Crime

A cellphone belonging to David Anthony Burke, better known as the singer D4vd, contained “a significant amount of child pornography,” a prosecutor said in court Thursday morning.

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman made the claim during a court proceeding to schedule a preliminary hearing on murder charges in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The images were uncovered as part of a broad series of search warrants executed on Burke’s phone and iCloud account, Silverman said.

Burke’s attorneys have insisted he is innocent and are demanding his preliminary hearing begin next week, meaning evidence in the closely followed case could become public as soon as May 1. He appeared in court Thursday in an orange jail jumpsuit and walked into court with his hands in his pockets.

A status hearing was set for April 29. Silverman and a district attorney’s office spokesperson declined to comment outside the courtroom. The singer’s attorney, Blair Berk, also declined to comment.

The D.A.’s office spokesperson declined to say if the child sex abuse material allegedly found on Burke’s phone was related to Hernandez or another victim.

Burke was arrested by Los Angeles police last week and charged Monday with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child and corpse mutilation, according to a criminal complaint. He has pleaded not guilty.

Defendants have a right to have a preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring a case to trial, within 10 business days. But Berk’s push to move quickly is unorthodox. She has publicly grilled Silverman about needing access to more discovery materials, and the medical examiner’s report detailing how Hernandez died was not made public until Wednesday.

Joshua Ritter, a former L.A. County prosecutor, said Berk was playing a “hell of a game of chicken” but she may be aiming to pressure test the prosecution’s case.

“The defense might want to put the D.A. on their heels if they feel for some reason there was a rush to make an arrest. But this case is nearly the opposite of that,” he said. “They’ve had more than adequate time … this does not seem like a situation where the D.A. made a hasty decision to file.”

Silverman said police amassed “40 terabytes” of digital evidence in the case, which has made uploading and transmitting materials to the defense difficult. Silverman also said police had conducted a wiretap operation in the case, but did not disclose the nature of it. The veteran prosecutor said even she had “not received anything” related to that operation.

She also confirmed prosecutors convened three secret grand jury hearings after Hernandez’s death — two in November and December in 2025 and one in February. Those were investigative grand jury hearings, meaning prosecutors could use them to enshrine testimony against Burke, but could not use the proceedings to secure an indictment against Burke. Transcripts from all three hearings will also need to be unsealed.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo also warned Berk that if she does push for the immediate preliminary hearing, she may not have access to the entire compendium of evidence before May 1.

Ritter also mused that Burke could be pushing his attorneys to fight the case without delay. Beyond that, he said, the approach “makes no sense.”

“The defense is seven months behind the eight ball on this. They not only have the grand jury transcripts to catch up on but who knows what kind of digital forensics and wiretaps and everything else,” he said.

Silverman also seems intent on bringing the case to trial as soon as possible. Silverman noted Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the date prosecutors believe Hernandez was killed, and said she intended to put the case before a jury within 60 days of the completion of a preliminary hearing.

The singer allegedly began sexually abusing Hernandez in September 2023, when she was just 13. Burke’s attorneys have said the case cannot stand up to scrutiny and pushed for the immediate preliminary hearing.

Hernandez was reported missing from her family’s Lake Elsinore neighborhood three times in 2024, and she was spotted at some of D4vd’s concerts during that time frame.

Prosecutors allege Hernandez was last seen at Burke’s Hollywood Hills residence on April 23. She “threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career,” according to L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman, though the prosecutor has not answered questions about whether Hernandez was going to report Burke to police.

Burke surged in popularity after one of his tracks was included in the wildly popular video game “Fortnite,” and he has also collaborated with artists like 21 Savage. He was beginning to tour in support of his debut album, “Withered,” when reports surfaced linking him to Hernandez’s death. He quickly canceled all shows.

The details of the crime echoed some of the violent imagery associated with Burke’s songs. The Queens-born vocalist has appeared in a music video filled with violent imagery: a young woman with an apparent chest wound lies on a bed as the singer hovers over her, blindfolded, his white shirt spattered with blood. In another video, “One More Dance,” D4vd drags a person — who bears the singer’s likeness — to a car, where a couple stuffs the person into the trunk.

