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Germany busts international child porn site used by 400,000

German prosecutors have busted one of the world's biggest international darknet platforms for child pornography, used by more than 400,000 registered members.

Frankfurt prosecutors said on Monday in a statement together with the Federal Criminal Police Office that in mid-April three German suspects, said to be the administrators of the "Boystown" platform, were arrested along with a German user. One of the three main suspects was arrested in Paraguay.

They also searched seven buildings in connection with the porn ring in mid-April in Germany.

https://twitter.com/Europol/status/1389129517931896832

The authorities said the platform was "one of the world's biggest child pornography darknet platforms" and had been active at least since 2019. Paedophiles used it to exchange and watch pornography of children and toddlers, most of them boys, from all over the world.

Australian law enforcement authorities were called on to help with the investigation, along with those from the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States and Canada. A German police task force was set up to investigate the platform, its administrators and users for months in cooperation with Europol and the international partners.

Prosecutors wrote that they found "images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers" among the photos and video material.

"The platform had several forums and chats — the illegal pictures and videos were kept in the forums; in the chats, the members could communicate," prosecutor Julia Bussweiler said. "There were several language channels to facilitate the communication."

The three main suspects were a 40-year-old man from Paderborn, a 49-year-old man from Munich and a 58-year-old man from northern Germany who had been living in Paraguay for many years, the prosecutors' statement said. They worked as administrators of the site and gave advice to members on how to evade law enforcement when using the platform for illegal child pornography.

A fourth suspect, a 64-year-old man from Hamburg, is accused of being one of the most active users of the platform having allegedly uploaded more than 3500 posts.

Germany has requested the extradition of the suspect who was arrested in Paraguay.

No names were given in line with Germany privacy regulations.

After the raids in mid-April, the online platform was shut down.

Germany's top security official thanked the authorities for their success.

"This investigative success has a clear message: Those who assault the weakest aren't safe anywhere," German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.

"That's what investigators work for day and night, online and offline, globally."

"We'll do everything within our power to protect the kids from these disgusting crimes," he added.

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PR Oympic Boxer Arrested for Kidnapping, Car Jacking, Death of Unborn Child

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, federal authorities arrested former boxer Felix Verdejo-Sanchez for federal crimes arising from the murder of Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz, announced United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow.

The FBI is in charge of the investigation with the close collaboration and support of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice.

Verdejo, who competed in the 2012 Olympics, turned himself in to authorities on Sunday night and faces charges including kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and killing an unborn child, The New York Times reported.

Specifically, Felix Verdejo-Sanchez was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with: (1) kidnapping resulting in death, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201; (2) carjacking resulting in death, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(3); and (3) intentionally killing an unborn child, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1841, also known as the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004” or “Laci and Conner’s Law.” The statutory penalties for violations of the kidnapping and carjacking statutes include life imprisonment or the death penalty, and life imprisonment for the intentional killing of an unborn child.

“I commend our partners in the FBI, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice for their dedicated and tireless efforts that led to the charges and arrest of the defendant,” said United States Attorney Muldrow. “We will continue working towards the ending of gender-based violence, and we offer our deepest condolences to the family of the victim.”

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim,” said Felix Alvarado, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office.  “It is important to note that the quick turnaround in this investigation could not have been possible without the amazing efforts of our colleagues of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s CIC Division,” ASAC Alvarado added.

“Puerto Rico mourns Keishla Rodríguez’s death. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends. The Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the federal agencies have worked long hours collaborating as a team to solve this cold murder expeditiously.  Our police officers’ dedication, passion and experience were essential in solving this murder in 48 hours.  It demonstrates how the collaboration of efforts is essential for our public safety. We’ll keep on working together and we will seek justice for Keishla,” said Alexis Torres, Secretary of the Department of Public Safety.

