While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 5

Police, backed by elite units, raided nine addresses in several towns in western Belgium. PHOTO: REUTERS

Belgium arrests foil suspected jihadist ‘terrorist attack’

Belgian police on Thursday arrested seven people suspected of supporting the Islamic State (Isis) group and plotting a “terrorist attack”, prosecutors said.

Almost all the suspects are ethnic Chechens, and three of them possess Belgian nationality, prosecutors said in a statement.

“The exact target of the planned attack has not yet been determined,” they said.

READ MORE HERE


Atlanta judge denies bail for suspect in medical building shooting

A former US Coast Guardsman accused of killing a woman and wounding four others in a shooting in an Atlanta medical building waived his right on Thursday to appear at a court hearing during which a judge denied bail for him.

The suspected gunman, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, was scheduled to appear before Fulton County Magistrate Judge Holly Hughes via a video feed from jail. In his absence, Hughes denied bail and ordered him held on one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, her clerk said.

The suspect is accused of opening fire in the Northside Medical facility in the city’s busy Midtown area at about 12:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday. He then fled on foot and headed to a nearby gasoline station, where he commandeered a pickup truck that had been left running unattended and drove away.

READ MORE HERE


Prosecutors probe chokehold death of New York subway rider

New York prosecutors are investigating the death of a homeless man put in a chokehold by a fellow rider on the city’s subway, in an incident that has sparked outrage.

The death of Jordan Neely – who US media identified as a Michael Jackson impersonator who often performed on the train – was caught on camera and has angered homeless advocacy groups.

The incident also touches on two burning issues in America’s financial capital – mental illness and residents’ fears for their safety on the underground.

READ MORE HERE


Struff stuns Tsitsipas to reach Madrid Open semi-final

Jan-Lennard Struff stunned world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Madrid Open on Thursday to become only the third lucky loser to reach the semi-finals of an ATP Masters event.

The 33-year-old German, who had lost in the qualifying round before being allotted a place in the main draw, triumphed 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-3.

He will now face Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev in Friday’s semi-finals.

READ MORE HERE


US jury sides with Ed Sheeran in Let’s Get It On copyright trial

British pop superstar Ed Sheeran’s 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud did not unlawfully copy from Marvin Gaye’s classic 1973 song Let’s Get It On, a jury in Manhattan federal court decided on Thursday in a closely watched copyright lawsuit.

The jury determined that heirs of Let’s Get It On songwriter Ed Townsend had not proven that Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group and his music publisher Sony Music Publishing had infringed their copyright interest in the Gaye song.

Townsend’s heirs sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, contending that Thinking Out Loud copied the “heart” of Gaye’s song including its melody, harmony and rhythm. Sheeran’s attorneys argued that any similarities between the songs involve basic musical “building blocks” that cannot be copyrighted.

READ MORE HERE

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.