Hernandez’s badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard last September. An autopsy report made public this week revealed she died from a pair of stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. When police arrived on the scene, they found Hernandez’s body was “dismembered” and two of her fingers had been amputated, according to the medical examiner’s report.

Prosecutors charged Burke with murder with special circumstances, including allegations that Hernandez was a witness to a crime — her own sexual abuse — and that Burke killed her for financial gain to protect his ascendant music career. If convicted as charged, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors have yet to decide if they will seek capital punishment in the case.

WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday whether immigration officers can place permanent residents charged with a crime on parole if they leave and then re-enter the country.

In immigration, parole is a temporary, discretionary permission granted by the Department of Homeland Security that allows a person to enter or remain in the United States, even though they are not formally admitted.

Parole does not cancel a person’s green card, but essentially gives the Department of Homeland Security time to decide whether the person should be admitted or deported based on how the issue is resolved.

The court is poised to hear oral arguments in Blanche vs. Lau, which would determine when immigration officers can demote a permanent resident’s status to parole, a temporary status that can be revoked and result in deportation.

Lau is Chinese immigrant Muk Lau, a permanent resident with a green card. Blanche is Todd Blanche, the acting U.S. attorney general and named defendant in the case.

Typically, permanent residents are allowed to leave and re-enter the United States as they wish, with a few exceptions. If these immigrants have committed certain kinds of crimes, for example, officers can have them placed on parole when they return to the country after going abroad.

The case stems from an event on June 15, 2012, when 69-year-old Lau, who had gained permanent residency five years earlier, landed in a New York-area airport after traveling to China.

He presented his green card and passport to border control. His entry triggered an FBI match because a month earlier, Lau was charged with third-degree trademark counterfeiting for selling nearly $300,000 of fake designer shorts.

“I was arrested at a warehouse that contained some merchandise I had stored there,” Lau told the Customs and Border Protection agent, according to court documents. “I went to the warehouse to retrieve the merchandise because I had not paid rent, and when I got there, the cops were there and arrested me.”

The agent declared Lau inadmissible as a returning permanent resident due to the crime exception, and decided to let him in on parole, instead. A year later, Lau pled guilty to the counterfeiting, and in 2014, the Department of Homeland Security began deportation proceedings against him.

At the time, the Customs and Border Patrol agent did not know whether Lau was guilty — just that he had been charged with a crime. The crux of Lau’s case is whether the CBP agent needed “clear and convincing” evidence of a crime when placing him on parole or whether just charges were enough without such evidence.

Immigrant advocates argue the agent erred.

“Mr. Lau was absolutely, unequivocally, at that time, admissible,” said Jonathan Weinberg, who worked on the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s brief to the court. “He just was. He hadn’t been convicted of a crime. There was nothing else that would render him inadmissible.”

After an immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals sided with the government, Lau appealed to the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The appellate court, agreeing with Weinberg’s reasoning, granted Lau’s petition in March 2025.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonprofit advocating for lower immigration rates, also submitted a brief to the court. It argued that the border patrol officer did the right thing by paroling Lau into the country, and that the clear and convincing standard was too high.

“If you’re going to say that the officer in an airport is supposed to have all this information, you’re assigning that individual with an impossible task,” FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman said. “You have thousands of people coming through the airports every day, and these are decisions that have to be made on the spot.”

Mehlman also said that the decision “shouldn’t be a problem” for green-card holders without any criminal history.

“When you come to the United States as a non-citizen, you are here on a conditional basis,” Mehlman said. “Even if you’re a green card holder, you’re subject to removal if you violate the terms of your presence here in the United States.”

There are nearly 13 million legal permanent residents in the United States. Legal immigrants, including green card holders, commit crimes at lower rates than natural-born citizens, according to research by the Migration Policy Institute. However, Weinberg said the ultimate decision would impact all legal permanent residents, including those who have not been convicted of any crime.

