logo
What next for Simon Ekpa as Finnish authorities charge am wit terrorism?

What next for Simon Ekpa as Finnish authorities charge am wit terrorism?

BBC News16-05-2025
Finnish prosecutors don charge promoter of di Indigenous People of Biafra Simon Ekpa wit inciting terrorism online.
For one statement by Finland National Prosecution Authority, dem announce say dem charge "one Finnish individual for a case wey involve suspected public incitement to commit crimes wit terrorist intent and participation for di activities of terrorist group".
Di statement say Ekpa allegedly commit di offence for Lahti between 2021 and 2024. Dem say di offence dey related to di suspect effort to establish Biafra region as independent state.
Di prosecution authority no mention di suspect name but di Finnish public broadcaster YLE identify am as Simon Ekpa.
We dey update dis tori
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump illegally held up Head Start funding, watchdog says
Trump illegally held up Head Start funding, watchdog says

The Herald Scotland

time2 days ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Trump illegally held up Head Start funding, watchdog says

The GAO found that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, broke the law by withholding previously approved funds for the program between January and mid-April. In doing so, the administration violated the Impoundment Control Act, which requires presidents to spend money allocated by Congress. Read more: A 'constitutional crisis?' Democrats, Republicans spar over Donald Trump's spending order HHS slashed Head Start's funding by more than $825 million compared to the same period last year, the GAO said, amounting to a 65% funding cut. It's the third such violation uncovered by the watchdog since the start of President Donald Trump's second term in the White House in January. In April, the Trump administration was considering zeroing out funding for Head Start altogether for the next fiscal year, USA TODAY first reported. After nationwide backlash and legal challenges, HHS reversed course on the budget proposal in May. Read more: Dem AGs sue White House to counter cuts to Head Start, Medicaid for immigrants Andrew Nixon, the chief spokesman for HHS, said the agency disputes the GAO's findings but did not explain why. "HHS did not impound Head Start funds," he said in a statement to USA TODAY. Despite the earlier issues, recent disbursements for Head Start have improved and are now comparable to the same time last year, said Yasmina Vinci, executive director for the National Head Start Association. In a statement, she did not comment directly on the GAO's impoundment accusations. "We're grateful that so many are standing up for Head Start, recognizing the vital role it plays in communities across the country," she said. Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@ Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @

Epstein file ‘full of actionable info' is locked in drawer, Dem senator says & calls for release of his bank records
Epstein file ‘full of actionable info' is locked in drawer, Dem senator says & calls for release of his bank records

Scottish Sun

time17-07-2025

  • Scottish Sun

Epstein file ‘full of actionable info' is locked in drawer, Dem senator says & calls for release of his bank records

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A DEMOCRAT senator has claimed a "big" Epstein file "full of actionable information" is locked in a drawer in the Treasury Department. Sen. Ron Wyden called for authorities to look further into Epstein's finances and establish the details of 4,725 wire transfers totaling around an eye-watering $1.1 billion to and from an account the paedo kept. 7 Epstein died in jail in August 2019, and the FBI has confirmed its assessment that it was suicide Credit: AFP 7 US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters, as he departs for travel to Pennsylvania from the South Lawn at the White House Credit: Reuters 7 Katherine Tai, nominee for US Trade Representative speaks at the Senate Finance Committee hearing at the US Capitol Credit: Splash Wyden, 76, affirmed on the Senate floor: "Somewhere in the Treasury Department, Mr. President, locked away in a cabinet drawer, is a big Epstein file that's full of actionable information." He urged: "Follow the money [and] details about his financing and operations that await investigation." The Dem senator even claimed the Biden administration let his aides take a look at the Treasury's file last year. Wyden said: "The file shows that Mr Epstein used multiple Russian banks, which are now under sanctions, to process payments related to sex trafficking. "A lot of the women and girls he targeted came from Russia, Belarus, Turkey and elsewhere." He added: "One shudders to think about the kinds of people who must have been involved in trafficking these women and young girls out of those countries and into the Epstein web of abuse. "These are all potential leads." Beyond the mysterious account - kept with JP Morgan Chase - Wyden said how "hundreds of millions more flowed through other accounts," meaning authorities have "even more to investigate". Wyden's office discovered four major banks flagged over $1.5 billion in transactions after Epstein was arrested in July 2019, the New York Times reports. Epstein was found hanged in his cell on the 10th, but speculation has been rife that others were involved - and the release of the footage has sparked another flareup of controversy. It was released last week after a leaked memo showed that a probe concluded Epstein's death a suicide, and the "client list" of people implicated in Epstein's crimes allegedly does not exist - contrary to popular conspiracy theories. Jeffrey Epstein's brother insists he was 'most likely murdered' amid mystery around 'missing minute' of 'suicide' video Wyden added on Thursday: "I wrote to the Attorney General, Ms. [Pam] Bondi, Treasury [Secretary Scott] Bessent, FBI Director [Kash] Patel, and I asked them all to produce the Epstein file to the Senate Finance Committee so it could be reviewed." He explained he had "made that request multiple times". The Dem Senator later said: "We are going to stay on this fight to hold the wealthy individuals accountable for the harm that they clearly were involved in, in injuring the young women and others in this sex trafficking. "[There was] real evil - real evil done to women and girls by Jeffrey Epstein. "Nobody gets to sweep that under the rug." Since his death, people have speculated that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures involved with his sick crimes. The FBI's conclusion that it does not exist directly rails against what administration officials have previously said. 7 Elon Musk previously claimed that Donald Trump featured on a so-called client list in the Epstein files Credit: Getty 7 The CCTV footage of Epstein's final hours was in fact missing almost three minutes Credit: US Department of Justice In an interview on Fox News in February, Pam Bondi herself said the client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review." She addressed the comment during a cabinet meeting last Tuesday, explaining that she had meant the Epstein file in its entirety. And it was hoped that the confirmation Epstein's death was suicide would put to bed theories that he had been murdered to prevent him from divulging names. However, even the release of the CCTV footage has failed to snuff out the conspiracies - leading to some within Trump's own ranks to call for the further release of the full files. Many within his MAGA movement allege that the files about the paedophile's crimes have been withheld to protect big names. US House Speaker Mike Johnson said this week he supported the release of the files. Speaking on a podcast with Benny Johnson, the Republican said: "It's a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it. "I'm for transparency," he added. Other conservative figures have since demanded to see all the documents related to Epstein's crimes, even as Trump has tried to put the issue to bed. Trump blasts 'are we still talking about this creep-' over Epstein as mystery swirls around 'missing CCTV & client list' Lauren Boebert, another conservative Republican said a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the financier's crimes if more Epstein files were not released. And Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said the voters expect more accountability. Even Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, a Fox News host, has called for "more transparency" from the administration. On Tuesday, Trump said the DoJ should release all "credible" information from its probe into the notorious sex criminal. But he repeated his claim that the so-called Epstein files were "made up" by his Democratic predecessors in the White House - despite saying multiple times during the election campaign that he would "probably" release them. He told reporters in the White House: "I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. "It's pretty boring stuff." Trump's frustration boiled over on Wednesday when he unleashed a scathing rant on Truth Social, taking aim at those he holds responsible for the ongoing attention, and those who have "fallen" for them. The President hit out at "radical left democrats", who he claims peddled the theories about Epstein's death and the so-called client list. And he fumed that his past MAGA supporters had "bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker". The MAGA camp remains left divided over a lack of clarity regarding the release of the hyped files. 7 Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence Credit: Getty