“We are proud of the work done by each of the Justice Department prosecutors, who worked day and night together with the team of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the Institute of Forensic Sciences to gather all the pieces that allow the prosecution of those responsible for the crime. We trust that the work of our prosecutors in this case will begin to restore the people’s trust in justice,” said Domingo Emanuelli, Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice.

“I congratulate the policemen, prosecutors and forensic sciences personnel, who, as a single team, tirelessly and with the greatest of commitments, put their hearts to solve Keishla’s case in an agile and precise way. Our commitment to her family, from day one, was to do justice to Keishla and we have already begun to do so,” said Antonio López, Puerto Rico Police Bureau Commissioner.

As noted above, the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office worked in close collaboration with the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice in this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Gottfried, Chief of the Violent Crimes and National Security Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The public is reminded that criminal complaints and indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Over 50s now able to get coronavirus jab

The nation has taken a big leap forward on its path out of the pandemic, with all Australians over 50 now eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

But for New South Wales, it's baby steps.

The state is still three weeks away from mass vaccinations as Victoria rolls out super clinics, inoculating thousands of people on Friday.

LIVE UPDATES: Australia's quarantine benchmark revealed

Melbourne vaccination

People aged between 50 and 70 will be able to get the jab as part of phase 2A.

Sydney's Bondi Junction was home to one of just 13 respiratory clinics administering AstraZeneca, with more than 100 people booked in.

Sydney's numbers pale in comparison to the supercharged rollout in Melbourne, where the doors of six mass vaccination clinics were thrown open to anyone over 50.

Fifteen new state-run centres opened on Friday in addition to the six hubs already operating.

Chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Jane Halton said vaccination was the only way out of the coronavirus pandemic, imploring those eligible to get the jab.

"(It's) the only way that we get out," Professor Halton told Today.

"Certainly the people I know over the age of 50 are trying to figure out when they can get vaccinated, so hopefully they go and line up."

READ MORE: EU sues AstraZeneca over vaccine delivery

https://twitter.com/9NewsSyd/status/1389129067845361664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Another will open in Cranbourne in the city's outer south-east on Saturday, bringing the total to 22.

Sydney is also set to get a mass vaccination centre at Olympic Park but it has not yet opened.

Professor Halton said a mixed approach to rolling out the vaccines was needed so people could access the jab at GPs, sites, clinics and mass hubs.

"We need all of those approaches," she said.

"We need all of those health professionals … we want them to be able to administer these vaccines, some of them in mass centres and again (in) practice."

READ MORE: Multiple US states resume use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Melbourne vaccination

GPs will be able to give jabs in the coming weeks.

Over-50s are being offered the AstraZeneca jab as the federal government desperately tries to speed up its vaccine rollout after a myriad of problems, including supply issues, logistical problems and changing health advice including the very rare chance of blood clots.

Australia has given out two million vaccines and has missed all its planned targets, with the Prime Minister refusing to set any more.

READ MORE: Bunnings open to using warehouses as vaccination hubs

The nation had planned to have four million vaccinated by the end of March, but only managed one million.

Over-50s can check online how to get their jab.

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EU May Reopen to Vaccinated Tourists in June

The EU would reopen to holidaymakers from countries with low Covid infection rates such as the UK, and to anyone who has been fully vaccinated, by the start of June under a European Commission plan.

With the rate of vaccination rising “dramatically” in EU member states, commission officials said it was time to relax rules on non-essential travel while legislating to provide for powers to pull an “emergency brake” if necessary.

EU borders would be reopened at the latest by the start of June, officials said, with agreement due to be sought from member states during meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The existing requirement to undergo Covid testing before or after arrival or to quarantine could still be enforced by member states but EU officials added that “hopefully with the situation improving and the vaccination rate immensely picking up we will also see a gradual phasing out of these additional conditions”.

EU in vaccine passport talks with US but not UK
Tight restrictions on those wishing to travel into the EU have been in force since last year. The commission’s announcement will come as welcome news to people in the UK hoping to take a European summer holiday.

