Rome — Police in northern Italy have detained three men, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party, after uncovering a huge stash of automatic weapons, a missile and material featuring Nazi symbols. Police said the discoveries stemmed from a previous investigation into Italians affiliated with far-right extremist groups who took part in the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
In a statement Monday, Turin police said one of the men arrested had in 2001 run unsuccessfully as a Senate candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party. At his home in Gallarate, police found nine assault weapons, nearly 30 hunting rifles, pistols and bayonets as well as ammunition and antique Nazi plaques featuring swastikas.Italy’s national police force tweeted images of the seized missile and other weapons. The police said it was an air-to-air missile.Two other men were detained after police found a French-made missile at an airport hangar that they apparently were seeking to sell.Italy’s gun laws change as leaders push “legitimate defense”Italian media outlets identified the suspects as Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, an Italian ex-customs officer and far-right Forza Nuova party activist; Alessandro Monti, 42, a Swiss national; and Italian Fabio Bernardi, 51.
Only two weeks after announcing the launch of Long Course Weekend in Jervis Bay, Australia Activity Wales Events have announced it will have another European event in Alcudia, Mallorca in November 2017.
The Long Course Weekend, which originated in Wales six years ago, is a three-day sporting festival where athletes swim on Friday, cycle on Saturday and run on Sunday. There is a multitude of distances and a special medal for those that enter the Full Long Course Weekend and do the Long distance every day.
“We are delighted to have been able to come here to Mallorca and secure this slot in the race calendar,” says Matthew Evans of Long Course Weekend. “The Long Course Weekend is very much an experience and allows a range of people to get involved in the weekend. We will be working very closely with the local community to ensure the Mallorca experience is unparalleled
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Entries are scheduled to open in early January and are expected to fill very quickly. To register your interest or for more information you can visit www.lcwmallorca.com.
Alistair Brownlee has come second, behind tennis world number one and 2016 Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, at BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In third place was showjumper Nick Skelton who, like the other two, also won gold in Rio.
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The awards were held at a glittering ceremony at the Genting Arena in Birmingham and were presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan.
Alistair was the first triathlete to be nominated for the award and it followed a fantastic 2016 when he became the first triathlete ever to defend his Olympic gold in Rio.
But it was his feats at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico, in September that shot him to global prominence. The video of Alistair running with an exhausted Jonathan to the finishing line became the BBC’s most watched ever. Alistair could have won the race, but sacrificed victory to help his stricken brother across the line.
These emotional scenes were once again shown in the programme, earning Alistair one of the biggest cheers of the night from the show’s audience. And when asked what he said to Jonny in that moment in Mexico, he said, in a typical Yorkshire fashion, that he called him a ” **** idiot!”
Congrats Alistair Brownlee – you did triathlon proud – and yes you are supposed to ask for our votes!
Are you supposed to ask for votes in this situation? #notsureoftheprotocol #spoty #VoteBrownlee pic.twitter.com/XbYXu9WBgZ
— Alistair Brownlee (@AliBrownleetri) December 18, 2016
The other nominations were:
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Nicola Adams – Boxing, Gareth Bale – Football, Alistair Brownlee – Triathlon, Sophie Christiansen – Equestrian, Kadeena Cox – Athletics/Cycling, Mo Farah – Athletics, Jason Kenny – Cycling, Laura Kenny – Cycling, Andy Murray – Tennis, Adam Peaty – Swimming, Kate Richardson-Walsh – Hockey, Nick Skelton – Equestrian, Dame Sarah Storey – Cycling, Jamie Vardy – Football, Max Whitlock – Gymnastics, Danny Willett – Golf.
Editor’s note: Former special counsel Robert Mueller is testifying on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to discuss the findings of his report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. The following story was originally published on April 18, 2019, when the report was released.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation resulted in seven guilty pleas and charges against 34 individuals and three separate companies. Mueller’s final report did not recommend any further indictments. Mueller submitted the report on his findings into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and potential ties between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to Barr on March 23, and Barr released a redacted version of the report to Congress and the public on Thursday, April 18.
