the deckhand. Three men and one woman have so far been arrested in connection with the incident: Richard Roberts, 48, Allen Todd, 23, Zachary Shipman, 25, and Mary Todd, 21. Capt Jim Kittrell told Alabama’s 93.1 radio station that this wasn’t the first time he had encountered the group. “This is the same group that comes every year. They’re from Selma. And, we’ve had trouble with them in the past, but just like jokey things,” he stated. He went into further detail about the group, citing one example from a few years ago while talking on CNN on Thursday. When the group came to Montgomery, the captain recalled, after a cruise, the riverboat crew tried to retrive “our golf cart that we used to get people up the hills that are handicapped or elderly.” But it was nowhere to be found. Mr Kittrell said he received a call from the Embassy Suites Hotel, saying the golf cart is in the hotel lobby. After being shown video footage of the cart entering the lobby, he said they “find out who it is,” and he called his boss, who “wanted me to press charges” because the property belonged to the city. However, police talked him out of it. Mr Kittrell recounted the police telling him at the time that it was “juust a little prank. Just let it slide.” So they did. But this time, the police didn’t let it slide. Mr Roberts had already been in custody with the Selma Police Department, while Mr Todd and Mr Shipman turned themselves in on Wednesday evening. Mary Todd handed herself in on Thursday and has been charged with assault in the third degree. However, they are still trying to get in touch with Reggie Gray, whom the police chief has described as “wielding that folding chair” in videos, with footage showing him allegedly hitting multiple people over the head. The police chief announced they were looking for him on Tuesday; on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Police told The Independent that investigators will “certainly” find Mr Gray. On Wednesday, Mr Kittrell said he believed the attack was driven by race. “The white guys that attacked my deckhand—and he was a senior deckhand first mate—I can’t think of any other reason they attacked him other than it being racially motivated,” he said. However, the captain said, after the initial attack on the deckhand, the rest of the brawl did not fall along racial lines. On CNN on Thursday, Mr Kittrell expanded on that claim, saying, “I saw it like everybody else saw it. It looks like White people attacking a Black man. But, he added, “I don’t know the hearts of those men...Now, I do know the hearts of my crew. And my crew was frustrated because they couldn’t get to the dock” and protect the deckhand, Damien Pickett. The captain said he took Mr Pickett to the hospital after the attack, and although “he’s still having some headaches and stuff,” he said the deckhand is “doing well.” Police said they did not find enough evidence to support hate crime charges. Read More Alabama riverfront brawl suspects finally turn themselves in Alabama dockside brawl was racially motivated, riverboat captain says Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama
2023-08-11 22:21
Startup nation no more? Investments plunge as Israel pushes on with judicial overhaul
Almost every weekend for more than 30 weeks, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest against government plans to weaken the judiciary and chip away at the independence of the Supreme Court.
2023-08-11 21:23
Hawaii’s Biggest Disaster Kills 55 With 1,000 Still Missing
Rescue and clean-up crews are now pouring into the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina, which has been leveled
2023-08-11 20:54
Rachel Morin’s mother breaks silence on daughter’s killing
The mother of Rachel Morin has broken her silence with a plea for compassion as the family takes time to grieve the “sudden and tragic” loss of the 37-year-old whose body was found after she vanished while going for a jog on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air. “We are grieving. We need the time and space to grieve as a family. We have not forgotten our community,” the post read. “We just need time. . . I need time. It has only been 4 days since we received the horrific news. I ask that as mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, that you would please have compassion on us and allow us this.” Morin was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail at around 6pm Saturday. Her boyfriend Richard Tobin reported her missing that night after she failed to return home. Morin’s body was found the following day, and her death is being investigated as a homicide. The heartfelt letter, which was shared on Thursday in a post on the Facebook page of Rachel Morin’s sister Rebekah, thanked the community for its support and announced that a Celebration of Life service and a 5K run would be held in Morin’s honour thanks to the money raised. “Because of the tremendous outpouring of prayers, love and concern, our family is in the process of making arrangements for a Celebration of Life service to which friends and the community will be invited (more details to come),” the family wrote. “And because Rachel was an avid runner, we are in the early stages of planning a 5K walk/run in her honor with the hope of having a trail of flowers.” The GoFundMe goal amount was raised to $65,000 to help pay for the arrangements and it has raised $41,612 as of Thursday. “If you have experienced the loss of a dear loved one, then you know how hard it can be to express the pain that you feel in your heart. When it’s sudden and tragic, your mind looks for ways to cope,” the letter continued. “As a mom, I appreciate the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the worldwide community that grieves with me for my young daughter. Thank you for caring. Truly.” Morin’s family shared the letter with the update just a day after the Hartford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler vowed to bring the “heinous coward” who killed Morin to justice. He also confirmed police had yet to identify a “solid suspect” but said detectives have been working around the clock and that some of the “more than 100 tips” that have been submitted by the public “have been promising”. Read More Man who described grisly state of Rachel Morin’s body never actually saw it, sheriff says Rachel Morin’s chilling Facebook post before mother-of-five found dead on Maryland hiking trail Maryland sheriff calls out ‘heinous coward’ who killed mother-of-five Rachel Morin
2023-08-11 20:45
What caused the Hawaii wildfires?
What sparked the fires is still a mystery, but a mix of wind and dry weather helped the flames spread.
2023-08-11 20:29
Maui Death Toll Climbs to 55 After Fire Destroys Hawaiian Resort
Hundreds of people are still missing after wildfires turned the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina into ash and
2023-08-11 19:28