分类： society

In an audacious Christmas holiday robbery that echoes cinematic crime capers, thieves successfully infiltrated a Sparkasse savings bank vault in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, making off with an estimated €30 million ($35 million) in cash, gold, and jewelry. The meticulously planned operation saw perpetrators utilize industrial drilling equipment to access the underground vault from an adjacent parking garage during the extended festive closure period.

Law enforcement authorities revealed that the criminals methodically breached over 3,000 safety deposit boxes—approximately 95% of the bank’s total—in what appears to have been a multi-day operation. The crime remained undetected until Monday when triggered fire alarms prompted emergency responders to discover the sophisticated breach entry point.

Eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage captured several masked individuals carrying large bags through the parking complex stairwell between Saturday and Sunday nights. Investigators are tracking a black Audi RS 6, whose stolen license plate was originally registered in Hanover, seen departing the scene early Monday morning.

Police spokespersons characterized the operation as ‘exceptionally professional,’ noting the requirement of significant technical knowledge and criminal sophistication to execute. The heist’s timing during extended holiday closures provided optimal conditions for the extensive vault penetration.

Hundreds of distressed customers gathered outside the bank branch Tuesday, with many reporting losses substantially exceeding their boxes’ insured values. The bank has established dedicated customer support channels and is collaborating with insurance providers to process claims while maintaining branch security following threats against employees.

Authorities in Trelawny have officially identified the two victims of a fatal afternoon shooting that occurred on Monday in Falmouth. The deceased are Horace Hylton and Jovorn Francis, both 32-year-old residents of the Galloway District in Bethel Town, Westmoreland.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s communication arm, the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), reported that the incident unfolded at approximately 3:20 p.m. Local residents first alerted the police after hearing a series of loud explosive sounds, later confirmed as gunfire, emanating from the Wellington Street area.

Upon responding to the distress calls, law enforcement officers discovered a stationary grey Toyota motor car at the scene. Inside the vehicle, they found both Hylton and Francis with critical gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services were summoned, and the victims were transported to a nearby medical facility. Despite medical intervention, both men were subsequently pronounced dead by attending physicians.

The Trelawny Police Division has formally opened a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the double homicide. Detectives are currently pursuing several lines of inquiry, including potential motives and persons of interest connected to the violent attack. The investigation remains active as officers continue to gather forensic evidence and witness testimonies from the Falmouth community.

WASHINGTON – A growing cultural rebellion is unfolding at Washington’s premier performing arts institution as multiple artists withdraw from scheduled performances to protest the controversial rebranding of the Kennedy Center to include President Donald Trump’s name. The prestigious venue, now officially designated the Trump-Kennedy Center, faces mounting opposition from the artistic community following this month’s divisive name change.

Esteemed jazz ensemble The Cookers announced their withdrawal from a planned New Year’s Eve performance, expressing ‘deep regret’ while emphasizing jazz’s historical connection to ‘freedom of thought, expression, and the full human voice.’ Although their official statement didn’t explicitly cite the naming controversy, drummer Billy Hart confirmed to The New York Times that the decision was ‘evidently’ influenced by the center’s rebranding.

The protest movement extends beyond musical performances. Doug Varone and Dancers, a prominent New York dance company, canceled their April engagement, declaring on Instagram that they ‘can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution’ following Trump’s self-naming act. Folk artist Kristy Lee similarly canceled her January 14 performance, stating that ‘losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.’

Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the arts center, has responded aggressively to the boycotts. He denounced withdrawing artists as ‘booked by the previous far left leadership’ and characterized their actions as ‘a form of derangement syndrome’ in social media statements. Grenell has taken particular aim at jazz musician Chuck Redd, threatening $1 million in damages for canceling his traditional Christmas Eve performance, which Grenell labeled a ‘political stunt.’

The naming controversy represents the latest development in Trump’s comprehensive overhaul of the institution since beginning his second term. The administration has replaced most board members with loyalists, eliminated drag shows and LGBTQ+ community events, while simultaneously hosting conferences for the religious right and increasing programming featuring Christian artists. According to multiple media reports, ticket sales have declined significantly under the new leadership structure.

Jamaica’s hurricane recovery efforts received substantial reinforcement Sunday as 72 specialized utility vehicles arrived at Freeport in Montego Bay to bolster the Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) grid restoration operations. The shipment included critical equipment such as bucket trucks, diggers, pole trailers, and pickup trucks destined for deployment with recently arrived Holland Power Services crews.

According to a Monday news release from JPS, these assets will be primarily allocated to Westmoreland and other severely impacted regions in western Jamaica where Category 5 Hurricane Melissa inflicted catastrophic damage to electrical infrastructure on October 28, 2025. This delivery brings the total number of specialized vehicles imported since the hurricane to approximately 160 units.

Detommie Fuller, JPS Manager for Business Continuity Resiliency and Contract Management, emphasized that the additional fleet will ensure newly arrived linemen are fully equipped to collaborate with Jamaican, Caribbean, and international crews. Their mission: restore power to the remaining 12% of JPS customers still without electricity.

The engagement of Holland Power Services represents part of JPS’s proactive business continuity strategy initiated in February 2025 before hurricane season. Another firm, Tempest, was similarly contracted, with team members arriving days before Melissa’s landfall to enable immediate response once government authorization was granted.

Following the revelation of the hurricane’s unprecedented devastation, JPS expanded its contractor lineup to include Greystone. Both Greystone and Holland crews have received logistical support from the Jamaican government to accelerate recovery operations through additional personnel deployments.

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Jamaican emergency authorities have launched a critical public awareness campaign urging parents and guardians to actively prevent children from placing prank calls to emergency services during holiday periods. Superintendent Emeleo Ebanks, Public Education Officer at the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), revealed through a JIS Think Tank session that deceptive emergency calls consistently surge during seasonal breaks, creating substantial operational challenges for all response services.

Ebanks emphasized the severe consequences of these false alarms, noting that emergency vehicle deployments under false pretenses present inherent dangers to both firefighters and civilians. ‘Fire apparatus operating under emergency protocols creates hazardous road conditions for responders and public motorists alike,’ Ebanks stated. ‘Each unnecessary deployment needlessly jeopardizes multiple lives.’

The official further explained how prank calls create critical response delays by diverting resources from their stations. When crews respond to fraudulent emergencies, legitimate calls may experience prolonged wait times as trucks must return from distant locations. Ebanks presented compelling statistics showing a concerning 24.4% year-over-year increase in malicious false alarms, with the JFB recording 1,759 deceptive calls in 2024 compared to 1,413 in 2023.

In a sobering warning, Ebanks highlighted the potential for tragic irony: ‘Should an actual emergency affect the prank caller’s family while crews are dispatched elsewhere due to their false report, the consequences could be devastating. These actions serve no beneficial purpose and ultimately undermine community safety.’ The JFB continues to advocate for responsible emergency service usage through ongoing public education initiatives.