International
Crypto investor charged with kidnapping and torturing italian man for bitcoin access
A cryptocurrency investor has been charged in New York with kidnapping and torturing an Italian man for nearly three weeks in a luxury Manhattan residence, allegedly to force him to hand over the password to his Bitcoin account.
The suspect, John Woeltz, 37, from Kentucky, was indicted on charges of assault, unlawful imprisonment, and weapons possession, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Woeltz was arrested on Friday, denied bail, and ordered to surrender his passport, according to local media reports.
A second person, Beatrice Folchi, was also arrested Friday and charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, though her connection to Woeltz remains unclear. A third suspect, referred to only as an “unapprehended male,” is also named in the indictment, according to the New York Times.
The alleged victim, a 28-year-old Italian man, escaped on Friday and alerted a traffic officer he encountered on the street. He had reportedly arrived in New York from Italy on May 6 and had gone to a luxury rental property occupied by Woeltz.
Woeltz was reportedly renting the eight-bedroom residence for at least $30,000 per month, according to the Times.
According to the criminal complaint, Woeltz and the unidentified man allegedly stole the victim’s electronic devices and passport, demanding the password to his Bitcoin wallet. When the victim refused, he was allegedly subjected to weeks of physical abuse, including electric shocks, beatings with a gun, and threats to kill his family.
Police recovered photographs showing the victim tied up and assaulted. Authorities have not disclosed how Woeltz and the victim met or what brought them to New York.
International
U.S. issues new environmental waivers to speed border wall construction in Arizona and New Mexico
The U.S. government announced on Thursday three new environmental waivers that will fast-track construction of the border wall with Mexico in Arizona and New Mexico—adding to a similar waiver granted in April for work in California.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the waivers will speed up the building of about 36 miles (roughly 58 kilometers) of new barrier in the Yuma and Tucson sectors of Arizona and in the El Paso sector of neighboring Texas.
The exemptions lift requirements to comply with several environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which would ordinarily apply to new roads or physical barriers in these areas. According to DHS, the projects “will close critical gaps in the border wall and enhance border-security operations in the El Paso, Tucson, and Yuma sectors of U.S. Border Patrol.”
“These waiver-backed projects are crucial steps toward securing the southern border and reinforcing our commitment to border security,” the department said.
The secretary’s authority to issue such waivers comes from Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Secretary Noem invoked the same authority in April to accelerate wall construction in California.
U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 23,912 migrants along the Mexican border between February and April 2025, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20.
International
Sheinbaum calls for bilateral effort to combat cross-border criminal activity
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Thursday that her administration is seeking to collaborate with the Colombian government to address the activities of criminal groups operating in both countries. This follows reports suggesting the involvement of Colombian nationals in an attack that left eight members of Mexico’s National Guard dead last week in the western part of the country.
“We are looking to collaborate with the Government of Colombia to address any criminal activity involving members of criminal groups in Colombia or, in turn, any member of a Mexican criminal group,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference.
Her remarks came in response to statements made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro earlier this week. On Tuesday, Petro claimed that former Colombian soldiers were involved in the deadly attack near the border between the Mexican states of Michoacán and Jalisco, where several armed forces personnel were killed.
“A bomb just exploded against the Mexican army in Michoacán, leaving several dead. The army responded by arresting the suspected perpetrators. Most of them are former Colombian soldiers, and some are still active. The press knows about this, but it hasn’t been widely reported. We are exporting mercenaries to the mafia,” Petro stated.
International
Woman publicly whipped 100 times under Sharia law in Indonesia’s aceh province
A woman was publicly whipped 100 times on Wednesday after being sentenced by an Islamic court in Indonesia’s Aceh province, where Sharia law has been enforced since 2001.
The young woman was flogged in front of dozens of onlookers by an executioner whose face remained covered throughout the punishment, according to reports by EFE.
She pleaded for the whipping to stop at least twice and was comforted by other women who offered her food and water before the flogging resumed until all 100 lashes had been administered.
In addition to her, four men were also publicly whipped the same number of times for other violations of Sharia law, which punishes consensual same-sex relations, alcohol consumption, and sexual activity outside of marriage.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia—home to the world’s largest Muslim population—where Sharia law is officially implemented. The country also ranks among the highest globally for female genital mutilation, often tied to religious beliefs.
Public floggings are common in Aceh. On February 27, two young men, aged 18 and 24, were also whipped for engaging in consensual sex.
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