Category: All News
YAPP USA Automotive Systems to Pay $14.2M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Paycheck Protection Program Loan
YAPP USA Automotive Systems Inc., a corporation with its principal place of business in Michigan, has agreed to pay $14,208,496 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible. Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans…
Coast Guard data breach delays pay for more than 1,100 service members
The Coast Guard is in the midst of investigating a data breach within its personnel and payroll system that delayed bi-weekly pay for 1,135 service members. The Coast Guard said it temporarily shut down its Direct Access (DA) system as it investigates the breach. News articles won’t speculate, but supposedly enlisted users on certain online forums have said that hackers entered the DA system and changed the direct deposit data of the affected users. Coast Guard members take to social…
Brazil’s Bolsonaro charged in plot to poison successor in alleged coup attempt
Brazil’s prosecutor-general said Tuesday that former leader Jair Bolsonaro knew and agreed to a plan to poison his successor and current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as part of an attempted coup that would have allowed him to remain in power. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet formally charged Bolsonaro and 33 others with participating in a plan to keep Bolsonaro in power following his 2022 election defeat. The alleged plot also included a plan to poison Lula and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre…
Ford slashes manager stock bonuses to cut costs, boost performance
About half the middle managers at Ford Motor will not get stock bonuses this year in what is seen internally as CEO Jim Farley’s latest attempt to cut the automaker’s bloated costs, according to six people familiar with the matter. The stock awards are usually paid in March, but senior managers have been told to select which half of their middle management staff will receive them, four of the sources said. Ford said the change was meant to incentivize an…
Russia, US agree to expedite ambassadorial appointments — Lavrov
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. RIYADH, February 18. /TASS/. Moscow and Washington have agreed to appoint their ambassadors as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after a meeting with senior US officials in Riyadh. He expanded on the agreements that were reached during the talks. “The first one, and probably the most pressing and difficult one, is to ensure the soonest appointment of the Russian…
Jobs cut at U.S. Federal Aviation Administration helped support air safety, union says
President Donald Trump’s administration has said no one at the Federal Aviation Administration with a “critical safety” position has been fired as it cuts the federal work force, but some FAA jobs that were eliminated had direct roles in supporting safety inspectors and airport operations, according to their union and former employees. About 400 personnel were let go starting Friday. There is still not a complete picture of who was fired, but the union representing about 130 of them said…
Divide between US, EU ‘even wider than previously imagined’ — Italian expert
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. ROME, February 18. /TASS/. The United States made it clear at the Munich Conference that America no longer wants to play big brother to Europe, distancing itself from any kind of leadership role on the continent, Tiberio Graziani, the president of the International Institute for Global Analyses Vision & Global Trends, told TASS. In his view, the Munich forum highlighted the inherent contradictions…
Health Net Federal Services and Centene Corporation Agree to Pay Over $11 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability for Cybersecurity Violations
Note: View the settlement agreement here. Health Net Federal Services Inc. (HNFS) of Rancho Cordova, California and its corporate parent, St. Louis-based Centene Corporation, have agreed to pay $11,253,400 to resolve claims that HNFS falsely certified compliance with cybersecurity requirements in a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to administer the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) TRICARE health benefits program for servicemembers and their families. In 2016, Centene acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Health Net…
Deepseek removed from South Korea’s app stores over privacy concerns
DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, South Korean officials said Monday. South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps. The action does not affect…
New India Cooperative Bank former GM in police custody for fraud allegations
On Sunday, Mumbai Police arrested Dharmesh Paun, private developer from Kandivali, in connection with the New India Cooperative Bank scam (NICB). According to the police, Paun allegedly received illicit funds from the bank’s General Manager and Account Head, Hitesh Mehta, who was also arrested Saturday. The scam was uncovered during an audit at the bank’s headquarters in Prabhadevi last Wednesday, when RBI officials discovered funds missing from the vault. Mehta, who has been with the bank since 1988, reportedly confessed…
Trade tariff turmoil pushes Canada to rethink US ties | DW News
Video: Trump’s tariff policies are straining US-Canada relations. After imposing and then suspending tariffs, Canadian leaders are reassessing their ties with the US. Some are now looking to the European Union as a potential alternative. Major publications, including The Toronto Star and The Economist, are openly questioning whether Canada could align more closely with Europe. European politicians are also weighing in. Could this mark a significant shift in global alliances?
Medvedev says Europe will ‘swallow’ Vance’s criticism
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Europe will “forgive and swallow with disgust” the criticism from US Vice President JD Vance, according to Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council. Medvedev noted that Vance is “a brave guy, though still an inexperienced vice president.” The previous day, Vance, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, criticized EU commissioners for censorship, stating that Europe was…
Gaza Strip hostages handed over to Red Cross, including Russia’s Trufanov
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. CAIRO, February 15. /TASS/. Hostages held by Palestinian radicals in the Gaza Strip, including Russian Alexander Trufanov, have been handed over to the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Egypt’s Al-Qahira Al-Ekhbariya TV channel reported on Saturday. According to the footage provided by the Egyptian TV broadcaster, doctors and representatives of the radical party signed the relevant documents approving…
Further bloodshed in Gaza supported by US to lead to Israeli casualties — Erdogan
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. ANKARA, February 14. /TASS/. A new round of aggression by Israel supported by the US would lead to even greater casualties among the Israelis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters from his pool upon returning from Asia. “We can clearly see that Hamas is honoring its promises under the ceasefire agreement. As usual, it is the Israeli administration that is the party…
Veterans Affairs dismisses over 1,000 employees as part of probationary worker purge
Veterans Affairs leaders dismissed more than 1,000 employees Thursday night as part of a White House purge of government workers still in their probationary periods, an effort designed to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. In a statement, VA Secretary Doug Collins said the elimination of the posts will save roughly $98 million annually, funds that can be redirected into veterans’ care and benefits. “We thank these employees for their service to VA,” he said. “This was a…
3 senior officials quit after order to drop corruption charges against NYC mayor
Three senior U.S. Justice Department officials, including Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, resigned on Thursday rather than comply with an order to dismiss corruption charges against New York City’s mayor, according to an internal Justice Department memo seen by Reuters and people familiar with the matter. The departures mark a sign of resistance from career Justice Department officials to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the agency to end what he calls its weaponization against political opponents. Critics say Trump’s changes threaten to subject…