Category Archives: US crime

New York’s Jewish community on edge after string of Hanukah attacks

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Stabbings in Monsey, Rockland county, are latest antisemitic incident in region

Jewish groups and political leaders have issued calls for increased protection in New York after a string of attacks during Hanukah left members of the region’s Jewish community on edge.

On Saturday night, an attacker stabbed five people during Hanukah festivities at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, Rockland county, about 30 miles north of New York City, in what Governor Andrew Cuomo called “an act of domestic terrorism”. The attack was the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents in the region.

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Hanukah stabbings: five wounded in ‘act of domestic terrorism’ in New York state

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Attack takes place during festivities at rabbi’s home in Monsey, say authorities, with suspect later arrested in Harlem

An attacker has stabbed five people during Hanukah festivities at a rabbi’s home in New York state in what Governor Andrew Cuomo called “an act of domestic terrorism”.

Related: New York police boost patrols after suspected antisemitic attacks

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2019 saw most mass killings on record, US database reveals

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Thirty-three of 41 incidents involved firearms, research shows, even as overall number of homicides fell

This year saw the highest number of mass killings on record, database records show, with 41 incidents claiming 211 lives in 2019 even as the overall US homicide rated dropped.

According to the database complied by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, 33 of the incidents, defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator, involved firearms.

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2019: the photographs that defined America’s year – in pictures

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A look back at some of the biggest moments of the past year.

Warning: Some of the following images are graphic in nature and might be disturbing to some viewers.

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Harvey Weinstein: trio of accusers refuse to sign ‘inadequate’ settlement

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The disgraced movie mogul was close to settling civil claims for sexual assault – but now three women have broken ranks

Harvey Weinstein’s civil liabilities just got more complicated.

As he and his bankrupt film studio thought they were closing in on a bargain $47m class-action settlement with more than 30 actors and former employees over claims of sexual misconduct, three women have established separate legal actions against the disgraced movie producer.

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Man who slapped female reporter’s bottom on live TV arrested

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  • Incident was broadcast during Savannah running event
  • Reporter Alex Bozarjian felt ‘violated, objectified’ by slap

A Georgia man who was videotaped slapping a female reporter’s bottom on live TV was arrested on Friday on a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery.

Related: Los Angeles police officer charged with groping dead woman's breast

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Bill Cosby appeal against sexual assault conviction rejected

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  • Pennsylvania court backs decision to let five accusers testify
  • Cosby is serving sentence of three to 10 years

A Pennsylvania appeals court has rejected Bill Cosby’s bid to overturn his sexual assault conviction over the trial judge’s decision to let five other accusers testify.

The superior court ruling was being closely watched because Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era. The same issue has been hard-fought in pre-trial hearings before movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial.

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Jeffrey Epstein is dead but sex criminal’s legal legacy may have years to run

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The financier’s associates, such as Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, and his victims are unlikely to see closure any time soon

The legal fallout from Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest for sex trafficking and subsequent suicide in jail is likely to go on for years, ensuring that those caught up in the saga – like Prince Andrew – will face scrutiny and negative headlines for years to come.

Federal authorities in the US have repeatedly said that the investigation into the sex trafficking case is ongoing, raising the prospect of a lengthy multi-pronged and international inquiry into the wealthy financier’s jet-set lifestyle.

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Eighty-two-year-old woman beats up burglar who broke into her home

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‘I’m alone and I’m old, but guess what – I’m tough,’ said Willie Murphy, who works out almost every day at the local YMCA

An 82-year-old female body builder beat up a 28-year-old man who tried to break into her home in Rochester, New York.

“I’m alone and I’m old, but guess what – I’m tough,” Willie Murphy, a regular weightlifter, told local news station WHAM.

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Jeffrey Epstein: two New York prison guards charged

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  • Charges relate to pair’s alleged failure to check on Epstein
  • Epstein death ruled a suicide after he was found in prison cell

Two New York correctional officers responsible for guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself have been charged in connection with his death, it was reported on Tuesday.

