Headline

Stay-at-home Order As Police Hunt Canada Stabbing Suspect

Published

3 years ago

September 6, 2022

Editor

A remote Indigenous community in Western Canada left reeling by a deadly stabbing spree was ordered to lock down Tuesday as police swarmed the area searching for a suspect believed to be hiding there.

The attack in the James Smith Cree Nation Indigenous community and the town of Weldon on Sunday left 10 dead and 18 wounded.

A massive manhunt for two brothers across the vast Prairies region ensued, focusing at one point on Regina, Saskatchewan province’s capital 300 kilometers (185 miles) to the south.

It suddenly turned back to this Indigenous community on Tuesday after police released an emergency message warning that investigators had “received reports of a possible sighting” of suspect Myles Sanderson, 30.

Police in heavily armoured vehicles surged into the community, while calling on area residents to “seek immediate shelter/shelter in place.” A police helicopter flew overhead into the Indigenous area.

Late Monday federal police assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore announced they had found the mutilated body of the second suspect, 31-year-old Damien Sanderson, in a grassy area near a house that was being examined in the James Smith Cree Nation.

The younger Sanderson – who is also wanted for breaching parole in May after serving part of a sentence for assault and robbery – is suspected of having killed his brother, she said.

“He may be injured and seek medical attention,” Blackmore added.

A motive is not yet known for the rampage. But Myles Sanderson has a history of explosive violence that led to nearly 60 past criminal convictions.

In the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby Weldon, residents have described overwhelming grief and fear.

“It’s just devastating,” Weldon resident Ruby Works told AFP. “Our lives will never be the same.”

The former Olympian described an eerie tension settling across the region.

“The town is too quiet…. People are scared to come out of their homes,” she said. “Usually you see kids playing outside. Now you don’t see any.”

Before the lockdown, she said residents of the nearby Indigenous community had also been “locking themselves in.”

People are pressed “against the glass looking out the window. They are scared (that) he might come back and do it again,” Works added.

“I won’t sleep until they catch him.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the attacks shocking and heartbreaking, while lamenting that “tragedies like these have become all too commonplace.”

Since 2017, Canada has witnessed a gunman masquerading as a policeman kill 22 people in Nova Scotia, another murder six worshippers at a Quebec City mosque, and a driver of a van kill 11 pedestrians in Toronto.

In a briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the “senseless and devastating” killings.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims, but a handful have been identified on social media, including a veteran, an addictions counsellor, a mother of two who worked as a security guard at a local casino, and an elderly widower.

Works said she fell to the ground “and lost my breath for a minute” when she learned that her 77-year-old friend Wes Petterson was among those killed, describing him as a kind, gentle soul.

Ivor Burns told local broadcasters his sister Gloria Burns, 62, was found “lying in her driveway with her friend and a young boy.” “They were massacred,” he said.

Her son Dillon posted on social media that his mother died “protecting a young man while he was being attacked,” adding that “she would’ve done the same for any of us… (even) for the man who has taken her life.”

Several residents and Indigenous leaders suggested rampant drug and alcohol abuse has been a factor in a trend of violent incidents in the area.

Police believe some of the victims were targeted and others were attacked randomly.

Eighteen remain in hospital, including four in critical condition, according to officials.

AFP

Headline

David Lammy Appointed UK’s Deputy PM

Published

9 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a major cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, in a move that could reshape the direction of his administration.

As part of the shake-up, David Lammy, a senior Labour figure and former Foreign Secretary, has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, taking over key roles previously held by Rayner.

The cabinet reshuffle comes at a politically sensitive time for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose leadership is under growing pressure from both within the Labour Party and the broader electorate.

The sudden resignation of Angela Rayner, a high-profile figure with strong working-class support, has exposed internal tensions and sparked concerns over the party’s unity and electoral strategy.

According to BBC News on Friday, the reshuffle is seen as a crucial test for Starmer’s leadership, especially as Rayner had been a prominent and working-class figure whose departure may weaken his appeal to core Labour voters.

Key Cabinet reassignment

-Lammy transitions from Foreign Secretary to Deputy PM and Justice Secretary.

-Yvette Cooper moves from Home Secretary to Foreign Secretary.

-Shabana Mahmood is promoted from Justice Secretary to Home Secretary.

Other notable appointments include:

-Steve Reed as Housing Secretary

-Pat McFadden as head of a newly expanded Work and Pensions department

-Douglas Alexander as Scotland Secretary

-Liz Kendall moves to Science and Technology

-Emma Reynolds becomes Environment Secretary

-Peter Kyle appointed Business Secretary

-Jonathan Reynolds named Chief Whip

-Alan Campbell becomes Leader of the House of Commons

Meanwhile, Lucy Powell and Ian Murray were removed from their cabinet roles.

