Former Fauci aide charged with concealing Covid records pred 1 dnevom, 2 urama in 42 minutami Ex-Niaid employee David Morens accused of trying to shield correspondence related to outbreak of pandemicAn ex-adviser to the former top public US health official Anthony Fauci has been indicted by Trump administration prosecutors on accusations that he illicitly concealed federal records during the Covid pandemic.The justice department on Tuesday announced charges against David Morens, 78, of Chester, Maryland, amid a sharply divisive debate over the origins of the coronavirus, which has become particularly politicized during Donald Trump’s two presidencies. Competing theories – including a natural spillover versus a potential lab leak – have fueled partisan clashes, with splits along ideological lines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How the UAE’s decision to leave Opec could recast the Middle East pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 17 minutami Defection is damaging to Saudi Arabia’s prestige – and could strengthen the US hand in the regionThe United Arab Emirates’ decision to walk out of Opec is a political as much as business decision, and will reignite the simmering rows between the UAE and Saudi Arabia – which had been covered up by their shared anger with Iran over its attacks on the Gulf states since the start of the US-Israel war on Tehran.In the short term, leaving the oil producing cartel it joined in 1967 gives the UAE the freedom to respond quickly to a long-term prospect of constrained supplies, and to maximise profit. But it is a decision the UAE has considered before, as UAE and Saudi tensions over production quotas have been longstanding. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
European parliament urges EU to draw up standardised consent-based definition of rape pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 20 minutami Eight EU members continue to include force or violence in their definitions in national criminal codesThe European parliament has called on the EU to draw up a standardised consent-based definition of rape, in what legislators described as a crucial step towards addressing the patchwork of laws, some of them insufficient, that currently exist across the bloc.On Tuesday, 447 of the parliament’s 720 MEPs voted to approve a report calling for a common definition of rape, centred on “only yes means yes,” prompting a loud round of applause in the chamber in Strasbourg. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No 10 dismisses Reeves’s reported plan for freeze on private rents pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 28 minutami Downing Street says focus will remain on cutting bills, backing renters and lowering energy pricesDowning Street has dismissed the idea of a freeze on private sector rents even as Rachel Reeves left the door open to such a move, after the Guardian revealed the chancellor has been considering it as an option to cut the cost of living.A No 10 spokesperson said on Tuesday that freezing private sector rents was “not the approach we will be taking” after sources told the Guardian it was Reeves’s preferred solution for dealing with a spike in housing costs in the wake of the Iran war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
89-year-old man arrested over Athens double shooting pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 32 minutami Multiple people injured when gunman opened fire inside a social security office and later an appeals courtAn 89-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of shooting and wounding several people in attacks on government buildings in Athens.Hours after the double shooting in the Greek capital, authorities announced a suspect had been detained in the western port city of Patras, reportedly attempting to flee to Italy. His arrest followed a countrywide manhunt. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump hails ‘special relationship’ during ceremonial welcome for King Charles’s state visit pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 45 minutami US president says Americans ‘have had no closer friends than the British’ amid recent tensions between both nationsDonald Trump has praised the “special relationship” between the US and the UK, as he hosted a ceremonial military welcome for King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House.Against a backdrop of recent tensions between London and Washington, the US president, speaking on the second day of Charles’s state visit, said: “In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Justice department files new criminal charges against ex-FBI director Comey pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 52 minutami Subject of charges remains unclear, after earlier case over congressional testimony was dismissedUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe justice department filed new criminal charges against James Comey, the former FBI director, on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.Comey was charged over a picture he posted on Instagram last year in which sea shells were arranged to say “86 47”, CNN and the Associated Press reported. The post was taken as a threat to Donald Trump. The number 86 can be used as shorthand for getting rid of something, and Trump is the 47th president. Comey subsequently deleted the post and apologized, saying he didn’t realize the numbers were associated with violence. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he wrote on Instagram. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer sees off Tory calls for inquiry into Mandelson role after No 10 flexes muscle pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 56 minutami Vote goes prime minister’s way but some Labour MPs accuse him of creating perception of ‘cover-up’Keir Starmer has seen off an opposition attempt to refer him to a standards committee over Peter Mandelson’s appointment, after Downing Street deployed its full weight to force Labour MPs to shore up the prime minister.However, the Labour leader bore the brunt of anger from some of his own backbenchers, who accused him of creating a situation where they would be perceived as being complicit in “a cover-up”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US soldier pleads not guilty to charges of betting on Nicolás Maduro’s ouster pred 1 dnevom, 4 urami in 11 minutami Prosecutors allege Gannon Van Dyke won $400,000 using insider information to bet on Maduro raid on PolymarketSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US army soldier charged with winning $400,000 by using insider information to bet on the removal of the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to fraud charges on Tuesday.Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, entered the plea in US district judge Margaret Garnett’s courtroom in Manhattan. Van Dyke sported a shaved head and wore a black blazer, jeans and brown shoes as he arrived to the courtroom with his lawyers, Zach Intrater and Mark Geragos. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Teen mariachi trio detained by ICE to open for Kacey Musgraves in Texas pred 1 dnevom, 4 urami in 30 minutami Gámez-Cuéllar brothers were arrested alongside parents in February and later released after bipartisan backlashThree teenage mariachi musicians who were temporarily detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February have been tapped to open for country singer Kacey Musgraves at several upcoming shows in Texas.On Monday, Musgraves announced that the Gámez-Cuéllar brothers Antonio, 18; Caleb, 14; and Joshua, 12, would join her for performances at Gruene Hall from 3 to 5 May as part of her Middle of Nowhere tour. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
