Category: Corruption
British police strip searching children
LONDON (Reuters) – Police in England and Wales strip search a child every 19 hours, sometimes fail to carry out those searches correctly, and disproportionately search Black children, the country’s Children’s Commissioner said on Monday. Strip searches of children became a focal point of broader police conduct concern in 2022 following widespread condemnation of a search two years earlier by London police of a 15-year-old Black girl while she was menstruating, because teachers said she smelt of cannabis at school….
Icahn, firm settle US SEC charges over alleged disclosure failures
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn and his firm Icahn Enterprises LP (IEP) have settled charges for failing to disclose pledges of the company’s securities as collateral for billions of dollars in personal loans, U.S. regulators said on Monday. The firm and Icahn agreed to pay $1.5 million and $500,000 in civil penalties, respectively, to settle the charges, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement. Starting in 2018, Icahn pledged between 51% to 82% of the IEP’s outstanding securities…
Canadian among 6 people missing as yacht sinks off Sicilian coast, Italian Coast Guard says
One man died and six people were missing after a luxury yacht was struck by an unexpectedly violent storm and sank off the Sicilian capital Palermo, the Italian Coast Guard said on Monday. The 56-metre-long sailboat, which was British registered, sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the coast guard said in a statement. The missing people were of British, American and Canadian nationality, the coast guard said. “The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but…
Germany must answer all questions from Russia regarding Nord Stream pipelines — Lavrov
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. Germany must answer all questions posed by Russia regarding the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a commentary for the daily Izvestia. “[Germany] must answer all questions. First, they must stop categorically refusing to present the facts that they could not but discover. When at least some of the information we…
Death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip exceeds 40,130 — health ministry
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. CAIRO, August 19. /TASS/. The death toll from Israel’s strikes on the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the current escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in early October 2023 has exceeded 40,130, with more than 92,700 people being wounded, Gaza’s health ministry said. According to the ministry, as many as 40,139 people have been killed, including at least 40 in the past 24…
New findings in Nord Stream sabotage case may sway Europe’s perception of Ukraine — expert
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. NEW DELHI, August 19. /TASS/. Information pointing to the Kiev regime’s involvement in the Nord Stream blasts may impact how the European public sees Ukraine and create difficulties for EU governments, President of the New Delhi-based analytical center Imagindia Institute Robinder Sachdev told TASS. “This report could influence public opinion about Ukraine in Europe, potentially causing future difficulties for European governments if public…
Russian law enforcers probe into actions of US journalists in Sudzha — MFA
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. Russian law enforcement agencies are studying the circumstances related to the actions of journalists of the US daily The Washington Post in Sudzha, the Kursk Region, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has told TASS. Earlier, The Washington Post newspaper published an article about the situation in Sudzha, saying that its reporters had entered the territory of the Kursk Region…
Water supply crisis getting worse in southern Gaza Strip
The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. DUBAI, August 19. /TASS/. A water supply crisis is getting worse in the southern Gaza Strip as Israeli troops are destroying water wells, tanks and pipes, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel reports. According to the broadcaster’s report from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, four out of the five major tanks in the city have been destroyed. Damage has also been done to…
George Santos due in court, expected to plead guilty in fraud case, AP source says
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is due in court Monday afternoon, where a person familiar with the matter has said the New York Republican is expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in his federal fraud case. The person could not publicly discuss details of the plea and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Santos and his attorneys did not return requests for comment. The case has been set to go to trial early next month. The…
Tropical Storm Ernesto sends powerful swells, rip currents to US East Coast
Tropical Storm Ernesto churned away from Bermuda on Sunday and headed further out in the northeastern Atlantic, but it still sent powerful swells toward the U.S. East Coast, generating rip currents associated with at least one death and prompting many rescues.The National Weather Service posted a coastal flood advisory and warned of a high risk for rip currents along the Atlantic Coast through Monday evening, saying they “can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.” A…
Internal crisis rocked Balkan media network run by UK intel, leaked emails show
A prominent propaganda outlet in the Balkans, which is directly overseen by a British government agency that Reuters once labeled “an influential soft-power extension of UK foreign policy,” appears to be on the brink of collapse after a major schism between staff members and leadership. Leaked emails reviewed by The Grayzone reveal a “deep crisis” has engulfed the Western-created and funded Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), which threatens to tear the organization apart. A flagship propaganda platform in the arsenal…
Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces scrutiny from UK competition watchdog
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Tuesday it’s looking into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, adding fresh regulatory scrutiny to investment money flooding into the AI industry. The Competition and Markets Authority said it’s seeking comments as it considers whether the deal between the two companies has resulted in a “substantial lessening of competition” in the United Kingdom for AI services. The watchdog said it will accept feedback from “any interested party” until Aug. 13 before deciding…
UK updates GL for subsidiaries of VTB & Sberbank
OFSI has updated General Licence INT/2022/1280876 which permits certain UK, EU and Guernsey subsidiaries of VTB and Sberbank (Russian banks) to make payment for basic needs, reasonable fees or service charges arising from routine holding and maintenance of its frozen funds and the payment of legal fees and insolvency-related services. § 5.2 of the GL has been amended to change the Insolvency Proceedings that apply to EU subsidiary, OWH SE. All UK GLs are on the UK Licensing.
Former Banker Asante Kwaku Berko Extradited from UK for Bribing Ghanaian Officials
A dual citizen of the United States and Ghana will make his initial appearance today in the Eastern District of New York to face charges related to his participation in a scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials to obtain and retain business from the Republic of Ghana. Asante Kwaku Berko, 50, was extradited yesterday from the United Kingdom to the United States. According to court documents, between December 2014 and March 2017, Berko, an executive director in the Investment Banking Division…
Paris prosecutor opens probe into Le Pen’s 2022 campaign financing
PARIS (Reuters) -The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday it had launched a preliminary probe into allegations of illegal financing of far right National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen’s campaign for the 2022 presidential race, which she lost to Emmanuel Macron. The investigation, which was opened on July 2, follows a 2023 report by the National Commission on Campaign Accounts and Political Financing (CNCCFP), which scrutinizes candidates’ election expenses and funding, the prosecutor’s office said. It will look into…
French Prime Minister Attal to resign after left alliance wins most seats
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced he will resign after a broad left-leaning coalition took the most seats in Sunday’s runoff parliamentary election. The New Popular Front fell short of a majority but surged ahead of the far-right National Rally, which placed third behind the centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron. Voter turnout was high. The outcome leaves France facing the stunning prospect of a hung parliament and threatens political paralysis in a pillar of the European Union and…