Despite a report by a psychiatrist that said that he was not mentally fit to face trial, Devon Johnson, a 24-year-old labourer, was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with the murders of two vagrants last month.

Johnson of Cummings Street, Bourda, was not required to plead to the capital offences when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court One.

The first charge stated that on November 11th, 2019, at Regent Street, Georgetown, Johnson murdered Andrew Benjamin.  It is also alleged that on the same date and at the same location, Johnson murdered Raymond Samaroo.(stabroeknews)…[+]

More than 50 polar bears have descended on a village in Russia’s far north. All public activities in Ryrkaypiy, in Chukotka region, have been cancelled, and schools are being guarded to protect residents from the bears.

Conservationists say climate change could be to blame, with weak coastal ice forcing the bears to search for food in the village rather than at sea. Other experts have said polar bear visits are now so frequent, Ryrkaypiy should be permanently evacuated.

Tatyana Minenko, head of Ryrkaypiy’s bear patrol programme, told Ria Novosti that they had counted 56 polar bears in the village.

The animals were “both adult and young… there were females with cubs of different ages”, she said – adding that almost all of them appeared to be thin.(BBC)…[+]

US authorities have filed charges against two Russian nationals alleged to be running a global cyber theft operation named Evil Corp. An indictment named Maksim Yakubets and Igor Turashev – who remain at large – as figures in a group which used malware to steal millions of dollars in more than 40 countries.

Those affected by the hacks include schools and religious organisations. It is also alleged that Mr Yakubets worked for Russian intelligence. Speaking at a news conference, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said the attacks were among “the worst computer hacking and bank fraud schemes of the past decade”.

Mr Yakubets is accused of leading Moscow-based Evil Corp, while Mr Turashev allegedly acted as an administrator. The pair are thought to be resident in Russia.

US authorities allege that the group stole at least $100m (£76m) using Bugat malware – known as Dridex. The malware was spread via email with so-called “phishing” campaigns, which encouraged victims to click on malicious web links.

Once a computer was infected, the group allegedly stole personal banking information which was used to transfer funds. US authorities said Mr Yakubets was also involved in a similar scheme using another form of malware – known as Zeus – which stole $70m from victims’ bank accounts. In a separate statement, the US Treasury alleged that, since 2017, Mr Yakubets worked on projects for the Russian state, including the theft of confidential documents and “cyber-enabled operations”.

The department said it had rolled out sanctions against 17 individuals and seven “entities,” including businesses associated with a member of the group.(bbc)…[+]