A judge in South Korea sentenced police officer Shin Mo to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, for repeatedly looking up confidential case files without permission to help friends. Investigators said he accessed private information around 80 times and that he had been caught doing so before, which led to a two-month salary reduction. The court said his actions broke public trust.
In the United Kingdom, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is launching a plan to increase the amount private schools pay for required inspections by the government's Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services, and Skills. The government currently pays the majority—effectively two-thirds—of inspection expenses, but Phillipson argues that taxpayers who send their children to state schools should not have to subsidize what she calls "private businesses." The change could potentially triple the fees private schools pay for inspections.
Katie Pasitney and her mother, owners of the Universal Ostrich Farm in British Columbia, were arrested for defying a Canadian Food Inspection Agency order to leave their farm and surrender their birds as part of a response to a bird flu outbreak. The agency fears the disease could spread, so it plans to cull nearly 400 birds. The farmers have resisted, claiming the remaining ostriches are immune. The case took a turn when the Secwepemc Signatory Tribe declared the property unceded land and issued its own cease and desist to protect the animals and land. The case will now go to the Supreme Court of Canada, which halted the cull in the meantime.
A public school administrator in Akron, Ohio, resigned after being suspended for attempting to sell the school district's lawn mowers on Facebook Marketplace. Steven Keenan traded in 11 old mowers to a vendor without the school board's approval, then bought seven of them back at a discounted "friends and family" price, paying $5,693. He then listed five of those mowers for sale online, asking $14,700. Before Keenan resigned, the school board—on the superintendent's recommendation—planned to fire him for breaching the staff code of ethics.
In England, a Thames Valley Police officer visited Deborah Anderson in her home and demanded she apologize for a social media post, or she'd be hauled in for an interview at the police station. The officer presented this ultimatum after someone filed a report saying they found her comments upsetting. Anderson refused the demand, citing her right to free speech. She said she felt particular frustration because the police would not tell her what specific post they were concerned about throughout the encounter. After the Free Speech Union took up her case, the police ultimately dropped the investigation, but they still failed to provide details on the offending comment.
Wyandotte County, Kansas, deputy Richard Fatherley has been charged second degree murder and involuntarily manslaughter after inmate Charles Adair died in custody on July 5, just a day after jailers arrested him on misdemeanor warrants for failing to appear in court on multiple traffic violations. Adair, who suffered from heart disease and liver cirrhosis, clashed with staff as they removed him from his wheelchair in the detention center's infirmary. One officer knelt on Adair's back in a shoulder pin maneuver, breaking his ribs and sternum. Those injuries caused "mechanical asphyxia," blocking his breathing and causing his death, which his autopsy ruled a homicide. Prosecutors declined to say whether it was Fatherley who pinned Adair, but he is the only officer who will be charged.
A jury in Riverside County, California, has convicted former sheriff's deputy Oscar Rodriguez of voluntary manslaughter for killing Luis Carlos Morin in 2014. Rodriguez met and started dating Diana Perez, the mother of Morin's two children, when she called 911 to complain that Morin had active criminal warrants and she didn't want him around her. On Jan. 27, 2014, Rodriguez took a patrol car without telling supervisors and drove alone to Morin's home to arrest him. When Morin tried to run, Rodriguez tried to subdue him, during which he fired a fatal shot into Morin's chest. While prosecutors requested 10 years in prison, the judge sentenced Rodriguez to one year in prison—most of which he had already served—and 10 years of probation. The county has already paid $7 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit from Morin's family.
Equatorial Guinea's government imposed a year-long internet outage for Annobón, an island province, after residents complained about a construction company's use of dynamite. Protesters wrote to the government with concerns about the explosions, which they say pollute their water and farmlands. Instead of helping, authorities responded by cutting off the island's internet access, which has impacted hospital services and banking, and caused residents to face high phone bills
Scammers exploited a glitch in New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program, using prepaid cards meant to pay youth for work to run a massive ATM scam. The cards had a $200 transaction limit but no limits on transactions. Over three days, scammers withdrew about $17 million, sometimes taking out tens of thousands of dollars at once. The scheme spread on social media as people bragged about their hauls on TikTok and Instagram. The NYPD and the Department of Youth and Community Development launched investigations. Officials said no taxpayer funds were lost but didn't clarify who was absorbing the losses.