Related: New Epstein accuser sues estate and calls on Prince Andrew to share information

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Roger Stone: Trump adviser found guilty on all counts in WikiLeaks hacking case

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Stone found guilty of obstruction of justice and making false statements over what he told Congress relating to emails hacked from Democrats

Roger Stone, a self-described “dirty trickster” and longtime adviser to Donald Trump, was found guilty on Friday of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The verdict makes Stone only the latest among a growing list of people once in the president’s inner circle who have been convicted on federal charges. News of Stone’s convictions came as dramatic testimony at the public impeachment hearing unfolded on Capitol Hill.

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Jeffrey Epstein: executors of estate propose fund to compensate accusers

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Epstein’s estate is facing multiple lawsuits from women who say he sexually abused them

The executors of the estate of Jeffrey Epstein said on Thursday they had asked a judge to approve the creation of a proposed fund to compensate women the financier was accused of having sexually abused.

The executors, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, said in a statement that the fund would create a “voluntary, confidential, non-adversarial alternative to litigation”.

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Santa Clarita: Students escorted out of Saugus high school after reports of active shooter – video

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At least two people have died and several more have been injured in a shooting at Saugus high school in Santa Clarita, California, on Thursday. Footage showed sheriff's deputies swarming the school and lines of students being escorted away

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Santa Clarita: multiple people hurt in high school shooting, authorities say

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  • Police say ‘male suspect in black clothing’ not yet apprehended
  • Shooting happened at Saugus high school in California city

Authorities said multiple people were hurt in a shooting on Thursday morning at Saugus high school in Santa Clarita, a city 30 miles north of Los Angeles.

The Santa Clarita sheriff’s department said “a male Asian suspect [in] black clothing” had not been apprehended and told people “anywhere near” Saugus high to lock themselves inside.

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Father of black woman killed by police in her Fort Worth home dies

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Marquis Jefferson, whose daughter Atatiana was shot dead by police during a welfare check, has died from a heart attack

The father of a black woman fatally shot by a white police officer inside her Fort Worth, Texas, home has died.

A spokesman for Marquis Jefferson, Bruce Carter, told the Dallas Morning News that the father of Atatiana Jefferson suffered a heart attack and died Saturday night at a Dallas hospital. Carter told KDFW that Jefferson “just couldn’t get back from what happened with his daughter”.

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Case of the stolen lemur: man who took animal from US zoo wanted a monkey

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This week the FBI released more details of the investigation into the brief 2018 abduction of Isaac, a 33-year-old ring-tailed lemur

When it comes to lemurs, Isaac is known for being an easygoing guy. He’s 33, and mostly enjoys a typical lemur life: resting, eating, exploring, and napping in the sun. He’s the oldest ring-tailed lemur in North America and has lived at the same address since 2000.

Related: Orangutan Sandra granted personhood settles into new Florida home

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Woman accuses Roman Polanski of raping her in 1975 when she was 18

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Film director denies claim by Valentine Monnier about alleged incident at ski resort

A Frenchwoman has accused Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski of raping her in a Swiss ski resort when she was a teenager.

It is the latest accusation against the Polish-born director who fled from the US to France in 1978 after admitting the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

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Airbnb to ban party houses in wake of Halloween shooting in California

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Airbnb’s CEO said the company ‘must do better’ after five people were killed at a party in San Francisco

Airbnb’s chief executive has said the company will ban “party houses” following a deadly shooting at a Halloween party held at an Airbnb rental home in California.

In a series of tweets, Brian Chesky said on Saturday that the San Francisco-based company would expand manual screening of “high risk” reservations and remove guests who fail to comply with policies banning parties at Airbnb rental homes.

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Boy, 15, charged in Chicago Halloween shooting of seven-year-old girl

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A 15-year-old boy was charged on Friday night with attempted murder in the suspected gang-related shooting of two people on Chicago’s West Side, including a seven-year-old girl who was out trick-or-treating in a bumblebee costume when she was shot in the neck and critically injured.

The shooting was another grim example of children in the city being caught in crossfire while walking down the street, sitting on a porch or laughing with friends inside a house.

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Trump lashes out at Kamala Harris after senator protests criminal justice award

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After Kamala Harris pulled out of a South Carolina criminal justice forum because its organizer gave Donald Trump an award, the president duly lashed out.

Related: Springing the 'rat' trap: how Baltimore fought back against Trump's insults

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