By Guy Faulconbridge and Joey Roulette MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia launched its first moon-landing spacecraft in 47 years on Thursday in

Jude Bellingham's stunning double snatched Real Madrid a 2-1 comeback victory at Barcelona in his first La...

Steve Bannon and Michal Flynn have been subpoenaed by voting software firm Smartmatic as part of its defamation lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax for spreading lies about the 2020 election. Smartmatic served the two Trump allies with orders to sit for interviews under oath that could happen as soon as this week, according to court filings in Delaware and New York seen by CNN. Mr Bannon, a senior White House adviser during Donald Trump’s presidency, must also turn over documents related to Smartmatic’s lawsuit, including any communications he had about the 2020 presidential election with Fox News, the Trump re-election campaign and the Trump administration. Smartmatic is suing Fox News for $2.7bn for spreading lies that it manipulated voting machines during the 2020 presidential election to flip votes in favour of President Joe Biden. The weeks-long claims by Fox personalities and guests represented a “continuous stream of falsehoods that harmed Smartmatic and negatively impacted the company’s business,” it said. Smartmatic is also suing Fox hosts Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro, and Mr Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. The lawsuit bears strong parallels with the Dominion Voting Systems case against Fox, which resulted in a $787.5m settlement by the right-wing news network in April. Mr Flynn, a former Trump administration national security adviser, and Mr Bannon played prominent roles in efforts by the former president to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Mr Flynn was fired by Mr Trump after he admitted lying to FBI agents about his contact with Russian officials before the 2016 election. He later reversed his guilty plea, and was pardoned by Mr Trump after the Justice Department dropped the charges agains him. Meanwhile, Mr Bannon is facing fraud charges in New York for allegedly stealing money for personal use from the We Build the Wall charity, a fundraising effort to build a border wall along the US-Mexico border. According to Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s 2021 book Peril, Mr Bannon was in regular contact with the former president between his election loss in November and the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. On Tuesday, Mr Trump revealed on his Truth Social website that he has received a “target letter” from special prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged offences related to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Read More Steve Bannon confronted about ‘We Build the Wall’ fraud campaign at right-wing conference Trump news – live: Trump could be indicted for a third time as soon as this week in Jan 6 probe Jesse Watters’ mother just summed up everything wrong with Fox News Steve Bannon confronted about ‘We Build the Wall’ fraud campaign at conference Steve Bannon ordered to pay nearly $500K in unpaid legal bills Ex-Congressman suggests Hunter Biden alleged laptop data fabricated

The International Monetary Fund says the European Central Bank and other policymakers across Europe need to keep interest rates at current elevated levels until they’re sure inflation is under control despite sluggish growth

Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann has been hit with a lawsuit over $70,000 in unpaid wages to a former assistant at his Manhattan architecture firm. In what marks the latest legal problem for the accused murderer, New York state’s Labor Department sued Mr Heuermann on Tuesday for labour violations. The lawsuit accuses the 59-year-old father-of-two of failing to pay outstanding damages to former employee Donna Sturman. From February 2017 to March 2018, Ms Sturman worked as an executive assistant at RH Consultants & Associates – the architecture business Mr Heuermann founded in 1994. During her employment, Mr Heuermann and his firm paid her below New York’s state’s minimum wage – effectively stealing $20,908.10 in wages from her, according to the suit. This included $9,454.56 in vacation pay that Ms Sturman was owed. In 2021 – two years before he was arrested on suspicion of being the serial killer who terrorised the shores of Long Island one decade before – Mr Heuermann and his firm agreed to settle the lawsuit for $84,945.84. As well as the unpaid wages, the settlement included interest, damages and civil penalties. Since then, Mr Heuermann has made just one payment of $16,385 and so still owes $68,560.84 in payments, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit is the least of Mr Heuermann’s troubles as he sits behind bars charged with the murders of three women. The 59-year-old married father-of-two was taken into custody on 13 July when he left his architecture firm office in Midtown Manhattan and officers swooped on him in the centre of the city. He was charged with the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello. He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City and who, with the three other women, is known as the “Gilgo Four”. All four women worked as sex workers and disappeared after going to meet a client. They were all found in December 2010 within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape and some wrapped in burlap – their bodies dumped along Gilgo Beach. They are among 11 victims whose remains were found along the shores of Long Island in 2010 and 2011, sparking fears of one or more serial killers. His arrest is said to have caught his loved ones off guard and plunged them into Vess Mitev, who began representing his adult children Victoria Heuermann, 26, and Christopher Sheridan, 33, after their father’s arrest, told The Independent that the family are now living in a “surreal hellscape”. “The Heuermann children have been living in a constant, surreal, waking nightmare,” he said. “Just because the news coverage doesn’t continue or it’s not in the news on a daily basis each day, for them it’s every day, it’s every moment. It’s the moment they wake up to the moment they go back to sleep again. “It’s a situation you wouldn’t want to wish on anyone. It’s not a reality.” He added: “Their focus has just been on managing their basic daily needs. We have specific, fundamental needs that we require to survive as people and that has really been their primary goal as their resources have been depleted completely or are no longer available to them. “Their basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and a safe space to sleep in have been all but obliterated. They’re trying to piece back together those very basic but yet so vital things that most of us take for granted.” Mr Mitev also hit out at the “wild conspiracy theories” that the family may have known about his alleged crimes saying that they “shouldn’t even be dignified with a response”. “These allegations shouldn’t even be dignified with a response,” he said. “But they are emblematic of someone with a thirst for the spotlight – an unquenchable thirst.” The pushback comes after Long Island attorney John Ray accused Mr Heuermann’s wife Asa Ellerup of being involved in her husband’s alleged killing spree. Speaking at a press conference last month, Mr Ray – who represents the families of two Gilgo Beach victims Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor – claimed that Ms Ellerup should be treated as a suspect in the case. “It’s part of one large criminal enterprise,” he said. “She should be considered a suspect and not just a bystander or someone who’s been victimised by her husband.” Mr Ray has offered no evidence for this claim and Long Island officials are not treating Ms Ellerup, Ms Heuermann or Mr Sheridan as suspects. Court documents laying out the case against Mr Heuermann have stated that his family members were all out of town at the time of the killings. When asked about the allegations levelled by Mr Ray, Mr Mitev slammed the fact that the “wild conspiracy theories” should even need to be addressed. Instead of fending off unfounded claims about their own lives, Mr Mitev said that Victoria and Christopher are simply trying to survive after being thrust into the national spotlight when their father was arrested for three of the murders that terrorised the Long Island shores over a decade ago. At the time of his bombshell arrest, the adult children still lived with their father and mother Asa Ellerup at the family home in Massapequa Park – a stone’s throw from Gilgo Beach where victims’ bodies were dumped. Mr Mitev has previously revealed that the family are considering legal action against Suffolk County officials after they say their home was left “in a deplorable condition” from the two-week long police search. Photos reveal holes cut out of bathtubs, the garden excavated and belongings strewn all over and piled up high in the home that the family of four shared. Since then, Mr Heuermann’s children and wife have been spotted sitting outside their home – as Mr Mitev said the inside of the home is too much of a mess to be in. “The reason they’ve been photographed so much on the front porch is not because that’s where they congregate but it’s that they have nowhere to sit inside because of the absolute ransacking of the home,” he said. For now, the family members are just thankful for the kindness of strangers after receiving an outpouring of support from an unlikely source. Melissa Moore, the daughter of the notorious Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help them as she compared their experiences discovering that a close family member had spent years leading a “double life” as an alleged serial killer. As of 6 September, the GoFundMe had topped $53,000 in donations. “They really do appreciate the outpouring of support and emotional solidarity. They’re not looking for anything and not looking for any of this,” said Mr Mitev. “The one thing they want is to get some semblance of private life back.” Read More Attorney for Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s children hits back at claims family knew about alleged crimes Police investigating claim that missing South Carolina woman was last seen with Gilgo Beach murders suspect Scandal-plagued former Gilgo Beach police chief arrested for soliciting sex from undercover officer in park

