Trial opens into UK stabbing spree that sparked riots over misinformation attacker was Muslim

Trial opens into UK stabbing spree that sparked riots over misinformation attacker was Muslim
A mother hugs her child as they look at floral tributes for the victims of a deadly knife attack in Southport, northwest England, on July 31, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 20 January 2025
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Trial opens into UK stabbing spree that sparked riots over misinformation attacker was Muslim

Trial opens into UK stabbing spree that sparked riots over misinformation attacker was Muslim
  • Authorities blame far-right agitators for violence, including by sharing misinformation alleged attacker was Muslim asylum seeker
  • Unrest, which lasted several days, saw far-right rioters attack police, shops, hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques

LONDON: The trial of a teenager accused of killing three young girls in a stabbing spree last year that sparked the UK’s most violent riots in a decade is set to begin Monday.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, is due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court, accused of murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last year in Southport, northwest England.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed in the attack in the seaside resort near Liverpool on July 29, 2024.

Ten others were injured, including eight children, in one of the country’s worst mass stabbings in years.

Rudakubana faces a total of 16 charges, including three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a blade days after the attack.

The trial is expected to last four weeks after pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf.

The stabbings sent shock waves across the UK, triggering unrest and riots in more than a dozen English and Northern Irish towns and cities, including in Southport and Liverpool.

Authorities blamed far-right agitators for fueling violence, including by sharing misinformation claiming the alleged attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.

The unrest, which lasted several days, saw far-right rioters attack police, shops, hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques, with hundreds of participants subsequently arrested and charged.

Rudakubana was born in Wales to parents of Rwandan origin and lived in Banks, a village northeast of Southport.

Despite being 17 years old at the time, restrictions on reporting Rudakubana’s name were lifted in August due to concerns over the spread of misinformation.

“Continuing to prevent the full reporting has the disadvantage of allowing others to spread misinformation, in a vacuum,” judge Andrew Menary said as he lifted the restrictions.

Taylor Swift, then in the middle of her Eras tour, wrote on Instagram that she “was completely in shock” the day after the attack on the dance class at the start of the school holidays.

The pop star reportedly met two of the survivors of the attack during her August shows in London.

The UK’s head of state King Charles III also traveled to Southport in August to meet with survivors, inspecting a sea of floral tributes laid outside the city’s town hall.

And Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William visited Southport in October “to show support to the local community,” Kensington Palace said. It was their first joint public engagement since Kate ended a course of chemotherapy for cancer.

In October, the suspect was charged with two additional offenses in relation to evidence obtained “during searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home address” following the attack, the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS), which brings public prosecutions, said.

The charges were for the “production of a biological toxin, namely ricin,” and “possessing information ... likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”

The terrorism offense related to suspicion of possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual, although the attack was not treated as a terrorist incident.

Following speculation on social media related to policing decisions in the case, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said she realized the added charges could trigger fresh rumors.

“We would strongly advise caution against anyone speculating as to motivation in this case,” Kennedy was quoted as saying.

She urged people to be patient and “don’t believe everything you read on social media.”

Rudakubana has appeared in several hearings since the attack, often wearing a grey sweatshirt, and refusing to speak in all of them.

In the last hearing in December, he appeared via videolink at Liverpool Crown Court from high-security Belmarsh prison, in southeast London.

The Attorney General and Merseyside police have warned the press and public against publishing any material that risks prejudicing the trial.


Trudeau expects a trade war between Canada and the US for the ‘foreseeable future’

Trudeau expects a trade war between Canada and the US for the ‘foreseeable future’
Updated 57 min 30 sec ago
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Trudeau expects a trade war between Canada and the US for the ‘foreseeable future’

Trudeau expects a trade war between Canada and the US for the ‘foreseeable future’
  • Trudeau said the two sides discussed tariffs, and that they are “actively engaged in ongoing conversations”
  • He also reiterated that “we will not be backing down from our response tariffs”

TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he expects Canada and the US to be in a trade war for the foreseeable future after having what he called a colorful but constructive call with US President Donald Trump this week.
Trudeau said the two sides discussed tariffs, and that they are “actively engaged in ongoing conversations in trying to make sure these tariffs don’t overly harm” certain sectors and workers. He also reiterated that “we will not be backing down from our response tariffs until such a time as the unjustified American tariffs are Canadian goods are lifted.”
Trump launched a new trade war Tuesday by imposing tariffs against Washington’s three biggest trading partners, drawing immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China and sending financial markets into a tailspin. Trump put 25 percent taxes, or tariffs, on Mexican and Canadian imports, though he limited the levy to 10 percent on Canadian energy.
A day after the new tariffs took effect, Trump said he would grant a one-month exemption for US automakers. The announcement came after Trump spoke Wednesday with leaders of Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler and Jeep. His press secretary said Trump told the chief executives to move auto production to the US to avoid tariffs.