Home security video revealed a babysitter funded by the New York City Administration for Children's Services abusing three boys in her care—brothers aged 2, 4, and 6 years. The video showed La'keysha Jackson beating the boys with belts and hangers, throwing the youngest, and using a Halloween mask to scare them. Jackson was apparently the family's second city-funded sitter; the first was fired after she was found to be drinking and smoking at the playground while watching the kids.
Christina Broadway of Marietta, Georgia, was at a funeral when a city employee entered her home without permission. She only found out because her security cameras caught the intrusion. City officials say he was a code enforcement officer who had a right to enter the home because he thought he saw construction taking place without the proper permits.
Three members of the Montana National Guard were charged with criminal trespassing after they landed a Black Hawk helicopter on private ranch land without permission and stole elk antlers. The haul reportedly included two antler sheds and a skeletonized head, valued at a combined $300 to $400.
For four years, Oakland residents complained to the city about dangerous late-night sideshows with cars doing stunts in the area. Finally, they built their own speed bumps, which cost $3,000 and stopped the sideshows for eight months. But the Oakland Department of Transportation removed the speed bumps for lacking official approval. While city officials say they're working on solutions, residents say the dangerous stunts have returned.
Mark Brave, formerly the sheriff of Strafford County, New Hampshire, was sentenced to three and a half to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to perjury, theft, and falsifying evidence. Brave spent $19,000 in county funds on travel and accommodations to conduct extramarital affairs. He will have to pay the money back as part of his sentence.
In England, Sussex Police fired Seren Sriganesh after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and several fraud-related offenses. Sriganesh falsely blamed his parents for three driving offenses he committed and accessed police databases to view details of one of the cases. He received 38 months in prison.
Kenneth and Mildred Bordeaux, an octogenarian couple in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, face $366,000 in fines for six minor code violations on their duplex. The fines stem from issues like a broken window handle and cracked outlet covers, which they quickly repaired after city inspections in March 2024. Despite their prompt fixes, the city took over 220 days to verify the repairs, causing daily fines to pile up. Their lawyer argues the excessive fines are illegal, and they applied for a reduction, but the city offered only a 10 percent cut, leaving over $300,000 for them to pay.
St. Catherine's Monastery, a 1,600-year-old Greek Orthodox site in the Sinai Peninsula, closed its doors to visitors in protest after an Egyptian court ruled that the monastery's land belongs to the government. The world's oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, St. Catherine's faces an uncertain future as the ruling strips its monks of property ownership.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) suspended three top officers of the Los Angeles Fire Department's labor union after an audit revealed $800,000 in undocumented credit card spending. The audit found that union president Freddy Escobar made 1,957 transactions totaling $311,498 from July 2018 to November 2024, with over 70 percent lacking receipts. The IAFF placed the union under conservatorship to restore financial oversight.
Leisa Streeter, a former administrative assistant for Rock Island County, Illinois, faces seven felony counts for allegedly stealing $900,000 in public funds over 21 years. Authorities claim she opened a fraudulent bank account in 2003 as "Rock Island County VIP" and siphoned city funds into it, averaging about $43,000 annually. County officials only noticed the financial irregularities in her department after she retired in June 2024. After her arrest, local news discovered that when the county first hired her, Streeter was likely still on probation from a previous embezzlement conviction.
Responding to a disturbance call, police officers in Grand Prairie, Texas, mistakenly arrived at the home of Thomas Simpson. They say when they knocked on the door, Simpson confronted them with a gun, and they shot him in the leg. Simpson, meanwhile, says the police did not announce themselves as officers before the shooting, and he believed he was confronting burglars. Police admitted they were at the wrong house but blamed the error on 911 dispatch's auto-populated address. Officers also referred Simpson's case to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office for charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer.
Deputy Trevor Walker of the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Department in New Mexico faces charges of embezzlement and fraud after investigators discovered he deposited checks meant for his former employer into his personal account. Walker worked for the Aztec Police Department between September 2022 and August 2023. He received a $17,000 retention bonus that required him to stay for a full year, but he left early and joined the Rio Arriba Sheriff's Office in October 2023. The city of Aztec sued him to recover the bonus, and a judge ordered his wages garnished from his new salary to repay the debt. Due to a clerical error, seven checks totaling nearly $5,300 went to Walker's home instead of Aztec; he signed and cashed them despite not being the payee. New Mexico State Police also found that Walker claimed unworked overtime hours at the sheriff's office.
In Canada, the City of Hamilton told Dan Myles to take down 10 security cameras from the outside of his house. Officials say Myles broke a rule that prevents people from filming beyond their own property. Myles says his cameras are important for fighting crime, and police have even used his videos to help solve crimes in his neighborhood, but a former privacy commissioner says people have a right to privacy on public property. Myles has appealed the city's order.