The union for Canada’s second biggest airline have issued a 72-hour strike notice to WestJet and they warn the airline could be shut down before the weekend

Nearly 30 invasive fruit flies have prompted a produce quarantine in Los Angeles County as state and local officials try to stop the fly from spreading to more fruits and vegetables

Malaysia kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged for a third straight meeting on Thursday, as cooling price pressures

By Tom Balmforth KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Sunday its troops had recaptured three villages from Russian forces in its

An Arkansas man who propped his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office in a widely circulated photo from the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in prison

Tucker Carlson has once again invited criticism for uploading a two-and-a-half-hour long interview with rape and sex trafficking accused Andrew Tate on Twitter. The former Fox News host, who now uploads a new series he calls Tucker on Twitter, sat down with the controversial social media influencer, who was arrested and charged with rape, human trafficking and leading an organised crime group to sexually exploit women in Romania. The extensive interview, Carlson’s first on his new show that is on its ninth episode, has raked in millions of views hours after it was uploaded. Carlson, who previously defended Mr Tate and called his arrest a “human rights violation”, has sparked outrage by giving a platform to the controversial influencer without proper scrutiny or contextualisation. The right-wing TV personality kicked off the interview by asking viewers to “make up your own mind” about Mr Tate, who has defended himself and denied the charges against him. The former kickboxer and social media influencer, who gained notoriety over the years for peddling misogynistic views, was held in police custody from 29 December until 31 March by Romanian authorities before being put on house arrest. His brother Tristan and two of their associates also face charges. Given the widespread allegations against Mr Tate, the decision to host the British-American has drawn criticism from various quarters, ranging from media personalities and journalists and including conservative commentators as well. DailyBeast reporter Justin Baragona weighed in on the interview, calling Mr Tate “an unapologetic pornographer”. “After lamenting about how young men are now withdrawing into porn, Tucker Carlson then proceeds to sympathetically interview an unapologetic pornographer – for two and a half hours!” he said. “Two and a half hours defending & singing the praises of an accused rapist and human trafficker. So brave,” said Joe Walsh, a former 2020 Republican presidential candidate. American conservative talk radio host Erick Ericson said Mr Tate is charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women. “Are you an Andrew Tate right winger or a Sound of Freedom right winger. You can’t really be both,” he said. HuffPost correspondent SV Dáte called out Carlson for “glorifying an accused rapist/human trafficker”. “Not going to waste 2.5 hours of my life on these two, can someone tell me if Tucker asked Tate his opinion of Sound of Freedom,” said The Spectator’s editor-at-large Ben Domenech. Elon Musk also tweeted about the interview, calling it “interesting”. The Twitter chief was called out for his tweet supporting the Fox News anchor by Ahmed Baba, an entrepreneur and journalist who is also a columnist for The Independent. “This is why millions of people are leaving Twitter,” he said, calling out Mr Musk for promoting the interview between Carlson, who he said pushed “white supremacist rhetoric”, while calling Mr Tate a “misogynist influencer”. Read More Andrew Tate denies making money from trafficking women as he appears in Romanian court Clip of Tucker Carlson defending Andrew Tate resurfaces after rape and human trafficking arrest Twitter gets bizarre endorsement from Taliban as militants give verdict on rival Threads Peers demand curbs on harmful algorithms introduced to online safety Bill Andrew Tate loses appeal against house arrest in Romania as human trafficking case continues Education minister ‘would not want Andrew Tate to speak on university campuses’

Donald Trump is dominating the early stages of the Republican presidential primary even as he’s refused to endorse a federal ban on abortion