MUMBAI (BN24)— A 12-year-old girl from Bangladesh has been rescued from a prostitution ring in western India, where police say she was sexually abused by more than 200 men over a three-month period.
Authorities said the child fled her home after failing a school exam, fearing her parents would be angry. She was allegedly lured by a woman she knew, smuggled across the border into India and sold into the sex trade.
Investigators said the girl was first taken to Nadiad in Gujarat state, where she was repeatedly exploited. She was freed July 26 in a joint operation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar police, working with the Exodus Road India Foundation and Harmony Foundation.
Police have arrested 10 people in connection with the case and are seeking others believed to be involved. “This girl has not even reached her teenage years, but her childhood has been stolen,” said Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman of the Harmony Foundation.
Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik said all resources are being used to dismantle the trafficking network and identify other victims.
Child rights advocates say the case underscores the dangers faced by runaway children and the need for stronger prevention measures. India recorded nearly 39,000 cases of child rape and sexual assault in 2022, according to Child Rights and You, marking a 96% increase in child sexual violence from 2016 to 2022.
OWERRI, Nigeria (BN24) — Police in Imo State have arrested a pastor and an alleged accomplice for reportedly drugging and raping a 20-year-old woman in Orlu.
According to DSP Henry Okoye, spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, the suspects — Pastor Ikenna Emmanuel, 32, of Umuobom, Ideato-South Local Government Area, head of Authentic Power City Church, and Franklin Chizoba — lured the victim to the pastor’s home on June 30, 2025, under the guise of offering prayers.
Okoye said the pastor allegedly served the woman a drink that caused her to feel dizzy, after which both men allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of her. Police arrested the suspects shortly after the complaint was filed. During interrogation, both reportedly confessed to the crime and admitted to engaging in homosexual acts.
The pair were arraigned in court on Aug. 12, 2025, and remanded to the Owerri Correctional Facility pending trial.
In a separate case, police in Orlu on Aug. 12 arrested Ifeanyi Odinka, 39, of Amaifeke Orlu, for allegedly stabbing his 75-year-old father, Denius Odinka, to death during a dispute over proceeds from a land sale. Okoye said the suspect confessed during interrogation and has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Owerri for further investigation and prosecution.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BN24) — A 30-year-old man, Ethan Watson, has been arrested in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, for the alleged rape and murder of his 4-year-old daughter, Nikita. The child’s mother was also arrested in connection with the case.
Both parents appeared Tuesday before the Protea Magistrates’ Court in Soweto. Watson was charged with murder, rape, compelled rape, child abuse and assault. The mother was charged separately with failing to immediately report a sexual offence against a minor, in terms of the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act 32 of 2007.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, police responded on Aug. 6 to reports of a man physically assaulting his child. On arrival, officers were directed to a backyard shack, where they found a man with a young boy and girl. The girl was found lying on a bed with head injuries, bruises and swollen eyes.
The suspect, who identified himself as the children’s father, could not give a clear account of what happened. He was arrested at the scene, and the child was rushed to a nearby clinic. She died from her injuries on Aug. 8.
Investigators allege the girl had been sexually assaulted prior to her death. The mother was later arrested after police determined she had knowledge of the abuse but failed to alert authorities.
A neighbour reportedly recorded a video of the assault after hearing the child scream. The footage, which showed Watson allegedly beating the girl, went viral and led to police intervention.
Both parents have been remanded in custody until Aug. 18, when they are expected to apply for bail.
“The recent spike in parents facing allegations of killing and abusing their children is of grave concern to the NPA,” Mjonondwane said. “Our children are dependent on us to be their voice, and we will stop at nothing to ensure that justice prevails.”
MELBOURNE, Australia (BN24) — A 34-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a pregnant woman and her partner in what police describe as a targeted attack in Mount Waverley, a suburb of Melbourne.
