DUTCH REFEREE ROB DIEPERINK DIES WEEKS AFTER REMOVAL FROM WORLD CUP OFFICIATING LIST. (PHOTO).

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 Dutch referee Rob Dieperink dies weeks after removal from World Cup officiating list Dutch referee Rob Dieperink has died at the age of 38, weeks after FIFA removed him from its list of officials for the World Cup. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed his death in a statement, saying it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the news. His cause of death has not been disclosed. Dieperink was arrested in April by the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom following a report of an alleged sexual assault involving a teenage boy in London. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers responded on April 9 to a report of sexual assault at an address in Croydon and arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of the offence. Police later said that after reviewing available evidence, including CCTV footage and digital devices, the investigation had concluded that “the evidential threshold had not been met” and no further action would be taken. Following the investigation, FIFA co...

AT LEAST 129 DEAD IN ATTEMPTED JAILBREAK IN CONGO. (PHOTO).


 At least 129 dead in attempted jailbreak in Congo


An attempted jailbreak in  Congo's main prison in  the capital left at least 129 people dead with 59 injured, most of them in a stampede, according to authorities.


A provisional assessment showed that 24 inmates were shot dead by "warning" gunshots as they tried to escape from the overcrowded Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa early Monday, AP reported.


Makala, Congo's largest penitentiary with a capacity for 1,500 people, holds over 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial, Amnesty International said in its latest country report. The facility has recorded previous jailbreaks, including in 2017 when an attack by a religious sect freed dozens.


Gunfire inside the prison started around midnight on Sunday into Monday morning, residents said. A senior government official earlier said only two deaths were confirmed during the incident, a figure disputed by rights activists.


Videos that appeared to be from the prison showed bodies lying on the ground, many of them with visible injuries. Another video showed inmates carrying people who appeared to be dead into a vehicle.


There were no signs of forced entry into the prison, which is located in the city centre, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the presidential palace.


The attempted escape was plotted from inside the prison by inmates in one of the wings, Mbemba Kabuya, the deputy justice minister, told the local Top Congo FM radio.


In the hours that followed the attack, the road to the prison was cordoned off while authorities convened a panel to investigate the incident.


Makala — among other prisons in Congo — is so overcrowded that people often die from starvation, activists say. Scores of inmates have been released this year as part of efforts to decongest the prisons.


Justice Minister Constant Mutamba called the attack a "premeditated act of sabotage," adding that those who "instigated these acts of sabotage ... will receive a stern response."


He also announced a ban on transferring inmates from the prison and said authorities would build a new prison, among other efforts to reduce overcrowding.

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