In England, the Wakefield Council told homeowner Adele Teale to remove "Caesar," a 4-foot gorilla statue made of resin, from outside her house. In a letter, officials said the statue is "obtrusive" and has "caused harm to the greenbelt." Teale has had the statue at her current address for more than five years, without issues. But the council now says she needs permission as Caesar is "not a minor decorative feature" and "out of character with the surrounding area."
Chris Bank of St. Peters, Missouri, is in the fourth year of a legal battle with the city over growing sunflowers in his front yard. Officials first said his sunflowers broke a rule requiring at least a 50–50 ratio of flowers to grass. Bank disputed the violation, which the city dropped. But in 2025, the city changed the ordinance, classifying sunflowers as a crop and limiting them to 10 percent of a front yard. Bank has refused to remove his plants and plans to fight the city in court.
Stuart Brown, a magician in England known as "Magic Stuart," is planning to fight a bill from the Derby City Council for £429 ($584 U.S.). The council says his rabbit, Snowy, needs a license for a performing animal. Brown thinks the fee is too high and that it's unfair to group him with big companies that have lots of animals. He points out that Snowy is not trained and is only used for a few minutes in his shows, which often support charities.
In Ireland, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan recently warned against flying the Irish flag as a means of intimidating migrants or "to suggest that this is exclusively an areas that belongs to indigenous Irish people." At the same time, the Dublin City Council is seeking help from the national police after complaints about flying the flag in public spaces.
In New York, the Southampton Village Board banned short-term rentals, requiring a minimum two-week stay for all homes in the area. Officials said the move is aimed at stopping noisy weekend parties by short-term renters that were bothering locals. Some full-time locals are happy about the quieter vibe. But those renting on Airbnb fear it'll kill their business, and restaurant owners worry there will be fewer visitors, hurting the economy. Even before the ban, rentals this summer dropped 30 percent.
The New York City Police Department arrested Trevis Williams after facial recognition technology misidentified him as a suspect in an indecent exposure incident in Manhattan. Even though Williams was significantly taller and heavier than the man described by the victim, and evidence placed him miles away from the crime scene, he was detained for two days. The case was dismissed after the Legal Aid Society presented location data from Williams' cell phone, which showed he was driving from Connecticut to Brooklyn at the time of the incident.
A proposed California law, Senate Bill 712, would have exempted older, collector vehicles from the state's strict smog-check requirements—if they were insured as collector motor vehicles and had historic license plates—because these cars are driven only occasionally. The bill passed earlier committees but was ultimately halted in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, apparently over concerns about negative effects on air quality and state revenue. The law was nicknamed "Leno's Law" after one of its backers, former Tonight Show host and classic car collector Jay Leno.
After the city of Orlando painted over a rainbow crosswalk that memorialized the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, demonstrators protested by drawing on the crosswalk with colored chalk. Police arrested several protesters on felony charges of "defacing a traffic device," which typically applies to traffic lights or crosswalk signals. The charges were later dropped; a lawyer for the protesters noted the water-soluble chalk did not cause enough damage to warrant a felony.
In Montana, former U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Nathan Snead was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay $13,923.77 after pleading guilty to theft of government money. Snead lied on his time and attendance record, claiming he worked hours he didn't actually work. Court documents showed he falsified records saying he worked both regular and overtime hours, even certifying they were "true and accurate," while GPS data from his government-issued patrol vehicle revealed it was parked at his house during those claimed hours.
After her indictment on two counts each of destroying government records and violating her oath of office, Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Cobb County Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor from office. The indictment followed an investigation initiated after allegations that Taylor illegally kept passport application fees for herself—totaling more than $220,000 in 2021 alone. Taylor allegedly directed an employee to delete emails and financial records, and to destroy documents that would implicate her, saying to "Donald Trump this thing." A review commission found the indictment "adversely affect[s] the administration of the office," leading to her suspension by executive order.
A federal grand jury in Boston indicted former postal fraud inspector Scott Kelley on counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns. According to prosecutors, Kelley used his position to steal over $330,000 from elderly victims of a telemarketing scam. Scammers contacted elderly people and said they had won a sweepstakes but needed to send in cash to pay the taxes before they could collect their prize. Postal inspectors could flag packages they suspected of being part of a scam but could not open them without the sender's consent. But prosecutors say between January 2019 and August 2023, Kelley used deceptive emails to convince postal employees to send him 1,950 total packages flagged as containing cash from scam victims. He then opened the packages and stole the money, which he spent on a heated pool, Caribbean cruises, and sex with escorts during the workday.