The victims, identified as Athena Georgopoulos, 39, who was believed to be five months pregnant, and Andrew Gunn, 50, were found dead inside their home on Monday evening. Local media reports allege Gunn had been decapitated and his head placed on a spike.
Police were called to the couple’s home around 9:20 p.m. following reports of shouting. Minutes later, officers discovered the bodies. Graffiti messages reading “enough is enough,” “karma has no menu,” and “betrayal, unpredictable, inevitable” were found scrawled on the walls. Investigators are examining whether the messages are connected to the killings.
Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said a second emergency call suggested the situation was more urgent than initially believed. “It appears to be a targeted attack. Our suspect is known to the address,” he said, adding that the accused may have no fixed address.
Family members expressed shock and grief. Athena’s aunt, Patty Dilveridis, told the Brisbane Times her niece had been “so looking forward” to having a baby. “She was 39 and she never thought she could have one. She’s going to be very sadly missed,” she said.
Relatives said Athena was also the primary carer for her mother, who suffers from health problems. “She was always very happy to look after her mum without fail,” a family member said.
The suspect was arrested at Westall railway station, about 6 kilometers from the crime scene, at approximately 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12. He has been charged with two counts of murder and is expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Police believe the victims knew their attacker and that an altercation may have occurred before the fatal incident. Forensic teams remained at the property on Tuesday as investigations continued.
UDINE, Italy (BN24) — Paris Saint-Germain claimed the 2025 UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 4–3 on penalties after a dramatic 2–2 draw at the Stadio Friuli.
Thomas Frank’s Tottenham appeared on course for their first Super Cup triumph after goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero put them 2–0 ahead. But PSG mounted a stunning late rally, with Lee Kang-in pulling one back in the 85th minute and Gonçalo Ramos equalizing deep into stoppage time.
Van de Ven opened the scoring just before halftime, reacting quickest during a crowded goalmouth scramble to slot past PSG debutant goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. Romero doubled the lead early in the second half, rising above the defence to head home after a mishandled cross.
PSG, outplayed for much of the contest, found new life late on. Lee’s precise finish from the edge of the box cut the deficit, before Ramos pounced in the fourth minute of added time to send the match directly to penalties under UEFA rules.
In the shootout, PSG held their nerve with four successful spot kicks, while Tottenham converted three. The decisive moment came when Spurs’ Mathys Tel saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, sealing victory for Luis Enrique’s side.
The win adds another European trophy to PSG’s cabinet, while Tottenham’s wait for continental silverware continues.
LAMPEDUSA, Italy (BN24) — At least 26 migrants have died and more than a dozen remain missing after a packed boat capsized early Wednesday off the coast of Italy’s Lampedusa island, in one of the latest tragedies along the perilous central Mediterranean migration route.
The Italian Red Cross and U.N. agencies said 60 survivors were rescued from the sea and taken to a Lampedusa reception center, with four transported to hospital for urgent treatment. Italian authorities deployed five ships, two aircraft, and a helicopter in a desperate, ongoing search for those still unaccounted for. Officials cautioned that the death toll — currently at 26 — is provisional and likely to rise as hopes fade for the missing.
The disaster unfolded when an Italian law enforcement aircraft spotted an overturned vessel and several bodies floating about 14 miles from Lampedusa. Survivor testimonies suggest between 92 and 97 people were aboard when the boat departed Libya. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the group had initially traveled in two vessels from the Tripoli area, but after one began taking on water, all passengers were crammed into a single fiberglass boat. Overloaded and unstable, it capsized in international waters.
“It is not immediately known how long the migrants had been at sea,” Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino said, noting the tragedy likely occurred around dawn.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has prioritized cracking down on irregular migration, expressed sorrow over the loss of life and renewed her commitment to combating what she called “unscrupulous traffickers.” She stressed that while international rescue efforts were operational, “the necessary rescue effort is not sufficient and, above all, does not address the root causes of this tragic problem.”