Romania detains suspects in Russia-linked treason case, 101-year-old retired general’s house raided

Romania detains suspects in Russia-linked treason case, 101-year-old retired general’s house raided
Updated 06 March 2025
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Romania detains suspects in Russia-linked treason case, 101-year-old retired general’s house raided

Romania detains suspects in Russia-linked treason case, 101-year-old retired general’s house raided
  • Romania’s intelligence agency SRI said the two expelled Russian diplomats “collected information in areas of strategic interest”
  • Prosecutors said the group had a military-type structure, with judicial sources naming 101-year-old former army major general Radu Theodoru as a suspect

BUCHAREST: Romania detained six people on charges of trying to overthrow the state with Russia’s help, prosecutors said on Thursday, and a 101-year-old former army major general said his home had been raided as part of the investigation.
The suspects were detained on Wednesday, the same day Romania — a European Union and NATO member state — declared the Russian embassy’s military attache and his deputy personae non grata for what it said were acts contravening diplomatic rules.
Moscow has said it will respond to the move.


“The members of the criminal group repeatedly contacted agents of a foreign power, located both in Romania and the Russian Federation,” anti-organized crime prosecutors agency DIICOT said in a statement, which did not name the suspects.
Romania’s intelligence agency SRI said the two expelled Russian diplomats “collected information in areas of strategic interest and took measures to support the anti-constitutional moves of the group.”
Russia’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MILITARY STRUCTURE
Prosecutors said the group had a military-type structure, with judicial sources naming 101-year-old former army major general Radu Theodoru as a suspect.
Theodoru, a Holocaust denier who has repeatedly praised Romania’s fascist World War Two leadership, said in a recorded interview with his daughter posted on his Facebook page that he believed the current government represented “an anti-Romanian state, a system organized to rob this country.”
“They wasted this country and now they defend themselves and find reasons to misinform the public,” he added. Theodoru did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors said the group had taken steps to negotiate with external forces regarding the potential withdrawal of Romania, which shares a border with Ukraine, from the NATO military alliance.
They said the group aimed to install a new government and dissolve the current constitutional order, introducing a new flag, national anthem and changing the country’s name.
Political tensions have been running high in Romania since its top court voided the presidential election in December amid accusations of Russian interference — denied by Moscow — in favor of far-right frontrunner Calin Georgescu.
Georgescu is himself under investigation on six charges, all of which he denies.
The investigation announced on Thursday is unrelated to Georgescu, prosecution sources said. Judicial sources quoted by TV station Antena3 said one of the expelled Russian officials was loosely tied to a suspect in the Georgescu investigation.


Russia has no euphoria over Trump — just absolute realism, Zakharova says

Russia has no euphoria over Trump — just absolute realism, Zakharova says
Updated 06 March 2025
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Russia has no euphoria over Trump — just absolute realism, Zakharova says

Russia has no euphoria over Trump — just absolute realism, Zakharova says
  • Zakharova was answering a question from a journalist

MOSCOW: Russia does not feel any euphoria over Donald Trump’s rise to power in the US and instead has absolute realism, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Zakharova was answering a question from a journalist who asked whether or not Russia had excessive euphoria over Trump’s return to power.


Poland and Baltic nations welcome Macron’s nuclear deterrent proposal

Poland and Baltic nations welcome Macron’s nuclear deterrent proposal
Updated 06 March 2025
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Poland and Baltic nations welcome Macron’s nuclear deterrent proposal

Poland and Baltic nations welcome Macron’s nuclear deterrent proposal
  • Poland’s PM Donald Tusk said “we must seriously consider this proposal”
  • Baltic nations also showed interest in Macron’s offering as they push for more defense spending by EU countries to avoid any future aggression by neighboring Russia