“If the government can admit Lau on parole, then the government can basically admit any returning green card holder on parole if it chooses to,” Weinberg said.

Lau’s case joins several immigration-related issues, including birthright citizenship and temporary protected status, which have made their way to the Supreme Court this spring.

“The immigrant advocacy community is, I think, fighting an uphill battle,” Weinberg said. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t give it your best shot.”

Singer faces first-degree murder and additional charges that could lead to life without parole or the death penalty.

Singer D4vd has been charged in the United States with murder in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl who was last seen alive nearly a year ago.

The 21-year-old musician, whose legal name is David Burke, ⁠faces first-degree murder and additional charges, including lewd acts with a minor and mutilation of a body. D4vd pleaded not guilty on Monday.

The prosecutor said Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in September inside an apparently abandoned Tesla linked to the singer.

Authorities said the case includes special circumstances – lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain and the alleged killing of the witness in an investigation – making Burke eligible for life without parole or the death penalty.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors would decide later whether to seek the ‌death penalty.

Burke was arrested at a home in Hollywood on Thursday and was being held without bail.

The witness he is alleged to have killed is Rivas Hernandez, who could have given testimony about the sex crime allegations.

Rivas Hernandez had disappeared in 2024, when she was 13. That was her age when, according to an allegation in a criminal complaint, the singer engaged in continuous sexual abuse of her for at least a year from September 2023 to September 2024.

Hochman said authorities believed the girl went to D4vd’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and “was never heard from again”.

Burke’s lawyers said on Monday that the evidence would show he is innocent.

“The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” they said. “We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

Court documents outline secret probe

The singer had been under investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury looking into the death.

The probe was officially secret, but its existence, and his designation as its target, was revealed in February when his mother, father and brother objected in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at their address, according to court filings. Authorities did not publicly acknowledge him as a suspect until his arrest.

Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay”, court documents said.

Detectives partially unzipped a bag and found a head and torso.

Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body”, according to court documents.

A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it. No cause of death has been publicly revealed, and police got a judge to block the release of details of the autopsy.

The court order was expected to be lifted after the charges.

Rising to fame

D4vd gained popularity among Gen Z for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit Romantic Homicide, which peaked at number 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, and released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns and a follow-up, The Lost Petals, in 2023.

When the body was discovered, the singer continued his North American tour, but when reports of his possible involvement spread widely, he cancelled the final two shows and a European tour that was to follow.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Louisiana community in shock as domestic violence incident leaves eight children dead and two others injured.

Eight children have been killed in a shooting spree in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident of domestic violence.

The gunman, who was not immediately identified, was fatally shot by police after a car chase early Sunday, officials said.

The incident occurred in Shreveport, northwestern Louisiana.

“This is a rather extensive crime scene spanning between two residences,” Shreveport Police Corporal Chris Bordelon told a press conference, adding that a third residence was also part of the scene being combed by investigators.

The victims ranged in age from one to 14, Bordelon said.

“Some of the children inside were his descendants,” he added.

Two other people were struck by gunfire, but their conditions were not immediately known.

Officials said they were still gathering details about the crime scene, which extended across three locations. Police Chief Wayne Smith said the suspected shooter was fatally shot by police during a vehicle chase.

“This is an extensive scene, unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” Smith added.

Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.

State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.

April 17 (UPI) — An Irish man who allegedly laundered money and trafficked drugs and firearms throughout Europe was arrested in Dubai after officials in Ireland tracked him around the world.

Law enforcement officials in the United Arab Emirates said in a statement that Daniel Joseph Kinahan was arrested on Wednesday after a joint international criminal investigation, The Guardian and The Washington Post reported.

Officials from both Ireland and the UAE noted that the arrest comes after work in recent years to rein in “serious and organized crime.”

“The arrest comes as part of efforts to combat cross-border crime,” Dubai police said in a statement.

