Category: All News
Saudi crown price keen to develop Iran ties following Pezeshkian’s election, state news agency says
CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as Iran’s president, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday. “I affirm my keenness on developing and deepening the relations between our countries and people and serve our mutual interests,” SPA quoted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying. In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark China-brokered deal to re-establish relations after years of regional rivalry. Since then, officials from both…
US official sees China-Russia ties posing long-term challenge to European security
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. WASHINGTON, July 6. /TASS/. The US administration views Moscow’s cooperation with Beijing which Washington alleges has supported Russia’s defense industry as a long-term challenge for security in Europe. Speaking at a special press briefing in the run-up to NATO’s summit in Washington on July 9-11, a senior US official said that the summit communique would have “strong language” on China. “The draft communique…
Proton launches free, privacy-focused Google Docs alternative
Proton has launched ‘Docs in Proton Drive,’ a free and open-source end-to-end encrypted web-based document editing and collaboration tool. Proton is a Swiss company renowned for its privacy-focused services, including Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Pass, Proton Drive, and now also Proton Docs. Recently, the company announced its transition to becoming a non-profit organization to better align with its mission of prioritizing privacy and societal benefit over profit. Launch of Proton Docs Proton says Docs is a compelling, secure, and…
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor “relieved of duty” after Karen Read mistrial
A judge declared a mistrial in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of drunkenly driving into her police officer boyfriend and leaving him to die in January 2022, in a case featuring accusations of a vast police cover-up and investigative misconduct. And the state trooper who helped lead the investigation – a man who admitted on the stand that he’d sent sexist and offensive text messages about the defendant to friends – was relieved of duty…
Russia Adds Journalist Kriger to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List
Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has added journalist Artyom Kriger to its list of “terrorists and extremists,” his employer SOTAvision reported on Thursday. Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has added journalist Artyom Kriger to its list of “terrorists and extremists,” his employer SOTAvisionreported on Thursday. Kriger, 23, was arrested last week on charges related to the “extremism” case against late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, according to SOTAvision, an independent news outlet. The journalist was accused of “participation in an extremist…
Puerto Rico sues former officials accused of corruption to recover more than $30M in public funds
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Justice Department announced Tuesday that it is suing at least 30 ex-government officials accused of corruption to recover more than $30 million in public funds. Among those sued are three former legislators, including María Milagros Charbonier, who was sentenced in May to eight years in federal prison after being found guilty of theft, bribery and a kickback scheme. “We are going to recover the Puerto Rican people’s money and claim an amount…
Julian Assange will be freed but must claim guilt: What it means for journalism
Wikileaks founder, publisher, journalist and DiEM25 founding member, Julian Assange, will reportedly enter into a plea deal with the United States prosecutors and be sentenced with time served.
IBF removes sanctions from Russian boxers
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. The International Boxing Federation said it lifted sanctions against Russian athletes. “Restrictions against Russian boxers have been lifted, and they can be rated,” a representative of the organization told TASS. Russian boxers were earlier excluded from IBF ratings in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine. The IBF light-heavyweight champion is Russian national Artur Beterbiev.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Connecticut law that eliminated religious vaccination exemption
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to a 2021 Connecticut law that eliminated the state’s longstanding religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities. The justices did not comment in leaving in place a federal appeals court ruling that upheld the contentious law. A lower court judge had earlier dismissed the lawsuit challenging the law, which drew protests at the state Capitol. Connecticut law requires students to receive certain immunizations…
EU foreign ministers approve decision to transfer profits from Russian assets to Ukraine
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. BRUSSELS, June 24. /TASS/. At a regular meeting of the EU Council foreign ministers of 27 EU countries approved the decision to transfer 1.4 billion euros of profits from Russia’s frozen assets to the European Peace Facility for military assistance to Ukraine, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told a press conference following the results of the meeting. “The ministers today agreed on…
Four FIN9 hackers indicted for cyberattacks causing $71M in losses
Four Vietnamese nationals linked to the international cybercrime group FIN9 have been indicted for their involvement in a series of computer intrusions that caused over $71 million in losses to companies in the U.S. The defendants, identified as Ta Van Tai, Nguyen Viet Quoc, Nguyen Trang Xuyen, and Nguyen Van Truong, carried out their cybercrimes from May 2018 until October 2021, stealing both data and funds directly from U.S. organizations. “The FIN9 defendants were prolific international hackers who, for years, allegedly…
US finds adds Japan to foreign exchange monitoring list
WASHINGTON – The US Treasury on June 20 said no major trading partner appeared to have manipulated its currency in 2023, but it added Japan to a foreign exchange “monitoring list”, alongside Singapore, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Germany, which were on the previous list. The Treasury’s semi-annual currency report found that none of the countries examined met all three criteria triggering “enhanced analysis” of their foreign exchange practices during the four quarters through December 2023. Countries are automatically added…
Air Force colonel ID’d as 1 of 2 men missing after Alaska plane crash
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Air Force colonel who is the director of operations for the Alaskan Command is one of the two men missing after a small airplane crashed into a remote lake, officials said Thursday. Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Alaskan Command identified the men as Col. Mark “Tyson” Sletten, 46, of Anchorage, and Paul Kondrat, 41, of Utah. They were aboard a small airplane on an instructional flight that crashed into Crescent Lake near Moose Pass on Alaska’s Kenai…
The US fines Middle Eastern airline Emirates $1.8 million for flights that passed too low over Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department said Thursday that it fined Middle Eastern airline Emirates $1.8 million for flights in regions off-limits to U.S. airlines while it allowed JetBlue Airways to sell seats on the planes. The fine involves a “significant number” of flights from December 2021 to August 2022 that passed over Iraq on their way between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. UAE-based Emirates was fined $400,000 in 2020 for similar flights and agreed not to…
US sends submarine to Cuba after Russian ships arrive
USS Helena, a Los Angeles-class boat, arrived on Thursday for a “routine port visit,” the US Southern Command said in a statement. “The vessel’s location and transit were previously planned,” SOUTHCOM added, noting that the Helena is “conducting its global maritime security and national defense mission.” AP described the submarine’s arrival as “a show of force” by Washington, in response to the presence of Russian ships so close to US shores. A four-vessel task force of the Russian Navy’s Northern…
EU fines Hungary €200 million for refusing to accept migrants
The bloc’s top court also hit Hungary with a €1 million-a-day penalty until the asylum law is fully implemented by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to pay €200 million ($216 million) for failing to comply with EU asylum rules. In addition to the one-off penalty, the Luxembourg-based court also ruled that Budapest must pay €1 million per day until it fully implements the legislation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticized the ruling as “outrageous and unacceptable.” “It seems…