WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
After becoming the first President to face any kind of true indictment upon state charges in New York, Donald Trump has made more indictment history, this time on federal charges.
On June 9, the 45th POTUS was indicted by the Department of Justice on 37 counts of mishandling classified documents. This ties back to the raid on Mar-a-Lago months ago. Among the details revealed in the unsealed indictment, authorities revealed that Trump was caught on a recording speaking about documents that he did not declassify, but it was too late to do so. Trump appeared in federal court on June 13 and pled not guilty to the charges with last-minute acquired legal counsel, upon the dismissal or resignation of his previous attorneys, based on whomever you believe.
“Good afternoon. Today (June 9), an indictment was unsealed charging Donald J. Trump with felony violations of our national security laws as well as participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice,” Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a statement.
“This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida, and I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged.
“The men and women of the United States intelligence community and our armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its people. Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States and they must be enforced. Violations of those laws put our country at risk.
“Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice. And our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world. We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone. Applying those laws. Collecting facts. That’s what determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“The prosecutors in my office are among the most talented and experienced in the Department of Justice. They have investigated this case hewing to the highest ethical standards. And they will continue to do so as this case proceeds.
“It’s very important for me to note that the defendants in this case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. To that end, my office will seek a speedy trial in this matter. Consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused. We very much look forward to presenting our case to a jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida.
“In conclusion. I would like to thank the dedicated public servants of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with whom my office is conducting this investigation and who worked tirelessly every day upholding the rule of law in our country. I’m deeply proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Thank you very much.”
As expected, the former president went on his Truth Social platform and railed against his opposition.
“I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election. I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!”
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 6-13-2023 at 12 p.m.
2023 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2023)
Total Mass Shootings: 341
Total Dead: 457
Total Wounded: 1309
Shootings Per Day: 2.08
Days Reached in Year 2023 as of June 13: 164
Latest High Profile Incident
Location: LoDo neighborhood – Denver, CO
Time: Around 12:30 p.m. local time, June 13.
Deceased: None.
Injured: 10, including suspect.
Shooter(s): One gunman, identity unknown as of press time.
Weapon(s): Handgun.
Motive: An argument. Details unknown as of press time.
Status: Arrested, charges pending.
Notes: Shooting happened in an area where residents were celebrating the Denver Nuggets winning the 2023 NBA Finals.
AFRICA
TERROR SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN OPERATION
A counter-terrorism operation coordinated by INTERPOL with the support of AFRIPOL has enabled frontline police across Central and Eastern Africa to arrest 14 terror suspects and seize explosives.
The operation, codenamed Tripartite Spider, was organized to support the ability of national Counter-Terrorism (CT) investigation teams to identify suspected terrorists and disrupt the financial networks behind them.
It was undertaken in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.
The operation involved police, customs, border forces and counter-terrorism experts, including INTERPOL’s Regional Counter-Terrorism Node in Africa.
Underlining the need for a pan-African, multi-stakeholder effort against terrorism, the 14 suspects arrested during the operation were linked to terror groups ADF, Al-Shabaab and ISIS, which pose a growing threat across Africa.
Leads and objectives generated during Tripartite Spider are being followed up by participating countries beyond this operation with investigative and analytical support provided by INTERPOL’s Counter-Terrorism directorate.
Among the arrests two individuals were intercepted as suspected members of Al-Shabaab, while another was arrested for his alleged links with the 2022 Oicha (DRC) deadly suicide bomb attack attributed to ADF. Another suspect was held for terrorism financing through a huge money transaction scheme disguised as a flowers business, with alleged links to an ISIS suspect tied to the 2017 attack on the International Village Hotel in Bosaso, Somalia.
Another four individuals were arrested for suspected links to ISIS activities in Southern Africa while another individual was reportedly found in possession of a significant quantity of explosives, including 12 cartons of explogel – 25kg per carton, 24 reels of 250m of detonating cord and 400 pieces of electronic detonators.
Using INTERPOL’s global criminal databases for wanted people, stolen travel and identity documents, and stolen vehicles, law enforcement in the participating countries worked together with INTERPOL and AFRIPOL to locate, intercept and stop criminals trying to cross borders.
The use of INTERPOL Notices to identify the suspects as well as INTERPOL’s Counter-Terrorism Crime Analysis File (CT CAF) to obtain analytical input helped underpin the operation, with INTERPOL’s Counter-Terrorism directorate facilitating information sharing and intelligence analysis.
With INTERPOL, AFRIPOL and the African Union working side by side and developing combined responses to Africa’s policing needs, Operation Tripartite Spider was undertaken under the framework of INTERPOL’s Support Program for the African Union in relation to AFRIPOL (ISPA).
The ISPA Program supports AFRIPOL in strengthening its position as the lead institution in Africa for preventing and combating transnational organized crime, terrorism and cybercrime.
EUROPE
UK PUSHES TO END PLASTICS POLLUTION
The UK, alongside 52 other members of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to End Plastic Pollution, has signed a far-reaching Ministerial Statement, calling for an ambitious global plastic pollution treaty to tackle plastic pollution and protect the marine environment.
The HAC is a coalition of over 50 governments that have since agreed to end plastic pollution by 2040.
A Joint Ministerial Statement, published May 26, calls for a range of mandatory provisions to be included in the global plastic pollution treaty, currently under negotiation. These include reducing the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels; eliminating and restricting unnecessary, avoidable or problematic plastics, chemicals and products; and eliminating the release of plastics into nature, amongst others.
The statement comes ahead of the second Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) taking place in Paris next week and sets out the HAC’s key ambitions for INC-2, taking the UK one step further towards the ambition of ending plastic pollution by 2040.
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats that we currently face and is interlinked with climate change and biodiversity loss. This Joint Ministerial Statement builds on the UK government’s commitment to help to develop an ambitious, international legally binding treaty that demands urgent action on plastics and drives forward our mission to protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Plastic pollution continues to have a devastating effect on our world’s ocean, people and the wider environment. That’s why it’s more important than ever to step up, take action and drive forward the change needed to bring an end to plastic pollution globally.
“I am proud to be amongst other HAC members signing this statement that calls for ambitious new measures within the global plastics treaty and look forward to some productive and high-reaching discussions in the upcoming INC-2 meeting in Paris.
The HAC statement builds on the UK’s wider commitments and work to protect and enhance the marine environment.
Earlier this year, delivering on the Environmental Improvement Plan the government announced the designation of the first three Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters and launched a consultation on proposed management measures for sandeel fishing with the aim to reduce further negative impacts on important marine biodiversity.
Building on our existing single-use plastic bans and carrier bag charge, the Government is introducing further bans from October on a range of single-use plastic items – including plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene drinks containers. In April, we also announced that we will ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic subject to public consultation.
The INC-2 meeting taking place in Paris is the second out of five sessions with United Nations member states. A global plastic pollution treaty is hoped to be finalized by the end of 2024.