“The arrest followed the receipt of a judicial file from Irish authorities detailing the suspect’s alleged crimes and his involvement in an international criminal organization,” they said.

Kinehan is one of the leaders of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group and the founder of the MTK Global boxing management company.

In addition to Irish authorities, he was also being pursued by U.S. law enforcement because he was “believed to run the day-to-day operations” of the cartel, the Biden administration said when it announced sanctions against the group in 2022.

Officials in Dubai issued an arrest warrant after getting word from Irish authorities as part of a larger operation between Ireland and the UAE to stem criminal enterprises that operated in or through the two nations.

The report from Irish law enforcement had traced in him around the globe, including the use of fake names and other methods of avoiding arrest, and Kinehan was arrested within 48 hours of the the UAE warrant being issued.

Christopher Meloni has a message for Elliot Stabler fans: “Thank you … for sticking with him and welcoming him back.”

The “Law & Order: Organized Crime” star took to Instagram on Thursday to convey his appreciation for his character’s long run in the franchise after it was revealed that the NBC show had been canceled after five seasons.

“I just saw that they announced … ‘Organized Crime’ won’t be coming back,” Meloni said in his video post. “So I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back.”

Meloni’s run as the seasoned detective began in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which debuted in 1999. Stabler investigated New York’s “especially heinous” sex-based crimes with partner Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and other detectives in his unit for the show’s first 12 seasons. (The character was written off the show in advance of the Season 13 premiere because Meloni and NBC could not come to an agreement on a new contract.)

Stabler returned to “SVU” in 2021 for a crossover event that helped launch “Organized Crime,” a “Law & Order” spinoff focused on NYPD officers who track down “vicious and violent members of the underworld.” While the character has occasionally appeared in “SVU” episodes since his return, the end of “Organized Crime” likely means Meloni is done playing Stabler full time, at least for now. “Law & Order: SVU,” meanwhile, has been renewed for a 28th season.

“I had a great time playing him,” Meloni said in his Instagram message. “It was a great ride. Thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of. Nearly 17 odd years.”

Arrest comes after police found the body of Celeste Rivas in a car registered to the musician last year.

American rapper David Anthony Burke, known by his stage name d4vd, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in a car registered to him.

Los Angeles police took the 21-year-old singer into custody on Thursday “for the murder of Celeste Rivas”, the city’s police department said in a statement. He is being held without bail.

Burke’s arrest comes seven months after police uncovered Rivas’s badly decomposed body in the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered in his name.

Investigators found two black bags in the vehicle – one holding a decomposed head and torso and the other containing other body parts, according to a court filing. An autopsy revealed that Rivas “appeared to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found”. The discovery occurred one day before Rivas would have turned 15.

The LA County District Attorney’s office will review the case against Burke on Monday for formal charges, according to police.

Burke’s lawyers issued a statement saying they would “vigorously defend” his “innocence”.

“Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement quoted by NBC News.

Burke, from Queens, New York, shot to internet fame in 2022 when his Romantic Homicide became a breakout hit on TikTok.

Last year, the musician cancelled the last part of his US and European tours amid growing fallout from the investigation into Rivas’s death.

Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, sought for over four decades, was surrendered by Palestinian authorities

A man suspected of organising a deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris has been arrested and placed in custody in France after being handed over by Palestinian authorities.

Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, also known as Hicham Harb, arrived in France on Thursday after Palestinian officials surrendered him to French authorities, a handover that French President Emmanuel Macron linked directly to France’s recent recognition of Palestinian statehood.

On August 9, 1982, three to five men threw a grenade into Jo Goldenberg, a Jewish-owned restaurant in the Rue des Rosiers, in Paris’s historic Marais district, before opening fire on the street outside.

Six people were killed and 22 wounded in the incident.

The attack was blamed on the Fatah-Revolutionary Council, a Palestinian armed faction that had split from the mainstream Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Adra was arrested in the West Bank by Palestinian security forces in September last year.

French antiterrorism prosecutors filed an extradition request days later, and he was flown to the Villacoublay military airbase outside Paris on Thursday, where he was taken into custody.