Singapore has some of the world's strictest vaping laws, banning the use, possession, and sale of e-cigarettes since 2018. Despite those laws, vaping has become more popular, especially among young people. As a result, the government is cracking down with tougher penalties, including fines starting at $500 ($388 U.S.), jail time, and even caning for those caught with drug-laced vapes, while foreigners risk deportation. The government is also launching anti-vaping campaigns in schools and public spaces, and adding vape disposal bins at places like Changi Airport.
In Illinois, Oak Park and River Forest High School removed exterior doors to student bathrooms. The intent was to stop problems like vaping, skipping class, and fighting, and the school reports fewer incidents since removing the doors. But students are pushing back: Laila Rosenthal, a junior, started a Change.org petition opposing the policy—with over 600 signatures so far—saying bathroom doors are important for students' privacy and security.
In New York, former Mid-State Corrections Officer Brandon Montanari admitted he and two colleagues kicked and punched an inmate in a hallway at the prison in April 2023, and they later tried to lie about it during the investigation. Montanari pleaded guilty to violating the inmate's rights under color of law, and his attorney requested a sentence of only probation. But a federal judge sentenced him to 37 months in federal prison, the maximum recommended by the sentencing guidelines, because she felt Montanari had not accepted responsibility. The other officers, Michael Williams and Rohail Khan, have also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in September.
In California, former U.S. Postal Service worker Mary Ann Magdamit pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Magdamit admitted that over three years, she stole checks and credit cards from the mail, activating the cards and cashing the checks to fund international trips and luxury purchases. She openly displayed her lavish lifestyle on her Instagram account. When law enforcement officials searched Magdamit's apartment, they seized 133 stolen credit and debit cards, 16 checks from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and luxury goods. She is scheduled for sentencing on October 27 and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Parents in Vancouver, Canada, are frustrated because city rules block them from teaching their kids how to swim during public swim times. They say lifeguards prevented them from giving their children "unsanctioned swimming lessons" and must leave instruction to city programs, even though spots in those lessons are very limited. Parents argue this policy makes it harder for children to learn basic water safety skills, especially since many families can't get into official classes. They also point out that nearby communities, like North Vancouver, allow parents to work with their kids during public swims, making Vancouver's restriction seem unfair and inconsistent.
Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and his advisors used the encrypted messaging app Signal to communicate about the city's migrant crisis. The app was set to automatically delete messages, a practice that open records experts and officials criticize as a deliberate effort to evade transparency and potentially a violation of Colorado's open records law. Denver attorney Steven Zansberg, an expert in open records law, called the administration's actions "unlawful." The mayor's office moved discussions of migrants to Signal in response to record requests from a conservative legal group and potential interference from the Trump administration. But this took place after the city's information security officer advised that encrypted messaging apps were "for personal use only" and not for "city work."
After the fifth shoplifting incident, Rob Davies put up a sign in the window of his vintage clothing store in Wales, calling the thieves "scumbags." After receiving a complaint from a member of the public, police visited the store and told Davies to take the sign down because it could cause offense. Speaking to The Times, Davies expressed frustration with the police's handling of the situation, saying he no longer reports thefts because they do not take them seriously.
The California Assembly Transportation Committee voted to advance Assembly Bill 435, which would require all children under age 10 and shorter kids under 13 to sit on a booster seat. Teens up to 16 years old would also be banned from the front seat altogether unless they meet the height requirements. Currently, children at least 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall do not have to use a booster.
A Canadian man was sentenced to life in prison in Dubai for possession of cannabis and CBD products. Kevin O'Rourke was traveling to South Africa through Dubai International Airport when he was stopped and searched. Authorities found 118 grams of cannabis and CBD, which O'Rourke's wife says he uses to treat the chronic pain from Addison's disease, a rare and life-threatening condition. His life sentence was overturned in February, and he was allowed to return home after eight months in detention.
Over 61 years, David O'Connor had driver's licenses in four states, including a commercial license for work as a truck driver. But when he went to get a REAL ID, Tennessee Driver Services Center officials not only refused to issue one but also revoked his driver's license, citing a state law prohibiting licenses for noncitizens. O'Connor, a Navy veteran, has been a citizen since birth, but he was born in Canada, where his parents temporarily lived at the time. When Tennessee officials saw his birth certificate, they assumed he was Canadian and refused to believe otherwise.
