tossed

A U.K. judge has thrown out a terror charge against a member of the rap group Kneecap.

Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, a 27-year-old Belfast artist who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, had been charged with allegedly displaying a flag supporting terror group Hezbollah at a show in London last year. (Ó hAnnaidh denied the charges, and said the band doesn’t support Hezbollah.)

At this Friday‘s hearing — one to determine proper jurisdiction — chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said, “I find that these proceedings were not instituted in the correct form, lacking the necessary [attorney general or director of public prosecutions] consent within the six-month statutory time limit,” adding that “this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge.”

“These proceedings against the defendant were instituted unlawfully and are null,” Goldspring said, releasing Ó hAnnaidh to raucous cheers from Kneecap supporters — including the rapper’s parents — in the courtroom.

The decision came as relief for Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill, who posted on social media: “These charges were part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine.”

Kneecap had recently canceled a U.S. tour, citing the court hearing as an obstacle to performing in the U.S.

Addressing the public outside the courtroom, Ó hAnnaidh said, “This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public, never about terrorism. A word used by your government to discredit people you oppress. It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up.”

Relating his Palestinian activism to Ireland’s own history of colonization, he added, “As people from Ireland, we know oppression, colonialism, famine and genocide. We have suffered and still suffer under your empire. Your attempts to silence us have failed, because we’re right and you’re wrong.”

Aug. 27 (UPI) — President Donald Trump is asking a New York appeals court to throw out the remaining penalties imposed against him in his civil fraud case after the roughly $500 million fine was dismissed last week.

Trump’s defense filed the motion in a New York appeals court Tuesday asking it to remove a three-year ban placed on the president from holding corporate leadership positions in the state, and a three-year ban on him and his companies receiving bank loans, among other punitive actions.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron fined Trump $454 million in February 2024, after Trump was found liable for financial fraud by inflating his net worth to secure favorable loans.

Last week, a divided appeals court threw out the massive monetary penalty, calling it excessive, but let stand the judgment.

After his financial penalty was erased, Trump claimed “TOTAL VICTORY” online.

“I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was Hurting Business all throughout New York State,” Trump said on his Truth Social media platform.

“It was a political Witch Hunt, in a business sense, the likes of which no one has ever seen before.”

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case against Trump, said she will appeal to have the $500 million fine reinstated.

“It should not be lost to history: yet another court has ruled that the president violated the law, and that our case has merit,” she said Thursday in a statement.

A neon green sex toy was thrown from the stands and landed on the court during the second quarter of Tuesday night’s Sparks win over the Indiana Fever at Crypto.com Arena.

With 2:05 remaining in the first half, the sex toy landed in the paint near Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who recoiled before Sparks guard Kelsey Plum kicked the object off the hardwood.

Spectators at Crypto.com Arena responded with boos, many turning toward the sections behind the basket closest to the Sparks bench where the sex toy appeared to have been thrown from. Security rushed into the stands in an apparent attempt to identify who was responsible.

“I think it’s ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “It’s also dangerous and players’ safety is number one. Respecting the game. All those things. I think it’s really stupid.”

Cunningham, who was seen laughing as she walked toward the Sparks’ bench after the sex toy landed, had previously expressed concern about the trend on social media, saying that it’s “going to hurt one of us.” After Tuesday’s game, she shared that X post with the caption: “this did NOT age well.”

The game continued without interruption, but the incident added to a growing list of cases where fans have thrown inappropriate objects toward the court during WNBA games.

“We did a great job, Indiana included, just playing it off,” Plum said. “Just don’t give it any attention. And the refs — I appreciated them too — just like, ‘Hey, let’s go.’ ”

Tuesday’s incident in Los Angeles was at least the fourth time in less than two weeks that a sex toy has been thrown toward the court during a league game. On Friday in Chicago, a sex toy was tossed under the basket during a play that was stopped. On July 30, a green sex toy landed near the court and bounced forward during a Dream game in Atlanta — an incident that resulted in a fan’s arrest and one-year ban from WNBA arenas.

A fan posted on social media that a green sex toy was tossed toward the court during the Dallas Wings at New York Liberty game Tuesday night, landing in the stands and nearly hitting a child. A similar incident has been reported in Phoenix, where the toy did not reach the court.

The WNBA released a statement emphasizing that throwing objects into the court area is a violation of league policy and local laws.

“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans,” the league statement read. “In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities.”

On Tuesday, no announcement was made indicating whether the individual who threw the sex toy at Crypto.com Arena was located or ejected.

Footage shows the heart-stopping moment where a plane full of passengers attempted to land in Madeira only to be shaken by violent winds

The terrifying moment a plane packed with passengers is violently shaken by strong winds as it attempts to land at Madeira Airport has been caught on camera.

The jaw-dropping footage shows the Marabu Airlines A320 shakily approaching the runway and swaying from side to side, before a turbulent landing that appears to cause the aircraft to bounce up and down the runway at Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport in Madeira. It’s not yet been confirmed whether there were any injuries to passengers as a result.

One social media user, commenting on the plane’s approach and landing, said today: “This is crazy. I already have a knot in my lower neck just from watching.”

Another, believed to have been a passenger on the plane, said: “Landing in Madeira had to be one of the worst moments in my life. That airport is as scary as hell. I felt the plane moving non-stop and the landing was so bad, God.”

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She continued: “I get it when people say it’s one of the most dangerous airports because IT’S TRUE,” which prompted a local to respond: “Imagine how us living in Madeira must feel when we have to travel. We pray every time so everything goes well.”

Yesterday, a reported 49 flights – 26 arrivals and 23 departures – were cancelled due to the severe weather conditions, causing major disruptions for a second consecutive day and causing chaos for British tourists trying to reach and leave the island. Frustrated holidaymakers took to social media in the early hours of this morning to vent their anger about being left stranded without food or accommodation.

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The first flight reported to have been cancelled yesterday was coming from London. A 1.45am flight scheduled to depart for London was also among those cancelled, with Ryanair and easyJet being among the airlines affected.

Local newspapers described it as a “nightmare day” for travellers. Some planes reportedly managed to fly over Madeira for a few minutes before being diverted to other airports including Porto Santo, Lisbon, Faro and even Tenerife.

On social media, some Brits claimed that they were left stranded at the airport and unable to return to the UK, claiming that they were not give food or accommodation, and left in the dark about when the next flights would be available.

Meanwhile one Portuguese passenger told local news that up to 500 people were reportedly forced to sleep at the airport, while another said that no mattresses had been provided for those who were stuck overnight. They added: “No-one helped us or informed us of anything and there was no food available.”

Were you affected by the chaos at Madeira? Email us at [email protected]