DOJ targets nationwide health care fraud scheme involving over $2.5 billion
The Justice Department announced a sweeping enforcement effort Wednesday aimed at health care, telemedicine and illegal prescription schemes totaling of $2.5 billion in alleged fraud.
2023-06-29 01:48
Hakeem Jeffries is staging a takeover of the New York Democrats. His hope to become Speaker may depend on it.
Hakeem Jeffries is staging a takeover of the New York Democratic Party. HIs future as U.S. House Speaker may depend on it; he needs five more seats to take the majority in 2024, and six of the most vulnerable seats are held by Republicans in New York.
2023-06-29 01:26
Eid in Sudan: 'I couldn't sleep because of the sounds of the gunfire'
Although both sides announced a ceasefire, fighting continues on one of Islam's holiest days.
2023-06-29 01:22
Cambodian leader Hun Sen, a huge Facebook fan, says he is jumping ship to Telegram
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a devoted and very active user of Facebook — on which he has posted everything from photos of his grandchildren to threats against his political enemies — said Wednesday that he will no longer upload to the platform and will instead depend on the Telegram app to get his message across. Telegram is a popular messaging app that also has a blogging tool called “channels.” In Russia and some of the neighboring countries, it is actively used both by government officials and opposition activists for communicating with mass audiences. Telegram played an important role in coordinating unprecedented anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and currently serves as a major source of news about Russia’s war in Ukraine. The 70-year-old year Hun Sen is listed as having 14 million Facebook followers, though critics have suggested a large number are merely “ghost” accounts purchased in bulk from so-called “click farms,” an assertion the long-serving prime minister has repeatedly denied. The Facebook accounts of Joe Biden and Donald Trump by comparison boast 11 million and 34 million followers, respectively, though the United States has about 20 times the population of Cambodia. Hun Sen officially launched his Facebook page on Sept. 20, 2015, after his fierce political rival, opposition leader Sam Rainsy, effectively demonstrated how it could be used to mobilize support. Hun Sen is noted as a canny and sometimes ruthless politician, and has since then managed to drive his rival into exile and neutralize all his challengers, even though Cambodia is a nominally democratic state. Hun Sen said he is giving up Facebook for Telegram because he believes the latter is more effective for communicating. In a Telegram post on Wednesday he said it will be easier for him to get his message out when he is traveling in other countries that officially ban Facebook use. China, the top ally of his government, is also the biggest country with a Facebook ban. Hun Sen has 855,000 followers so far on Telegram, where he appears to have started posting in mid-May. It is also possible that Hun Sen’s social media loyalty switch has to do with controversy over remarks he posted earlier this year on Facebook that in theory could see him get at least temporarily banned from the platform. As the country’s top leader for 38 years, he has earned a reputation for heated rhetoric, and in January, speaking at a road construction ceremony, he decried opposition politicians who accused his ruling Cambodian People’s Paty of stealing votes. “There are only two options. One is to use legal means and the other is to use a stick,” the prime minister said. “Either you face legal action in court, or I rally (the Cambodian) People’s Party people for a demonstration and beat you up.” His remarks were spoken on Facebook Live and kept online as a video. Perhaps because of heightened consciousness about the power of social media to inflame and trigger violence in such countries as India and Myanmar, and because the remarks were made ahead of a general election in Cambodia this July, complaints about his words were lodged with Facebook’s parent company, Meta. Facebook’s moderators declined to recommend action against Hun Sen, judging that his position as a national leader made his remarks newsworthy and therefore not subject to punishment despite their provocative nature. However, the case was forwarded in March to Meta’s Oversight Board, a group of independent experts that is empowered to render an overriding judgment that could limit Hun Sen’s Facebook activities. They may issue a decision in the next few weeks. The case is being closely watched as an indicator of where Facebook will draw the line in countries with volatile political situations. Hun Sen said his Facebook account will remain online but he will no longer actively post to it. He urged people looking for news from him to check YouTube and his Instagram account as well as Telegram, and said he has ordered his office to establish a TikTok account to allow him to communicate with his country’s youth.. ___ Peck reported from Bangkok. Dasha Litvinova contributed from Tallinn, Estonia. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Cambodian lawmakers approve changes to election law that disqualify candidates who don't vote Trump’s latest defence in the classified documents case: ‘Bravado’ Trump gives ‘bravado’ defence for secret papers tape as he sues E Jean Carroll – live
2023-06-29 00:53
Bishop of Dover: Migration concerns only for 'brown people’
The Bishop of Dover says British people do not understand their own history of economic migration.
2023-06-29 00:48
Here's what's left for the Supreme Court's final week of the term
All eyes are on the Supreme Court for its final days of the term, as the justices will release cases on issues such as affirmative action, student loan payments and LGBTQ rights.
2023-06-28 23:50
US military launches official investigation of disputed drone strike that reportedly killed civilian
An official investigation has been launched by US Central Command into the May 3 drone strike in Syria that reportedly killed a civilian instead of the intended senior al-Qaeda target.
2023-06-28 23:21
Multiple deputies fired after 2 Black men file lawsuit alleging torture and attempted sexual assault in Mississippi
The Rankin County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi has fired multiple deputies after two Black men filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging six White deputies entered their private residence illegally and tortured them for nearly two hours.
2023-06-28 23:20
McCarthy attempts damage control after questioning Trump's strength as a candidate
Speaker Kevin McCarthy has scrambled to contain the fallout after he questioned whether former President Donald Trump is the strongest candidate in the 2024 presidential race -- comments that outraged Trump allies.
2023-06-28 22:58
Mushroom farms that employed Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect cited for 'serious' health and safety violations
Two mushroom farms that employed the Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect were cited for "serious" health and safety violations in an investigation stemming from the January workplace attacks, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health announced in a news release Monday.
2023-06-28 22:49
A Helsinki deputy mayor is under fire after being caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti
The deputy mayor of Finland’s capital is facing possible legal action and calls for him to pay compensation for damages and to resign after he was caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel last weekend
2023-06-28 22:26
US goods trade deficit narrows; retail inventories rise
By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON The U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed in May as imports fell, but the
2023-06-28 22:20
