All posts tagged: ties

Ukraine deepens Gulf security ties as Kyiv exports air defense expertise – POLITICO

Ukraine deepens Gulf security ties as Kyiv exports air defense expertise – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Ukraine has been pushing to bolster security agreements with Gulf states and on Friday signed a defense cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia, during a visit by Zelenskyy to Riyadh. That accord, Zelenskyy said, “lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. It also strengthens Ukraine’s international role as a security donor.” The outreach reflects Kyiv’s broader push to leverage its battlefield experience following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, positioning itself as a security partner to countries facing rising regional threats, particularly from Iran. Since the start of the Iran war, Kyiv has been pitching its unique experience and interceptors to the Middle Eastern countries, which rely on costly PAC-3 and other systems to shoot down Iranian drones, capabilities which Ukraine lacks. Ukraine has also sent more than 200 of its own drone-сountering experts to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. Some 30 more were heading to Jordan and Kuwait, Zelenskyy told reporters via a WhatsApp chat last week. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters on Friday that Kyiv is close to finalizing security agreements with …

Sarah Ferguson stripped of ‘freedom of York’ by councillors over ties to Jeffrey Epstein | UK News

Sarah Ferguson stripped of ‘freedom of York’ by councillors over ties to Jeffrey Epstein | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Sarah Ferguson has been stripped of the freedom of the city of York by councillors. The former Duchess of York, and ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, had the honour removed following a unanimous council vote on Thursday evening. City of York Council members passed the motion during a meeting at the Guildhall, following fresh revelations about her connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019. Ms Ferguson is mentioned several times among the millions of documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files. Being named in the files is not evidence of wrongdoing. The “freedom of the city” honour is a ceremonial role, awarded to notable figures. It does not grant any “privileges” in the city, according to York council’s website. Andrew was stripped of the same honour in 2022. The couple were jointly awarded the status in 1987 following their wedding. In October, Ferguson lost her Duchess of York title when her ex-husband also had his royal title removed, although at …

She uncovered a terrifying lab hidden in California, with alleged ties to China

She uncovered a terrifying lab hidden in California, with alleged ties to China

Published by Sam Flores

The case of a lifetime started with a putrid smell and a green garden hose sticking out of the side of a supposedly vacant warehouse in California farm country. Inside the sprawling building on I Street in Reedley, code enforcement officer Jesalyn Harper found vials filled with liquid — some marked in English or Chinese, others with just a code — that bore frightening labels such as “Malaria,” “COVID-19” and “HIV.” Refrigerators, lined up in columns along a wall, had labels that read “blood” and “Ebola.” As she walked deeper into the warehouse, passing lab workers filling pregnancy test kits, she located the source of the smell that had brought her there — droppings from 1,000 lab-tested mice, she told The Times during a recent interview. The workers were nice enough, she said, but when she started asking questions she could feel the mood change. “I realized I’m in trouble, and I need to get out of this building without tipping them off that I’m scared,” Harper said. Her discovery blew open an elaborate criminal …

Belarus’s Lukashenko makes first visit to North Korea in bid to deepen ties | Russia-Ukraine war News

Belarus’s Lukashenko makes first visit to North Korea in bid to deepen ties | Russia-Ukraine war News

Published by Sam Flores

Belarus and North Korea are expected to sign a treaty of friendship as their leaders meet in Pyongyang. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has begun his first official visit to North Korea, in a bid to strengthen ties between the two countries united by their support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and accusations of authoritarianism and rights violations. Belarusian state news agency Belta said the two-day visit that kicked off on Wednesday aimed to “identify key areas of mutual interest and the most promising projects for implementation”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Lukashenko was quoted by Belta as saying “the time has come to step up relations”. “The current situation is simply pushing us into each other’s arms,” he added. The Belarusian president said they planned to sign a “treaty of friendship” and “about 10 agreements” during the visit. Kim Jong Un and Lukashenko met in September in Beijing when they attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square, where the North Korean leader reportedly extended an …

Ex-FBI director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies aged 81

Ex-FBI director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies aged 81

Published by Sam Flores

Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has died. He was 81. Keywords for this article Source link

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro under investigation in US for drug ties | Donald Trump News

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro under investigation in US for drug ties | Donald Trump News