Here’s a look at who has been charged:Paul ManafortThe former Trump campaign manager was indicted on a total of 25 counts in two jurisdictions. The charges ranged from conspiracy to launder money to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal.A jury convicted him last year in the eastern district of Virginia on eight counts of financial crimes including bank and tax fraud. He separately pleaded guilty to two additional felonies in a D.C. court, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy against the U.S.Manafort has since been sentenced to 90 months or 7.5 years in prison for his crimes in both venues. Rick GatesManafort’s former business associate ultimately faced 29 total charges that range from making false statements to the special counsel and FBI.Gates pleaded guilty on one count of false statements and one count of conspiracy against the U.S. He is cooperating with the Mueller probe and testified against Manafort.George PapadopoulosThe former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser was charged with making false statements to the FBI, to which he pleaded guilty in 2017. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison. His statements had to do with the nature of his relationship with “certain foreign nationals whom he understood to have close connections with senior Russian government officials.”
Michael FlynnPresident Trump’s former national security adviser was charged with making false statements to the FBI and Department of Justice to which he pleaded guilty to in 2017. As part of Flynn’s long-ranging cooperation with the special counsel’s investigation, prosecutors recommended that Flynn serve no time for the charges against him. Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements regarding a conversation he had with the Russian envoy, Sergey Kislyak, after then-President Obama had announced sanctions against Russia for its interference in the U.S. elections. Michael Cohen President Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer pleaded guilty in November after being charged with making false statements to Congress. He’s been sentenced to two months in prison for that crime. In a separate case involving the hush money payments paid to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Mr. Trump, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for violating campaign finance law.Roger StoneFormer Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone was indicted earlier this month on seven counts, including making false statements to Congress and witness tampering. Stone is alleged to have spoken to “senior Trump campaign officials” about WikiLeaks’ “future releases” of information revealing stolen Democratic Party emails during the 2016 presidential election. The government also alleges he attempted to obstruct a House Intelligence Committee probe into Russia. The White House has asserted that the charges leveled against Stone have nothing to do with the White House or Mr. Trump. Richard PinedoPinedo became the third person sentenced as a result of Mueller’s probe after pleading guilty last February to one count of identity fraud. Pinedo sold the personal banking information of Americans to the Russian nationals indicted for interfering in the 2016 U.S. elections. He’s currently serving a six-month prison sentence.
Alex van der ZwaanThe 33-year-old Dutch lawyer became the first individual sentenced as part of Mueller’s probe after pleading guilty to lying to special counsel prosecutors and the FBI. Van der Zwaan was sentenced to 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine. That sentence will be followed by two months of supervised release.According to court documents, on Nov. 3, 2017, the former associate of the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom “did willfully and knowingly make materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations” as he answered questions from the FBI regarding his work as an attorney at a law firm doing work for Ukraine alongside Paul Manafort and Richard Gates. Konstantin KilimnikThe Russian political operative with ties to the Kremlin and Russian intelligence was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Kilimnik worked as the director of Manafort’s firm’s Kiev operation.Russian entitiesTwenty-five Russian nationals and three Russian companies face 161 total charges as part of Mueller’s probe. Twelve Russians were indicted by a grand jury for alleged hacking during the 2016 election, including allegations of hacking emails of the Democratic National Committee. The 13 other Russian nationals and the three companies were indicted last year for attempting to use social media to influence the election. It’s highly unlikely, however, that any of those indicted will ever be extradited to the U.S. to face those charges.Clare Hymes contributed to this report.
Cairo — Up to 150 Europe-bound migrants, including women and children, were missing and feared drowned on Thursday after the boats they were traveling in capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, the country’s coast guard and the U.N. refugee agency said. A top U.N. official described the shipwreck as “the worst Mediterranean tragedy” so far this year.