His lawyer described the extradition as “a serious violation of Palestinian fundamental law”.

“Forty-four years is too long,” said David Pere, a lawyer representing several families.

Two other suspects are already in French custody, and in February, France’s highest court confirmed that a trial will proceed, a ruling that had been challenged by the defendants.

Macron praised the Palestinian Authority’s cooperation, saying it reflected a commitment by President Mahmoud Abbas to work with France on counterterrorism.

Abbas had told French newspaper Le Figaro late last year that France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood in September 2025 had “created an appropriate framework” for the extradition request.

Netflix fans have been raving about a lesser-known comedy crime show starring, as they beg for a second series of the ‘cosy’ White House murder mystery to be made

Netflix fans have praised one lesser-known comedy crime programme available on the streaming service, left desperate for more as they plead for a second series to be commissioned.

With an enormous number of TV programmes and films accessible on streaming platforms, it can be overwhelming to settle on what to watch. As a result, many people frequently turn to recommendations from friends, family, or even strangers online to determine their next viewing choice. This was precisely the situation for one Reddit user, who headed to the Netflix forum seeking a suggestion for their next watch, but stipulated it had to be a bingeable programme with only one series.

“Best Series on Netflix (Only One Season) Like a Must Watch Binging Series,” they wrote in the headline of the post.

They continued: “Please drop the best one season series down below. I mean like I’d want to watch it all in one sitting because of how good it is. Like suspenseful, action, cliff-hangers. Maybe a really sad part where I get very attached to the characters! Anything!!”

Fellow Netflix enthusiasts promptly descended on the comments section to share their top picks across a variety of genres. However, one programme stood out from the crowd, as fans lauded its characters and overall storyline.

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“Really liked the comedy The Residence,” one person shared. To this, someone else added: “So pi**ed they aren’t doing more. It was gold!

“Such a fun show,” another person said, while another wrote: “I freaking LOVED this one. So much. Great rec.”

The Residence is an American mystery comedy drama TV series exclusive to Netflix. The debut and only series launched in 2025, and centres on an eccentric detective named Cordelia Cupp as she attempts to solve a murder that took place in the White House during a state dinner for the Australian Prime Minister.

As the investigation unfolds, interpersonal tensions amongst the residence’s staff come to light, with both personnel and dinner guests emerging as potential suspects.

The programme has earned an impressive 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a rating of 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb. Viewers frequently rave about the endearing central character and the captivating storyline.

“A fantastic “cosy”-style mystery: light, wickedly clever, and keeps you guessing to the very hand,” one viewer wrote in their IMDb review.

They went on to say: “Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cup is a great lead. The supporting cast has additional strong characters as well, though some of these portrayals are less even. As much as I enjoyed the first season and wish for more, I find it hard to imagine how a second season could live-up to the first: further developing the Cup character (so that she is not just a repetition of the Cup we already know) will be hard.”

Another viewer remarked: “For those who find this series too long consider this, the plot, the mystery and all the plot twists are not nearly as important as the comedy and the wonderful performances in this fun story. It was smart without being pedantic, funny without being crude or silly, and engaging without pandering.”

The acclaimed crime drama starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman won three BAFTAs and has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers comparing it to ‘Shakespeare writes a detective story’

One of Britain’s most beloved drama series of all time has just landed on Netflix. This gripping crime show scooped three Baftas and has been celebrated as one of the finest productions ever to grace our television screens. The iconic 2013 series Broadchurch has finally made its way to the streaming giant.

The show is a police drama which opens with the murder of 11 year old Danny Latimer, whose body is discovered at the foot of the cliffs.

The tragedy tears apart the tight-knit Dorset community, forcing DS Ellie Miller ( Olivia Colman ) to join forces with newcomer Alec Hardy ( David Tennant ) – despite him having stolen the DI role that was rightfully hers – as they attempt to crack the heartbreaking case.