Published by Sam Flores

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has been named in two separate criminal investigations led by prosecutors in the United States. The New York Times was the first to report the existence of the two probes on Friday, citing sources familiar with the proceedings. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Media reports indicate that Petro is not personally the target of the investigations, which focus on drug-smuggling in Latin America. But according to the Times, US attorneys in Brooklyn and Manhattan are looking into whether Petro met with drug traffickers and solicited donations from them for his 2022 presidential campaign. Al Jazeera has not independently verified the Times report. By Friday afternoon, Petro had issued a statement denying the claims, which threaten to reopen the rift between the US and Colombia. “In Colombia, there is not a single investigation into my relationship with drug traffickers, for one simple reason: I have never in my life spoken with a drug trafficker,” Petro wrote on the social media platform X. He added that he told campaign managers …

DEA Names Colombian President ‘Priority Target’ as US Prosecutors Probe Ties to Drug Traffickers

DEA Names Colombian President ‘Priority Target’ as US Prosecutors Probe Ties to Drug Traffickers

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been designated a “priority target” by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as federal prosecutors in New York probe his alleged ties to drug traffickers, according to people familiar with the matter and records seen by The Associated Press. DEA records show Petro has surfaced in multiple investigations dating to 2022, many based on interviews with confidential informants. The alleged crimes the DEA has investigated include his possible dealings with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and a scheme to leverage his “total peace” plan to benefit prominent traffickers who contributed to his presidential campaign. The records also suggest the use of law enforcement to smuggle cocaine and fentanyl through Colombian ports. The “priority target” label is reserved for suspects DEA deems to have a “significant impact” on the drug trade. It’s unclear when the DEA gave Petro that designation. Petro denied all ties to drug traffickers and maintained he never accepted their funds during his campaign. Writing on X Friday, he argued that U.S. legal proceedings would ultimately dismantle …

Emotionally intelligent AI chatbots improve mental health but destroy real-world social ties

Emotionally intelligent AI chatbots improve mental health but destroy real-world social ties

Published by José Betancourt

A new study reveals that interacting with emotionally intelligent artificial intelligence chatbots can boost a person’s mental health while simultaneously isolating them from real human relationships. The research highlights a hidden trade-off in using these digital companions, where the comfort provided by algorithms comes at the cost of real-world social ties. The findings were published in the journal Psychology & Marketing. Millions of people turn to artificial intelligence chatbots to alleviate loneliness and find emotional support. Unlike older digital assistants that simply set alarms or book flights, modern social chatbots use advanced algorithms to mimic human empathy. They try to replicate emotional intelligence, which is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions. By mimicking this trait, applications like Replika or Wysa act as digital friends that adapt to user moods. The global market for these advanced digital companions is growing rapidly, attracting millions of users seeking a safe space to express their feelings. Shaphali Gupta, a researcher at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, led an investigation into how these emotionally intelligent bots affect …

Bank Of America Settles Lawsuit Over Ties To Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Crimes

Bank Of America Settles Lawsuit Over Ties To Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Crimes

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by José Niño via Headline USA, Bank of America has reached a settlement with an anonymous woman who accused the financial giant of enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and profiting from his criminal enterprise. A Bank of America flies backward, emblematic of the financial institution’s backward mindset in prioritizing woke political objectives over shareholder profits and financial health. / IMAGE: Wcnc Newsroom via YouTube Lawyers for both parties informed a judge they had agreed to a “settlement in principle” according to court filings made public on Monday that The Financial Times reported. The proposed agreement contains undisclosed terms and awaits judicial approval at a hearing scheduled for early April. Bank of America declined to comment on the matter. The woman filed her lawsuit in October of last year in Manhattan federal court under the pseudonym Jane Doe. She sought class action status and financial damages while accusing BofA of “participating in and financially benefiting from Jeffrey Epstein’s widespread and well-publicised sex-trafficking operation, as well as the direct financial benefits it received therefrom.” According to her complaint, the plaintiff first encountered Epstein while living …

‘Deeper’ ties to Europe and AI the best ways to boost economic growth, chancellor to say | Politics News

‘Deeper’ ties to Europe and AI the best ways to boost economic growth, chancellor to say | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

Artificial intelligence (AI) and “deeper” ties with Europe are the best ways to get the economy growing, the chancellor will say on Tuesday. Rachel Reeves will argue that the UK cannot afford to “bury our heads in the sand”, and allow other countries to lead the development of AI, in the annual Mais lecture. While she will also say that closer ties with the European Union (EU), as well as regional growth, are key to kickstarting the economy. Politics hub: Follow the latest Ms Reeves will commit £500m to back the most promising AI companies in the UK. She will also say that quantum computers, which can work on multiple potential answers at once, vastly reducing the time it takes to get a solution, are the next great leap in technology that the UK needs to be ahead of the game in. Ms Reeves will announce £1bn investment to buy commercial-scale quantum computers. More on Artificial Intelligence Her lecture comes following anaemic growth figures. The economy didn’t grow at all in January, and only grew …