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A California sheriff launched a scathing tirade against Target, accusing the retailer of preventing cops from cracking down on shoplifting — even as the chain asks authorities for help.

Sheriff Jim Cooper of California’s Sacramento County said he was outraged when the Minneapolis-based discount chain told property crimes detectives that they “could not contact suspects inside the store.”

“We could not handcuff suspects in the store; and if we arrested someone, they wanted us to process them outside behind the store in the rain,” an exasperated Cooper fumed in a lengthy X post

“We were told they didn’t want to create a scene inside the store and have people film it and put it on social media,” Cooper added. “They didn’t want negative press. Unbelievable.”

Cooper detailed one incident at Target where “deputies watched a lady on camera bring in her own shopping bags, go down the body wash isle and grab a bunch of Native body washes. Then she went to customer service and return them!”

“Target chose to do nothing and simply let it happen,” Cooper wrote. “Yet somehow, locking up deodorant and raising prices on everyday items we need to survive is their best answer.”

“We dont tell big retail how to do their jobs, they shouldnt tell us how to do ours.”

The Post has sought comment from Target and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Hamstrung by policies that prevent employees from engaging with shoplifters, other big chains including CVS and Walgreens have resorted to locking up everyday items in an attempt to combat rampant shoplifting.

The trend has some shoppers fuming that the days of quick trips to the store are over.

Dr. Emily Long, a plastic surgeon based in Boston, took to social media recently to gripe over having to wait at Target to pick up beauty products that were enclosed behind a glass case.

The era of Target runs is officially over because tell me why it took me over an hour to buy a single bag of items, Long posted in a TikTok video earlier this month that snagged over 3.5 million views before she took it down.

Apparently now my Target locks away essential items, she said, adding that her body wash, deodorant, and razors were bolted up tight.

As her camera panned to the rows of items behind a glass container, Long added: Behold the dystopian nightmare that is my Target.

Reporters from the investigative outlet Inside Edition went shopping at five New York-area Targets to see just how long it takes to get employee assistance to retrieve products locked behind anti-theft cases.

In an aisle stocked with vitamins at a Target store in Manhattan, Inside Edition journalist Lisa Guerrero said she waited 10.5 minutes for an employee to unlock the anti-theft barrier. She had to ask for assistance three times and wait seven minutes before a Target staffer showed up.

And then their key didnt even work, Guerrero said, who had to wait even longer for the staffer to fetch the correct key before she could fetch a tube of toothpaste of the shelf.

Crime-battered Target said earlier this year that expected to suffer as much as a $1.3 billion hit to its bottom line because of theft and organized crime.

The “cheap-chic” discount chain said its profit will be squeezed by $500 million more than what we saw last year when the company lost as much as $800 million from inventory shrink. 

While there are many potential sources of inventory shrink, theft and organized retail crime are increasingly important drivers of the issue, the company said. We are making significant investments in strategies to prevent this from happening in our stores.

Inventory shrink is an industry term that refers to fewer products being on its shelves than whats reported in its inventory catalog.

Theres no nationwide policy on how to deal with shoplifting, though many employers have encouraged staffers to do nothing at all in an effort to keep them out of harms way.

Lululemon made headlines this summer when it fired two staffers for failing to abide by the yoga wear retailer’s “zero-tolerance policy for intervening with a robbery.

One of the axed workers, Jennifer Ferguson, said that once a robbery occurs, employees are instructed to scan a QR code. And thats that. Weve been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. Were not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.

A viral video showed the shoplifting incident that got Ferguson fired, where three masked men blatantly robbed an Atlanta-area Lululemon store.

Wearing sweatshirts with the hoods pulled over their heads, they were recorded swiping Lululemons high-priced athletic wear from tables and displays.

The looters who had allegedly struck the store nearly a dozen times prior momentarily stood in the store doorway and stared at the women before jumping back inside to snatch several more pairs of leggings.

