Nevada politician given life sentence for reporter’s murder

Published

2 years ago

2024/08/29

Priyan

A former Nevada politician has been found guilty of first degree murder for the death of a journalist who wrote critical stories about his time in office.

Robert Telles, 47, has been jailed since 2022 for the stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German.

During trial, prosecutors presented the jury with DNA evidence found under Mr German’s fingernails that they said belonged to Telles – who had pleaded not guilty.

A jury of 12 returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday, after deliberating for two days. Several hours later, the same jury sentenced Telles to life in prison.

Telles, who was elected Clark County public administrator in 2018, sat blank faced in court on Wednesday as the judge called in the jury. He then bowed his head as the guilty verdict was read.

“The jury unanimously finds the murder willful, deliberate and premeditated,” juror number two told the court.

Telles was given a life sentence in a separate hearing later on Wednesday. He is eligible for parole after he serves 20 years in prison.

The seven women and five men that composed the jury deliberated for roughly 12 hours, beginning on Monday, before the panel reached its conclusion.

The trial had stretched across two weeks.

Testimony in court came from dozens of witnesses, including detectives, forensic experts, those who knew the ex-politician, and Telles himself.

He alleged that he had been framed. “This thing has been kind of a nightmare,” he said about a week into the trial. “I want to say unequivocally – I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Mr German.”

In September 2022, Mr German, 69, was found after he had been stabbed seven times in the neck and torso outside his Nevada home.

Reuters Jeff German poses for a photo on the Las Vegas strip — *Reporter Jeff German poses for a photo in Las Vegas [BBC]*

**[BBC]**

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North Korea cancels Pyongyang Marathon for ‘some reasons’

Published

3 days ago

2026/03/9

Priyan

The annual marathon is usually held in April [BBC]

North Korea has cancelled the Pyongyang marathon for unspecified reasons, a tour agency linked to the event has said.

British-owned Koryo Tours, which describes itself as the official partner of the marathon, said on Monday that it had received notice of the cancellation from North Korea’s athletics association.

A message it attributed to the association said the marathon was being cancelled “due to some reasons”.

The annual event was established in 1981 to celebrate the birth of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il Sung. The 2026 race was set to take place on 5 April.

The message, purportedly from the North Korea athletics association’s general secretary, thanked “all the Elite Marathoners and Amateur Runners of the world who are interested in Pyongyang International Marathon”.

The message gave no further explanation on what the reasons for the cancellation were.

Koryo Tours said it understood the decision was final and had been taken “at a level above the organisers of the event itself”.

It said it would be seeking clarification on the circumstances surrounding the decision.

The tour company added that neither organisers nor event partners were involved in making the decision, and said it recognised “this announcement will be disappointing to many runners who had already registered or were planning to participate”.

Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, China, offers several marathon packages to foreigners, departing from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.

Packages start from €2,190 ($2,529; £1,894) for 2.5 nights in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, including a marathon place and “highlights” of the capital and tickets were sold out this year, according to the agency’s website.

It said all deposits paid will be returned and runners have the option to retain their deposit for a future event or North Korea tour.

A date for the 2027 marathon has not yet been set.

The event had only returned last year after it was suspended for five consecutive years due to the Covid pandemic.

It is open to both amateur and some professional athletes and offers several race distances – 5km (3.1 miles), 10km (6.2 miles), half marathon (21.1km; 13.1 miles) or full marathon (42.2km; 26.2 miles).

[BBC]

Foreign News

Canadian officials rescue 23 people who floated away on ice sheet

Published

3 days ago

2026/03/9

Priyan

Twenty-three people have been rescued by helicopter crews in Ontario, Canada, after the ice shelf they were standing on broke, sending the group floating into Lake Huron.

Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that the rescue began around noon (16:00 GMT) on Sunday after “winds and current moved the ice shelf away from shore” approximately 2km (1.2 miles).

The rescue involved two helicopters making multiple trips to pluck people off the shelf as it continued to fracture into more pieces in the Owen Sound, about 200km north-west of Toronto.

One member of the group said that he only realised the ice he was fishing on had detached from shore when he noticed that his GPS showed him moving.

Members of the rescued group described harrowing moments, with several of them becoming partially submerged in the cold waters as they sought out the thickest ice on the floe, or sheet.

“I looked at my GPS. We were moving,” fisherman Kevin Fox wrote, identifying himself on Facebook as one of those who were caught up in the incident. “I turned around and saw waves forming behind us.”

He said that he and several others started running towards a route that they hoped still connected to shore.

Ontario Provincial Police Helicopters seen landing people at a golf course along the water

“We decided to run toward one side of the bay, but when we got there the ice had already separated from shore. We turned and ran the other way, but the ice there was breaking apart too,” he wrote.

Some started phoning their families, said Fox, adding: “It’s something I will never forget – seeing grown men crying while saying goodbye to the people they love.”

Fellow fisherman Alfie How told The Owen Sound Sun Times that they eventually “just sat down as a group and said this could be the end”.

Fox told the paper that the rescue occurred during high wind, and the group was concerned that the helicopters would not be able to fly.

“It was being eroded,” Fox said. “It kept getting smaller, and smaller.”

Police say several members of the group suffered hypothermia, but that everyone was expected to make a full recovery.

“Great teamwork and a quick response by all involved,” police added.

Last month in the US state of Vermont, police rescued a group of ice skaters who had also become trapped on floating ice.

Using kayaks and ferry boats, rescuers brought the group back from the icy Lake Champlain.

Officials warn that ice fishing conditions can change rapidly during the relatively warm daylight hours.

[BBC]

Foreign News

Heavy rains and flooding kills at least 23 in Nairobi

Published

4 days ago

2026/03/8

Priyan

A man looks through the wreckage of private vehicles destroyed following heavy rainfall in the Grogan area of Nairobi [BBC]

At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya’s capital city.

Police said about 30 people had been rescued but many others drowned after being swept into rivers – some have been electrocuted.

Kenya’s military has been deployed to help people trapped inside their cars as police described widespread damage to properties as well as road closures.

Several flights bound for Nairobi Airport had to be cancelled or diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa.

“The torrential rains have led to significant flooding, unfortunately resulting in 23 fatalities so far, the destruction of property, road closures, and the displacement of residents,” police said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.

[BBC]