Italian aviation officials blocked a British Airways flight from leaving Milan for London after a surprise inspection found some seat cushions were too wide and thick. Cushions on exit rows are supposed to be smaller to create more room in case of an evacuation. To fix the problem, the air crew called out serial numbers for the correct seats and had passengers check their cushions to see if any matched those numbers. They were able to locate enough cushions to swap out for the exit rows, and the flight departed after a delay of an hour.
From October through December 2024, South Fulton, Georgia, Mayor Khalid Kamau made $26,000 in unauthorized purchases on his city-issued credit card. That spending included more than $5,000 in plane tickets, including a 20-day trip to Ghana. Kamau defended the trip, saying it was part of his economic development plan for the city.
A federal judge awarded $1.5 million to a family whose children were wrongly detained at the border in March 2019. The family lives in Mexico, but the children, who are U.S. citizens, attend school in the United States. When the children attempted to cross the border as they regularly do, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents detained them and interrogated one—a then-9-year-old girl—because they believed the picture on her passport was not of her. The judge ruled that CBP violated its own policy both by having a single agent interrogate her and by not recording it. In all, agents held the girl for 34 hours and only let the children go when their mother began giving interviews to the media.
Lino Monteleone of Montreal received a $186 Canadian ($133 U.S.) parking ticket after a bus stop sign was installed overnight in front of his house, replacing a legal spot where his daughter's car was parked. On April 1, 2025, Monteleone's doorbell camera showed city workers setting up the sign just before 8 a.m. A parking agent issued a ticket just minutes later at 8:05 a.m. Montreal's public transport agency said the sign was added due to nearby construction and that it doesn't notify residents about new bus stops because there are 10,000 in the city.
An Islamic Shariah court in Indonesia's Aceh province sentenced two men to public caning for engaging in what was deemed "sexual acts." The two men, 20 and 21 years old, were arrested after being seen kissing and hugging in a public park. Prosecutors sought sentences of 85 cane strokes, but since each defendant was polite and cooperative, the judges only assigned them 80 strokes each.
Authorities in Nova Scotia fined Jeff Evely fined $28,872.50 ($20,826.27 U.S.) for violating a province-wide ban on entering the woods. Evely, a retired veteran, deliberately broke the rule to challenge the ban in court, arguing that the government was overstepping its authority and that the ban was unnecessary. This is not the first time Evely has tried to challenge such a ban: Courts dismissed a previous attempt because he had not been charged. His legal team believes that since he was fined, he now has the standing to legally challenge the ban. The Nova Scotia government enacted the ban to help prevent wildfires, and officials say it was recommended by experts.
Pro-life activist Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is under police investigation for a third time after silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England. The police investigation comes despite two previous arrests for the same thing that resulted in a settlement in her favor and a formal apology from the police. British law bans activities intended to influence or cause distress within a "buffer zone" around abortion clinics. Vaughan-Spruce, who is being supported by the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom International, argues that silently praying is not a criminal offense and that everyone has a right to freedom of thought. The police have asked prosecutors to decide if there is enough evidence to charge her.
A European Union proposal called "Chat Control" is gaining support from a majority of member states. The plan would require messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal to scan all user-generated content, even if it is end-to-end encrypted. Proponents argue this is necessary to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material, but critics claim it would lead to mass surveillance and destroy digital privacy. The plan involves client-side scanning, which would inspect content on a user's device before it is encrypted. This would also necessitate mandatory age verification, effectively ending anonymity on these platforms.
Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Sheriff Steven Tompkins has been indicted for allegedly extorting a Boston cannabis company. According to a federal indictment, Tompkins pressured an employee to sell him $50,000 worth of company stock before its initial public offering—citing, as justification, his help with the company's "Boston licensing efforts" and that they "would continue to need Tompkins's help for license renewals." When the value of his investment later dropped, Tompkins allegedly demanded a refund of the full $50,000; prosecutors say he was reimbursed at company expense, disguised as a loan repayment. Tompkins, who has been sheriff since 2013, faces as many as 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine if convicted.