Under the UK government’s plan to relax coronavirus restrictions, international travel for leisure purposes could resume from 17 May. A traffic light system is expected to be unveiled this week under which countries will be added to green, amber and red lists, with different rules regarding issues such as quarantine of returning travellers for each list.

Under the commission’s proposals, member states would allow travel into the EU of those people who had received, at least 14 days before arrival, the final dose of an authorised vaccine.

Even those who have not been fully vaccinated will be allowed into the EU if they are coming from a country with a “good epidemiological situation”.

As it stands, only seven countries worldwide are on a green list allowing for non-essential travel. The commission is proposing to increase the threshold of 14-day cumulative Covid-19 case notification rate from 25 to 100. The UK’s rate is about 23.2 per 100,000 people.

A senior official said the UK could be added to the green list but that it would depend on a reciprocal willingness to open its borders to all EU citizens. “The figures for the UK are good,” the EU official said. “Those vaccinated in the UK will be eligible to travel to the EU but [we are are] mindful of other aspects: reciprocity. It is still a principle under this new recommendation.”

The commission is proposing, however, an emergency brake. When the epidemiological situation of a non-EU country worsens quickly and in particular if a variant of concern or interest is detected, a member state will be able to “urgently and temporarily suspend all inbound travel by non-EU citizens resident in such a country”.

The only exceptions would be healthcare professionals, transport personnel, diplomats, transit passengers, those travelling for imperative family reasons, seafarers, and people in need of international protection or for other humanitarian reasons. They would instead be subject to strict testing and quarantine arrangements even if they had been vaccinated

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Group Of Cuban US Residents Demand Reopening Of American Embassy In Havana

By CBSMiami.com

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A group of Cuban residents living in the United States gathered for a demonstration Sunday in Miami. They are demanding that the American embassy in Havana be reopened.

The crowd said the embassy has been closed since September of 2017, which makes it even harder for families to get back together through the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program.

For years, the program has served as a straightforward, legal way to reunite Cuban families in the US.

Congressional Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar introduced a new program, the Cuban Family Reunification Modernization Act, which would restart visa processing claims.

It would also allow eligible citizens and permanent residents in the US to apply for their relatives on the island to join them here while they wait for their immigration visas to be issued.

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Man's leg amputated whilst using industrial mower in NSW

A man has lost his leg after an accident involving an industrial lawn mower in the Hawkesbury, north-west of Sydney.

The 56-year-old was operating the mower on a property at Wilberforce about 4.25pm when he suffered an amputation to the lower leg, CareFlight said in a release.

CareFlight's specialist doctor and a NSW Ambulance critical care paramedic assessed the man, including an ultrasound, and provided treatment for the wound.

He was intubated and placed in an induced coma.

He was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

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World View: Biden Wants Lower Med Costs, Russia Seeks China Vaccine Help, Olympic Nurse Shortage, More

May 3, 2021

Alternate text

 

Here’s the news to start the week.

  • President Joe Biden’s call for authorizing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices has energized Democrats on a politically popular idea they’ve been pushing for nearly 20 years, but they still lack a clear path to enact legislation. 
  • Russia is turning to multiple Chinese firms to manufacture the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in an effort to speed up production as demand soars for its shot.
  • And take a look at the narrow footbridge suspended across a river canyon in northern Portugal which has just opened and claims to be the world’s longest. It’s not for the faint-hearted!

Also this morning:

  • Tokyo Olympic Games needs 500 nurses, but they are busy with COVID-19
  • What’s at stake in Spain’s upcoming election 
  • 11-year-old opens weekly newspaper in Wyoming

ANDREW MELDRUM

The Associated Press

Johannesburg, South Africa

The Rundown

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s call for authorizing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices has energized Democrats on a politically popular idea they’ve been pushing for nearly 20 years only to encounter frustration. But they…Read More

I'm an image

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Russia is turning to multiple Chinese firms to manufacture the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in an effort to speed up production as demand soars for its shot. Russia has announced three deals totaling 260 million doses with Ch…Read More

