Mystery Profile Linked to Hungarian Firm Implicated in Exploding Pagers
Dozens of people were killed and thousands more injured after two consecutive days of explosions across Lebanon this week that the Shia militant group Hezbollah has blamed on Israel. Pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least 12 people dead, including two children. On Wednesday, another wave of coordinated explosions affecting handheld radios killed at…
Israel challenges ICC’s request for arrest warrants for its PM, defense minister
TEL AVIV, September 20. /TASS/. Israel has challenged International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as ICC’s jurisdiction over this case, Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmotstein said. According to the spokesperson, Israel has presented “two separate legal documents.” One states that the…
European Commission to announce loan of 35 bln euro for Ukraine
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will announce the provision of a loan of 35 bln euro to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported with reference to sources. According to the report, this initiative is part of the G7 plan to allocate $50 bln to Kiev using profits from frozen Russian assets. The amount of 35 bln euro…
US arms supplies to Taiwan violate one-China principle -Chinese Defense Ministry
Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Zhang Xiaogang stated: “The US arms deliveries to Taiwan, one of China’s provinces, seriously violate the one-China principle and three joint communiques. This significantly infringes on China’s sovereignty and security interests, and severely undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the official said on the Chinese Defense Ministry’s WeChat account. The spokesman emphasized that Beijing…
No criminal charges for US billionaire Carl Icahn, who used company funds to secure personal loans worth billions
US settles with billionaire Carl Icahn for using company to secure personal loans worth billions Billionaire Carl Icahn and his company were charged by U.S. regulators with failing to disclose personal loans worth billions of dollars that were secured using securities of Icahn Enterprises as collateral. Icahn Enterprises and Icahn have agreed to pay $1.5 million and $500,000 in civil…
District attorney appoints special prosecutor to handle Karen Read’s second trial
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts district attorney on Wednesday appointed a special prosecutor, who has represented James “Whitey” Bulger and other prominent clients in the past, to take on the Karen Read murder case. Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement that Hank Brennan will lead the state’s retrial in January. A former prosecutor and defense attorney, Morrissey…
Gas from Russia to EU up by 3 billion cubic meters in 8-2024 -GECF
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. EU pipeline gas imports last month decreased by 2% in August and overall, since the beginning of this year, gas supplies from Russia to Europe have increased by 3 billion cubic meters, according to a report by the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). In general, total gas consumption in the EU in January-August of this year…
Kazakhstan to host CSTO ‘Indestructible Brotherhood’ drills with Russia
ASTANA, September 18. /TASS/. Command exercises with the participation of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces ‘Indestructible Brotherhood-2024’ will be held in Kazakhstan from September 26 to October 7, the republic’s Defense Ministry said. According to the agency, the exercise will be held at the Bereg training ground in the Almaty Region. The defense ministry added that military contingents from Belarus,…
Top Israeli defense official contacted Pentagon chief before pagers blast
WASHINGTON, September 18. /TASS/. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called his US counterpart Lloyd Austin minutes before the start of pager explosions in Lebanon, Axios news outlet reported citing an American official. According to the official, Gallant told Austin during the call that Israel was planning to carry out an operation in Lebanon, but did not provide details. According to…
City Hall’s chief counsel steps down; probes expand in New York; 4 agencies now involved
Eric Adams, New York City’s mayor, has never shied away from his ties to people with checkered pasts. He has defended mentoring a Rolls-Royce-driving bishop with a rap sheet, appointing a friend implicated in a past corruption probe as a top aide in his administration, and dining and partying with felons. […] Now, America’s biggest metropolis faces a political meltdown….
Top legal adviser to New York City mayor quits as investigations swell
NEW YORK (AP) — The top legal adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned abruptly over the weekend, the latest sign of instability in the Democrat’s administration as it deals with multiple federal investigations. City Hall announced Lisa Zornberg’s departure late Saturday night. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for over a year…
French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport, French media report
The founder and chief executive officer of the messaging service Telegram was detained at a Paris airport on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offences, French media reported Sunday. Pavel Durov, a dual citizen of France and Russia, was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday evening after landing in…
France ‘crosses a red line’ by arresting Telegram founder Durov — Rumble chief
NEW YORK, August 26. /TASS/. French authorities have ‘crossed a red line’ after they decided to detain Telegram messenger founder Pavel Durov, Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of Rumble online video platform, said on Monday. “France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech,” Pavlovski wrote on…
Berlin exchanges Nord Stream explosion data with Moscow — German foreign ministry
BERLIN, August 19. /TASS/. Berlin exchanges information regarding explosions at Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines but not the one that may jeopardize the course of investigation, a spokesperson of the German foreign ministry told reporters. “We exchange[information] with the Russian side,” he said. The investigation continues and therefore German authorities believe that interim results should not be…
Germany must answer all questions from Russia regarding Nord Stream pipelines — Lavrov
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…
New findings in Nord Stream sabotage case may sway Europe’s perception of Ukraine — expert
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…