Turkey's Erdogan risks alienating voters as PKK peace advances
Turkey's Erdogan risks alienating voters as PKK peace advances

Reuters

time17-07-2025

  • Reuters

Turkey's Erdogan risks alienating voters as PKK peace advances

ANKARA, July 17 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan risks losing support among nationalist Turkish voters in making peace with Kurdistan Workers Party militants, whose burning of weapons last week was dismissed by some as a stunt. A backlash to Erdogan's call on Saturday for wide parliamentary support for the process underlines the challenge he faces in balancing nationalist and Kurdish demands, with a failure to do so potentially jeopardising the plan's success. Erdogan's own future is also at stake: his term runs out in 2028 unless parliament backs the idea of early elections or a change in the constitution to extend a 22-year rule in which he has raised NATO member Turkey's profile on the world stage. He insists that personal political considerations play no role. "The doors of a new powerful Turkey have been flung wide open," he said on Saturday of the symbolic initial handover of arms. While his AKP party's far-right nationalist coalition partner MHP drove the peace process, smaller nationalist parties have condemned it. They recalled his years condemning the pro-Kurdish DEM party as being tied to the 40-year PKK insurgency that the PKK now says is over. Erdogan's comments about "walking together" with DEM drew a cool response from the pro-Kurdish party itself, with DEM lawmaker Pervin Buldan saying there was no broad political alliance between it and the AKP. AKP spokesperson Omer Celik reaffirmed the president's nationalist credentials in response to a request for comment on his statement, saying the process "is not give-and-take, negotiation, or bargaining." Parliament is convening a commission tasked with deciding how to address Kurdish demands for more autonomy and the reintegration of fighters complying with the February disarmament call of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The nationalist opposition IYI Party is refusing to take part, with its leader Musavat Dervisoglu describing the peace process at the weekend as a betrayal after a conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people. "We will not allow the Republic to be destroyed, we will not allow the Turkish homeland to be divided, we will not surrender to betrayal," he said. Umit Ozdag, head of the opposition Victory Party, also sought to stir nationalist passions, slamming the commission as a bid to legitimise the PKK and dismissing the event where 30 PKK members burned their guns as a "barbecue party". "You don't just burn 30 rifles and call it a day. Weapons are surrendered, and PKK members interrogated one-by-one." A senior Turkish official said the gun burning was an "irreversible turning point". It is part of a five-stage process culminating in legal reforms and social reconciliation by early 2026, according to another Turkish source. While those parties could not derail the peace process alone, Erdogan, a shrewed political operator, is likely to closely monitor public reaction as the commission starts its work. A private June survey by the Konda pollster seen by Reuters showed that only 12% of respondents believe the PKK, designated as a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, has abandoned the insurgency that it launched in 1984. It also showed potential candidates for the opposition CHP, now subject to a wide-ranging legal crackdown, beating Erdogan in head-to-head votes in an election. Erdogan critics say the peace process is aimed at drawing Kurdish support for a new constitution that would both boost their rights and allow him to be a candidate in 2028. He says reform is needed because the constitution is outdated rather than for any personal reasons and he has not committed to running again. It is unclear whether the commission will propose constitutional change, but such changes require the support of 400 MPs in the 600-seat assembly with the potential for a referendum if more than 360 MPs vote in favour. The AKP-MHP alliance has 319 seats, while DEM have 56. Any move to hold early elections would also require 360 votes, but that - and the peace process itself - would depend on keeping DEM on board. After meeting the justice minister on Wednesday, DEM's Buldan said she had insisted that PKK disarmament proceed in lock-step with legal changes. "The minister expressed commitment to ensuring the process proceeds legally and constitutionally," she said, adding that there was no specific timeline for disarmament.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store