I'm an image

NEW DELHI (AP) — Preliminary voting trends released by India’s electoral body on Sunday indicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party failed to make gains in four recent state elections, a sign his political strength may be slippi…Read More

I'm an image

AROUCA, Portugal (AP) — It’s probably best if you gird yourself before you look down from the Arouca Bridge. The narrow footbridge suspended across a river canyon in northern Portugal claims to be the world’s longest pedestrian bridge and was offic…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

HONOLULU (AP) — A doctor and a team of neonatal medical professionals were in the right place at the right time — helping a Utah woman deliver her baby onboard an hourslong fl…Read More

MADRID (AP) — Residents in Madrid, one of Europe’s worst-hit regions in the pandemic, are voting Tuesday for a new regional assembly in an election that tests the depths of re…Read More

TOKYO (AP) — Some nurses in Japan are incensed at a request from Tokyo Olympic organizers to have 500 of them dispatched to help out with the games. They say they’re already n…Read More

KELLY, Wyo. (AP) — Watch out, Jackson Hole News & Guide, there’s a new kid in town. Well, maybe not in town, but in the town of Kelly. An 11-year-old’s newspaper is catchi…Read More

The post World View: Biden Wants Lower Med Costs, Russia Seeks China Vaccine Help, Olympic Nurse Shortage, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Children March for End to Violence in Crime-Ridden Southern Mexico

Henry Romero
Children of the Nahua indigenous community of Alcozacan are seen in their house, before a demonstration by children carrying replicas of toy and wooden weapons, in the town of Alcozacan, Guerrero state , Mexico April 29, 2021. REUTERS /Mahe Elipe TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Children take part in the children's march against narco violence in the town of Alcozacan, Guerrero state, Mexico April 30, 2021. REUTERS/Mahe Elipe

Children of the Nahua indigenous community of Alcozacan are seen in their house, before a demonstration by children carrying replicas of toy and wooden weapons, in the town of Alcozacan, Guerrero state , Mexico April 29, 2021. REUTERS /Mahe Elipe TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Holding balloons and homemade signs, children paraded the streets of a Mexican village, chanting slogans and calling for peace in a region where drug gangs wield deadly force.

Boys and girls in Alcozacan, a hamlet in a mountainous municipality of southern Guerrero state, enthusiastically took part in a march that included adults on Friday, when Mexico celebrated Children’s Day.

Wearing sandals and superhero T-shirts, they hoisted signs that read “We want peace” and “Stop the violence” while flashing smiles at onlookers.

“In the mountains of Guerrero, children have been condemned to survive in a garden of thorns,” Abel Barrera, head of the Tlachinollan Mountain human rights center, said at a news conference.

In an uncomfortable reminder of the violence, adult organizers of the march had originally planned to give kids tiny wooden replicas of guns that members of the community use as part of a civilian self-protection force, one local told Reuters.

Instead, they distributed toy cars and dolls after the march.

Local protection forces have popped up in parts of the country where exasperated locals have given up on the government to provide security from menacing bands of criminals.

“The guns we use are dignity, rebellion and resistance,” said one youth in a speech at a local cultural center.

Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest states, played host to the infamous Ayotzinapa abduction and presumed massacre of 43 students training to be teachers in 2014.

Before and since then, it has been at the crossroads of a wide range of criminal rackets, including kidnappings, extortion and illegal poppy production to make heroin.

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Brittany Higgins says 'onus is on government' to end 'culture of silence'

Brittany Higgins has called on the government to "act" following her recent meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Ms Higgins last week met with Mr Morrison, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, and Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek.

The former Liberal staffer went public in February with allegations she was sexually assaulted by a male political staffer in then-Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds' ministerial office in the early hours of March 23, 2019.

Brittany Higgins outside the Prime Minister's Sydney office.

READ MORE: Brittany Higgins meeting with Scott Morrison 'difficult'

This evening, Ms Higgins took to social media with a new statement.

