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Boy run over and killed after France World Cup win

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In Montpellier, a southern French city, a 14-year-old kid was run over and killed shortly after France defeated Morocco in the World Cup semi-final.  After the match, according to the authorities, he was hit by a car and later died in the hospital.

Images shared on social media showed an automobile covered in a French tricolour, which was later seized by onlookers.  The driver then accelerated into two youngsters, perhaps in a hurry. The 14-year-old was struck and suffered a cardiac attack as the driver turned around and sped away.

“Immense sadness that a sporting event should end in total tragedy,” said local MP Nathalie Oziol, who expressed her sympathy with the boy’s family.

The automobile was later discovered abandoned not far from the scene of the collision, according to the local prefect in the southern Hérault region, and police have started looking for the driver. Everyone was horrified and in disbelief over “this awful tragedy,” according to Mayor Michal Delafosse, who also prayed that those responsible for “this vile act” would face justice.

According to local MP Patrick Vignal, the motorist needed to be apprehended and punished harshly.  Around 30 minutes after the final horn in Qatar, when France defeated Morocco 2-0, the incident took place in Montpellier’s La Paillade neighbourhood.

As flares were fired and police used tear gas in response, tensions between France and Morocco supporters briefly erupted in the city centre. A Moroccan community of about 1.5 million individuals exists in France.

While police deployed tear gas to quell unrest among far-right youngsters in Lyon’s centre, celebrations in other French cities were mainly peaceful. Ten thousand police officers were stationed all around the nation, and 167 arrests were reportedly made.

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Olivier Vandecasteele: Iran jails Belgian aid worker for 28 years – family

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According to his relatives, an Iranian court has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to 28 years in prison on unspecified allegations. During a brief trip to Tehran in February, 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele was detained and charged with espionage.

His family said on Wednesday that they were notified of his sentencing during a meeting with the prime minister of Belgium. Although Iran did not confirm the report, it was announced just days after Belgium’s constitutional court blocked a contentious prisoner exchange agreement.

Iran wants to trade Mr. Vandecasteele for Assadollah Assadi, who is said to be its top intelligence agent in Europe. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium last year for attempting to bomb a demonstration of an Iranian opposition party operating in exile.

Mr. Vandecasteele spent six years working for the Norwegian Refugee Council and other humanitarian organisations in Iran. He fled the nation last year, but in order to close his flat in Tehran, he returned in February against Belgian government advice.

He was detained by members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during the brief visit and sent to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where several US and European expatriates are being held on spying-related allegations. His family claims that while he was being held, he was subjected to “inhumane conditions” that amounted to torture.

They claim he has experienced different health issues as a result of being held in solitary confinement for the whole time in a basement cell without windows.

According to Mr. Vandecasteele’s family, Belgian consular representatives were able to communicate with him on November 28 for the first time in seven weeks. He said that neither his Iranian attorneys nor Belgian diplomats were aware of his appearance before a court.

He said that without being informed of the specifics of the allegations against him, he was found guilty of all of them during the hearing. His court-appointed attorney did not even make an appearance in court. Additionally, Mr. Vandecasteele disclosed to the consular representatives that he had begun a partial hunger strike in mid-November to protest his treatment. On Wednesday, his family said in a statement that they had been told by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo that he had been given a 28-year jail term and that a prisoner swap was the only way to secure his release.

The office of Mr. De Croo claimed that he had pledged to “continue to pursue all potential paths that could lead to Olivier Vandecasteele’s homecoming.”

In order to ratify the prisoner exchange agreement with Iran, which would allow Assadollah Assadi to be transferred back to Tehran to complete the remainder of his sentence in exchange for Mr. Vandecasteele’s release, his administration introduced a law in June.

However, the Iranian opposition group that Assadi and human rights advocates were targeting argued that doing so would violate the victims’ right to life and run the risk of inciting Iranian operatives to commit crimes overseas to stifle dissent.

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EU corruption scandal: MEP denies Qatar bribery after €1.5m seized

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Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP, has denied involvement in a World Cup host country Qatar-related bribery controversy before the European Parliament. After discovering €1.5 million (£1.3 million) in two apartments and a suitcase, Belgian detectives charged four individuals, including her.

