driving

Venezuela has accused Washington of a “colonial threat” against its sovereignty after US President Donald Trump said he was shutting down the country’s airspace.

The Latin American nation is on high alert after United States attacks on boats nearby and a major military deployment in the Caribbean that includes the world’s largest aircraft carrier.

Trump says he is fighting drug trafficking.

But is that the real reason?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Mark Pfeifle – US Republican strategist and a former White House deputy national security adviser

Paul Dobson – Independent journalist and political analyst in Venezuela

Christopher Sabatini – Senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House

Nov. 26 (UPI) — A former British Royal Marine pleaded guilty to injuring dozens of people, including children and babies, after driving his car into a crowd of people at a soccer victory parade.

Paul Doyle, 54, on the first day of his trial, changed his initial pleas in 31 charges linked to driving his Ford Galaxy Titanium into a crowd of people celebrating the Liverpool FC soccer club’s Premier League title in May.

More than 130 injuries were reported after Doyle accelerated into the parade crowd, sending bodies flying off his car — two of whom were babies aged six and seven months — according to The Guardian.

On Wednesday, shocking the court, Doyle reversed his not guilty pleas entered the day before, answering guilty to all 31 charges, the BBC reported.

The charges include dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, wounding with intent and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, prosecutors said.

“By entering guilty pleas, Doyle has finally accepted that he intentionally drove into crowds of innocent people during Liverpool FC’s victory parade,” Sarah Hammond, chief prosecutor on the case for the Crown Prosecution Service, during the court proceedings. “Driving a vehicle into a crowd is an act of calculated violence.”

“This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle — it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem,” she said, noting that dashcam footage from his car showed that he had become “increasingly agitated by the crowds.”

Doyle, on May 26, drove down the street where the celebration was happening, and which had been closed to non-emergency vehicles, on the way to pick up friends, but lost his patience with the crowd, accelerating rapidly into it.

Although people in the celebration tried to pull him out of the car before he actually hit people — he initially claimed he was scared for his safety and pleaded innocent to intentionally ramming parade-goers — police said 134 people were injured in the melee and more than 50 people required hospitalization.

Doyle was initially charged with seven counts related to six people, prosecutors added another 24 charges in August based on some victims he had hit that were aged between six months and 77 years old after he intentionally drove his car into the crowd of soccer fans.

With the guilty pleas, Judge Andrew Menary KC will now consider Doyle’s sentence based on harm caused, the defendant himself and the effects of the crime on the community, which prosecutors have portrayed as significant.

The maximum sentence for the charges, according to the BBC, is life in prison.

“It is inevitable there will be a custodial sentence of some length and you should prepare yourself for that inevitability,” Menary told Doyle.

Sentencing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 15 and 16.

Nigeria is in the news again due to recent attacks by armed groups, involving the kidnapping of many students from schools and an assault on a church service. These events have increased pressure on the Nigerian government, especially after U. S. President Donald Trump hinted at possible military action owing to the reported persecution of Christians in the country.

The attacks lack clear responsibility claims, but they resemble those by gangs seeking ransom. These armed groups, referred to as bandits, use intimidation and violence, abducting victims and escaping into forests. Recently, 25 students were taken from a Muslim girls’ school in Kebbi state, marking the first mass school kidnapping since a larger incident in March 2024. Additionally, another 64 individuals were kidnapped from Zamfara state, and two people were killed during an attack on a church in Kwara state, where 38 worshippers were also abducted with a ransom demand made. On Friday, more students were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic school in Niger state, with reports indicating 52 students taken.

Experts believe these attacks are financially motivated, particularly targeting schools due to weak security. Kidnappers find it easier to demand ransoms from parents willing to pay to get their children back. The northwest of Nigeria is especially plagued by insecurity, with armed groups operating in remote areas. Meanwhile, in the northeast, extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP have caused significant humanitarian crises, resulting in over 2 million displaced persons and many deaths.

Tension in Nigeria also arises from ethnic and religious conflicts, especially in the central regions where the Christian and Muslim populations clash over various issues. Despite claims of specific persecution against Christians, some argue that the situation is more complex and that Muslims also suffer violence. The Nigerian government rejects assertions of complicity in religious violence by security forces.

The U. S. is considering actions to pressure Nigeria into better protecting religious freedoms. Nigeria’s military leads the counter-efforts against these armed groups, with traditional leaders also engaging in peace negotiations. However, attacks continue amid reports of increasing violence, with thousands of civilian deaths this year alone. President Tinubu has dispatched officials to oversee rescue efforts for kidnapped schoolgirls.

