News
New Jersey Woman Sues Funeral Home For Negligence After Father’s Ashes Found In Basement Decades Later
A New Jersey Woman Sues Funeral Home and Cemetery for Negligence and Emotional Distress. Debbie Uraga, a 69-year-old woman from New Jersey, has filed a lawsuit against the funeral home and cemetery responsible for burying her father’s remains, only to discover 31 years later that his ashes had been collecting dust in the funeral home’s basement.
Uraga’s father, George Jonas, a military veteran, passed away in 1993. For three decades, Uraga and her family visited an empty gravesite at Mount Olivet Cemetery, believing that Jonas was buried alongside his loved ones. However, in June 2024, Uraga received a shocking phone call from an organization that retrieves unclaimed veterans’ remains, informing her that her father’s ashes were found in a box in the basement of John F. Pfleger Funeral Home.
The funeral home claims that they had tried contacting Uraga about the status of her father’s remains numerous times, but Uraga vehemently denies this. She possesses the cremation certificate with her name and address, contradicting the funeral home’s statement.
Uraga’s lawsuit alleges negligence, emotional distress, and breach of contract against the funeral home and cemetery. Uraga now has her father’s remains and hopes to finally lay him to rest properly. “Finally, after 31 years, maybe he could rest,” she said. “You know, like they say, ‘Rest in peace.’ But how is he resting in peace if he is in the basement?”
The family seeks accountability and justice for the funeral home’s egregious failure to perform their duties. This case highlights the importance of transparency and trust in the funeral industry, ensuring that families can grieve with dignity and respect.
News
Court, Congress Pile Pressure on DHS Over Minnesota Operations
Court, Congress Pile Pressure on DHS Over Minnesota Operations
US House Democrats have threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her handling of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, unless President Donald Trump removes her from office.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that Democrats could proceed “the easy way or the hard way,” describing the actions of Noem’s department as “disgusting.”
The crisis follows the fatal shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti by a federal agent, which has triggered backlash in Minneapolis and led to the planned departure of Border Patrol Chief Gregory Borvino and some agents from the city.
Trump has deployed his “border tsar,” Tom Homan, to take charge of on-the-ground operations, while a Minnesota judge has ordered acting ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court over alleged violations of court orders.
Trump has distanced himself from claims by senior adviser Stephen Miller that Pretti was a “would-be assassin,” saying he did not believe the victim was acting as one.
Video footage shows Pretti holding a phone while filming agents, not a gun, although police say he was a legal firearm owner.
News
UN Raises Alarm Over ‘Spare No-One’ Rhetoric by South Sudan Army Chief
UN Raises Alarm Over ‘Spare No-One’ Rhetoric by South Sudan Army Chief
The United Nations has expressed concern after South Sudan’s Deputy Army Chief, Gen. Johnson Oluny, was heard urging troops to “spare no-one,” including children and the elderly, ahead of military operations in opposition-held areas of Jonglei State.
In a video posted on Facebook, Oluny, addressing members of his Agwelek militia, called for total destruction during the deployment.
The UN Mission in South Sudan condemned the remarks, describing them as “utterly abhorrent,” and warned that inflammatory rhetoric targeting civilians must stop immediately.
South Sudan’s government, however, said the statement did not amount to an official order, insisting it remains committed to protecting civilians.
Minister of Information Ateny Wek Ateny said civilians were being warned only to avoid being caught in crossfire.
The development comes amid escalating fighting in Jonglei, where forces loyal to suspended Vice-President Riek Machar have seized several areas.
The military has ordered civilians, UN personnel and aid workers to evacuate three counties—Nyirol, Uror and Akobo—ahead of an imminent operation.
The UN says more than 180,000 people have been displaced by the renewed violence.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high as opposition forces threaten to advance towards the capital, Juba, a claim dismissed by the army.
South Sudan has been unstable since a 2018 peace deal ended a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people, but lingering political rivalry and ethnic tensions continue to threaten fragile peace.
Diplomacy
Rwanda sues UK over scrapped migrant deal payments
Rwanda sues UK over scrapped migrant deal payments
The Rwandan government has initiated arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom, seeking payments it says are owed under the now-abandoned asylum partnership agreement between both countries.
Rwanda has filed the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, arguing that the UK failed to honour financial commitments contained in the deal signed under the former Conservative government.
The agreement, designed to relocate some asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda, was scrapped in 2024 by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with the Home Office saying about £220m in future payments would no longer be made.
UK authorities insist the policy was costly and ineffective, pledging to defend the case to protect taxpayers’ funds.
Rwanda, however, says the arbitration concerns unmet treaty obligations and is seeking a legal determination of both parties’ rights under international law.
The PCA lists the case as pending, with no timetable yet announced for hearings or a ruling.
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