Latest news with #September2023
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
MV Matthew: Eight men sentenced over Ireland's biggest cocaine seizure
Eight men have been jailed for their roles in trying to smuggle 2.2 tonnes of cocaine, worth more than €157m (£135m).The drugs were found off the Irish coast on board Panamanian cargo ship, the MV Matthew, in September was the largest cocaine seizure in Irish men, who were part of international operation, received sentences varying in length from 13 and a half to 20 of them had been on board the MV Matthew. The highest jail terms were given to Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, who was jailed for 20 years, and Filipino Harold Estoesta, who was jailed for 18 ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, in September 2023, after the ship failed to stop following warning shots. In February 2025, four men - Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, 32, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, 32; Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, and Dutch national 49-year-old Cumali Ozgen - pleaded guilty to having 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for supply on board the ship. Two other defendants - Iranian Saeid Hassani, 39, and Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31 - had also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on board the MV Matthew. Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, and UK national Jamie Harbron, 31, of South Avenue, Billingham, County Durham, also pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply in September 2023 in relation to the same shipment.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial updates: SDNY to rest Tuesday; defense not calling witnesses
This story may contain accounts and descriptions of actual or alleged events that some readers may find disturbing. This is week seven of testimony in the trial of Sean "Diddy" 23, 12:51 PMJury reviews Combs' alleged texts about escorts, 'freak-offs' Through a combination of text messages, travel records, hotel receipts and other records, the prosecution showed the jury what they argue were the logistics involved in the alleged arrangements made for male escorts for Sean Combs to participate in sexual encounters.'Hey in NYC have entertainment for after midnight?' Combs wrote in a text message to a woman at a male escort service.'Will be there in ten mins with the cash,' one of Combs' bodyguards wrote in a message to 'Jane,' a former Combs girlfriend who testified under a pseudonym. "Jane" messaged back: 'OK great. Room 508. Do you have a key?' The jury was shown invoices from hotels where prosecutors said the alleged sexual encounters occurred. The jury saw one bill for $2,490.17 from the Trump International Hotel from a stay there in September one audio message, Combs allegedly said, 'There's no more baby oil.'The jury was shown records from 'Jane's' travel, including a car service and a Jet Blue flight arranged by a woman who handled travel for jury also was shown messages about IV fluids Combs and 'Jane' received to help them recover from the sexual encounters. 'Extra Benadryl,' Combs' former assistant, Brendan Paul, said in a text message. The IV drip also included sodium chloride, B12, zinc, vitamin C and amino acids, according to the messages presented by jury also saw a text to Combs from his then-chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, from September 2023. 'Next time you leave when you're randomly partying you have to tell us. Can't just uber lit with a guest. That's when bad s--- happens. You know this,' the message said. 'Puff, seriously that is reckless.'Combs responded in part, 'I love you to death, but you have to stop.'Federal prosecutors said they were able to identify more than 40 arranged sexual encounters with male escorts -- referred to at various times during testimony as 'freak-offs,' 'hotel nights' or 'wild king nights,' depending on the witness -- that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2024, including one prosecutors say happened just weeks before Combs' arrest in September 2024. Combs has maintained that all encounters were consensual. Jun 23, 10:15 AMSean Combs likely won't testify in his own defense Given that the defense said this morning that it will rest its case without calling witnesses, that likely implies that Sean Combs will not testify in his own is likely that Judge Arun Subramanian will ask Combs at some point to formally confirm the jury at Combs' trial is now seeing sexually explicit videos depicting him, his former girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym 'Jane,' and a male Security Investigations Special Agent Joseph Cerciello, a summary witness for the government, testified that he reviewed 'multiple hours' of explicit videosFederal prosecutors said they were able to identify more than 40 arranged sexual encounters with male escorts -- referred to at various times during testimony as 'freak-offs,' 'hotel nights' or 'wild king nights,' depending on the witness -- that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2024, including one prosecutors say happened just weeks before Combs' arrest in September 2024. Combs has maintained that all encounters were consensual. The jury was shown video excerpts along with travel records, hotel invoices and money transfers collected during the investigation. Federal prosecutors are hoping to convince jurors that the sexual acts depicted in the videos were the result of alleged coordinated criminal activity by Combs, his chief of staff, his assistants, his travel manager, his finance people and his bodyguards, all of which Combs has denied. Jun 23, 9:16 AMProsecution expects to rest Tuesday; defense not calling witnesses Federal prosecutors said Monday that they now expect to rest their case on Tuesday once special agent Joseph Cerciello of Homeland Security Investigations concludes his defense said it plans to rest without calling any witnesses, only submitting some the revised schedule, the judge will hold a charging conference Wednesday followed by summations on Thursday. Jun 23, 8:39 AMProsecution expected to rest their case today Federal prosecutors in New York expect to rest their case against Sean "Diddy" Combs today, relying on the testimony of nearly three dozen witnesses and hundreds of exhibits to try to prove their contention that the hip-hop impresario ran a criminal conspiracy that trafficked women and transported final witness for the prosecution, Joseph Cerciello of Homeland Security Investigations, walked the jury through reams of travel records, hotel invoices and money transfers that prosecutors hope will convince the jury that Combs and his associates trafficked his ex-girlfriend, who testified earlier under the pseudonym 'Jane.'Combs' former assistant, Brendan Paul, who was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony, previously told the jury that he bought and carried drugs for Combs. Paul was arrested in March 2024 for cocaine possession while aboard a private plane with Combs.'Was the cocaine yours, Mr. Paul?' prosecutor Christy Slavik asked.'No,' Paul testified in response.'Whose cocaine was it?' Slavik followed up.'Mr. Combs,' Paul drug charges against Paul were dropped last year after he completed a pre-trial intervention criminal enterprise Combs is accused of operating committed drug offenses, according to federal prosecutors. Combs has conceded that he used illicit drugs but has denied running a criminal enterprise. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the government's also told the jury that Combs wanted his assistants to 'move like SEAL Team Six' and anticipate his every need. He testified that it was part of his job to buy a pound of marijuana every two months and to procure a powdery mix of ketamine and molly, known as tusi, that was 'dyed pink for the aesthetic.'Paul further testified that he set up hotel rooms for so-called "freak-off" sexual encounters, which he knew as 'wild king nights,' stocking items like lubricant and baby oil. The jury saw photos of the items arranged in Combs' Los Angeles cross-examination, Paul testified that he never noticed 'Jane' being hesitant or apprehensive about participating in what she called 'hotel night' sexual prosecutors rest their case, defense attorneys have said their case will likely take a day or two to present. Jun 23, 5:05 AMRead updates from week 6 Click here to catch up on everything from the sixth week of the Sean Combs trial. Click here to read the rest of the blog.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Northern Ireland records first heatwave in two years
Northern Ireland has recorded its first heatwave in two years as temperatures rose above 25C on Saturday. The Met Office weather station at Castlederg in County Tyrone saw the thermometer reach 25.3C. The same site recorded heat of 29.5C on Friday and 25.7C on Thursday, meaning a heatwave threshold of three consecutive days of temperatures of 25C or above has been met. The highest temperatures on record for Northern Ireland in June is 30.8C recorded at Knockarevan in County Fermanagh in June 1976. High temperatures on Friday were followed by the warmest June night on record with temperatures falling no lower than 18.2C at Aldergrove in County Antrim. It's been a muggy start to the weekendParticularly so across Northern Ireland, which has provisionally recorded its warmest June night on record 🌡️The temperature at Aldergrove didn't drop below 18.2°C over the 24 hours from Friday morning to Saturday morning — Met Office (@metoffice) June 21, 2025 The last time a heatwave was recorded in Northern Ireland was early in September 2023, when a new monthly record of 28C was set at Castlederg in County Tyrone. The short three-day heatwave will come to an end quickly on Sunday with temperatures expected to reach between 15-17C, more than 10 degrees lower than Friday. The cooler conditions will also come with a breakdown in weather with fresh westerly winds bringing a scattering of showers, which could be heavy and thundery.
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Weather: Northern Ireland records first heatwave in two years
Northern Ireland has recorded its first heatwave in two years as temperatures rose above 25C on Met Office weather station at Castlederg in County Tyrone saw the thermometer reach same site recorded heat of 29.5C on Friday and 25.7C on Thursday, meaning a heatwave threshold of three consecutive days of temperatures of 25C or above has been highest temperatures on record for Northern Ireland in June is 30.8C recorded at Knockarevan in County Fermanagh in June 1976. High temperatures on Friday were followed by the warmest June night on record with temperatures falling no lower than 18.2C at Aldergrove in County Antrim. The last time a heatwave was recorded in Northern Ireland was early in September 2023, when a new monthly record of 28C was set at Castlederg in County Tyrone. Cooling down from Sunday The short three-day heatwave will come to an end quickly on Sunday with temperatures expected to reach between 15-17C, more than 10 degrees lower than cooler conditions will also come with a breakdown in weather with fresh westerly winds bringing a scattering of showers, which could be heavy and thundery.
News.com.au
10-06-2025
- News.com.au
Erin Patterson trial: Mushroom cook continues giving evidence at triple-murder trial over fatal beef wellington lunch
Alleged mushroom poisoner Erin Patterson has been accused of lying to the jury in her triple-murder trial. The Supreme Court trial resumed in Morwell on Tuesday as Ms Patterson returned to the witness box for her sixth day of giving evidence. Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC immediately began to question the accused woman on evidence she gave last week about having an appointment for a gastric bypass surgery appointment in September 2023. On Friday, Ms Patterson said messages sent to her estranged husband Simon Patterson a day before the fatal lunch on July 29, 2023, referred medical issues she was dealing with. 'I was going to have surgery soon … the gastric bypass surgery,' she said. She said she had an appointment at the Enrich Clinic for a pre-surgery appointment. On Tuesday, Dr Rogers asked if the appointment was for the South Yarra clinic at 11am on September 13, 2023, which Ms Patterson agreed. 'The Enrich clinic offers services in dermatology, agree or disagree?' Dr Rogers asked. 'I don't know,' Ms Patterson responded. 'The Enrich clinic does not offer gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery?' Dr Rogers continued. 'I don't know,' she responded again. 'I had an appointment with them and that's what my memory was for so I'm a bit puzzled.' Dr Rogers suggested the claim was a lie and the booking had nothing to do with a gastric bypass surgery. Ms Patterson disputed this, suggesting the appointment was related to weight loss and could have been liposuction. 'No it wasn't a lie that's what my memory was,' she said. The 50-year-old is facing trial accused of murdering three of Simon Patterson's family members and the attempted murder of a fourth. She has pleaded not guilty and told jurors last week she did not intend to cause harm to anyone. Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt, Heather Wilkinson, fell ill and died after consuming death cap mushrooms at a lunch hosted by Ms Patterson while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, recovered. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the beef wellington lunch intending to kill while her defence is arguing the case is a tragic accident. The trial, now in it's seventh week, continues.
