Briefsfromshittu

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

CCTV Shows Man Trying To Abduct Girl In Shop

Dramatic CCTV has emerged of the moment a man tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl from a general store in Florida.

The footage shows the man dragging the teen towards the exit as her mother tries to stop him, getting into a tug-of-war.

The suspect – identified as 30-year-old Craig Bonello – eventually let go and ran out of the store.

As he entered the car park in Hernando, an off-duty police officer happened to be driving in.

080616 Deputy Jonathan Behnen - pic: Citrus County Sheriff's Office

After the Dollar General Store's manager yelled for assistance, Deputy Jonathan Behnen blocked Bonello's path with his car.

Deputy Behnen then pulled out his service weapon and ordered Bonello from his own vehicle.

After an initial hesitation, Bonello complied and was taken into custody.

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said Bonello had been arrested several times before, most recently in February for trespassing.

He is reportedly not a registered sex offender.

"In my 10 years on the road I have never seen anything like this," Sergeant Craig Callahan said at the scene.

"He truly intended to abduct this child right in front of everyone in the store. We are very fortunate our deputy was there as quickly as he was.

"We are very fortunate that the mother had that motherly instinct and did what she did. She may have saved her daughter's life today.

“I don't exactly know a motive, but I know it wasn't a good one.

080616 Dollar General Store in Hernando - pic: Citrus County Sheriff's Office

"Behnen is a bona fide hero today," said Capt. Ricky Grant, who was also at the scene.

"If it weren't for him, this guy would have gotten away."

The girl has been offered counselling. She and her mother were uninjured.

Sanders Fights On As Clinton Declares Victory

Hillary Clinton has declared victory in the Democratic party nomination race after winning at least another three primaries - but party rival Bernie Sanders refused to bow out of the contest.

In an email to fundraisers, Mrs Clinton said her campaign had broken "one of the highest, hardest glass ceilings".

She wrote: "Together we secured the Democratic nomination.

"For the first time ever, a woman will be a major party's nominee to become President of the United States."

Barack Obama phoned Mrs Clinton to congratulate her and praised her "historic campaign".

The 68-year-old becomes the first woman nominated by a major US political party to be president.

Addressing supporters at a victory rally in Brooklyn, New York, she said: "Thanks to you we have reached a milestone. The first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee.

"So many of you feel like you're out there on your own. Nobody has your back. Well I do... and as your president I will always have your back."

Mrs Clinton paid tribute to rival Mr Sanders, saying their debates on income inequality in the US were good for America and the Democratic Party.

And she singled out Donald Trump for criticism, claiming he was "temperamentally unfit to be president and commander-in-chief".

She won primaries in New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico on Tuesday night, but lost in Montana and North Dakota to Mr Sanders, who pledged to fight on as he thanked his supporters at a rally in Santa Monica, California, where votes are still being counted.

He told them: "I know the fight in front of us is a very steep fight, but we will continue to fight for every vote and every delegate.

Our mission is more than defeating Donald Trump - it is transforming our country.

"Democracy is not about billionaires buying elections.

"Thank you all. The struggle continues," he added.

According to an AP count on Monday, Mrs Clinton had already secured the 2,383 delegates she needed to clinch the nomination before Tuesday's primaries and caucuses in six US states.

She has wasted no time in turning her attentions to the general election after her campaign announced she will make stops next week in Ohio and Pennsylvania - two states that will be pivotal in November.

She now also faces the task of having to win over Mr Sanders' supporters and to unify the Democratic party behind her.

Superdelegates - senior party figures who can choose who they vote for at the convention - are free to switch that vote. The vast majority have pledged themselves to backing Mrs Clinton.

On the Republican side, presumptive presidential nominee Mr Trump won all five primaries in New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, California and South Dakota.

Speaking at a victory rally in New York, he took aim at Mrs Clinton and her husband Bill, claiming they "had turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves".

A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed Mr Trump was 10 points behind Mrs Clinton.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

CBI Urges Flexible Working On EU Poll Day

Britain's biggest business group is urging its members to enable millions of people to work part-time on June 23 to enable them to vote in the EU referendum.

Sky News has learnt that the CBI will write later this week to the 190,000 companies it represents to allow staff to take part of polling day off - a move that will be interpreted as a push to encourage a higher turnout by those voting for the UK to remain in the European Union.

It will be the latest intervention by the CBI in the referendum campaign, and will reflect a growing anxiety among pro-EU business leaders about polls in recent days showing growing support for Brexit.

The CBI, which has argued forcefully that the UK's economic future would be put at risk by leaving the EU, has already encouraged its members to inform staff about the implications of Brexit, which triggered a furious response from Leave campaigners.

