11 Indian sailors convicted for drug trafficking in Nigeria
Lagos, June 13: Eleven Indian sailors have been convicted and their merchant vessel fined USD 5.3 million by a court in Nigeria for cocaine trafficking. They were arrested around six months ago by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly importing 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine from the Marshall Islands into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport in Lagos, the agency said in a statement on Thursday. The master of the vessel and 10 other crew members were convicted under the NDLEA Act by Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke, it said. The vessel was ordered to pay restitution of USD 5.3 million to the Nigerian government. The three principal officers were directed to pay USD 100,000 each, while the remaining crew members were ordered to pay USD 50,000 each. Each defendant was also fined 100,000 Naira.(PTI)
China opposes US move to list firms as military companies
Beijing, June 13: China said Saturday it firmly opposed the US adding several prominent Chinese businesses to its list of military companies, and that the move ignored the consensus reached during US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month. The Pentagon on Monday added several non-state-owned Chinese companies, including electric vehicle maker BYD, tech giants Alibaba and Baidu to its list that seeks to identify Chinese companies it deems to have ties to the Chinese military, preventing them from landing US defence contracts. (AP)
US strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang, says Trump
Washington, June 13: President Donald Trump said Friday that a “swift and lethal kinetic” US strike has killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he called “the infamous leader” of the Tren de Aragua gang. Tren de Aragua has been labelled by the United States as a terrorist organisation. Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the strike occurred earlier in the week on a Tren de Aragua compound in Venezuela. (AP)
Tent collapses during church’s celebration; one dead, 22 hurt
New York, June 13: A large tent collapsed during a Virginia church’s 20th anniversary celebration on Friday evening, killing one person and injuring nearly two dozen others, officials said. Heavy rain, lightning and strong winds tore through Moneta, a small community about 200 kilometres southwest of Richmond, as the EastLake Community Church was holding an outdoor service. The group was in the process of leaving the event tent when it collapsed, according to Abbey Johnston, acting chief of Bedford County Fire and Rescue 11 people were taken to the hospital and 11 others had minor injuries and were treated at the scene. (AP)
