Tag: Region US

The sanctions smoke screen: ongoing business partnerships the press missed

You don’t want to call sanctions a hoax because they legitimately put compliance pressure on our businesses and people. But do they put any pressure on the actual targets? It’s part of our news cycle and even our language to think so. After all, what is a “sanction” if not a punishment for breaking the rules? In a move that…

Corporate home buyouts: homelessness, mortgage & rent crisis rising

Firms now control a significant portion of the rental market in the United States and Canada, raising rents in the service of turning profits. They also continue to receive tax breaks and subsidies. When the US federal government forecloses on homes due to residents’ inability to pay their mortgage, for instance, the homes are then resold to investment firms at…

SEC Charges 8 in Cross-Border Penny Stock Fraud Scheme

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ronald Bauer et al. Case No. 1:22-cv-03089 (S.D.N.Y. filed April 14, 2022) SEC announced charges against eight individuals for participating in a long-running fraudulent scheme that generated over $145 million from unlawful sales of penny stocks and caused significant harm to retail investors in the United States and around the world. Defendants. UK-resident Ronald Bauer…

Congressman Mo Brooks casually explains political corruption on camera

“Elect me, I will charge you less.” “You have to do what the special interest groups require.” Lauren Windsor of The Undercurrent caught GOP Rep Mo Brooks on video saying that says prime committee chairmanships cost a minimum of $1 million and are paid by special interest groups as “a quid pro quo” for favored legislation. NEW: GOP Rep Mo…

Pandemic Corruption: McSwane exposes government corruption involving AirBoss and other contractors

From Amy Goodman, Democracy Now – 12 Apr 2022 In Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick, ProPublica investigative reporter J. David McSwane tracks pandemic federal relief funds and finds many contracts to acquire critical supplies were wrapped up in unprecedented fraud schemes that left the U.S. government with subpar and unusable equipment. He…

Monero defies crypto market slump, steals show #XMR #newsSummary

Positive content published on the private Monero / XMR cryptocurrency was once hard to come by, what with all the focus on crime and money laundering. It’s worth noting that Monero is a private currency for regular people who value the fundamental right to privacy. We archived some of the positive sources, as such articles tend to disappear shortly after…

Former Goldman Banker Ng Found Guilty in 1MDB Fraud Scheme

Roger Ng convicted on all three counts: The jury convicted Ng of two counts of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) through bribery and circumvention of Goldman’s internal accounting controls, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

ExxonMobil suspends Russian Far East LNG project, Interfax reports

ExxonMobil (XOM.N) has suspended its liquefied natural gas project in Russia’s Far East, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian governor as saying on Monday, after the firm announced plans to quit the country following Western sanctions. ExxonMobil said last month it would exit its Russian oil and gas operations, which it had valued at more than $4 billion, and halt…

U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe

History Nuclear weapons owned by the United States have been deployed in Europe since the mid-1950s, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized their storage at allied North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bases on the continent for use against the Soviet Union. Though NATO officially declares itself a “nuclear alliance,” it does not own any nuclear weapons. Historically, the United States…

FCC adds Russia’s Kaspersky & China telecom firms to national security threat list

 – Summary –  Sanctioned by FCC March 25, 2022: AO Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom (Americas) Corp [0728.HK], China Mobile International USA [0941.HK] Previously Sanctioned by FCC: Huawei Technologies Co [HWT.UL], ZTE Corp [000063.SZ], China Telecom Americas (U.S. auth revoked in October 2021), Pacific Networks (U.S. auth revoked Mar 17, 2022), ComNet (U.S. auth revoked Mar 17, 2022), China Unicom [0762.HK]…

Watch: NATO activates chemical and nuclear defense elements

“Hostile” countries must now pay for Russian gas in Russian currency, Rubles, Putin says

According to Russian state media, RT, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Western sanctions against his country have dealt a large blow to public trust in th4e U.S. Dollar and the Euro. Putin argued that the penalties showed it “makes no sense anymore” to sell Russian goods in the US and the EU while receiving payment in dollars or euros….

U.S. Accuses Russia of War Crimes in Ukraine

The U.S. government accused Russian forces in Ukraine of committing war crimes, an action that will formalize continuing investigations into alleged atrocities. (WSJ) In a statement on Wednesday, Blinken said there have been numerous credible reports of “indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians” in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began late last month. “Today, I can announce that, based on…

Biden’s warning to China Friday March 18, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping in a video conference on Friday of “implications and consequences” should China support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Xi told Biden that his country does not want the war. The brief White House statement described the conversation as “focused” on Ukraine. But much lengthier summaries released by the China side portrayed a…

Sanctions Updates: Russia

Feb 26, 2022. (3:31 a.m. CET) SWIFT Preparing to Comply With Russian Measures  “We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures,” the organization said in an email. “We are preparing to comply upon legal instruction.” Feb 26, 2022. (2:12 a.m. CET) Elon Musk Activates Starlink Satellites for…

Battle Updates: Ukraine

Ukraine ‘hits airfield in Russia’ with missile strike in latest blow to Putin’s forces after shooting down six helicopters and killing or capturing 800 troops around 10am local time (8am GMT) with several buildings on the site engulfed in flames. (DailyMail) Ukraine claims it has RECAPTURED airport on outskirts of Kyiv from Russian special forces, claims defense minister, as President…