By a vote of 625 to 1, MEPs decided to remove Ms. Kaili from her position as one of its 14 vice presidents. Roberta Metsola, the speaker of the parliament, has mentioned “tough days for European democracy.” Any misconduct has been refuted by Qatar.

“[Eva Kaili] declares her innocence and that she has nothing to do with bribery from Qatar,” her lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, told Greek TV on Tuesday.

After several days of searching, prosecutors reported finding cash totaling roughly €600,000 at the residence of one suspect, €150,000 at the apartment of an MEP, and €750,000 in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room.

On Tuesday, Belgian police released a picture of stacks of bills with values of 200, 50, 20, and 10 euros. Apparently, the €150,000 was discovered at Ms. Kaili’s apartment. Her attorney responded, “I have no idea if any money was recovered or how much was found,” when asked if that was the case.

According to prosecutors, the suspects detained by Belgian police have been accused of “membership in a criminal organisation, money-laundering, and corruption.” On Wednesday, they will show up in front of a pretrial court.

The charges have raised questions about the function of lobby organisations within the European Parliament. This week, MEPs were scheduled to vote on a suggestion allowing Qataris to enter the EU without a visa; however, the proposal has since been tabled.

Searches have been conducted in Brussels and Italy. Ten members of the parliamentary staff have had their IT resources “frozen” since Friday in order to prevent the loss of information crucial to the investigation.

Tuesday’s revocation of Ms. Kaili’s vice-presidency was approved by an overwhelming majority of the Strasbourg-based parliament. The “access banned” sign was taped to the door to her office in the parliament building.

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Italy shooting: Three women shot dead in Rome cafe

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A guy opened fire at a cafe in Rome, killing three women and wounded four others, one of whom was a friend of Italy’s incoming prime minister. Inside, the residents’ committee of a nearby block was holding a meeting.

Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, called the shooting a “terrible episode of violence” and said he would be present at a Monday emergency meeting. In detention is a 57-year-old suspect. According to reports, he has a history of disagreements with certain of the committee’s board. The vice-president of the committee, Luciana Ciorba, was at the café in the Fidene neighbourhood, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

She claimed that the shooter had shouted “I’ll kill you all” as he entered the club on Sunday before pulling his gun. According to reports, he was overcome by neighbourhood residents before being arrested by authorities. One of the injured, thought to be two women and two men, is still in a critical condition.

Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, identified one of the victims as her friend Nicoletta Golisano. Sabina Sperandio and Elisabetta Silenzi were the names of the other two deceased women. Ms. Meloni expressed her sympathy to Ms. Golisano’s family in a Facebook post, saying she would always remember her friend as “beautiful and happy.”

A shooting range from which the suspect is suspected of stealing the weapon used in the attack has been closed, according to Ms. Meloni, and is the subject of an inquiry. The suspect, whose identity has been made public by the Italian press but not by the police, has not yet been explained by the police. It is believed that the attack was not political in nature.

According to reports, the suspect and the board of residents of the apartment building have been engaged in a protracted argument. In October, Giorgia Meloni, the head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party in Italy, was elected as the nation’s first female prime minister.

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Ukraine war: Odesa and Melitopol under attack

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Both sides of the conflict have launched attacks on southern Ukraine, with Russia firing drones at Odessa and Kiev retaliating near Melitopol. The Ukrainian army claimed to have shot down 10 drones on Saturday, but an additional five struck electrical infrastructure, knocking out electricity for about 1.5 million people.

Later, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, a Ukrainian, claimed that an attack had been conducted on the city under Russian control. There is a large fire seen in pictures posted by a Russian official there. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia used drones built in Iran in its drone strike on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

“The situation in the Odesa region is very difficult,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “Unfortunately the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity. It doesn’t take hours, but a few days.”

Moscow has been employing heavy missile and drone assaults against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since October.

Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor, claimed that scores of “invaders” had been slain while pro-Moscow officials in Melitopol claimed that a missile attack had killed two persons and injured ten others.