What follows is a twisting tale of betrayal, suspicion and the dark underbelly of a small coastal town. Unlike conventional cop dramas, this isn’t about high-speed car chases and gun-wielding heroes sprinting through tower blocks.

Rather, it delves into the profound flaws we all harbour, the quiet moments of anguish that accompany unimaginable grief, and the perils of public opinion.

It features one of the most stunning plot twists I’ve ever encountered – and I watch an enormous amount of television. The series is truly an extraordinary experience, with performances that are nothing short of outstanding, reports the Express.

There isn’t a single weak link in the entire cast, and despite being over a decade old, it remains as compelling as ever.

And I’m far from alone in my admiration. Broadchurch boasts a remarkable 94% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating alongside an 8.3 out of 10 on IMDB.

One viewer posted on IMDB: “This is ‘Shakespeare writes a detective story’. It was beautifully done. In no way has he [writer Chris Chibnall] broken the cardinal rule of show, don’t tell.

“Nor has he made the horrible mistake of creating any perfect character. All of them, from youngest to oldest, are wonderfully imperfect human beings.”

A second remarked: “The locations are gorgeous and so atmospheric, and the series is beautifully photographed, fluid and brooding. The music is both haunting and tragic.”

A third added: “Standing out also is the writing. It’s rare to find on television recently to have a series so intelligently written and be so layered and meaty.

“While the pacing is deliberate in places, a lot happens to keep one gripped and ensure that the tension and mystery never slips.”

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered a probe into whether right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro issued defamatory statements about his election rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

On Wednesday, a decision from Justice Alexandre de Moraes was published, allowing the Federal Police to proceed with an investigation into posts Bolsonaro published in January.

Bolsonaro, at the time, responded to news that the United States had abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with insinuations linking Lula to crimes.

“Lula will be exposed,” Bolsonaro posted on the social media platform X, with screenshots of a handcuffed Maduro and an article about Lula.

He then predicted that the left-wing alliance known as the Sao Paulo Forum would collapse in scandal.

“It is the end of the Sao Paulo Forum: international drug and arms trafficking, money laundering, support for terrorists and dictatorships, rigged elections,” Bolsonaro wrote.

There are limitations to the freedom of speech in Brazil, and under its penal code, defamation can be a criminal offence. Prosecutors have the option of seeking heightened penalties for defamation against presidents or heads of state.

The Federal Police have a period of 60 days to carry out their initial investigation.

But in a statement to local media, a spokesperson for Bolsonaro, a senator for Rio de Janeiro, denounced the probe as a violation of his rights.

“The senator limited himself to reporting facts and detailing crimes for which Nicolas Maduro was arrested and is being prosecuted internationally,” the statement said, adding that there was no “direct criminal accusation against” Lula.

Bolsonaro and Lula are currently in a neck-and-neck race for the presidency ahead of October’s general election.

A poll released this week from the research firm Quaest shows Lula slightly ahead in the first round of voting, with 37 percent of the vote compared with Bolsonaro’s 32 percent.

But if the race proceeds to a run-off, the frontrunner flips. Bolsonaro polls slightly ahead in a one-on-one contest against Lula, netting 42 percent support compared with the incumbent’s 40 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of about 2 percent, though, meaning the results are not conclusive. There is also nearly five and a half months until the first round of voting on October 4.

Both Bolsonaro and Lula are well-known quantities in Brazil’s political sphere.

For the 80-year-old Lula, this year’s race will see him run for a fourth term in office. Previously, he served as president from 2003 to 2011, and then he ran again in 2022, defeating Senator Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, the incumbent president that year.

The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to subvert the results of that election.

The margins were tight in the 2022 run-off, and then-President Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat, instead suggesting that there were “malfunctions” in the electronic voting machines that favoured Lula.

His supporters took to the streets to protest his loss, blockading roads and attacking police headquarters in the capital, Brasilia.

The unrest culminated in an attack on January 8, 2023, against government buildings in the capital, which was seen as an attempt to trigger a military uprising against Lula’s leadership.