Carolyn Fairbairn, the organisation's director general, said on Tuesday night: "The referendum on 23 June will be the biggest decision that most of us will get to vote on in our lifetimes.

"The decision on whether we choose to stay in the EU will have serious implications for our economy, jobs and the opportunities for young people in the years ahead and it’s important everyone has their say."

Ms Fairbairn added that companies had "an important role to play", and urged them to "do what they can to help their staff have the time to cast their vote".

She went on: "That might mean showing greater flexibility on when they expect employees to arrive at work and leave for the day, or perhaps see how shift patterns can be adjusted as a one-off."

Analysts believe that a low turnout on the day of the referendum represents the biggest threat to the Remain campaign, with a number of social media initiatives launched in the past week to encourage younger voters to participate.

Sky News understands that a number of employers have already agreed to allow staff to take time off on 23 June to visit polling stations.

Zoopla Property Group (ZPG), the online portal, has told its 700 employees that they can work a half-day.

Its founder and chief executive, Alex Chesterman, told Sky News: "We believe the EU referendum is one of the most important decisions in recent memory that we each have a say in and one which will likely affect all of us for many years to come.

"Given the importance of this matter, we are keen to ensure that everyone at ZPG who wishes to exercise their right to vote has the time to do so.

"That’s why we are allowing our staff of over 700 people, if they wish, to take a half day off on this day to ensure they can visit their respective polling station."

Other big employers, including Punch Taverns, are considering similar measures for staff who would otherwise face difficulty registering their vote.

Pro-Brexit campaigners said the CBI's initiative showed that the Remain camp was "clearly worried".

Matthew Elliott, Vote Leave's chief executive, said: "(It is) no surprise that the the pro-EU fanatics at the CBI are doing everything they can to try and twist the arms of the nation's employees to get them to go out and vote to keep us sending £350m a week to Brussels.

"If people want a brighter future they should Vote Leave on 23 June."

Kenya Bans Protests After Two Killed In Riots

Kenya has banned all opposition protests against the country's electoral body, a day after two people died in riots.

The crackdown follows weekly rallies against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, which opposition leaders and their supporters accuse of supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Two people were killed and 50 injured when security forces clashed with opposition supporters who were attempting to march on the commission's offices in Kisumu, western Kenya, on Monday.

The interior ministry said: "To avert further violence, destruction of property and loss of life, from today the government prohibits all unlawful demonstrations in the country."

Security minister Joseph Nkaissery warned: "It is extremely dangerous for anybody to challenge the government decision. The consequences are grave."

The opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy said the right to demonstrate is guaranteed by the constitution, and accused Mr Nkaissery of living in the past.

"His utterances smack of an old colonial order that is laden with the impunity of the past," said Norman Magaya, chief executive of the coalition's secretariat.

Rallies against the commission have been held every Monday since early April, resulting in clashes with security forces.

The violence has occurred even though Kenya's presidential election is not due to take place until August next year.

Trump Criticism Of Judge Is 'Textbook' Racism

The most powerful Republican in Congress has condemned Donald Trump's comments about a Hispanic judge as "textbook" racism.

US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan repudiated the remarks by his party's presumptive presidential nominee during a news conference in Washington DC.

Mr Trump has suggested Mexican-American US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing fraud lawsuits against the now-closed Trump University, is biased against him because of his heritage.

Amid a mounting backlash, the real estate tycoon said on Tuesday afternoon his remarks about the judge had been "misconstrued" and he would no longer comment on the case.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump

Mr Ryan was outlining an anti-poverty plan in the nation's capital hours earlier when he was diverted to addressing the latest controversy surrounding Mr Trump.

"I regret those comments that he made," Mr Ryan told reporters.

"Claiming a person can't do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment.

"I think that should be absolutely disavowed."

The Wisconsin Republican said the "mature and responsible thing" would be for Mr Trump to disavow the commen

But the country's highest-ranking elected Republican still sought to present Mr Trump's candidacy as the way forward for Republicans.

"We have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him than we do with (Democrat Hillary Clinton)," he said.

But one of Mr Trump's main surrogates, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, defended his former rival.

Speaking outside a polling place in New Jersey, one of six states to hold presidential nomination votes on Tuesday, he told reporters: "Donald Trump is not racist.

"The allegations that he is are absolutely contrary to any experience I've had with him over the last 14 years."

The real estate baron - who has proposed building a wall on the border with Mexico - has faced a barrage of criticism from his own party, including former rivals, over his remarks about the judge.

Marco Rubio criticised Mr Trump's comments as "very disturbing", John Kasich called them "flat out wrong", and Ted Cruz said they were "inappropriate".

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also criticised the remarks, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called them "completely unacceptable".