The United Kingdom is establishing an elite National Internet Intelligence Investigations team to monitor social media for posts against migrants and early signs of civil unrest, operating from the National Police Coordination Centre in Westminster with officers from across England and Wales. Critics claim the initiative infringes on free speech and prioritizes surveillance over policing. "Labour have stopped pretending to fix Britain and started trying to mute it," said Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
Michael Hayes, a Lakeland, Florida, police detective, was arrested for falsely reporting a crime, a first-degree misdemeanor. Hayes claimed three juveniles threw an object and shattered the rear window of his agency-issued unmarked Chevrolet SUV while he was driving. But deputies later found a picture of his car, with the window damaged, taken 24 hours before the reported incident. Hayes, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Property Crimes Unit, then admitted his child likely broke the window with a baseball. He was released on a $1,000 bond and placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
The United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned two Zara advertisements featuring models deemed "unhealthily thin," citing the promotion of harmful beauty standards. The ads, which appeared on Zara's app and website, showed a model with a "gaunt" appearance due to shadows and a tight hair bun, and another with a pose emphasizing "protruding" collarbones, leading the ASA to rule them "irresponsible." Zara removed the ads but said both models had medical certificates confirming their good health, and no direct consumer complaints were received. The decision follows similar bans on Next ads earlier in 2025 for featuring overly thin models, raising questions among some Brits about why ads with overweight models face no similar restrictions.
Kela Stanford, a contract worker for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, was charged with a felony after 3-year-old Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr. died in her hot car. Stanford had taken Starkes on a supervised visit with his father, but she did not return him to day care. Instead, she ran personal errands, including to a restaurant and a tobacco shop, before leaving him in the car outside her home, on a day when temperatures reached the high 90s. He remained there for five hours, until the day care center called her to ask where he was, by which point Starkes was dead.
New British cars may soon be equipped with breathalyzers and data recorders under Labour government plans to align with European Union vehicle safety regulations, sparking controversy among privacy rights advocates and Brexit supporters who accuse the government of covertly re-aligning with the E.U. The Department for Transport has committed to an "explicit presumption of alignment," aiming to reduce manufacturing costs by avoiding separate U.K. and E.U. standards, but critics argue this move undermines Brexit by using statutory instruments to incrementally align with E.U. rules without debate.
In England, former Thames Valley Police Constable Ben Lane was found to have
Kyle, Texas, resident Mary Ann Flores-Cale was escorted out of a City Council meeting while addressing concerns about a proposed revision to the city Code of Ethics during the public comment period. Mayor Travis Mitchell interrupted her and ordered her removal, citing council rules prohibiting "personal attacks" after her remarks included allegations of misconduct and an affair involving city officials, which he deemed outside the permitted scope. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has now challenged the council's rules as unconstitutional. Mitchell defended his actions, saying the intervention was due to Flores-Cale's refusal to yield, not the content of her speech.
Shotgun owners in the United Kingdom face delays of a year or more for new firearm licenses due to a backlog in police processing. Applicants, including farmers and gamekeepers who rely on shotguns for their livelihoods, are frustrated by the slow pace, with some police forces struggling to handle the volume of applications. More than 1,000 gun owners have had to place their weapons in storage as they await approval.
Police in England arrested Samuel Rowe outside his Manchester home and gave him a warning for possession of an offensive weapon after he was spotted with gardening tools. Rowe had returned home from his allotment—a small piece of property leased from the local government for gardening—with a basket of vegetables and some tools, including a trowel and a sickle, when a member of the public reported him for having a knife in public. Armed police later handcuffed Rowe and took him into custody. He explained the tools were for gardening, and that he carried them because the storage sheds at the allotment could easily be broken into. Rowe was questioned without legal representation and accepted the warning to secure his release; he is now pursuing legal action, arguing the police overreacted and failed to listen to his explanation.
Authorities are deploying new "ultra" two-way speed cameras across the United Kingdom, capable of peering inside vehicles to detect offenses beyond speeding, such as using cellphones or not wearing seat belts. These advanced cameras use video and a virtual grid to monitor traffic in both directions and enforce multiple violations, like running red lights, without the need for road markings or visible flashes. Supporters say the cameras will improve traffic safety, but critics say they will grow the U.K.'s surveillance state.
San Francisco's Board of Supervisors is set to vote on an ordinance proposed by Board President Rafael Mandelman that would ban natural gas in residential and commercial buildings undergoing major renovations, requiring all-electric systems for permitting, a move supporters say will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health. The policy, building on a 2020 ban for new buildings, targets projects altering over two-thirds of a building's walls or ceilings or renovating load-bearing elements supporting over 30 percent of floors, affecting an estimated 785,000 square feet of residential and 250,000 square feet of commercial renovations each year. Critics say the law would deter building upgrades and renovations.
