Tag: All Regions

Western Allies Begin Major Baltic Sea Naval Drills

Western allies kicked off a major naval exercise in the Baltic Sea on Saturday amid rising tensions with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. About 3,200 soldiers from 14 countries are taking part in the German-led Northern Coasts 23 exercise, the German navy said in a statement. The exercise will involve 30 ships, submarines, up to 19 aircraft, and various landing units, it said. Other countries taking part include Italy, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands,…

U.S.-Armenia joint military drills undermine regional stability: Kremlin

MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — The upcoming joint U.S.-Armenian military exercises do not contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. Peskov said that these exercises are also not conducive to fostering an atmosphere of mutual trust in the region. Moscow continues to work with both Armenia and Azerbaijan amid an escalation of tensions, he added. During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, “the military-political situation in…

A JPMorgan Court Filing Shows Another Bank Exec Visited Jeffrey Epstein’s Residences 13 Times – Two More Times than Jes Staley

  JPMorgan Chase is in a protracted legal battle in a federal district court in Manhattan over highly credible allegations that it “actively participated” in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking of minors. The lawsuit has been brought against JPMorgan Chase by the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands where Epstein owned a private island compound that was a frequent venue of the sex trafficking operation. Part of the bank’s damage control strategy has been to sue one of its former top…

Report: Elon Musk ‘turned off’ Starlink to thwart Ukrainian attack and prevent nuclear response

Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet, according to an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled “Elon Musk.”As Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,” Isaacson writes. Musk’s decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites…

US announces new $600 million aid package for Ukraine

The Pentagon announced a new $600 million package of long-term aid to Ukraine on Thursday, providing funding for an array of weapons and other equipment just a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country and pledged $1 billion in new military and humanitarian aid. The Defense Department said the latest package will come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides money for long-term contracts for weapons systems that need to be built or modified by defense companies. Included…

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro found guilty for defying Jan. 6 committee subpoena; faces 1-yr in prison

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was found guilty Thursday of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. A federal jury deliberated for less than four hours before issuing its verdict. Navarro, 74, is now the second former aide to the former president to be prosecuted for not cooperating with the select committee. Navarro, who served as director of the Office of…

U.S. Air Force test-launches unarmed nuclear missile

The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean in a routine test early Wednesday, the service said in a release. The missile was fired from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, around 1:30 a.m. local time, and traveled about 4,200 miles to the Marshall Islands, where the U.S. has conducted nuclear weapons tests for decades. Test launches ensure America’s land-based nuclear missiles are still viable after more than 50 years, and are a chance…

Federal investigators zero in on deadly condo collapse cause in Surfside, Fla.

MIAMI — More than two years after 98 people died in the collapse of a Florida condominium tower, federal investigators have released new details about the cause of the collapse. They’re focusing on construction flaws on the building’s pool deck. Structural engineers with the National Institute of Standards and Technology say it’s one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken. It began days after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside. In a progress report, one…

FCA investigates: Banks closing bank accounts based on customer political views and ideologies

Following concerns raised by the government of the United Kingdom (“UK”) about freedom of expression and the provision of banking services, the UK’s financial watch dog, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), recently commenced an investigation into bank account closures.  This action follows in the wake of recent reports of banks allegedly closing customer accounts based…… Continue Reading
The post FCA Investigates Bank Account Closures, Including for PEP Customers appeared first on Global Investigations & Compliance Review.

Actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape

A judge has sentenced “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women. “This has been a long and arduous road for the victims of Mr. Masterson,” read a statement from District Attorney George Gascón. “They not only survived his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims.” NPR has reached out to Masterson’s lawyer for a statement. Masterson, a member of the Church of Scientology, was…

ASIC brings suit against Paypal Australia for alleged unfair contract term

  The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has taken legal action against Paypal Australia Pty Limited, alleging that the company’s standard form of contracts with small business owners contains an unfair term. According to ASIC, business account holders are given 60 days to notify Paypal of any errors or discrepancies in fees that Paypal has charged them, or else accept those fees as accurate. ASIC alleges such a term is considered unfair. “ASIC has commenced this action to protect…

UK to Ban Russia’s Wagner Group as ‘Terrorist’ Organization: Reports

Britain is to ban Russian mercenary outfit the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, media reports said on Tuesday, quoting Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The UK was set to make the Wagner Group a “proscribed” organization under anti-terror laws, putting it on a par with Islamic State and al-Qaeda, a report in the Daily Mail said. “Wagner is a violent and destructive organization which has acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin‘s Russia overseas,” the newspaper quoted Braverman as…

Iran affirms respecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

Tehran, SANA- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian called for the need for respecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that his country opposed the geopolitical changes in the region. During the joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Tehran Sunday , Abdullahian affirmed the necessity of respecting Syria’s sovereignty and without prejudice to its territorial integrity.

Abdullahian underlined the priority of the Palestine cause, stressing that the presence of Zionist entity in the region has caused sedition, division between its countries, and instability therein. Iranian Foreign Minister noted that Iran opposed any geopolitical changes in the region and restrictions on the existing historical transit routes there.
/ END OF CONTENT

University of Sydney data breach impacts recent applicants

  The University of Sydney (USYD) announced that a breach at a third-party service provider exposed personal information of recently applied and enrolled international applicants. The public university started operations in 1850 and has nearly 70,000 students and about 8,500 academic and administrative personnel. It is considered one of Australia’s most important educational institutes. In the data breach announcement, the university says that incident had a limited impact and the preliminary investigation found no evidence that local students, staff, or…

Macron looks to renew social dialogue after contentious pension reform

Emmanuel Macron has opted to organize a type of forum dear to his predecessor, but for which he has had little taste, until now. During the long discussions with political party leaders and the presidents of the chambers of Parliament on Wednesday, August 30, the president committed to holding a “social conference.” The notion is reminiscent of several conclaves held during François Hollande’s presidency (2012-2017). The goal is to provide new solutions for workers whose cost of living has increased…

The SEC and DOJ Are Doing Damage Control for 5-Count Felon: JPMorgan Chase

The DOJ charged JPMorgan Chase with engaging in “tens of thousands of instances of unlawful trading in gold, silver, platinum, and palladium…as well as thousands of instances of unlawful trading in U.S. Treasury futures contracts and in U.S. Treasury notes and bonds…”

The U.S. Treasury market is essential to the United States being able to pay its bills; raise money efficiently; and maintain the trust of our allies in our sovereign debt instruments. Rigging the Treasury market is about as close to financial treason as a Wall Street firm can get; especially when JPMorgan Chase’s securities unit is one of the Fed’s primary dealers and is contractually bound to bid in Treasury auctions.

But instead of prosecuting the bank, the DOJ handed JPMorgan a deferred-prosecution agreement (its third in six years) and put it on probation.