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UK to release 5,500 prisoners in two months to ease overcrowding

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The UK government is expected to release about 5,500 prisoners in England and Wales to ease overcrowding.

The BBC reports that more than 1,700 detainees are expected to be freed at first, with subsequent releases in September and October.

Data from the UK ministry of justice shows that there are a total of 88,521 prisoners in England and Wales as of September 6.

The “usable operational capacity” — the total number of people a prison can hold while taking into account issues like control and security — was 89,619, leaving spare capacity of just 1,098 places.

This is well above the prison service’s own measure of a “good, decent standard of accommodation”, which was 79,856 at the end of July.

Jonathan Reynolds, UK secretary of state for business and trade, told Sky News that the “emergency decision” had to be made because the previous government could not manage the justice system.

“Of all the scandals we inherited, I think the prison system, the justice system, is probably the worst of all,” he said.

Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, told BBC radio that the pressure on prisons was “extreme”.

“It’s the highest population we’ve ever seen in this country. Prisons are absolutely close to 100 percent capacity”.

ELIGIBILITY

Prisoners who have served only 40 percent of their fixed term sentence, rather than the usual 50 percent, will be automatically released.

However, those who are in jail for serious violent offences with sentences of four years or more, as well as sex offenders, are not included.

The scheme also excludes those convicted of domestic abuse and what the government calls “connected crimes”, such as stalking and controlling or coercive behaviours.

More serious offenders serving life sentences, for example, will only be released after the Parole Board has assessed whether they still pose a risk.

Anyone released will be monitored by the probation service and this could involve the use of electronic tagging and curfews.

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Possible assassination attempt on Trump deeply disturbing, says Kamala Harris

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US Vice President Kamala Harris has condemned the shooting that took place at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sunday.

Donald Trump was playing golf in the vicinity as the gunshots rang out.

The Secret Service ferried Trump to safety and said it is investigating the incident as a possible assassination attempt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said an “apparent assassination attempt” on Trump was thwarted, with a man arrested and an assault rifle recovered.

Ric Bradshaw, Palm Beach county sheriff, said a Secret Service agent who was patrolling the course, spotted a rifle barrel emerging from a perimeter fence.

“He immediately engaged that individual, at which time the individual took off,” Bradshaw said.

It is unclear if the suspect shot first, fired a round at all, or whether it was only the agent that fired.

“We are not sure right now if the individual was able to take a shot at our agents,” Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Miami field office, said.

SUSPECT NAMED

The suspect has been identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. He was arrested after his car was stopped by local police.

Skynews reports that officers later searched the area where Routh was spotted and found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two rucksacks and a GoPro.

The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Harris had been briefed and that they were “relieved” to learn of Trump’s safety.

In a separate statement, the Democratic Party presidential nominee said she was “deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt” on the former president.

“As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence,” she said.

“I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance.

“As President Biden said, our administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.”

Biden said the suspect was in custody and commended the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies for their vigilance and efforts to keep Trump safe.

The incident comes about two months after the former president survived an assassination attempt during a rally.

The bullet grazed Trump’s ear.

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First all-civillian space team returns to earth after historic mission

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SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew has returned to earth after five days in orbit.

The US team was led by Jared Issacman, a billionaire, alongside Sarah Gillis of Space X, Anna Menon, and Kidd Poteet.

The historic mission saw the team reach the highest altitude than any other human in five decades. It also marked the first time such an endeavor has been completed by a privately funded and operated mission.

An event live streamed by SpaceX showed the Dragon capsule land off the coast of Florida on Sunday morning.

“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed! Welcome back to Earth,” SpaceX said on X

Returning to earth is among the most dangerous stretches of any space mission.

On its orbit back, the spacecraft reached extremely hot temperatures as it seared through the thickest parts of earth’s atmosphere because of the pressure and friction caused by hitting the air while still traveling around 17,000 miles per hour.

However, the crew was protected by the Dragon’s heat shield.

The spacecraft eventually landed in water before waiting rescue crews hauled it out of the ocean and onto a special boat known as the Dragon’s nest.

Final safety checks took place there before the crew disembarked from the capsule and began the journey back to dry land.

The US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said the mission represented “a giant leap forward” for the commercial space industry.

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Gunshots fired in Donald Trump’s vicinity at golf course

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Gunshots have been fired in the vicinity of former United States President, Donald Trump, his campaign has said on Sunday.

“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,”Steven Cheung, his campaign spokesman said in a short statement.

According to the New York Post, two people exchanged gunfire outside the former president’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The outlet reported the gunfine was not “targeting Trump”.

Trump was golfing at the resort on Sunday, which is a short distance from his main residence, Mar-a-Lago, according to US media outlets.

It comes just two months after an assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate.

Gunman, Thomas Crooks, fired multiple shots at Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. One bullet grazed the ex-president’s ear.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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