윤석열 대통령의 장모 최은순씨. 박종민 기자통장 잔고증명서를 위조한 혐의로 징역 1년을 선고받고 복역 중인 윤석열 대통령의 장모 최은순씨에 대해 법무부 가석방심사위원회가 만장일치로 적격 결정을 내렸다. 최씨는 오는 14일 출소한다. 법무부는 8일 가석방심사위원회 심의를 진행한 결과 최씨 등 수형자 650명에 대한 가석방 적격을 결정했다고 밝혔다. 가석방 적격 여부는 심우정 법무부 차관을 위원장으로 하는 가석방심사위에서 결정하며 법무부 장관 허가로 최종 확정된다. 법무부는 “최씨 본인은 논란이 대상이 돼 국민이 우려하는 것을 원하지 않는다는 의사를 유지했다”면서도 “외부위원이 과반인 법무부 가석방심사위가 나이와 형기, 교정 성적, 건강 상태, 재범 위험성 등을 종합적으로 고려해 만장일치로 적격을 결정했다”고 설명했다. 현행법상 유기징역을 선고받은 자는 형기의 3분의 1이 지나면 가석방 심사 대상이 될 수 있다. 오는 7월 20일 형기가 끝나는 최씨는 형기의 80%를 이미 채워 가석방 조건을 충족했다. 앞서 최씨는 지난 2월 가석방 심사 대상에 올랐으나 부적격 판단을 받았고 4월 다시 심사를 받았지만 적격 여부를 결정하지 않고 보류됐었다. 최씨는 2013년 4~10월 경기 성남 도촌동 땅을 매입하는 과정에서 4차례에...

A large Russian missile and drone assault caused serious damage to several power plants across Ukraine early Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said. It was Russia’s fifth attack on energy facilities in the past month and a half, part of a broader campaign aimed at cutting off electricity to swaths of the country and making life miserable for civilians. Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, DTEK, said in a statement that three thermal power plants had been hit, further straining Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity, which was already reeling from previous assaults. The company said that 80 percent of its available generating capacity had been damaged or destroyed by the recent attacks. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national electricity company, said that it might have to cut power to some domestic and industrial customers on Wednesday evening as a result. “You have to be prepared for this,” Volodymyr Kudritskyi, the head of Ukrenergo, told the Ukrainian news...

– Advertisement – St. Lucia – On Friday April 19th, a contingent of technical officers from the Veterinary and Livestock Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) Project, travelled to the United States to commence their inspection and selection of animals to be introduced into St. Lucia’s livestock sector.  This initiative is being facilitated by the UBEC Project, to inject new bloodlines into Saint Lucia’s livestock industry. This is intended to boost food security, assist farmers in their continued post COVID-19 recovery, and bolster overall sustainability of livestock production.  These bloodlines comprise a total of 154 animals including pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle, which are expected to arrive in Saint Lucia within the next few weeks. The UBEC Project is a USD $29 million initiative of the Government of Saint Lucia, which is being executed by the Ministry of Finance, with...

Omar Collymore’s attorney yesterday sought to convince the jury that the United States businessman had absolutely no reason to kill his wife and was merely just a “gyalis” and not a murderer. Attorney-at-law Diane Jobson, who is representing the 41-year-old defendant, along with Sasha-Kay Shaw, said yesterday during her closing address that Collymore had everything to lose from his wife’s death. She said although the Crown has painted her client as a manipulator, cheater and murderer there is no evidence that he was responsible for the death of his wife Simone Campbell Collymore. While questioning whether her client was being condemned because he cheated, she noted that he did not try to hide the fact that he was unfaithful. “ If you are a gyalis doesn’t mean that you are a murderer,” she told the seven-member jury. If that was the case three-quarter of Jamaican men would be murderers.” She...

There is a delayed start for schools in the St. Thomas-St. John District due to severe weather conditions, the V.I. Education Department reported around 7 a.m. Wednesday. Heavy rains, thunder, and lightning have been reported, prompting VIDE officials to prioritize the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All schools in the St. Thomas-St. John District will open on a delayed schedule, with school operations starting at 10 a.m., according to the press release. “This delay will allow for the safe arrival of students, considering potential disruptions to roadways caused by the inclement weather. Essential workers are required to report for their normal times to assess schools and prepare student arrivals,” it said. VIDE officials were informed by Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency officials that weather conditions for the St. Thomas-St. John District are expected to persist throughout the morning. However, conditions are anticipated to improve later in...

(CNS): A plainclothes police officer on patrol with a colleague in downtown George Town just after midnight on Sunday morning pulled a service weapon on a man who was about to attack another man with a machete, the RCIPS has said. At around 12:15am on 5 May, the police officers in plain clothes were on foot patrol along Seafarers Way and Cardinal Avenue when they were alerted to a disturbance. The officers then came upon a man armed with a machete who was about to assault another man at the location. The RCIPS said in a press release, “The officers immediately identified themselves, and in an effort to prevent loss of life, one of the officers challenged the man armed with the machete using his service weapon.” The man with the machete complied with the instructions and put down the blade. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possessing a...