Tag: All Regions

Spain Allows Russian Sailboat to Make Port Call Despite Sanctions

Spanish authorities have granted an emergency request for the replica of an 18th-century Russian frigate to make a port call so that it can replenish provisions and replace broken parts, media reported Tuesday. The EU implemented a ban on Russian vessels docking at its ports as part of a broader sanctions package in response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian frigate, called Shtandart, is captained by its builder Vladimir Martus, who last week accused French and Spanish authorities of blocking…

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.

Turkey Bans Cargo Plane from Flying to Armenia -Armenian Media

On July 9, Turkish aviation authorities banned a Boeing 777F cargo plane of Ethiopian Airlines from flying through its airspace en route to Armenia, reports Armenian publication Hetq. The publication states that the plane had departed from Liège, Belgium, and, after flying through the airspace of several European countries, was supposed to enter Turkish airspace from Bulgaria. However, without receiving permission from the Turkish side, the plane made an intermediate landing in Vienna and returned to Liège. The Civil Aviation…

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…

Minnesota Republican Tayler Rahm drops out to clear path for Joe Teirab in competitive US House race

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Republicans got a straighter path to potential victory Saturday in what is expected to be Minnesota’s closest congressional race when GOP-endorsed candidate Tayler Rahm dropped out of a primary fight against the better-funded Joe Teirab, who already had tacit backing from key House leaders. Rahm, a political newcomer and defense attorney, said in a statement that he was shifting gears to serve as a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump’s campaign in Minnesota, where Trump insists…

Russia declassifies intel about France’s plans to send 2,000 troops to Ukraine

MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has declassified a report by one of its agents about March 2024 preparations to send French troops to Ukraine. The full report by the SVR agent working under the alias Felix was published in the Razvedchik (Scout) magazine. SVR Director Sergey Naryshkin said on March 19 that Paris was already preparing to send some 2,000 troops to Ukraine. However, France denied the information at the time. “The French army is worried…

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…

Swiss government adopts more EU sanctions against Russia

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland has expanded its sanctions against Russia to include additional measures recently taken up by the European Union against Moscow over its ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Swiss government said on Tuesday. Pointing to a package of measures adopted by the EU against Russia on June 24, the Swiss economy ministry said in a statement that it would impose sanctions within its jurisdiction on a further 69 individuals and 86 entities. These sanctions mainly target “businesspersons, propagandists,…

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…

Abbott faces trial over claims Similac formula caused dangerous disease

(Reuters) – Similac baby formula maker Abbott is expected to face a trial on Monday over claims that its formula for preterm infants used in neonatal intensive care units causes a potentially deadly bowel disease, the second trial out of hundreds of similar lawsuits in the United States. Lawyers for the company and for Illinois resident Margo Gill will make their opening statements to jurors in St. Louis, Missouri, and the trial is expected to last most of the rest…

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

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 text on the PRC is very solid. You’ll see that when it’s unveiled,” the official said. “And…

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…