Former President Bolsonaro was later convicted in September 2024 of plotting to stay in power, with prosecutors presenting evidence that he and his allies explored options including calling a new election and assassinating Lula.

The former president has denied wrongdoing and accused his adversaries of a political witch-hunt.

In December, his eldest son, Flavio, 44, entered the 2026 presidential race with his father’s endorsement. He has suggested he would seek his father’s freedom as part of his campaign.

Earlier this year, Lula vetoed a bill that would have lowered Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence. He has denounced his predecessor’s actions as a coup attempt.

A brazen scammer allegedly charged a British tourist a staggering £1,500 for a kebab – and police near Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeirom said the man was arrested

An unsuspecting tourist was hit with an eyewatering £1,500 charge for a kebab on a hugely popular tourist beach.

A scammer was arrested on the world famous Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after he and another person allegedly changed the price on a payment terminal and overcharged the victim by a staggering amount. The Brit reportedly ended up paying £1,480 (10,000 reais) for the meaty treat that should have set her back just £15 (100 reais). Police said the machine was allegedly tampered with and ended up charging the victim a much higher price than what she was told.

This comes as a wave of brazen conners have hit the popular Brazilian beaches in shallow attempts to swindle visitors. Brazilian police, in a statement, said: “We have arrested a criminal that carried out a card machine scam against a British female tourist in Copacabana.”

The detained man was reportedly part of an organised fraud scheme that targeted foreigners, mostly in Rio’s famous Ipanema and Copacabana areas, according to O Globo.

The head of Rio’s tourist police, Patricia Alemany, said her team (named DEAT) were working to find and detainee the people trying to con tourists out of their money, she told the Brazilian site.

She said: “DEAT has been repeatedly arresting these criminals. However, there is no oversight of street vendors on the beach, which creates an environment of public disorder and greatly facilitates this type of crime.”

Another woman was charged nearly £3,000 (20,000 reais) for corn on the cob which had been smothered in margarine. The woman, from Argentina, should have just paid £3 (20 reais) for the food. She said: “I don’t understand numbers in Portuguese. I don’t speak Portuguese.”

Another tourist, from Colombia, was shockingly charged about £400 (2,500 reais) for a caipirinha – a Brazilian cocktail made with a spirit, sugar and lime.

This comes after another shocking scam hit some tourists in Brazil. Last year, cases of “Goodnight Cinderella” spiking scams were reported, where holidaymakers fall for glamorous looking women, especially in Brazil, before they put powerful sedatives in victims’ drinks and then rob them once they pass out.

The scams led to several Brits finding themselves with money, belongings and passports taken by the women who often work in gangs in popular tourist locations like Rio da Janeiro.

Police in Brazil said that British tourists are seen as “easy prey” as they could be unaware to the dangers, often have expensive items on them as well as cash, and do not know the local area well.

A 21-year-old Brit spoke out about how he passed out after taking just a few sips of a drink on his holiday. He was later recorded collapsing unconscious on a Brazilian beach but was rescued by a Good Samaritan. The student revealed he was offered a Capriahna cocktail by a trio women before the incident.

The Dropout tells the story of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of biotech company Theranos, starring Amanda Seyfried.

The true crime series starring Amanda Seyfried is now available to stream on ITVX.

The Dropout chronicles the true story behind the collapse of tech firm Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes.

The tale commences in 2002, when Holmes embarked on a chemical engineering degree at the prestigious Stanford University in California, where she quickly began developing concepts for groundbreaking inventions.

Her initial concept involved creating a patch that would adhere to a person’s skin and continuously monitor the body for infections, automatically dispensing antibiotics when required. While the idea appeared fascinating in principle, it proved physically unachievable.

Professor of Medicine Dr Phyllis Gardner (Laurie Metcalf) advised Holmes of this, but she appeared to dismiss the academic’s knowledge as an underestimation of her capabilities.

Holmes insisted that she could “change the world” with this pioneering technology and garnered international acclaim, reports the Express.