"For too long the culture of silence has allowed workplace bullying, harassment and other inappropriate conduct to go unchecked," she said.

"Big thank-you to the women who stood by my side to lend their expertise and offer support on the day. I'm so grateful to you all.

https://twitter.com/BrittHiggins_/status/1389146002242764803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

"Cultural change is only achieved when we stand up and say 'enough is enough'. The onus is now on the (government) to show leadership and act."

Ms Higgins has been pushing for cultural reform in Parliament since then and last week described her first meeting with Mr Morrison as "difficult".

"It was a difficult conversation to have on a personal level," Ms Higgins said.

READ MORE: Brittany Higgins writes to PM about her wishes for upcoming meeting

She said the discussion with Mr Morrison was "honest and frank", and she believes the prime minister now has a deeper understanding of what happened to her.

"He fundamentally seemed to understand what had happened to me… and that was encouraging," Ms Higgins said.

Mr Morrison said he was pleased to hear more about how he can make parliament workplaces "safe and more respectful".

"We are committed to reform of the Parliamentary workplace," he said in a statement.

Mr Albanese praised Ms Higgins' "extraordinary courage".

"We need to listen to women and to listen to their concerns, to listen to the experience that they've gone through, and to listen to their views about solutions," he said.

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US: 4 Dead, 21 Injured As Immigrant Boat Sinks Off San Diego

Four people died and some two dozen people were injured after a boat got into trouble off the coast of San Diego in a suspected smuggling operation.

The overcrowded 40-foot (12m) cabin cruiser broke up on a reef near Point Loma on Sunday morning, tipping some 30 people into the water, officials said.

A major rescue operation was launched to help the injured on shore and retrieve seven people from the sea.

Officials said the boat captain was in custody on suspicion of smuggling.

“Every indication from our perspective is that this was a smuggling vessel used to smuggle migrants into the United States illegally,” Jeff Stephenson, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent, said.

“We haven’t confirmed the nationality of the people involved, but our agents are with many of them at the hospital and the man who we believe was the operator… The investigation’s still unfolding.”

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Rescuers were alerted to the incident near the Cabrillo National Monument, at about 10:30 local time (17:30 GMT).

Rick Romero, of the San Diego Fire Rescue Lifeguard, said first reports indicated three or four people needed help but they quickly realised it was “going to be a bigger situation with more people”.

“Once we arrived on scene, the boat had basically been broken apart,” he said. “Conditions were pretty rough: five to six feet of surf, windy, cold.”

Debris from the boat washes up on to the beachimage copyrightGetty Images
image captionAuthorities believe the boat was being used to smuggle migrants into the US

He said people were in the water being taken out to sea by the rip current, while people on shore needed CPR and treatment for hypothermia and other injuries.

In a statement, the US Coast Guard said 29 people had been accounted for, of which 24 people were alive, four people had died and one was in a critical condition.

Footage from the scene showed large pieces of debris washing up on the beach. Jet skis, three more rescue boats and specialist rescue equipment including cranes were brought in to help with the rescue.

At the same news conference, Mr Stephenson said it was not yet known where the boat had come from but many smuggling boats come from Mexico’s Baja coastline.

“The smugglers, they don’t care about the people they’re exploiting. All they care about is profit to them,” he said. “These people are just commodities. So you can see that in the way they treat them, inadequate safety equipment, really poorly equipped vessels and giving them minimal.”

Mr Stephenson said there had been a 92% increase in the number of apprehensions linked to smuggling by sea in 2020, compared with the previous year.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had announced on Friday that it was beefing up its patrols of the coastline over the weekend to try and deter smugglers.

Border patrol agents detained 21 people – 15 men and six women – found on a small open boat, a panga, off the coast of San Diego early on Thursday. They were Mexican nationals with no legal status to enter the US, the CBP said. Two suspected smugglers who were on board the boat will face federal charges.

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