With information from Reuters

CRUZ Beckham is understood to have had his driving license REVOKED after speeding in 20mph zones.

The son of David and Victoria, 20, has lost his license after racking up two speeding tickets within two years of passing his driving test.

According to the Mail on Sunday, he had fallen victim to going over the limit in 20mph zones twice.

He is one of 500,000 who were caught speeding in areas with the same limit.

Cruz’s second incident is believed to have taken place on September 2 according to the publication.

He had told his Instagram followers at the time that he had been caught doing “24 in a 20” zone.

sibling support

Cruz Beckham on big brother duty as he enjoys night with sister Harper

KNIGHT FEVER

David Beckham celebrates knighthood at pub party with £55 bottles of bubbly

If a driver receives six or more points on their license within two years of passing their driving test, their license is immediately revoked and made void.

It means Cruz will now have to re-take both his practical and driving theory tests in order to re-obtain a license from the DVLA.

Sources close to Cruz told the Mail that he was “gutted” to have had his license taken away from him.

They added: “It’s infuriating but he seems to have taken it on the chin.”

The 20-year-old famously owned a burgundy Land Rover which he took to McDonald’s to celebrate passing his test just under two years ago.

Cruz is understood to frequently drive himself between the family’s West London home and his parents’ Cotswolds mansion.

The Sun has contacted a representative for Cruz Beckham for comment.

European markets opened significantly lower on Friday, following a retreat in Asian shares in the morning and Wall Street’s tumble on Thursday, as investors reassessed the outlook for interest-rate cuts and questioned the lofty valuations of leading US technology and AI stocks.

“Markets are down across the board as investors fret about cracks in the narrative that’s driven the mother of all tech rallies over the past few years,” said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell. The key concern is “about rich equity valuations and how billions of dollars are being spent on AI just at a time when the jobs market is looking fragile”, he added.

In Europe, sentiment was gloomy on Friday morning as UK government bond yields jumped following reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has abandoned plans to raise income tax rates in this month’s Autumn Budget. The ten-year gilt yield climbed above 4.54% before easing slightly. If confirmed, the chancellor’s move — first reported by the Financial Times — would leave a shortfall in the public finances.

London equities weakened, with bank shares among the worst performers on the FTSE 100 as investors digested the prospect of a tighter fiscal backdrop.

By around 11:00 CET, the FTSE 100 was down more than 1.1%, the European benchmark Stoxx 600 had lost nearly 1%, the DAX in Frankfurt dipped more than 0.7% and the CAC 40 in Paris fell nearly 0.7%. The Madrid and Milan indexes were down 1.2% and 1% respectively.

“Despite the doom and gloom, the scale of the market pullback wasn’t severe enough to suggest widespread panic,” said Coatsworth, adding that “a 1% decline in the FTSE 100 is not out of the ordinary for a one-day movement when markets are feeling grumpy”.

On the corporate front, luxury group Richemont was among the best performers, soaring 7.5% after beating forecast first-half results. Siemens Energy jumped more than 10% after the company raised its targets for the 2028 financial year. In other news, French Ubisoft delayed its financial report for the past six months; trading in its shares was suspended after an earlier drop of more than 8%.

Across the Atlantic, Wall Street endured one of its weakest sessions since April on Thursday, with the S&P 500 sliding 1.7% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.7% from its record high set a day earlier. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 2.3%.

Shares in major AI-linked companies came under heavy selling pressure, with Nvidia down 3.6%, Super Micro Computer off 7.4%, Palantir falling 6.5% and Broadcom losing 4.3%. Oracles lost more than 4%.

The sector’s extraordinary gains this year have prompted comparisons with the dot-com boom, fuelling doubts about how much further prices can rise.

Expectations for a further US interest-rate cut in December have also diminished, with market pricing now suggesting only a marginal chance the Federal Reserve will move again this year.

Asian markets mirrored the downbeat tone as fresh data showed China’s factory output grew at its slowest pace in 14 months in October, rising 4.9% year on year — down from 6.5% in September and missing expectations. Fixed-asset investment also weakened, dragged down by ongoing softness in the property sector.

South Korea’s Kospi led regional losses, tumbling 3.8% amid heavy selling of technology shares. Samsung Electronics dropped 5.5% and SK Hynix slid 8.5%, while LG Energy Solution lost 4.4%. Taiwan’s Taiex declined 1.8%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 shed nearly 1.8%, reversing Thursday’s gains, with SoftBank Group plunging 6.6%. In China, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 2% and the Shanghai Composite slipped 1%.

Meanwhile, oil prices strengthened. Brent crude rose nearly 1.6% to $63.99 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate added 1.8% to $59.76. The dollar was slightly firmer at ¥154.55, while the euro traded at $1.1637.