The IOM says 675 migrants have already died this year attempting the central Mediterranean crossing — a number that does not include those from Wednesday’s disaster. Over the past decade, nearly 24,500 people have died or gone missing on this route, which remains one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world. Most boats depart from Libya or Tunisia, often dangerously overcrowded and ill-equipped for rough seas.
The worst tragedy off Lampedusa occurred on Oct. 3, 2013, when a vessel carrying more than 500 migrants from Eritrea, Somalia, and Ghana caught fire and capsized, killing at least 368 people and prompting international calls for action.
This latest sinking comes just a day after U.K. government figures revealed that more than 50,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel from France since Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office, underscoring the scale and persistence of Europe’s migration crisis.
LOS ANGELES (BN24) — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to partially restore millions in federal science grants to UCLA, rejecting the government’s attempt to freeze research funding over allegations of antisemitism on campus.
In a late-night ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin directed the National Science Foundation to reinstate suspended grants to UCLA within one week, siding with University of California researchers in a major class action lawsuit that accused the administration of “arbitrary, capricious, and unlawful” funding cuts. The order follows weeks of escalating legal battles after the Trump administration halted $584 million in federal grants to the school, including roughly $101 million in NSF-backed projects, citing claims that UCLA failed to adequately address antisemitism against Jewish and Israeli students.
Judge Lin said the suspension violated a preliminary injunction she had issued in June prohibiting such grant terminations without proper justification. She also rejected the administration’s defense that the cuts were merely “suspensions” rather than “terminations,” noting that either action had the same disruptive effect on ongoing research.
“NSF claims that it could simply turn around the day after the Preliminary Injunction issued, and halt funding on every grant that had been ordered reinstated, so long as that action was labeled as a ‘suspension’ rather than a ‘termination,’” Lin wrote. “This is not a reasonable interpretation.”
The ruling came just days after the Trump administration proposed a $1 billion settlement with UCLA to restore the funding, a move tied to its allegations that the university acted with “deliberate indifference” in fostering a hostile educational environment. The University of California system said it welcomed the court’s decision, emphasizing that NSF funds are “critical to research the University of California performs on behalf of California and the nation.”
The lawsuit, filed in June and led by UC Berkeley law professor Claudia Polsky, claims that the grant cuts were implemented through the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency without individual review or due process. Plaintiffs allege that some terminations were triggered merely because titles of approved projects contained “DEI-related” terms like “equity.”
Polsky praised Lin’s ruling, saying the judge “readily understood that the suspension actions, like the prior terminations she had enjoined, unlawfully failed to contain grant-specific rationales for halting grants mid-stream” and ignored the public waste caused by abandoning research prematurely.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment.
GUATEMALA CITY (BN24) — Gang members in Guatemala have released 11 prison guards they held hostage for much of Tuesday in a violent standoff that erupted across two detention facilities, officials said.
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Deputy Security Minister José Portillo confirmed the release shortly before midnight, hours after the guards were captured during riots in prisons housing members of the rival Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs. While Portillo gave no details on the terms of the release, it remained unclear Wednesday whether the government made concessions to end the crisis. Authorities said they have since regained control of both facilities.
The unrest began early Tuesday in two prisons in Guatemala City, where inmates seized the guards amid demands that the government transfer gang leaders back to the prisons where they were previously held. Guatemala’s interior minister had earlier rejected those requests.
During the standoff, a guard and an inmate suffered gunshot wounds and were evacuated for medical treatment. Throughout the day, videos surfaced online showing the guards blindfolded and bound, while prisoners issued statements calling for the transfers.
The incident underscores the volatile conditions inside Guatemala’s overcrowded and gang-controlled prison system, where authorities have struggled for years to curb inmate violence and criminal operations directed from behind bars.
ELKINS PARK, Pa. — Two armed suspects made off with more than $700,000 in a brazen daylight robbery of a Brinks armored truck outside a suburban Philadelphia shopping center on Tuesday, police said.
