HANOI, Vietnam (AP) " A Vietnamese real estate tycoon was sentenced to death Thursday in the country's biggest ever financial fraud case, a shocking development in an intensifying anti-corruption drive in the southeast Asian nation. Truong My Lan, a high-profile businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022. The 67-year-old has been convicted for fraud amounting to $12.5 billion " nearly 3% of the country's 2022 GDP " and for illegally controlling a major bank and allowing loans that resulted in losses of $27 billion, state media outlets reported. Death sentences are not uncommon in Vietnam, but it is rare in financial crime cases and for someone this well known.
The Israeli National Security Council (NSC) yesterday held a secret session during which it discussed the possibility that international arrest warrants could be issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Galant and Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi "in the coming days". According to Israel's Channel 13, Israel's National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi chaired the meeting, in which arrest warrants for other officials were also discussed. They decided to take a series of measures, including launching a diplomatic pressure campaign and activating Israel's international tools to prevent the International Criminal Court (ICC) from issuing arrest warrants.
J. Michael Luttig sees two potential outcomes from Thursday's Supreme Court arguments. Both are grim for our democracy.
Donald Trump is actively panicking this evening over Robert F. Kennedy Jr. possibly taking support away from him at the polls this November.
Since six Southern Republican governors last week showed "how scared they are" of the United Auto Workers' U.S. organizing drive, Tennessee Volkswagen employees have voted to join the UAW while GOP policymakers across the region have ramped up attacks on unions. The UAW launched "the largest organizing drive in modern American history" after securing improved contracts last year with a strike targeting the Big Three automakers"General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. The ongoing campaign led to the "landslide" victory in Chattanooga last week, which union president Shawn Fain pointed to as proof that "you can't win in the South" isn't true. Read more
Palestinians in Gaza are increasingly willing to voice their anger against Hamas, accusing the militant group of failing to anticipate Israel's ferocious retaliation for its October 7th attack that sparked the devastating six-month war. "They should have predicted Israel's response and thought of what would happen to the 2.3 million Gazans who have nowhere safe to go," Nassim said in the southern city of Rafah, which teems with internally displaced families from across the shattered territory. "They [Hamas] should have restricted themselves to military targets." Read more
A Utah man who recorded himself inciting violence and breaking a window before filming the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt outside the House chamber during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack was sentenced Friday to six years in prison. John Earle Sullivan, 29, was paid $90,875 for his videos before he was convicted at trial. A jury found him guilty in November of rioting and obstructing Congress's certification of the 2020 election results, both felonies, and of five misdemeanor counts. Prosecutors said Sullivan was a self-described activist with anarchist views who brought a tactical vest, a gas mask, a megaphone and a knife to the riot. Seeking a prison term of a little more than seven years, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebekah Lederer and Michael Barclay said Sullivan "shared a desire to see the government burn" and the vote certification stopped.
A dairy in Colorado has tested positive for the H5N1 virus as federal officials stress the value of pasteurization for protecting consumers from the virus.
Some Connecticut police departments have either replaced or have taken steps to replace their officers' duty weapons out of safety concerns, following reported incidents that those firearms allegedly fired without their triggers being pulled.
Ukrainian forces are withdrawing US-provided Abrams M1A1 main battle tanks from the front lines after at least five have been destroyed by cheap Russian drones, according to the AP. A loud cheer went up amongst Ukraine's support when the US announced in January 2023 it would deliver a battalion of Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The hope was that 31 US made tanks, which are far superior to the Russian T-72 tank that is in wide use by Russia's forces, would be a game changer. Read more
Yemen's Houthis have damaged an oil tanker and downed another MQ-9 Reaper drone of the United States as they promise more attacks in opposition to Israel's war on Gaza. The Iran-aligned group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in his latest televised video address early on Saturday that "British oil ship Andromeda Star" was targeted in the Red Sea with naval missiles and was directly hit. Read more
A Columbia University student who posted a video in January in which he said, "Zionists don't deserve to live," has been barred from the campus"where he is one of the leaders of a pro-Palestinian protest camp that has rocked the Ivy League school. The New York Times reports that it was not immediately clear if Khymani James, 20, was being suspended or expelled. Read more
The Pentagon says it will "rush" Patriot air defence missiles and artillery ammunition to Ukraine as part of its new military aid package. The US will utilise $6bn for this purpose, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed on Friday.
Public birthday wishes are a tricky art. Some are cute! Others give the ick. But on the 54th birthday of Melania Trump, a new entry into the canon of birthday messages has emerged"and it defies neat categorization. "I want to start by wishing my wife Melania a very happy birthday," Donald Trump told reporters on Friday. "It would be nice to be with her but I'm at a courthouse for a rigged trial." Read more
President Joe Biden said Friday he is "happy" to debate former President Donald Trump, though did not specify as to when. The comment was made during a one-on-one interview with radio host Howard Stern, who asked if the president had plans to debate his 2024 opponent. "I am somewhere," Biden responded, the first time he's indicated he will debate Trump this election cycle. "I don't know when. I'm happy to debate him." After Biden's remark on Stern's show on Sirius/XM, Trump's campaign manager Chris LaCivita responded on social media. "Ok," he wrote on X, "let's set it up !" MORE: Major media organizations urge Biden and Trump to debate Trump, however, is pouring cold water on the idea that Biden actually wants to debate him. "Everyone knows he doesn't really mean it," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform on Friday.
Re'Kwon Smith, 27, is accused of brawling with the Valley High School student on Thursday when he asked the teen, who allegedly shouted out a racial slur, to leave the classroom, according to 8NewsNow. The altercation turned physical when the student allegedly placed his hands on Smith.