“Air defence systems destroyed two missiles, four reached their targets,” Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed governor of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region, said on the Telegram messaging app.Oleksiy Arestovych, a presidential counsellor, described Melitopol, which Russia has held since March, as essential to the defence of the south.

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Ukraine war: US says Iran now Russia’s ‘top military backer’

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The US claims that there is now a full-fledged defence alliance between Russia and Iran. According to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, Russia is providing an unheard-of amount of military assistance.

The US is aware of rumours that the two nations are thinking about producing lethal drones together, he continues. It comes despite initial denials from Tehran after Ukraine charged Iran with providing Russia with “kamikaze” drones used in fatal assaults on October 17.

Later, the Middle Eastern nation acknowledged providing Moscow a small number of drones “several months” prior to the conflict. Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, responded by claiming that this was untrue and that many more Iranian drones were in use.

In the early hours of Saturday, the Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down 10 of the 15 such drones being deployed to strike southern regions. The majority of his territory experienced power outages, according to the governor of Odesa.

Australia has issued sanctions on three Iranian individuals and one Iranian company for providing drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Speaking on Friday, Mr. Kirby asserted that a joint drone-production venture between Iran and Russia would be detrimental to Ukraine, Iran’s neighbours, and the global community.

“Russia is seeking to collaborate with Iran in areas like weapons development, training,” he said, adding that the US fears that Russia intended to “provide Iran with advanced military components” including helicopters and air defence systems.

“Iran has become Russia’s top military backer…” he said. “Russia’s been using Iranian drones to strike energy infrastructure, depriving millions of Ukrainians of power, heat, critical services. People in Ukraine today are actually dying as a result of Iran’s actions.”

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly responded to Mr. Kirby’s remarks by claiming that Iran had turned into one of Russia’s primary military allies and that their alliance was endangering international security.

Iran has sent hundreds of drones to Russia as part of the “sordid negotiations” between the two nations, he claimed. Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, issued the following statement on Saturday: “The sale of drones to Russia is proof of Iran’s contribution to the weakening of international security. This listing emphasises that individuals who give Russia material help will suffer the repercussions.”

Following the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in jail earlier this year, she also announced actions against 19 additional people and two companies, including Iran’s Morality Police, for the cruel treatment of anti-government protestors.

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Brittney Griner: Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout

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Brittney Griner, an incarcerated American basketball player, was traded to Russia for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been detained in an American jail for 12 years. According to President Joe Biden, Griner is safe and returning home from the United Arab Emirates on a plane.

He stated at the White House, “I’m delighted to hear Brittney’s in excellent spirits… she needs time and space to heal. Russian media reported that Bout, also known as the “dealer of death,” has returned to Moscow.

After arriving in Russia, Bout made a few brief comments to a reporter from national television. “In the middle of the night they just woke me up and said ‘Get your things together,’ and that was it,” he claimed.

Bout allegedly hugged his mother and wife as he descended the plane’s stairs while carrying a bunch of flowers. Griner was detained in February at a Moscow airport for having cannabis oil, and last month he was transferred to a prison camp.

In July, the Biden administration suggested a prisoner swap, knowing that Moscow had long demanded Bout’s release. Two private aircraft flew the pair from Moscow and Washington to Abu Dhabi airport for the elaborate swap, and then flew them back home.

Footage on Russian state media – apparently provided by Russian security services – showed them crossing on the tarmac with their respective teams.

“The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle praised the efforts of the Biden administration in securing her release: “I’m just standing here overwhelmed with emotions.”

A joint Saudi-UAE statement claims that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were instrumental in the mediation efforts.

The Saudi heir to the throne enjoys good ties with Vladimir Putin of Russia, and in September he assisted in organising a complicated exchange of hundreds of captives held by Russia and Ukraine.

However, the White House insisted that no mediation had taken place. “The only countries that negotiated this deal were the United States and Russia,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

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Wirecard trial of executives opens in German fraud scandal

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An accusation of complicity in the largest fraud case in German history has been brought against the former CEO of the notorious German payment provider Wirecard. Its rapid ascent from humble origins to one of Germany’s major financial monsters was overseen by Markus Braun, 53.