The heist unfolded just after 10:30 a.m. outside the H Mart at the intersection of West Cheltenham Avenue and Old York Road in Elkins Park, Montgomery County, according to Cheltenham police. Lieutenant Andrew Snyder said the truck’s driver was confronted by two men — one wielding a rifle, the other a handgun — who demanded her firearm before seizing the cash. The driver was not injured.
The suspects fled in a black Acura TLX with tinted windows, which was later found abandoned in Philadelphia. Surveillance video released by police shows the driver exiting the truck with a bag of money before the masked suspects rush her from behind, one carrying an AR-15-style pistol and the other a handgun. The driver dropped the bag as the robbers closed in. Moments later, the pair is seen running away, one clutching the cash, with the gunman pointing his weapon toward the driver during their escape.
Police also released still images of the suspects, who wore hoodies and face coverings. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact Cheltenham police at 215-885-1600.
Snyder said the robbery marks the first armored truck heist in his department’s jurisdiction, but investigators are probing possible links to a series of similar crimes in Philadelphia in recent months.
On June 21, robbers targeted a Brinks truck outside a Home Depot in Port Richmond. Five days later, another armored truck was held up outside an Aldi in Lawncrest. On July 2, a robbery occurred outside a Dollar General in the Holmesburg Shopping Center, followed by a July 15 heist in Northeast Philadelphia along the 8200 block of Castor Avenue.
Brinks, in a statement, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing safety concerns, and directed inquiries to law enforcement.
London (BN24) – A hospital consultant and former Armed Forces medic has been jailed for more than three years after police discovered a “staggeringly vast” collection of indecent images of children, including a so-called “paedophile manual,” on his electronic devices.
Dr. Matthew Isles, 53, who worked as an ear, nose and throat specialist at Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford, was sentenced to three years and 10 months at Stoke Crown Court on 13 separate offences. They included making and distributing indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images, extreme pornographic images and a manual containing instructions on child abuse, voyeurism, and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
The court heard that Isles was arrested in February after engaging in sexually explicit, grooming-type conversations on a gay dating app with someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy. The “teenager” was in fact an undercover officer. Although Isles initially ended the chat after acknowledging the supposed age, fearing prison, he later resumed contact to discuss meeting up. Prosecutors said he had also attempted to engage in sexual communication with a 15-year-old girl in what the judge described as “utterly calculated grooming.”
When police searched his home in Whiston, near Cheadle, Staffordshire, they seized multiple devices containing more than 90,000 indecent images and videos. Among them were 1,978 Category A images — the most severe — as well as thousands of Category B and C images and 459 prohibited images of children. Investigators also uncovered a folder labelled “Spycam” containing voyeuristic videos of a woman, recorded without her consent, and a detailed paedophile manual.
Judge Richard McConaghy rejected defence submissions for a suspended sentence, telling Isles: “Each and every image depicts a real child suffering real sexual abuse, some of it of the most depraved kind imaginable. There was a staggeringly vast quantity of images, by your own admission collected over a number of years.”
Prosecutor Hunter Gray said Isles distributed abuse material on at least three different platforms. In police interviews, Isles admitted to an “addiction to sex, pornography and child abuse material” and a compulsion to collect such content over the past five years.
Defending, Phil Bradley KC said his client had suffered a “catastrophic fall from grace,” adding that Isles’ medical career was “in tatters” and that he had shown early guilty pleas and some willingness to address his behaviour.
Isles, who waved at a woman in the public gallery as he was led from the dock, will serve half of his sentence in prison before being released on licence. He was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust confirmed Isles is no longer employed there and that it fully cooperated with the investigation.
Detective Inspector Alex Glover, of Staffordshire Police’s public protection unit, said: “Isles sought out and hoarded images of the most horrific abuse of children. The continued circulation of child sexual abuse material normalises abuse and incentivises the creation of new content. We worked closely with NHS organisations and conducted a thorough investigation into the offences committed by Isles.”