Seriously? Get out, Ferguson is heard frustratingly shouting at the robbers, who make a beeline out of the store.

Thieves also had repeatedly targeted a Lululemon store in upper Manhattan on Broadway across the street from Columbia University in 2021. Between Jan. 2 and Jan. 17 they stole a total of $5,376 in merchandise, police said.

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Europe must ‘ramp up’ pressure on Russia, says No 10 after Coalition of the Willing meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

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Europe must 'ramp up' pressure on Russia, says No 10 after Coalition of the Willing meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Europe must “ramp up” pressure on Russia “to bring an end to this barbaric war”, a Downing Street spokesperson said after Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting with the Coalition of the Willing.

Earlier, the prime minister met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Downing Street for crisis talks on the future of Ukraine.

After the Downing Street meeting, a spokesperson said Sir Keir “convened a call with other European allies alongside President Zelenskyy”.

“The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war.”

Ukraine latest: ‘Critical stage’ in push for peace

Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street. Pic: Reuters
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Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street. Pic: Reuters

During the earlier meeting, the Downing Street spokesperson said that the leaders “discussed the importance of the US-led peace talks for European security and supported the progress made”.

All four “underscored the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which includes robust security guarantees,” the spokesperson added.

“The leaders agreed that, while diplomatic efforts continue, Europe must stand with Ukraine, strengthening its ability to defend against relentless attacks that have left thousands without heat or light,” they said.

“They also discussed positive progress made to use immobilised Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction.”

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Mr Zelenskyy arrives at Downing Street

After arriving in the UK, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that “we are joining our efforts to end this war with a decent peace for Ukraine” and that “security must be guaranteed”.

He later said: “We can’t manage without Americans, we can’t manage without Europe and that is why we need to make some important decisions.”

The discussions come as US President Donald Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of having failed to read the latest peace plan.

He said he was “a little disappointed” in the Ukrainian leader, while insisting Russia’s Vladimir Putin was “fine with it”.

Mr Trump’s eldest son had earlier told Sky’s lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim in an interview that his father may walk away from the Ukraine peace process.

When asked directly if he believed the US president would walk away from Ukraine, he answered: “I think he may, what’s good about my father and what’s unique about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s unpredictable.”

Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

Sir Keir had earlier insisted any ceasefire must be “just” and “lasting”, adding: “We are at a critical stage in the push for peace.

“The principles remain the same. We stand with Ukraine, and if there is to be a ceasefire, it needs to be a just and lasting ceasefire.”

Mr Macron had insisted Ukraine’s allies have “a lot of cards” – but the main issue was to “finalise these peace negotiations” and find the “best possible conditions for Ukraine, for the Europeans, and for collective security”.

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Why the meeting in London is important

Moments after arriving at Downing Street, Mr Merz said he was “sceptical about some of the details in documents coming from the US” but that was one of the reasons for Monday’s talks.

The four European leaders emerged from Downing Street at around 2.20pm for a group photo – but declined to answer any questions from the media.

Sir Keir and Mr Zelenskyy then went back inside the prime minister’s residence for further talks while Mr Macron and Mr Merz departed.

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The London meeting comes after Mr Zelenskyy’s officials concluded three days of talks with US diplomats.

Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with Mr Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.

According to Vatican sources, the Ukrainian president will next meet with Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence outside of Rome, on Tuesday morning.

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Israeli government accused of intimidation and harassment after raid on UN building in Jerusalem

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Israeli government accused of intimidation and harassment after raid on UN building in Jerusalem

The Israeli government has been accused of intimidation, harassment and a “blatant disregard” of its obligations by the United Nations after Israeli officials raided a UN building in Jerusalem.

Police officers, along with officials from the town council, entered the East Jerusalem compound of UNRWA, the UN agency that provides services to Palestinian refugees.

The compound has been empty since January, when the Israeli government ordered UNRWA to close the building, accusing the agency of being “infested” with members of Hamas.

The United Nations denied that accusation vehemently.

