
Ukraine retakes village but fighting in east 'difficult' - Kyiv
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Monday it had recaptured an eighth village during its counteroffensive in the Russian-occupied south but
2023-06-20 00:18

Russia tried to kill ‘CIA informant’ in Florida, report says
Russian agents reportedly attempted to assassinate a CIA informant on American soil in 2020, a dramatic ploy that has since been blamed for a sudden deterioration of relations between Washington and leaders of the Russian Federation. Their target was a former Russian agent whose defection to the United States led to a counterintelligence investigation that resulted in the capture and expulsion of nearly a dozen spies embedded along the US eastern seaboard. His attempted murder is just the latest alleged effort by agents of Vladimir Putin, formerly head of the country’s feared intelligence service and now its leader, to get revenge against Russian defectors living abroad. Three former senior US officials told The New York Times that Russian agents targeted Aleksandr Poteyev with an operation in early 2020 that involved an effort to tail Mr Poteyev around his new hometown of Miami. A Mexican scientist, coerced into being the face of the effort after members of his family were prevented from leaving Russia, is reported to have rented an apartment near Mr Poteyev’s residence for the purpose of surveiling the ex-spy. That scientist, Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, would later be instructed by his Russian handlers to tail Mr Poteyev, leading to an incident where he and his wife were spotted by security agents and cameras (apparently at their victim’s apartment complex) photographing Mr Poteyev’s license plate. Realising they had likely just blown their cover, the two fled for Mexico, but were stopped at the US border and arrested. According to one former official, Mr Fuentes was likely unaware of the eventual goals of the operation and was merely tasked with providing initial intelligence regarding Mr Poteyev’s whereabouts. More follows... Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-06-20 00:16

Germany to Test Companies’ Abilities to Cope With Gas Emergency
Germany’s energy regulator will practice a large-scale emergency exercise with companies this September, testing their preparedness should gas
2023-06-19 23:58

Turkey’s Simsek Signals Gradual Shift to Conventional Policy
Turkey’s Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek has indicated he will take gradual steps in steering toward more
2023-06-19 23:45

Saudi Arabia is quietly changing its textbooks. Could that lead to acceptance of Israel?
Textbooks in Saudi Arabia have been changing. For years, researchers have been observing a gradual moderation on subjects ranging from gender roles to the promotion of peace and tolerance.
2023-06-19 23:22

New US Army regulation could result in more soldiers failing body fat assessments
As the US Army moves to a new way to measure soldiers' body fat, officials acknowledged Wednesday that some soldiers who had previously passed under the old regulations may now fail under the new.
2023-06-19 23:15

Auto tycoon Ghosn denies payments to former French Cabinet minister
A Lebanese judge on Monday questioned auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn in Beirut over possible links to a former French Cabinet minister charged two years ago with “passive corruption" for work she did for him, officials familiar with the case said. The Lebanese officials said Ghosn denied any dealings with France’s former Justice Minister Rachida Dati who is accused of having done consulting work for Ghosn for two years starting in 2010 when she was a member of the European parliament. Dati was accused in 2021 of “passive corruption by a person who at the time was holding an elective mandate" and “benefiting from abuse of power.” She was suspected of lobbying which would have been illegal in her position. The former head of Nissan and Renault denied during the questioning in Beirut that Nissan had paid about $1 million for Dati in lawyer fees, added the officials speaking on condition of anonymity. The officials said Beirut recently received a new Red Notice from Interpol and summoned Ghosn for questioning on Monday where he came with his lawyer to attend the session. It was the third Red Notice that Lebanon has received since Ghosn fled from Japan in late 2019. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant but a request to law enforcement to provisionally arrest the person of interest. Monday’s questioning was the first for Ghosn since May last year when he was summoned for questioning days after Beirut received a Red Notice from Interpol at the request of the French prosecutor’s office. The notice was for Ghosn and four other people based on an investigation opened in 2019 into money laundering and abuse of company assets. Dati was the toast of Paris and foreign capitals when she served as justice minister under then-President Nicolas Sarkozy from June 2007 to June 2009. With her Algerian and Moroccan parents and humble origins as one of 11 children in a housing project, she was his emblem of diversity in a new France. Her bling-bling style — a penchant for Dior clothes, stiletto heels and expensive jewels — quickly transformed her into Cabinet cover girl. In 2019, Ghosn jumped bail while being questioned in Japan in a daring escape by hiding in a box spirited aboard a private jet. He fled to Lebanon which does not extradite its citizens. Prosecutors in Japan charged three Americans with helping Ghosn escape the country. Renault and Nissan have been distancing themselves from the scandal. Ghosn, who has citizenship in Lebanon, France and Brazil, has repeatedly professed his innocence. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Egyptian family awaits word on son as village mourns dozens feared drowned trying to reach Europe Tunisia says attacker fatally stabbed police officer at Brazilian Embassy; suspect arrested Greek court postpones hearing for smuggling suspects in deadly migrant boat sinking until Tuesday
2023-06-19 22:53

Greek migrant tragedy death toll rises, suspects detained
By Karolina Tagaris MALAKASA, Greece (Reuters) -The suspected smugglers of scores of migrants who drowned in a Mediterranean Sea shipwreck
2023-06-19 22:52

Ukraine targets initial $40 billion for 'Green Marshall Plan'
By Simon Jessop and Olena Harmash LONDON (Reuters) -Ukraine is seeking up to $40 billion to fund the first part
2023-06-19 22:50

Africa's Ukraine-Russia peace mission: What was achieved?
South Africa's leader hails last week's trip as "historic" but what difference did it really make?
2023-06-19 22:47

Judge issues order that Trump keep quiet about disclosure of discovery material issued in classified documents case
A magistrate judge has signed off on special counsel Jack Smith's request that former President Donald Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta be prohibited from disclosing information the discovery handed over to the defense in the criminal case Trump and Nauta now face from the special counsel.
2023-06-19 22:28

Heat, drought and fire: Europe's year of extremes in 2022 will not be a 'one-off,' new report finds
Last summer was the hottest on record for Europe and caused more than 16,000 excess deaths, according to the report.
2023-06-19 22:24