The International Rescue Committee said the tragedy was a stark reminder of the humanitarian crisis emerging out of Libya and of the urgent need for search and rescue missions to be resumed in the Mediterranean.Ayoub Gassim, a spokesman for Libya’s coast guard, told The Associated Press that two boats carrying around 300 migrants capsized around 75 miles east of the capital, Tripoli.
Around 137 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, he said, and the coast guard has recovered just one body so far.Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, said 147 had been saved.”We estimate that 150 migrants are potentially missing and died at sea,” he said. “The dead include women and children.””Worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year”Yaxley added that so far this year, one person has died on the route from Libya to Europe for every six people that reached Europe shores.”The worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year has just occurred,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.In January, some 117 died or went missing off Libya’s coast and around 65 people drowned after their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia in May.Grandi called on European nations to resume rescue missions in the Mediterranean, halted after an EU decision, and appealed for an end to migrant detentions in Libya.He said safe pathways out of the North African country are needed “before it is too late for many more desperate people.”
Asked about the latest boat sinking and deaths, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq expressed the world body’s concerns. “We’ve made clear the need for all the countries in the region to work to ensure first and foremost that the lives of those people who have placed themselves in such great risk are protected,” he said.Chaos grips LibyaAfter the uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees seeking a better life in Europe.Traffickers and armed groups have exploited Libya’s chaos since his overthrow, and have been implicated in widespread abuses of migrants, including torture and abduction for ransom.Thomas Garofalo, director for Libya at the International Rescue Committee, which responds to global humanitarian crises, said migrants “intercepted at sea must not be returned to Libya.”Earlier this week, the Libyan coast guard intercepted around three dozen migrants off the coast and took them to a detention center near Tripoli where an airstrike killed more than 50 people earlier this month.Over 200 detainees are still being held at the Tajoura detention center, near the front lines of fighting between rival Libyan factions. The U.N. has voiced concern for their safety.”Hell on Earth”In recent years the European Union has partnered with the coast guard and other Libyan forces to prevent migrants from making the dangerous journey by sea to Europe. Rights groups say those efforts have left migrants at the mercy of brutal armed groups or confined in detention centers that lack adequate food and water.
CBS News correspondent Holly Williams visited one of the squalid facilities in the city of Misrata several years ago and witnessed conditions she described as “hell on Earth.” At least 2,500 migrants are detained in centers in and around Tripoli, where forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar have been battling an array of militias loosely aligned with a U.N.-recognized government since April in an attempt to seize the capital. The Libyan government has blamed the Tajoura airstrike on the detention center on Haftar’s forces, which denied responsibility and accused government-linked militias of storing weapons at the facility.The U.N. refugee agency says 164 migrants have died traveling from Libya to Europe since the start of the year, fewer than in previous years. But the U.N. says the journey is becoming more dangerous for those who attempt it, with one out of four perishing at sea before reaching Europe.The U.N.’s death toll did not include those reported missing at sea Thursday.
Alistair Brownlee has come second, behind tennis world number one and 2016 Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, at BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In third place was showjumper Nick Skelton who, like the other two, also won gold in Rio.
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The awards were held at a glittering ceremony at the Genting Arena in Birmingham and were presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan.
Alistair was the first triathlete to be nominated for the award and it followed a fantastic 2016 when he became the first triathlete ever to defend his Olympic gold in Rio.
But it was his feats at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico, in September that shot him to global prominence. The video of Alistair running with an exhausted Jonathan to the finishing line became the BBC’s most watched ever. Alistair could have won the race, but sacrificed victory to help his stricken brother across the line.
These emotional scenes were once again shown in the programme, earning Alistair one of the biggest cheers of the night from the show’s audience. And when asked what he said to Jonny in that moment in Mexico, he said, in a typical Yorkshire fashion, that he called him a ” **** idiot!”
Boardman Bikes have been granted planning permission to build a new performance centre near Evesham in Worcesterhire. The centre will include a cycling specific wind tunnel, physiology testing suite, activity area and a concept store with café. The centre aims to offer a unique experience for all cyclists and triathletes of all levels, from Olympic and Paralympic champions to weekend cyclists.
