Tag: Region Americas

Ukrainian military pilots have begun learning to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon jet in Arizona, the U.S. Air Force confirmed Wednesday. A “small number” of Ukrainians started training at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson this week, Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley said in an emailed statement. Morris is home to the 162nd Wing of the Arizona National Guard, an F-16 pilot training hub that hosts international students. “The training curriculum will align with the foundational knowledge and skills…

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried plans to testify at his fraud trial, his lawyer told a federal judge Wednesday, ending speculation over whether a man who embraced the spotlight during his years atop the cryptocurrency world could remain silent after prosecutors portrayed him as a greedy entrepreneur who stole billions of dollars from customers. Attorney Mark Cohen told Judge Lewis A. Kaplan that he planned to call three witnesses “and then our client is also going to be testifying” after prosecutors…

The administration of Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis has taken the significant measure of associating a pro-Palestinian student group, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), with terrorism. They have directed state universities to prohibit the group, alleging its support for Hamas militants who recently attacked Israel. Amid escalating Israeli actions in Gaza, several college students have shown support for Palestinians.This has led to criticism from some Jewish scholars and potential employers. However, Florida’s stance is more severe, accusing the SJP…

The Intercept has an interesting article that reveals another reason why some newspaper publishers are not great fans of the site: The New York Times tried to block a web crawler that was affiliated with the famous Internet Archive, a project whose easy-to-use comparisons of article versions has sometimes led to embarrassment for the newspaper. As the article explains, one of the important uses of the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is to compare Web pages as they are updated over time. It allows the…

Following several drone strikes on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 16, the Pentagon has been able to confirm the attacks injured 21 American service members. The “minor” injuries occurred following separate strikes on al-Tanf garrison in Syria and al-Asad air base in Iraq on Oct. 17 and 18, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday, adding that everyone has since returned to duty. “It is important to note,…

Palestinian resistance groups expect Israel to flood Hamas tunnels with nerve gas and chemical weapons under the surveillance of US Delta Force commandos as part of a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip, a senior Arab source familiar with the groups told Middle East Eye.Israel and the US hope to achieve the element of surprise in order to penetrate Hamas tunnels, rescue an estimated 220 hostages, and kill thousands of soldiers belonging to Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, the source said in…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a Marine Corps general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its war planning and is speeding multiple sophisticated air defense systems to the Middle East days ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza. One of the officers leading the assistance is Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Glynn, who previously helped lead special operations forces against the Islamic State and served in Fallujah, Iraq, during some of…

A murder warrant has been issued for an “armed and dangerous” military veteran who’s accused of fatally shooting his wife in their family home this week. Aaron Pennington was charged with murder in Gardner District Court in Massachusetts, according to the Associated Press, as the homicide investigation and search for him continues.  A manhunt has been underway for Pennington, 33, since his wife was found shot to death at the couple’s house in Gardner, about 67 miles northeast of Boston, on Sunday. …

There is a sharp sell-off in the bond market, and it has big implications on both the economy and people’s pocketbooks. Yields on U.S. government bonds, especially the 10-year Treasury note, determine the interest rates that people pay on a lot of their debt, including mortgages and credit cards. And a key bond yield hasn’t been this high since 2007. Several factors are driving the sell-off, including stronger-than-expected economic data and the government’s worsening finances. Here is what you need…

BEIJING: China’s special Mideast envoy pinned the cause of the Israel-Gaza crisis on the lack of guarantees for Palestinian rights and urged greater coordination with Moscow in a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Qatar, a key go-between in the conflict. In the first leg of his tour in the region, China’s envoy for Middle East issues Zhai Jun landed in Qatar on Thursday where he reaffirmed with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov Beijing’s alignment with Moscow in their efforts…

U.S. President Joe Biden declared it is “vital for America’s national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening U.S. involvement in two unpredictable foreign conflicts as he prepared to ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries. If international aggression is allowed to continue, Biden said in a rare Oval Office address, “conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world.” “Hamas and Putin represent…

NEW YORK – Gemini Trust and GIC-backed Barry Silbert’s Digital Currency Group (DCG) were sued by New York’s top law-enforcement officer for allegedly defrauding customers of US$1.1 billion (S$1.5 billion), escalating legal woes for two companies hit hard by last year’s plunge in cryptocurrency markets. The lawsuit filed on Thursday by New York Attorney General Letitia James accuses Gemini, which operated a crypto exchange, and DCG’s Genesis Global Capital unit of failing to disclose to investors the risks of a…

Canada’s foreign minister said Thursday that 41 of the country’s diplomats have been removed from India after the Indian government said it would revoke their diplomatic immunity. The moves comes after Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver. The Associated Press previously reported that India had told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Thursday that 41 diplomats and…

Two investigative journalism organizations have unearthed evidence they say validates corruption claims made by a Colombian reporter who released a chilling video predicting his own death at the hands of those he exposed. “If you want to kill me, kill me. But I’ll tell you straight up: You won’t silence me.” These were the words of Rafael Moreno during a 37-minute video that was broadcast live on Facebook in July 2022, in which he condemned alleged embezzlement of public money…

Amir Weitmann of Israel’s ruling Likud Party threatened Russia that Israel will come after them once their war with Gaza is over for supporting Hamas “Nazis” who “beheaded babies” and “raped” women. Weitmann claimed everyone has seen such atrocities with their own eyes. Amir Weitmann, of Israel’s ruling Likud Party, promises revenge on Russia for insufficient support of Israel: “Russia is supporting Nazis who want to commit genocide against us. Russia will pay the price!” pic.twitter.com/L3XqsVe0SM — Shadow of Ezra…

In the summer of 2021, Insider has learned, [Peter] Thiel began providing information as a “confidential human source,” or CHS, to Johnathan Buma, a Los Angeles-based FBI agent who specializes in investigating political corruption and foreign-influence campaigns. Charles Johnson, a longtime associate of Thiel’s and a notorious figure in the far-right movement that Thiel has subsidized for a decade, told Insider in a statement that he helped recruit the billionaire as an informant by introducing him to Buma. A source…