Political Fallout and Internal Tensions

Labour now faces mounting political pressure. Observers note Rayner’s exit leaves a vacuum for constituents drawn to her working-class credentials, possibly intensifying internal party divisions.

Her resignation also triggers a deputy leadership contest, opening up a battleground between the party’s centrist and left-leaning factions.

Moreover, Labour’s popularity has waned, with opposition to policies on welfare and immigration increasing support for Reform UK.

Starmer’s government’s handling of economic pressures and an upcoming £40 billion budget shortfall deepen the political stakes.

Lammy Steps into Key Role at a Crucial Juncture

Lammy’s appointment is viewed as strategically significant. Known for his reform credentials and advocacy for criminal justice reform, his new position comes as Parliament prepares for the Sentencing Bill.

The Prison Reform Trust welcomed his appointment, noting the timing offers “an important opportunity to move away from the failed cycle of overcrowding and crisis management.”

This reshuffle represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of Keir Starmer’s administration. With Labour under heightened scrutiny and internal frictions rising, the effectiveness of the newly configured cabinet will be a litmus test of Starmer’s leadership, particularly as the party approaches a difficult budget season, rising populist pressures, and internal power shifts ahead of the next deputy leadership election.

Headline

Nigerian Arrested In Poland For Using Fake Residence Permit

Published

9 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Polish authorities have confirmed the arrest of a 26-year-old Nigerian citizen on charges of using a counterfeit residence document.

The individual was detained by the Polish Border Guard, known as Straż Graniczna, as part of ongoing efforts to combat irregular migration and document forgery.

This information, which was obtained by PUNCH Online on Friday, was published on the Border Guard Headquarters’ news outlet on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

The BG HQs of Poland is the central unit which services the Border Guard Commander in Chief by supporting and coordinating actions of the BG units.

The report indicated that, “the Nigerian man admitted that he ordered the document online while still in the UK, received it by post, and paid €2,000 for it.

“It turned out that the Nigerian had no legal basis for staying in Poland as he had been in the country illegally for four days.”

Consequently, the Commander of the Border Guard ordered him to leave the country within 20 days and imposed a three-year ban on entry to the Schengen Area.

In addition, he was charged under Article 270 § 1 of the Penal Code – for using a counterfeit document.

The man pleaded guilty and voluntarily submitted to the penalty, but declined to provide further explanation.

According to sources specialising in immigration law, many individuals who use these fake documents are victims of elaborate scams.

As one legal expert noted in a report, “Until the situation was clarified, Ibrahim was detained in prison.”

Law enforcement agencies across Poland have been actively working to dismantle these criminal networks.

A recent, large-scale operation supported by Europol led to the arrest of dozens of suspects and the seizure of thousands of counterfeit documents, including residence permits, visas, and other identification.

Headline

US To Cut Military Aid To European Countries Near Russia — Official

Published

9 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The United States is to end long-running military assistance for European countries close to Russia, as it pushes the continent to play a greater role in its own defence, an official in one of the countries confirmed on Friday.

“Last week, the US Defense Department informed the countries that, starting from its next financial period, funding will be reduced to zero,” the defence policy director in Lithuania’s defence ministry, Vaidotas Urbelis, told reporters.

The decision comes as US President Donald Trump struggles to end Moscow’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine.

Urbelis confirmed reports in The Washington Post and The Financial Times, citing unnamed officials saying the move was part of Trump’s efforts to cut US expenditure abroad.

The FT said US officials had told European diplomats last week that Washington would no longer fund programmes to train and equip eastern European militaries along Russia’s border.

The Washington Post said the funding to be cut was worth several hundred million dollars.

In Lithuania’s case, the cuts would impact “the purchase of US weapons and other equipment, and training”, Urbelis said.

He added that it “will not have an impact on the US troop presence in the region”, which was funded through a separate US budget allocation.

A White House official said the move hewed to a January executive order Trump had signed that reevaluated US foreign aid.

“This action has been coordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s longstanding emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defence,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Trump has long been sceptical of both US defence spending in Europe and aid for Ukraine, pushing some of Washington’s closest allies to play a greater role on both fronts.

The Lithuanian defence ministry official said that the US funding for training and equipping its military covered between a third and 80 percent of total military aid received by the country.

Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told the Postimees daily that he viewed the US move as “especially symbolic, in a negative way.

AFP