fb slotvip

A gang of people-smugglers promoted their work by having migrants record TripAdvisor-style reviews of their . Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, advertised their routes by using social media apps to circulate videos and messages from people who had already taken the journey. In one, a family travelling by plane details the route and states “we are very happy ... this is the visa, may god bless him, we are really happy”. In another video, a man travelling by HGV tells the camera: “Lorry route agreement, crossing agreement with the knowledge of driver. Here we have men, women and children. Thank God the route was easy and good.” In a sophisticated criminal enterprise, 100 people were over a period of two years. Shamo and Khdir were eventually convicted on Friday after pleading guilty to people-smuggling midway through their trial. The pair, who posed under the cover of running a successful car wash franchise in the south Wales town of Caerphilly, were caught after a surveillance operation by the National Crime Agency. Officers tracked down the smugglers after a tip-off and began secretly recording some of their phone calls. Working with a larger organised crime gang, Shamo and Khdir would facilitate the movement of people from Iraq, Iran and Syria through Turkey, Belarus, Moldova and Bosnia. From there they would travel to Italy, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Germany and France, with many . The men’s “customers” were offered varying levels of service – the simplest being on foot or via HGV or a smaller vehicle, the next by cargo ships or yachts, and the top “platinum” tier by providing plane travel. The platinum tier involved buying a fake passport and a plane ticket, costing between £10,000 and £25,000. The gold-tier service costing between £8,000 and £10,000 would involve , while the riskiest service – between £3,000 and £5,000 – involved travel by lorry. Money was lodged with Hawala money brokers in Iraq and Istanbul who would arrange and obtain funds from those travelling on particular routes. Shamo and Khdir used WhatsApp to communicate with people-smugglers across Europe, waiting to receive an “OK” for migrants to be moved by a specified route or timeframe once a deposit was paid. When the pair were first arrested in April 2023, police overheard Khdir telling Shamo: “Just tell them that we are buying and selling cars, just say we do transfer money from our home country.” Police found the video reviews on the smugglers’ own phones, intended to be used as a source of promotional material to win new customers. In another clip a man being filmed in the back of a lorry gives a thumbs-up when someone asks: “How was the route, lads?” One Iranian family, who was and filmed outside an airport, told the camera: “God bless you, we are very grateful.” Derek Evans, the NCA branch commander who led the investigation, said the pair operated “like a travel agency”. He added: “It’s like TripAdvisor, they were rating their service within that community. We worked painstakingly to piece together their movements to prove their important roles in a group, from advertising their services through videos to boasting of successful trips on messaging groups.” After hearing ten days of evidence against them at Cardiff Crown Court, both men pleaded guilty to offences of facilitation of migrants through Europe. A further hearing will be held on Monday ahead of sentencing. Praising the operation to bring the trafficking gang to justice, Dame Angela Eagle, a minister for border security and asylum, said: “Criminals like Khdir and Shamo put countless lives at risk smuggling vulnerable people through Europe in a shameless attempt to make cash. “Our new Border Security Command will intensify our efforts to disrupt the criminal gangs with cutting-edge technology and increased efforts in transit countries to prevent unsafe small boat equipment reaching the French coast.”WASHINGTON: Donald Trump learned a long time ago that photo opportunities could get him attention and that slapping his name on everything from skyscrapers to steaks could make him money. As a second-time presidential candidate and now the president-elect, he is marrying the two concepts faster than ever, tying the high-profile visuals of his political life to perfumes, watches, sneakers and digital trading cards. Everything around Trump has become something to monetize, including a moment of comity with Jill Biden, the first lady, at Notre Dame over the weekend. “Here are my new Trump Perfumes & Colognes!” Trump wrote on social media Sunday, along with a picture of his interaction with the faintly smiling first lady. “I call them Fight, Fight, Fight, because they represent us WINNING. Great Christmas gifts for the family.” Under the photo was another caption, an apparent dig at Biden: “A FRAGRANCE YOUR ENEMIES CAN’T RESIST!” Trump, in essence, used a civil moment with the first lady, a frequent critic, to sell fragrances that are “curated to capture the essence of success and determination,” according to the perfume website. Office Productivity Microsoft Word Mastery: From Beginner to Expert By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Web Development Java 21 Essentials for Beginners: Build Strong Programming Foundations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development JavaScript Essentials: Unlock AI-Driven Insights with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By - Study At Home, Quality Education Anytime, Anywhere View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Learn InVideo AI: Create Videos from Text Easily By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Data Analysis Animated Visualizations with Flourish Studio: Beginner to Pro By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Entrepreneurship From Idea to Product: A Startup Development Guide By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Marketing Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant View Program Finance Financial Literacy for Non-Finance Executives By - CA Raja, Chartered Accountant | Financial Management Educator | Former AVP - Credit, SBI View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Tabnine AI Masterclass: Optimize Your Coding Efficiency By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Before Trump was first inaugurated, his sons moved to take over the family business, to at least create the perception of separation between a moneymaking enterprise and the highest office in the land. (Trump still maintained more 50 licensing deals in his name, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.) This time, there is no such presumption of distance, only the churn of a conveyor belt spitting out one Trump product after another. On Monday, officials working for Trump did not immediately reply to a question about whether Trump would continue promoting products after being sworn in. With weeks until he takes office, Trump is capitalizing on the attention of his election victory, hawking fragrances and footwear to supporters who are in the mood to celebrate. There have been $299 “Trump Crypto President” sneakers on offer, along with $119 “Victory” cologne and $299 “First Lady” shoes. There is little information available about what materials the products are made from or where they are manufactured. And according to the products’ website, sales are final. When Trump ran in 2016, several of his branded products sold through the Trump Organization were made overseas, including sport coats made in India, suits made in Mexico and neckties made in China — business practices that were and are at odds with his current embrace of tariffs against economic competitors like Beijing. Trump’s daughter Ivanka was also criticized for selling products manufactured overseas. Trump does not appear to be a manufacturer of the perfumes, watches, sneakers and other items he has lent his name to. The playbook goes like this: Trump creates companies that function like bank accounts, allowing the people or companies making the products to pay him royalties for the cost of licensing his name. On his 2023 financial disclosure form, for example, a company Trump owns called “CIC Ventures LLC” reported income of $4.5 million for a book published by conservative publishing company Winning Team, which is owned, in part, by his son Donald Trump Jr. Also according to the disclosure, the elder Trump made $300,000 from a licensing partnership with LMA Productions, a company that produced a Bible endorsed by “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood. But unlike some of Trump’s earlier efforts, the identities of his current merchandise business partners are shielded through the creation of limited liability companies, which are structured to allow those partners to remain anonymous. At least two of the companies selling recently created Trump products were formed in Wyoming, a state home to strict privacy laws that shield the identities of LLC owners. 45Footwear, the company behind the $499 “Trump Won” sneakers and the “Fight Fight Fight” fragrances, was set up in January by Cloud Peak, a law firm based in Sheridan, Wyoming, that has formed more than 100,000 such businesses around the world. In July, Cloud Peak also set up a Sheridan-based LLC called TheBestWatchesOnEarth, which hawks gold-plated watches. For $899, supporters can buy one with an etching of the president-elect’s face. Reporters who have visited the Sheridan addresses for those companies have reported finding rural strip malls or buildings populated by unrelated businesses. Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said that this practice posed several ethical issues. “It’s a bit of a black box where the money’s coming in from,” he said, adding that people hoping to influence Trump could dump money toward one of his products. “We worry a lot about all the time he spends at Mar-a-Lago, around people trying to influence policy,” Libowitz said. “You show up and show him like, ‘Hey, I spent $100,000 on Trump watches.’ That’s going to get his attention.” Another concern is the speed and frequency with which Trump has unveiled new products before he assumes the presidency in just over a month. Without more information from the president-elect and his team, there is no way to know if Trump will try to monetize big moments in his presidency and where the money to produce those goods will come from. “Whatever norms he was responsive to before,” Libowitz said, “he does not seem particularly interested in them now.” (This article originally appeared in The New York Times) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Now that he’s stepped back into the role of being a starter, Dalton Risner is working tirelessly to make sure he’s at his best for the Vikings. ADVERTISEMENT That could be easier said than done in the short term. After starting exclusively at left guard since entering the NFL, Risner got the start at right guard for the first time last weekend with the Vikings playing the Tennessee Titans. Though he said he was extremely grateful for the opportunity, Risner also admitted there’s a learning curve now playing a new position. Not that he’s complaining about his place on the offensive line. “It was awesome,” Risner said. “I’m really happy with how I played. A few things to clean up. I think I’ll only continue to get better.” ADVERTISEMENT After rewatching the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell praised Risner for the way he competed in the trenches. “He showed some of that veteran moxie to win some downs that were some hard downs,” O’Connell said. “There are some things he’ll continue to improve with the speed and physicality of it as he finds his groove.” The biggest hurdle for Risner is getting his mind to think in reverse. He has spent so much time at left guard throughout his career that switching over to right guard has forced him out of his comfort zone. “All of it is flip-flopped,” Risner said. “It’s not an easy process.” ADVERTISEMENT It was made even more difficult last weekend with Risner going up against the combination of star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. “That’s about as good of a pair as we’re going to find in the NFL,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge up front with those guys. There are some things we could’ve done better from a technique perspective. We expect these guys to respond.” That includes Risner as the Vikings prepare for the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. As he gains more experience at his new position, his hope is that it becomes second nature to him at some point soon. ADVERTISEMENT “I don’t know how many reps it’ll be or how many games it’ll be,” Risner said. I know I’ll consistently get more and more comfortable there.” The only player listed as a non-participant on the injury report was tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle). He hasn’t practiced at all this week, so his availability for this weekend is very much up in the air. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

Jones scores 22 and Fairleigh Dickinson downs Lehman 98-54