Almost a decade ago, I would have wagered my entire wealth on the defeat of candidate Donald Trump in the primaries of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. My premises were clear: presidential elections should be contests among politicians, of which the U.S. has an abundance, making it unlikely for an outsider to succeed; Americans are well-educated, mature citizens unlikely to elect a non-politician; and Trump’s provocative personality would deter the majority from voting for him. I was proven wrong, but this lesson led me to anticipate his victory in the 2024 elections after reevaluating my premises.

My understanding of American intellect has made me overlook a significant portion of society that prioritizes personality over substance, favoring a strong, assertive persona instead of a competent candidate. Elections blend many factors influencing citizens’ decision-making, with power being a major element in American life. Trump’s political incompetence was overshadowed by his ability to manipulate power, convincing over fifty percent of the population to support him—a quality clearly lacking in his 2024 challenger. For Republicans, the victory was cause for celebration — even if it happened by an “insurgent power manipulation.”

While politics revolves around power, democracy was conceived to constrain it and to enable its lawful and moral exercise. The primary challenge for the U.S. is determining how citizens and their leaders can wield power constructively and ethically within a democratic framework. Current polarization in the U.S. isn’t merely a divide between Republicans and Democrats; it encompasses a myriad of issues and policies on both sides, such as abortion, gender identity, and immigration. The underlying struggle remains the interaction between democracy and power that shapes their mindsets.

American society, perhaps like many others, exists in two parallel realities. One ideal reflects a belief in a nation that genuinely upholds liberal democratic values, supported by a system of checks and balances and the rule of law. In contrast, a significant segment of society downscales this notion, accepting that the United States is fundamentally a nation of power—one that should be guided by the realities of its superpower status, often involving elements of violence in its policies, including leadership selection that Trump threatened during the election process.

It is evident that the Democratic Party leadership failed to present a “powerful” presidential candidate in 2024 or effectively engage its base in the democratic process of candidate nomination. This deficiency has reinforced Trump as the strongman that many believe the U.S. needs. Recent polls show that most voters think Trump is pushing the limits of his constitutional authority, yet the nation must accept that his return to power came through a democratic process.

Ultimately, I realized that the American intellect that has shaped my understanding of the U.S. for decades isn’t purely fact-driven; it tends to twist facts depending on the media outlet or institution, which often highlights issues in ways that align with what they define as their “corporate mission” at the expense of true democracy. This mechanism is supported by a multitude of influential writers and podcasters who shape societal thoughts and behaviors. This troubling phenomenon has been countered by social media, which offers alternative, often unaccountable, views that may be entertaining but lack substantiation.

Regrettably, freedom of expression is widely accepted even when if entails provocation or incendiary that significantly contributes to escalating violence in the United States. The average gun ownership rate, estimated at 120 firearms for every 100 people—the highest in the world—amplifies personal power and can easily incite violent actions during conflicts. A small fraction of enraged citizens can commit crimes fueled by personal firearms, exemplified by incidents like the assassination of Charles Kirk. The prevalence of guns among citizens bolsters the phenomenon of a power-driven presidency and society.

Trump is, in fact, a byproduct of American citizens’ overvaluation of power at the expense of democracy. Although he promised to avoid military conflict, politics is notorious for broken promises. Striking Iran and targeting suspected drug smugglers in international waters exemplifies illegal violence that nonetheless strengthens his power status among supporters. Meanwhile, the recent massive protests, part of the No Kings movement against Trump’s policies, represent a form of “soft democracy,” activity which may not resonate with the “power segment” of society. What the United States needs is a clear set of norms, policies, and public order to advance its democracy. This doesn’t imply transforming the nation into an autocracy but rather clarifying many grey areas, such as freedom of speech and incitement. The US military spending, which accounts for roughly 3.4% of GDP, is not intended to defend the nation against a specific enemy; rather, it aims to maintain superpower status in contrast to the unrealistic small budget used by previous administrations to promote democracy, reflecting the nation’s interests in both areas. In my view, the U.S. does not faithfully adhere to democratic principles; instead, power is the true driving force that reflects its nature.

Tanzania’s incumbent president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been re-elected with 98 percent of the vote in an election denounced by the opposition as a sham.

The government has denied that hundreds of people have been killed in a police crackdown.

So, what’s behind this crisis, and what’s next?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests: 

Tito Magoti – independent human rights lawyer and activist

Nicodemus Minde – researcher with the East Africa Peace and Security Governance Program at the Institute for Security Studies in Nairobi

Fergus Kell – research fellow with the Africa Programme at London’s Chatham House