BRUSSELS: Poland and Baltic nations welcomed Thursday a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to launch talks about using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats, a move Moscow quickly dismissed as “extremely confrontational.”
The comments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined European Union leaders in Brussels for an emergency summit on defense and security.
On Wednesday, Macron said he has decided to open a “strategic debate” on using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect European allies amid concerns over potential US disengagement. The French president described Moscow a “threat to France and Europe,” in a televised address to the nation.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday Macron’s speech was “extremely confrontational.”
“One can conclude that France thinks more about war, about continuing the war,” he said during a regular call with journalists.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Peskov, saying during a news conference in Moscow that Macron’s comments were a “threat” against Russia.
In Brussels, several eastern European nations welcomed Macron’s move.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said “we must seriously consider this proposal.”
He noted that “as always, the details matter, but France’s willingness in this regard is very significant.”
Baltic nations also showed interest in Macron’s offering as they push for more defense spending by EU countries to avoid any future aggression by neighboring Russia.
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda praised a “very interesting idea.”
“We have high expectations because a nuclear umbrella would serve as really very serious deterrence toward Russia,” Nausėda said.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa called the French proposal “an opportunity to discuss,” stressing that more time was needed to have talks with other European allies and at the domestic level.
The Federation of American Scientists, or FAS, says France maintains the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal, with an estimated 290 nuclear warheads.
The United Kingdom, which is no longer an EU member but is working on restoring closer ties with the 27-nation bloc, also has nuclear weapons.
“In terms of extending our nuclear deterrent or using it to protect other European nations –- we already do,” said Tom Wells, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “The UK already commits its nuclear forces to NATO, helping to safeguard European Euro-Atlantic security.”
During the Cold War, the US nuclear umbrella was aimed at ensuring that allies, especially NATO members, would be protected by American nuclear forces in case of a threat. That’s one of the reasons why many nations in Europe and across the world haven’t pursued their own nuclear arsenals.
Last month, Germany’s election winner and likely future chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France. Germany is among the European countries that host US nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear sharing policy,
Macron said Wednesday any decision to use France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.


Bosnian Serb leader says he is no threat to Bosnia

Bosnian Serb leader says he is no threat to Bosnia
Updated 06 March 2025
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Bosnian Serb leader says he is no threat to Bosnia

Bosnian Serb leader says he is no threat to Bosnia
  • The legislation has escalated political tensions in the deeply divided Balkan country
  • “Neither the Republika Srpska nor I are a threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Dodik said

SARAJEVO: Ethnic Serb leader Milorad Dodik insisted Thursday that he was not a threat to Bosnia, a day after signing laws that banned the country’s central police and judiciary from his statelet.
The legislation has escalated political tensions in the deeply divided Balkan country and serve as a key test for its fragile, post-war institutions.
Since the end of Bosnia’s inter-ethnic conflict in the 1990s, the country has consisted of two autonomous halves — the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) and a Muslim-Croat federation.
The two are linked by weak central institutions, while each has its own government and parliament.
“Neither the Republika Srpska nor I are a threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Dodik said in a message to the “people of the RS, Serbs, Bosniaks (Muslims) and Croats.”
Late Wednesday, Dodik signed several controversial laws adopted in February by the Bosnian Serb lawmakers.
One of them bans Bosnia’s state court, the state prosecutor’s office and the central police force (SIPA) from operating in RS.
Dodik pushed the legislation through the RS parliament last week, after he was sentenced to a year in prison and banned from office for six years for refusing to comply with decisions made by Christian Schmidt — the envoy charged with overseeing Bosnia’s peace accords.
Several Bosnian Muslim political leaders slammed the adoption of the laws by Dodik, calling it a “coup.”
The Bosnian Muslim member of the country’s joint presidency Denis Becirovic said an appeal was made in Bosnia’s Constitutional Court to annul the legislation.
“Brutal attacks on the Dayton peace agreement and constitutional order... must be stopped,” he said earlier referring to the 1995 accord that put an end to the years of bloodshed.
On Thursday, Becirovic met with the head of the European Union delegation in Bosnia and ambassadors from the bloc to discuss the crisis.
Analysts meanwhile warned that Dodik’s actions risked unleashing more chaos in Bosnia.
“With these new laws that have been adopted, the situation seems even more dangerous,” Veldin Kadic, a professor of political science in Sarajevo, told a local broadcaster.
In a seeming bid to calm tensions, Dodik called for political talks within the country without interference from “foreigners.”
“I hope we have understood that our future lies solely in our agreement, in the agreement of our peoples... That’s all I ask,” he said.
Dodik, a Kremlin ally, is set to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade later Thursday, the Serbian leader’s office said in a statement.
Dodik, 65, has the right to appeal last week’s verdict, which he said was the result of a “political trial” intended to “eliminate him from the political arena.”
For years, Dodik has pursued a relentless separatist agenda that has put him on collision course with Bosnia’s institutions.
The RS president has repeatedly threatened to pull the Serb statelet out of Bosnia’s central institutions — including its army, judiciary and tax system, which has led to sanctions from the United States.