Tag: All Regions

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 least 25 people. Almost 3,000 people were wounded in the attacks, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israel has not commented on…

Israel challenges ICC’s request for arrest warrants for its PM, defense minister

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. 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 ICC has no…

French mayor sorry for ‘no one died’ remark over mass rape trial

MAZAN, France (AP) — The mayor of a French town making headlines for the trial of dozens of men accused of rapes that occurred there over almost a decade has apologized for comments that appeared to downplay the case. “I have been criticized for minimizing the seriousness of the heinous crimes of which the defendants are accused,” Louis Bonnet, the mayor of Mazan in southern France, said in a statement Thursday. “I understand that these remarks are shocking and I…

European Commission to announce loan of 35 bln euro for Ukraine

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. 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 is a compromise…

US arms supplies to Taiwan violate one-China principle -Chinese Defense Ministry

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. 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 expresses strong dissatisfaction…

Israeli Soldiers Filmed Throwing Bodies of Palestinians Off Rooftops in West Bank

Israeli soldiers were filmed throwing the bodies of Palestinians off rooftops in the West Bank on Thursday. Videos circulating on social media show Israeli soldiers throwing the bodies of three Palestinians, killed in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya, off a rooftop on Thursday morning. The footage shows three Israeli soldiers standing on the roof of a building, throwing the… pic.twitter.com/j2b8fMyDKt — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) September 19, 2024 The war crime happened during an assault on the town…

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 penalties, respectively, to settle the charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday. The agency said that from at least…

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 said Brennan has worked for 25 years in state and federal courts and and has experience “with complex law enforcement…

Gas from Russia to EU up by 3 billion cubic meters in 8-2024 -GECF

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. 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 decreased by 3%…

Kazakhstan to host CSTO ‘Indestructible Brotherhood’ drills with Russia

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. 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, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia…

Top Israeli defense official contacted Pentagon chief before pagers blast

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. 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 the source, Gallant’s…

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. Questions about the company Adams keeps have […] engulfed his administration. Homes of several high-ranking city officials were raided this…

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 and often parried legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal lawyer. “It has been…

‘I was terrified’: Palestinian says he was forced to act as human shield for Israeli troops

It’s 6 a.m. on a summer day in June, and Mohamed Saad, 20, is jolted awake by  soldiers from the Israel Defence Forces. They help him put on clothes: IDF military fatigues. He’s reluctant to accept the help but has little choice in the matter — he’s in Israeli custody at a temporary detention facility in Rafah, and the uniform is the least of his concerns. Saad is put in a tank with IDF troops and taken to an apartment…

Clearview AI faces $45.6M fine in the Netherlands for ‘illegal database’ of faces

The Dutch data protection watchdog on Tuesday issued facial recognition startup Clearview AI with a fine of 30.5 million euros ($45.6 million Cdn) over its creation of what the agency called an “illegal database” of billions of photos of faces. The Netherlands’ Data Protection Agency, or DPA, also warned Dutch companies that using Clearview’s services is also banned. The data agency said that New York-based Clearview “has not objected to this decision and is therefore unable to appeal against the…

United States Seizes Aircraft Used by Nicolás Maduro Moros in Violation of U.S. Export Control and Sanctions Laws

The Justice Department today announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela. The aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws. “This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a…