Tag: Region Europe

Ukraine’s ongoing confrontations with Russia have captivated international attention, moving beyond mere territorial disputes. Ukrainian Defence Minister Alexey Reznikov had indicated a notable shift in these standoffs, which now double as a significant platform, not just for geopolitical engagements but also for the rigorous examination of cutting-edge military innovations. Western allies gauge their armament efficacy against Russia’s formidable array, while Russia evaluates its gear against advanced Western counterparts, including systems like the S-400 Triumf, renowned for its multifunction radar and…

Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 19, 2023. SAUDI PRESS AGENCY / VIA REUTERS Among the various grotesque punishments that have become a trademark of Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, this one has reached a new level. In July, a 54-year-old retired teacher named Mohammed al-Ghamdi was sentenced to death for sending messages on social media denouncing human rights violations in the kingdom. The verdict, so harsh you would be forgiven for…

MOSCOW — Russian authorities on Sunday confirmed the death of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, putting to rest any doubts about whether the wily mercenary leader turned mutineer was on a plane that crashed Wednesday, killing everyone on board. Genetic testing on the 10 bodies recovered at the crash site “conform to the manifest ” for the flight, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. Russia’s civil aviation authority had said Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants were on the list…

Russian paramilitary fighters will have to swear an oath to the Russian flag, a presidential decree signed Friday stipulates, two days after the presumed death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The measure is aimed at “forming the spiritual and moral foundations for the defence of the Russian Federation” and… applies to members of volunteer formations — a term usually describing mercenary groups — according to the decree. It also applies to groups “contributing to the execution of tasks given to…

  Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. EST with additional information. A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment has concluded that the plane crash presumed to have killed Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was intentionally caused by an explosion, U.S. and Western officials said Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin eulogized the man who staged the biggest challenge to his 23-year rule. One of the officials said the initial assessment determined it was “very likely” Prigozhin was targeted and that…

Russia on Thursday, August 24, extended the detention of US reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in March on spying charges that he denies and held in a Moscow prison since, by three months. Gershkovich, a Moscow correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, had continued to report from Russia during Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. “The time of detention has been extended by three months… Until November 30, 2023,” a spokesperson for Moscow’s Lefortovsky court said. The hearing was held behind closed doors,…

The two founders behind Tornado Cash, a Russian cryptocurrency mixing service, have been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, according to a statement on Wednesday. Roman Storm and Roman Semenov were officially charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit sanctions violations and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, according to a newly unsealed indictment. Storm was arrested in Washington on Wednesday but Semenov still remains at large, the…

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani found himself a local lawyer in time to turn himself in to Georgia authorities on Wednesday, two days before the deadline imposed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The once-respected federal prosecutor-turned-Trump lackey arrived at the Fulton County Jail to be photographed, fingerprinted, and booked on a raft of felony charges over his alleged role in Donald Trump’s push to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results. He stands 5’ 11” and…

(AP) — A private jet crashed in Russia on Wednesday, killing all 10 people aboard, emergency officials said. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list, but it wasn’t immediately clear if he was on board. Prigozhin’s fate has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in late June. The Kremlin said the founder of the Wagner private military company, which fought alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine, would…

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was widely reported to have led a “coup” attempt in Russia two months ago, was killed on Wednesday after his plane “crashed” in Russia’s Tver region, according to RT. A private jet traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed on Wednesday in Russia’s Tver Region. The Russian Emergencies Ministry said all 10 people on board had died. Rosaviation has since said that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Private Military Company, was listed among…

The revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection comes into force 1 Sept. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, this upgrade to the 1992 version brings Switzerland’s data protection regime into greater alignment with the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. This includes the introduction of new, more stringent obligations on non-Swiss companies doing business in Switzerland, such as the requirement to appoint a Swiss representative. There is also an increased emphasis on the commitment to data subject rights, as well as…

A European spy agency told the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) it knew of an Ukraine special operations team plan to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipeline three months before explosions damaged the undersea system last year, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper cited US intelligence allegedly leaked earlier this year by a low-level US Air National Guard computer technician who had access to large amounts of highly classified materials.

The leaked documents indicated that an unnamed European intelligence body told the US spy agency in June 2022, four months after Russia invaded Ukraine, that Ukraine military divers reporting directly to the country’s military commander-in-chief were planning the attack.

President Joe Biden‘s administration on Thursday asked Congress for more than $13 billion in new military spending for Ukraine, citing the need for continued support following Russia’s “unprovoked” invasion of the country last year. The funding would help Ukraine and other vulnerable countries “impacted by Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion,” Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to Congressional leader Kevin McCarthy and others. Close to $10 billion of the new military funding would…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday asked Congress to provide more than $13 billion in emergency defense aid to Ukraine and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian support through the end of the year, another massive infusion of cash as the Russian invasion wears on and Ukraine pushes a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s deeply entrenched forces. The package includes $12 billion to replenish U.S. federal disaster funds at home after a deadly climate season of heat and storms,…

This follows our announcement of a data exercise to investigate account closures.  Firms have until 25 August 2023 to provide information on: the number of customers that have been terminated the number of customers suspended the number of customers denied services the reasons for all of the above  the number of complaints banks have received on this issue This will include asking if accounts have been closed because of expressions of political or other opinions. We’re asking about both personal…

Italy has dealt a surprise blow to its banks and sent shock waves across the sector in Europe by setting a one-off 40 percent tax on profits reaped from higher interest rates, after reprimanding lenders for failing to reward deposits. Sharply higher official interest rates have yielded record profits for banks, as the cost of loans has soared while lenders have held off paying more on deposits. Countries such as Spain and Hungary have already imposed windfall taxes on the…