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Chris Boardman said “This project has been a dream of mine for more than 6 years and I’m delighted the finishing line is now in sight. The possibilities for what the centre can deliver are truly amazing; in fact I don’t think it’s overly dramatic to say it will be revolutionary.”
Construction of the 18,000sqft site is anticipated to start in the spring with a grand opening scheduled for winter 2017.
Based on the edge of the Cotswolds it will be easily accessible by road, rail, or air.
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Boardman Bikes Managing Director Andy Smallwood stated “It’s been a long time in the planning but following our close collaboration with Wychavon Council we are now ready to take the Performance Centre project from concept to reality. The combination of world class facilities and unique customer experience will make the new site a true destination for cyclists not just locally but from across the UK and Internationally. To say we are excited about this new chapter in the Boardman brands history is an understatement.”
A French couple is facing years of jail time after stealing almost 90 pounds of sand from Sardinia, the Italian island known for its picturesque beaches. The alleged thieves told police they were taking the sand home because they wanted to keep it as a “souvenir,” Italian media reported Monday.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, two French citizens poured white sand into 14 plastic bottles from Chia, a beach in southern Sardinia, and put them in the trunk of their SUV. The couple wanted to take it home as a memory of their vacation, but instead were caught on a ferry en route to Toulon, France.The pair was charged with theft under aggravated circumstance for having stolen from a public beach. They face between one and six years of jail time, according to the report.
Sand theft is a growing concern on the island. Tourists bottle the sand up to then auction on online sites, BBC reports.”Sandy beaches are one of the main attractions of Sardinia,” a local environmental scientist told the BBC. “There are two threats: one is due to erosion, which is partly natural and partly induced by the increasing sea level due to climate change; the second is sand stealing by tourists.”A 2017 law made trade in sand, pebbles and shells illegal and punishable with fines of up to $3,300.
Boardman Bikes have been granted planning permission to build a new performance centre near Evesham in Worcesterhire. The centre will include a cycling specific wind tunnel, physiology testing suite, activity area and a concept store with café. The centre aims to offer a unique experience for all cyclists and triathletes of all levels, from Olympic and Paralympic champions to weekend cyclists.
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Chris Boardman said “This project has been a dream of mine for more than 6 years and I’m delighted the finishing line is now in sight. The possibilities for what the centre can deliver are truly amazing; in fact I don’t think it’s overly dramatic to say it will be revolutionary.”
Construction of the 18,000sqft site is anticipated to start in the spring with a grand opening scheduled for winter 2017.
Based on the edge of the Cotswolds it will be easily accessible by road, rail, or air.
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Boardman Bikes Managing Director Andy Smallwood stated “It’s been a long time in the planning but following our close collaboration with Wychavon Council we are now ready to take the Performance Centre project from concept to reality. The combination of world class facilities and unique customer experience will make the new site a true destination for cyclists not just locally but from across the UK and Internationally. To say we are excited about this new chapter in the Boardman brands history is an understatement.”
Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have just faced their greatest challenge ever – forget going 70.3, forget Olympics, forget SPOTY – the real question is ‘who is the fastest down a waterslide?’
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Joined by professional triathlete and rising star Lucy Charles and Olympic open-water swimmer Jack Burnell, the group were put through their paces with a number of challenges at Alton Towers Water Park.
The athletes took an initial timed run down the slide, before being given the chance to spend £50 each to upgrade their HUUB products to increase their overall speed.
The second part of the HUUB Waterslide Challenge will be released in the coming weeks.
Alistair Brownlee said: “Jonny and I have a lot of experience in high pressure endurance competition, but I can safely say this was a first for us. More than anything we all wanted to win! It was freezing cold but we all forgot that when the competition started.”
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HUUB founder Dean Jackson: “All of our elite level ambassadors think they are the quickest, so we thought we would even the playing field and see who could cope with a few new situations! HUUB is all about using science and technology to gain an advantage so we thought we would try out a few new ideas with the guys!”