US group allegedly ran fake law firm and court proceedings to scam immigrants

Federal prosecutors have arraigned four people in New Jersey, with a fifth at large in Colombia

Four people were arraigned on Saturday in New Jersey for allegedly posing as immigration attorneys and officials to scam immigrants, the justice department said.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, who announced the arrests on Friday, said the group pretended to run a law firm, and staged fake court proceedings, in an elaborate scheme to defraud people seeking legal help for their immigration cases.

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Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island after nearly 200 years

The native species was driven to extinction by sailors in the 1800s. Now, 158 juvenile giant tortoises have been reintroduced to the island.

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Nasa to launch historic Artemis II moon mission on 6 March after delays

Administrator Jared Isaacman cites ‘major progress’ since earlier discovery of liquid hydrogen leaking from rocket

Nasa said on Friday it was planning to launch its delayed Artemis II moon mission on 6 March after successfully completing a fueling test that had caused it to stand down earlier this month.

Jared Isaacman, the space agency’s newly confirmed administrator, cited “major progress” since the original so-called wet dress rehearsal in which engineers discovered liquid hydrogen leaking from the space launch system (SLS) rocket on its Florida launchpad at Cape Canaveral.

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US build-up of warships and fighter jets tracked near Iran

A second US aircraft carrier appears to be heading towards the Middle East, as Washington puts pressure on Iran.

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Women in California prison accuse staff cook of rape and urge criminal charges

Exclusive: After investigators concluded an abuse incident occurred, women speak out for first time – ‘I was so scared to tell anybody’

Two women incarcerated in a California prison are calling for the prosecution of a staff cook who they say sexually assaulted them.

The women say Marcus Johnson, a former supervisory cook at the California Institution for Women (CIW), raped them in 2020 while they were working for him in kitchen jobs. The women, who were making under 40 cents an hour, said in federal civil complaints he threatened disciplinary action if they reported him.

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I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape

The BBC hears harrowing accounts of assaults appearing to target the sect of former President Assad.

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Rhode Island ice rink shooting may have been tied to ‘family dispute’, officials say

Shooting at hockey game in Pawtucket that left three dead and three injured may have also been a ‘targeted event’

The shooting at a Rhode Island high school hockey game that left three dead and three injured may have been a “targeted event” stemming from a “family dispute,” officials have said, with local media reporting that one of the victims was the suspect’s son.

The Pawtucket police chief, Tina Goncalves, confirmed the suspect was also among the three people who died.

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Family of Zambia's ex-President Lungu dismiss poisoning allegation - lawyers

It is the latest twist over the fate of Lungu's body, which remains in a South African morgue since his death.

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Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now and Godfather star, dies aged 95

From the classic To Kill a Mockingbird to blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds, the Oscar-winning actor’s films spanned a remarkable range

• Robert Duvall was a vigorous and subtle actor who always performed with passion and conviction

Robert Duvall, the veteran actor who had a string of roles in classic American films including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, MASH and To Kill a Mockingbird, has died aged 95.

“Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort,” wrote his wife, Luciana Duvall, in a message on Facebook.

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US teen who pushed for her father’s release from ICE custody dies of cancer

Ofelia Torres, 16, spotlighted her dad Ruben’s illegal detention last fall during Trump’s crackdown in Chicago

A Chicago teenager, whose father was detained by immigration authorities while she navigated cancer, died on Friday, a family spokesperson said.

Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old in Chicago, had been undergoing treatment for an aggressive and rare form of cancer since late 2024. As she and her family struggled with the medical procedures, her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained by immigration authorities while at a Home Depot in October, leading to a contentious and public case that highlighted the human effects of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

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