Read more: What were UNRWA workers in Gaza accused of?

Having gained entry to the compound, the officials filled vehicles with possessions, including office furniture, and raised an Israeli flag in place of the United Nations flag.

They claimed that the building had been raided because UNRWA owed around hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of local taxes.

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However, under the UN charter, UN buildings are exempt from such taxes and are also considered “inviolable”, meaning that, rather than raiding the building, Israel has an obligation to protect it.

Since its staff were told to leave, there have been attempts to break into the compound, which has been secured by a team of guards employed by the UN.

Sky News has been told that, when the Israeli officials arrived on Monday morning, the security guards were detained in a room within the compound.

“We didn’t let them in when they first came to the compound, but they cut the chains and the locks and took control,” said George, the head of security, who was standing outside the front gate when we arrived.

“They told my guards to stay in one room, took their phones from them, and told them they couldn’t leave.”

‘The false accusations led to this’

UNRWA’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said the raid was “a blatant disregard of Israel’s obligation as a United Nations Member State to protect and respect the inviolability of UN premises”.

He said that failing to cooperate with UN agencies “represent a new challenge to international law, one that creates a dangerous precedent anywhere else the UN is present across the world”.

His anger was not isolated. Outside the gates of the UNRWA compound, we met Hakam Shahwam, who used to work here as UNRWA’s chief of staff. It was, he said, “a very sad day”.

Shahwam says the claims that UNRWA was a breeding ground for Hamas had led to the raid.

He told me: “The false accusations led to this. This is a shameful day, not only for the United Nations but also for the government of Israel.

“There must be a strong protest, and a response from the international community. This is unacceptable.”

Read more from Adam Parsons:
Gaza longs for normality, but quasi-anarchy reigns
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians after apparent surrender

‘It is time for UNRWA to be dismantled’

The Israeli government remains adamant that its criticism of UNRWA is justified.

When I asked Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the raid, she said: “UNRWA is a stain on the United Nations.”

She added: “It is time for UNRWA to be dismantled. It is not part of the solution for Gaza, it is part of the problem.”

She did not comment on the legality of the raid, or on Israel’s ongoing commitment to the UN Charter.

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Greek farmers have forced shutdown of Crete airport

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Greek farmers have forced shutdown of Crete airport

Greek farmers angered by delayed subsidy payments have shut down the international airport on Crete and clashed with riot police.

Images from local media showed dozens of farmers standing on the apron at Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport in Heraklion, the largest city on Crete.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters


The airport was forced to suspend all flights, while fights between protesters and riot police broke out in Chania, the Greek island’s second-largest city, where two people were reportedly injured.

Officers used tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who pelted them with rocks and overturned a police patrol car, according to local media.

Pics: AP
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Pics: AP

The protests were sparked after delays in the payment of European Union-backed agricultural subsidies, which followed a scandal over fraudulent subsidy claims.

Authorities are reviewing all requests for EU farm subsidies, which protesters argue amount to collective punishment and leave farmers in debt and unable to plant their fields for next season.

Meanwhile, Greece’s farming sector has been hit by an outbreak of goat and sheep pox, leading to a mass cull of livestock.

More on European Union

Farmers have since deployed thousands of tractors and other agricultural vehicles at border crossings and key points along highways across the country, as well as ports and airports.

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Pics: Reuters
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Pics: Reuters

Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek minister for public order, said last week that the government remained open to talks with protest leaders, but warned it wouldn’t tolerate the shutdown of major transit points.

It comes after riot police fired tear gas at protesting farmers attempting to block the main access road to the international airport outside the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Friday.

Elsewhere, police have been enforcing traffic diversions in several parts of northern and central Greece, while farmer roadblocks at the country’s northern borders with Bulgaria, Turkey and North Macedonia have hampered truck traffic.

Protests by farmers are common in Greece, and similar blockades in the past have sometimes severed all road traffic between the north and south of the country for weeks.

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