Cuba foreign minister to visit China June 5-9, says Chinese foreign ministry

Cuba foreign minister to visit China June 5-9, says Chinese foreign ministry
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. (File/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 04 June 2024
Follow

Cuba foreign minister to visit China June 5-9, says Chinese foreign ministry

Cuba foreign minister to visit China June 5-9, says Chinese foreign ministry

BEIJING: Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez will visit China from June 5 to 9, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
"Rodriguez is an old friend of the Chinese people. China and Cuba are good comrades and brothers," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said at a regular press briefing.


Vietnam property tycoon on death row awaits appeal verdict

Vietnam property tycoon on death row awaits appeal verdict
Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Vietnam property tycoon on death row awaits appeal verdict

Vietnam property tycoon on death row awaits appeal verdict
  • Property developer Truong My Lan was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money and condemned to die for fraud totaling $27 billion
HANOI: A Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death in a multi-billion-dollar fraud case arrived in court Tuesday, as she awaits the verdict of her appeal in one of the biggest corruption prosecutions in history.
Property developer Truong My Lan, 68, was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) — which prosecutors said she controlled — and condemned to die for fraud totaling $27 billion.
In her official handwritten appeal of more than five pages seen by AFP, Lan said the death sentence was “too severe and harsh,” asking the court to consider a more “lenient and humane approach.”
On Tuesday, Lan sat in the front row of the courtroom, waiting to hear if her life would be spared. Next to her was her husband, who is appealing a nine-year sentence for violating banking regulations.
The month-long appeal was attended by more 100 lawyers, according to state media.
Tens of thousands of people who invested their savings in SCB lost money, shocking the communist nation and prompting rare protests from the victims.
According to Vietnamese law, Lan could escape the death penalty if she proactively returns three-quarters of the embezzled assets and is judged to have cooperated sufficiently with authorities.
But prosecutors have argued she has not met the conditions, and emphasized her crime’s consequences were “huge and without precedent.”
Lan, who founded real estate development group Van Thinh Phat, told the court in Ho Chi Minh City “the quickest way” to repay the stolen funds would be “to liquidate SCB, and sell our assets to repay SBV (State Bank of Vietnam) and the people.”
“I feel pained due to the waste of national resources,” Lan said last week, adding she felt “very embarrassed to be charged with this crime.”
Lan owned just five percent of shares in SCB on paper, but at her trial, the court concluded that she effectively controlled more than 90 percent through family, friends and staff.
The State Bank said in April that it pumped funds into SCB to stabilize it, without revealing how much.
Among the assets that Lan and Van Thinh Phat own are a shopping mall, a harbor and luxurious housing complexes in business hub Ho Chi Minh City.
During her first trial in April, Lan was found guilty of embezzling $12.5 billion, but prosecutors said the total damages caused by the scam amounted to $27 billion — equivalent to around six percent of the country’s 2023 GDP.
Lan and dozens of defendants, including senior central bank officials were arrested as part of a national corruption crackdown dubbed the “burning furnace” that has swept up numerous officials and members of Vietnam’s business elite.
A total of 47 other defendants have requested reduced sentences at the appeal.
Last month, Lan was convicted of money laundering and jailed for life in a separate case.

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake
Updated 40 min 1 sec ago
Follow

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake
  • Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated, operate on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as well as tourists
  • The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India

SRINAGAR: Uber launched a water transport hailing service on scenic Dal Lake in the Indian-administered Kashmir region on Monday, offering rides on boats popular with tourists.
Users of the service can book trips on the lake’s traditional wooden Shikara boats if they make reservations at least 12 hours and up to 15 days in advance, Uber officials said.
The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India.
Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated and canopied, operate on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as well as tourists.
Uber will match customers with Shikara operators but will not charge a fee on rides booked through its app. All of the boat ticket paid by passengers would go to the Shikara operator, it said.
“Uber Shikara is our humble attempt to blend technology and tradition to give a seamless experience to travelers for their Shikara ride,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia.
Shikara operators were divided on Uber’s entry to their sector, with some saying it would boost their business now that tourists can book rides well in advance, while others insisted it would make little difference.
“It will boost our business. There will be fixed rates, no cheating, and no scope for bargaining,” said Wali Mohammad Bhatt, president of the Shikara Owners Association.
Shikara operator Shabir Ahmed was skeptical, saying operators would not be impacted.
“We have our own customer base,” he said.
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by India and Pakistan. The part under India’s control — the country’s only Muslim-majority region — has been roiled by violence for decades as militants have fought security forces. 
However, violence has fallen in recent years and the Kashmir Valley — called the Switzerland of India — has seen a gradual rise in the number of tourists.


UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns
Updated 03 December 2024
Follow

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns
  • The incident management team at the NCSC handled 430 incidents in 2024, compared to 371 the previous year, the agency said in the statement

LONDON: Britain’s cybersecurity chief warned on Tuesday of a rise in hostile activity in the country’s cyberspace, with the number of incidents handled by officials rising by 16 percent in 2024 compared to a year ago.
“Hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication and intensity,” the National Cyber Security Center’s Richard Horne will say in a speech later on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the government agency.
“Actors are increasingly using our technology dependence against us, seeking to cause maximum disruption and destruction.”
The incident management team at the NCSC handled 430 incidents in 2024, compared to 371 the previous year, the agency said in the statement.
Of those, 347 involved some level of data exfiltration — the intentional, unauthorized, covert transfer of data from a computer or other device — while 20 involved ransomware, said the NCSC, which is part of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency.
The team issued 542 bespoke notifications informing organizations of a cyber incident impacting them and providing advice on mitigation, more than double the 258 notifications issued last year.
In its annual review published alongside the statement, the NCSC said ransomware attacks posed “the most immediate and disruptive” threat to critical infrastructure like energy, water, transportation, health and telecommunications.
The review also warned of the potential of hackers to exploit AI to create more advanced cyberattacks.
“We believe the severity of the risk facing the UK is being widely underestimated,” Horne is set to say in his speech.
“There is no room for complacency about the severity of state-led threats or the volume of the threat posed by cyber criminals.”


Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
Updated 03 December 2024
Follow

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
  • Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the US ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice.
“Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the USA. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post.
Stephens is the chairman, president and CEO of Little Rock, Arkansas-based financial services firm Stephens Inc., having taken over the firm from his father.
Trump has already named many of his nominees for his Cabinet and high-profile diplomatic posts, assembling a roster of staunch loyalists. Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France.
During his first term, Trump selected Robert “Woody” Johnson, a contributor to his campaign and the owner of the New York Jets football team, as his representative to the United Kingdom.

 


US announces new $725 million package for Ukraine including more mines

US announces new $725 million package for Ukraine including more mines
Updated 14 min 26 sec ago
Follow

US announces new $725 million package for Ukraine including more mines

US announces new $725 million package for Ukraine including more mines
  • It includes anti-personnel land mines, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, counter-drone systems, anti-armor weapons and artillery ammunition, Blinken said in a statement

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday announced a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine that features a second tranche of land mines as well as anti-air and anti-armor weapons.
US President Joe Biden’s administration is working against the clock to provide billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, after which future assistance for Ukraine will be in doubt.
Less than two months before Trump is set to be sworn in, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the package was part of efforts “to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression.”
It includes anti-personnel land mines, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, counter-drone systems, anti-armor weapons and artillery ammunition, Blinken said in a statement.
The United States announced a first shipment of land mines to Ukraine last month — a major policy shift slammed by rights groups.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the decision was necessitated by Russian forces leading with dismounted infantry units instead of vehicles.
The Ukrainians “have a need for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians,” Austin told journalists last month.
The outgoing US administration is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump — who has repeatedly criticized US assistance for Kyiv, claiming he could secure a ceasefire within hours — takes over the presidency.
Trump’s comments have triggered fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of US aid, and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of further American support.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country needed security guarantees from NATO and more weapons to defend itself before any talks with Russia.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Monday that all remaining US funding for Kyiv would be used.
“At the president’s direction, we will spend every dollar that Congress has appropriated for Ukraine and to replenish our stockpiles,” Ryder told journalists.
Speaking prior to the announcement of the latest package, he put the total aid that can still be drawn from US stockpiles at $6.8 billion, while more than $2.2 billion is available to procure weapons and equipment from the defense industry.
Austin spoke on Monday with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, providing “an update on the continued surge of US security assistance to Ukraine to provide the capabilities it needs to defend against Russian aggression,” the Pentagon said.
The United States has been a key military backer of Ukraine, committing more than $60 billion in weapons, ammunition and other security aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.