She left Stanford before completing her second year to concentrate on her new venture, Theranos, which centred around an equally ambitious and potentially transformative piece of technology.

Nevertheless, when The Wall Street Journal launched an investigation into the firm, its reporting triggered a cascade of enquiries and increased scrutiny of Theranos, prompting it to become more transparent about its tightly guarded methods.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched an investigation, and 40 per cent of staff were made redundant a year later as the company went through restructuring.

Following the charges, the trial was postponed due to Holmes’ pregnancy and the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually commenced in September 2021, with a jury convicting her on four counts of defrauding investors four months later.

No verdict was reached on three additional counts of wire fraud against investors, which the government later dropped, while Holmes was also acquitted on four counts of defrauding patients.

On 18th November 2022, Holmes received a sentence of 11 years and three months in prison, and she began serving her sentence in Texas on 30th May 2023.

The Dropout chronicles the dramatic downfall of the woman Forbes once dubbed the “youngest self-made female billionaire” in the world.

“Wow.. this show is insane. I want to start off by saying that I know movies and shows overdramatise true stories, so I’m speaking solely about the show right now. This goes from you rooting for the main character to you hating her.. like a real life Anakin Skywalker story”, one viewer commented about the series in a review on IMDB.

Another remarked, “The story itself is good. It moved at a quick pace, and everything they got is amazing. The one that played Edmund Ko, Stephen Fry as Ian Gibbons, are standouts for me. Sunny was also great.”

A third wrote: “Highly Watchable With Great Performances”, while another stated: “Wonderful! One of the very best shows you can see. Amanda Seyfried deserves every award to which she is eligible. Her performance as Elizabeth Holmes is off the chart.”

The Dropout is available to stream on ITVX

At least nine people have been arrested following the stampede, including police officers and ministry employees.

Haiti has begun three days of national mourning, following a deadly stampede at the Citadelle Laferriere in the northern part of the country.

At least 25 people were killed in the crush that formed at the entrance of the popular tourist site on Saturday, with some visitors pressing to exit while others pushed to enter.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture and Communication announced that two government officials were fired in the aftermath of the stampede.

One, a director with the Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage, was accused of “serious negligence”. The other, who served in the Ministry of Culture and Communication, was criticised for “biased passivity”.

“The Ministry of Culture and Communication, without going into the details of the criminal investigation, believes that the tragedy at La Citadelle is the result of administrative negligence,” it said in a statement.

The government, it added, “will fully assume its responsibilities”, as the event “must outrage the public conscience”.

The tragedy marks one of several crises the Haitian government is facing as it approaches its first round of general elections later this year.

Already, nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the deadly stampede, including five police officers and two employees from the Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage.

The crush of people took place as a local DJ held an event at the citadel, a 19th-century fortress commissioned after the Haitian Revolution, when Haiti’s enslaved population overthrew French colonial rule.

Since its construction, the citadel has become a symbol of Haitian sovereignty.

But the stampede on Saturday was exacerbated by stormy weather conditions, as rain pummelled northern Haiti and participants at the event ran for cover.

Elsewhere in the country, approximately 12 people died due to the heavy downpours, and at least 900 homes and one hospital have been flooded.

The Haitian government has also been grappling with the threat of gang violence, particularly since the assassination of then-President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

His death left a power vacuum in the government that criminal networks have sought to exploit. Federal elections have been repeatedly postponed for much of the last decade.

Earlier this month, a United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force began to arrive in the country to help address the violence.

From March 2025 through mid-January of this year, the UN has counted at least 5,519 gang-related deaths in Haiti. Roughly 16,000 people have been killed since 2022, and more than 1.5 million have been displaced.

Authorities called for more aid on Tuesday, as the violence continued. In the Marigot commune, seven people were killed and a police station was burned in an overnight gang attack.

Marigot Mayor Rene Danneau described the victims as informants who helped the police. He called on Haiti’s government to step in.

“We are asking the prime minister to take all necessary measures,” he told Radio Television Caraibes.