Category: government corruption

After cutting corporate taxes, France gets $22b in pledges from foreign investors like Pfizer, Amazon

PARIS – France won a record €15 billion (S$21.9 billion) in foreign investment pledges on May 13, allowing President Emmanuel Macron to bask in the limelight with global CEOs, and forget about strained public finances and weak polls for a while. The bumper crop of pledges, in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence to pharmaceuticals to energy, stood Mr Macron in…

Gaza: Bodies Recovered at Mass Graves Show Torture, Mutilation, Organ Removal

Video. At least 320 bodies have been discovered buried in a mass grave at the destroyed Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, just weeks after a similar mass grave containing up to 400 bodies was discovered amid the ruins of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Some of the bodies, which include children, medical staff and patients, appear to have been executed or buried alive.

Police Raid UCLA Gaza Protest After Pro-Israel Mob Attacked Encampment

Video. Update from the University of California, Los Angeles, where police in riot gear began dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment early Thursday, using flashbang grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas, and arresting dozens of students. The raid came just over a day after pro-Israel counterprotesters armed with sticks, metal rods and fireworks attacked students at the encampment.

Former Italian foreign minister convicted for role in sale of Monte Carlo apartment

MILAN (AP) — A former Italian foreign minister has been convicted and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for his role in the sale of an apartment in Monte Carlo inherited by his right-wing party. Gianfranco Fini is a former leader of the far-right Italian Social Movement, which he moved away from its neo-fascist ideology and transformed…

‘Sniper Seen on Roof Overlooking Pro-Palestine Protest’ at Indiana University

A police sniper was reportedly photographed and filmed “overlooking” pro-Palestine protests at Indiana University on Thursday. if you criticize the state of israel they send snipers to your schools https://t.co/LyRiGCWhB4 — Mohammad (@MargBarAmerica) April 25, 2024   They won’t even do this for our border, but they’ll do it for Jewish feelings. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/FkrdF8CCHv— Lucas Gage (@Lucas_Gage_) April 26, 2024…

A top Russian military official reportedly linked to Ukraine’s Mariupol arrested for bribe-taking

A top Russian military official was arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe, authorities said Tuesday, a high-profile arrest that comes as Moscow’s war in Ukraine is in its third year. Timur Ivanov, 48, one of Russia’s 12 deputy defense ministers, was sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia’s state…

Venezuela arrests former Maduro allies in oil corruption probe

Venezuela’s former oil minister Tareck El Aissami, once a powerful confidante of authoritarian president Nicolás Maduro, has been arrested on allegations of corruption, the socialist government announced on Tuesday. Former finance minister Simón Zerpa and Sarmark López, a businessman and associate of El Aissami, were also arrested as part of the probe into alleged corruption at state oil major Petróleos…

Canada’s spy agency reveals Chinese interference in 2 elections won by Justin Trudeau

Canada’s domestic spy agency has determined that China interfered in the last two elections, according to testimony in an official probe on Monday, providing the strongest evidence to date of suspected Chinese involvement in Canadian politics. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party emerged victorious in both the 2019 and 2021 elections. Under pressure from opposition legislators concerned about media…

Turkey imposes trade restrictions over Gaza war after branding Israel a terrorist state

ISTANBUL: Turkey said it would impose trade restrictions on Israel starting Tuesday over the war in Gaza, covering a range of products including cement and steel and iron construction materials. The new measures come a day after Turkey said Israel had blocked its attempt to airdrop aid to Gaza. “This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire…

China investigates senior executive at top defence group, China Electronics Technology

Chinese anti-corruption authorities are investigating a senior executive at one of the country’s top military equipment suppliers, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, in a new sign of turmoil in the country’s defence establishment. The probe into He Wenzhong, deputy general manager of CETC, a company subject to US sanctions, follows a shake-up of the armed forces last year, when the…

Court approves 3M settlement over ‘forever chemicals’ in public drinking water systems

Chemical manufacturer 3M will begin payments starting in the third quarter to many U.S. public drinking water systems as part of a multi-billion-dollar settlement over contamination with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and several consumer products, the company said. St. Paul, Minnesota-based 3M announced Monday that last year’s lawsuit settlement received final approval from the U.S. District Court…

British PM Rishi Sunak faces revolt from party over bill to criminalise homelessness

LONDON: British PM Rishi Sunak faces a potential revolt from within his party ranks over new legislation that is set to criminalise homelessness. According to a ‘Times’ report on Monday, several Conservative Party MPs have warned that they will vote against the measures in the ‘Criminal Justice Bill’ in House of Commons. The proposals, which had been unveiled by former…

Oil giants plan to bury massive amounts of CO2

LONDON – Just as they first ventured to do over a century ago, the world’s largest oil companies are staking claims far from home – this time to swallow, rather than spew, planet-warming industrial emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) storage is emerging as a potential multi-billion-dollar revenue stream for companies like ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron, which are under global pressure to…

Hunter Biden’s tax case heads to a California courtroom as his defense seeks to have it tossed out

Attorneys for Hunter Biden are expected in court Wednesday in Los Angeles, where he is accused in what prosecutors call a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle. President Joe Biden’s son has pleaded not guilty to the nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. He’s asking the judge to toss out the case,…

Boeing may turn to outsider CEO to tackle spiralling crisis

  MONTREAL – Boeing’s board has begun the search for a big hitter to take the helm of the troubled plane maker following the turbulent tenure of chief executive Dave Calhoun, with many industry executives and analysts predicting it will seek an outside remedy. Facing mounting pressure from airlines, regulators and investors, Boeing on March 25 announced a broader than…

UK farmers in tractors head to Parliament to protest rules they say threaten livelihoods

LONDON (AP) — Farmers drove dozens of tractors in a slow-motion convoy towards Britain’s Parliament on Monday to protest post- Brexit rules and trade deals that they say are endangering livelihoods and food security. Supporters of the campaign groups Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent drove from southeast England and through southern districts of the capital, bound…