Politicians and businesspeople were enthralled by Wirecard’s success up until its equally stunning fall from grace. The trial on Thursday will take place in a secure courtroom at Munich’s Stadelheim prison. The former CEO of Wirecard, Mr. Braun, is being held in pre-trial custody at the jail and maintains his innocence.

Also on trial are two additional former managers. In charge of the Dubai division of Wirecard was Oliver Bellenhaus, and Stephan von Erffa oversaw accounting. If found guilty, they might spend several years in prison.

The courthouse, which is 5 metres (16 feet) below ground and has a bomb-proof ceiling, was created for the trials of alleged terrorists or mafia members. A dramatic backdrop that may be appropriate for a lawsuit that completely upended Germany’s financial and political system.

The former COO of Wirecard is one person who is not facing charges. Jan Marsalek had left by the time the full scope of the scandal involving the payments industry giant became public in June 2020.

He was regarded as Markus Braun’s number two and quickly became both Germany’s and Europol’s most wanted man after allegedly engaging in commercial gang fraud.

Before taking a private jet to Belarus, he is thought to have fled to an airport south of Vienna. The government in Moscow has denied claims that he developed close ties with its security services, but recent reports place him in Russia.

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Greek Roma boy shot by police prompts outrage in Greece

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A police officer shot a teenager in the head as he fled a gas station, apparently without paying, and the boy is now fighting for his life in a hospital in Greece. The 16-year-old Roma youngster was shot twice by the cop in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city.

On Monday, protesters flocked to the streets and doused police with gasoline bombs. The incident has brought attention to the persistent problem of police violence in Greek cities. In a car pursuit outside of Athens last year, an 18-year-old Roma man named Nikos Sampanis was shot and killed, and on December 6, 2008, a 15-year-old child was killed in the nation’s capital during a police night patrol.

Every year, there are significant protests in Athens and other towns in remembrance of Alexis Grigoropoulos’s death in Exarchia’s central district. On Tuesday, thousands of officers were stationed throughout the capital to quell unrest.  The juvenile who carried out the most recent shooting refuelled his car with fuel costing €20 (£17) before driving off. Four cops were in the gas station at the time, according to CCTV published on Tuesday.

Police on motorcycles after the 16-year-old as he fled in his car. He allegedly turned his car at them with the intention of striking them, according to the police. After hearing of his shooting, members of the neighbourhood Roma community demonstrated in front of the Thessaloniki hospital where the youngster underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his skull. Protesters joined friends and relatives at the scene and stones were thrown at police, who responded with stun grenades.

According to local sources, in the west of the city, Roma protesters set fire to tyres and trash cans. The police officer who was shot in court was also charged with attempted homicide and other offences. A video from outside the court that later went viral shows a man who has been identified as the boy’s father being physically assaulted by police. While being flung to the ground, the individual is seen being surrounded by riot cops.

The Council of Europe estimates that there are over 270,000 Roma (Gypsies) in Greece, the majority of whom reside in squalid conditions. The boy’s lawyer told reporters that they did not want him to turn into another Alexis Grigoropoulos as the young man lay in a severe condition at a hospital in Thessaloniki.

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Russia: Bodies of 2,500 seals found along Caspian Sea coast

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On the southern Russian shore of the Caspian Sea, authorities have discovered some 2,500 dead seals. According to officials, there is no evidence that they perished violently.

Although initially just 700 dead seals were recorded, later research has shown a substantially greater number, and counting is still ongoing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed Caspian seals as endangered since 2008.

According to a statement from Zaur Gapizov, director of the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, the seals likely passed away two weeks ago. According to him, there is no proof that the animals were killed or caught in fishing nets.

A significant number had been discovered between the mouths of two rivers, the Sulak and the Shurinka, according to a Telegram post from the Dagestan region’s ministry of natural resources and the environment.

The ministry stated that experts have taken samples from the seals and that the causes of the deaths would be determined once the lab results are in. Through decades of overhunting and industrial pollution, the Caspian Sea’s seal population has significantly decreased.

Just 70,000 people remain today, according to the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, compared to more than a million a century ago.

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