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☆ Spanish media association files $598 mln lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Meta logo is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Dec 4 (Reuters) - A group representing 83 Spanish media outlets on Monday said it has filed a 550 million euro ($598 million) lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O), citing unfair competition in the advertising market. The lawsuit was filed by the AMI newspaper publishing association in a commercial court on Friday, the association said in a statement on Monday. The complaint is the second time Spanish media are challenging tech companies to protect their turf. In 2014, the Spanish government forced the closure of Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google News service until 2022 when new legislation allowing media outlets to negotiate directly with the tech giant was passed.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, El, Inti Landauro, Jakub Olesiuk, David Goodman, Emelia Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, Meta, AMI, El Pais, ABC, Google, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Spanish

☆ COP28: No-shows and walkouts as Israel-Hamas war looms over crucial climate talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Israeli President Isaac Herzog spent his day on Friday meeting with high-profile leaders at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai. Herzog was supposed to give an address that day calling for action on the climate crisis. The Israel-Hamas war is casting a shadow over the COP28 climate talks. The UK's King Charles III shakes hands with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai on December 1, 2023. The Middle East has long been wracked with conflict, but the climate crisis was one area that was helping repair old rifts.

Persons: Isaac Herzog, Herzog, King Charles III, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cyril Ramaphosa, Israel, Rishi Sunak, Israel “, ” Sunak, Iran doesn’t, It’s, Jordanian King Abdullah II, “, ”, Ulrich Eberle, Biden, ” Eberle, Joe Biden, —, Jordan, Ayman Safadi, Al, haven’t, Alden Meyer, ” Alden, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, United Arab, European Union, United Nations, Hamas, Presidential Press, Reuters, South, Israel, UN, Crisis, Gaza, “, UAE Locations: Dubai, Gaza, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, United Kingdom, India, Israel, Iran, China, Jordanian, SeanGallup, UAE, Palestinian, Al Jazeera, Ukraine

☆ New report says the IDF's elite intelligence unit saw signs Hamas was preparing a terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new report says an elite IDF intelligence unit warned that Hamas was practicing for a big attack. AdvertisementAn elite intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) saw signs that Hamas was preparing for a massive terror attack, but early warnings ultimately went ignored, according to a new report. Unit 8200 is part of the IDF's decades-old Military Intelligence Directorate, which is responsible for collecting and processing intelligence from enemy groups like Hamas. Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesAccording to Channel 12's reporting, the NCO's colleagues did not ignore the warnings, and they even collected intelligence on additional Hamas training a few days later. For example, Israeli intelligence was focused on other threats, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, and downplayed the dangers of Hamas.

Persons: —, Chris McGrath, Paul, didn't, Benjamin Netanyahu, Haim Zach, Handout, it's, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Hamas might've, Alisa Kaff Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Military Intelligence Directorate, Hamas, IDF, West Bank, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Government Press Office, REUTERS Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Bani Suheila, Gaza City, Kibbutz Be'eri, Lebanon, Washington, Tze'elim, what's

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia slams Finland's border closure, warns that tensions could arise if troops are deployed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - OCTOBER 30: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - " KREMLIN PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban (R) in Budapest, Hungary on October 30, 2019. (Photo by Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Hungary's foreign minister told CNBC on Tuesday that Budapest would never deliver weapons to Ukraine to help it fight Russia's invasion, saying Hungary wanted peace in the region. That same day, Finland's foreign minister announced a complete border closure with Russia. It said this "instrumentalized migration," posing "a serious threat to national security and public order." Russia denies the allegations and is yet to respond to the entire border closure.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban Organizations: NATO, Kremlin Press, Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNBC, Russia Locations: Brussels, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, Budapest, Hungary, Moscow

☆ COP28 host UAE lashes out at ‘fake news’ on eve of the major UN climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Blue Zone entrance at the Dubai Exhibition Center ahead of the COP28 climate conference at Expo City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. More than 70,000 politicians, diplomats, campaigners, financiers and business leaders will fly to Dubai to talk about arresting the world's slide toward environmental catastrophe. Photographer: Annie Sakkab/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday hit back at what it described as "fake news" designed to undermine its work as the host of the COP28 climate conference. "This press release was not issued by the COP28 team, has no basis in truth, and must be entirely disregarded as fake news," the official COP28 UAE account said Wednesday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Official COP28 news will only be published via our verified social media and our press office," it added.

Persons: Annie Sakkab, COP28, Sultan Al, Jaber Organizations: Dubai Exhibition Center, Expo, Bloomberg, Getty Images, UNITED, EMIRATES, United, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, Al Locations: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Getty Images Dubai, United Arab, UAE, Abu Dhabi

☆ Watch: Elon Musk Visits Israeli Kibbutz, Discusses Online Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Watch: Elon Musk Visits Israeli Kibbutz, Discusses Online AntisemitismElon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured an Israeli community attacked by Hamas. Musk also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog to discuss rising antisemitism on social media platforms. Photo: Israel Government Press Office/Reuters

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk, Isaac Herzog Organizations: Elon Musk, Israel Government Press Office, Reuters

☆ Meghan and Prince Harry's biographer Omid Scobie says he was harassed and called a 'terrorist' for publicly supporting the couple
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementIt's the day after Thanksgiving and Omid Scobie has been awake since 5 a.m. at his home in California. Scobie can relate to Meghan Markle's experiencesAfter a while, some British publications started referring to Scobie as Meghan and Harry's "mouthpiece" and "cheerleader," he wrote in the book. Despite having her own tormentors to deal with, Meghan reportedly called Scobie in the summer of 2018 to check if he was OK. AdvertisementRepresentatives for the royal family are yet to publicly comment on the book. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Prince Harry said the royals have an "invisible contract" with the tabloids, where they wine and dine certain reporters in exchange for better coverage.

Persons: Omid Scobie, Scobie, —, Queen Elizabeth II's, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Luke Fontana, Harry, Meghan, Meghan Markle's, It's, I've, Duchess, Doria Ragland, Sara Latham, Carolyn Durand, Duke, Duchess of, Harper Collins, King Charles, Prince William's, King Charles and Prince William, Chris Jackson, William, Rebecca English, Oprah Winfrey, you've, Anita Singh, Piers Morgan, Morgan, Queen Camilla Organizations: Service, ABC, Daily Mail, Mail, New York Times, Getty Images, REUTERS, Daily, Sun Locations: California, Harper's, London, British, Iranian, Sussex, Duchess of Sussex, Buckingham, Kensington

☆ Watch: Elon Musk Visits Israeli Kibbutz Attacked by Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Watch: Elon Musk Visits Israeli Kibbutz Attacked by HamasElon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Kfar Aza, one of the Israeli communities attacked by Hamas last month. The visit came amid criticism over alleged antisemitic posts on social-media network X. Photo: Israel Government Press Office/Reuters

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kfar Aza Organizations: Elon Musk, Israel Government Press Office, Reuters

☆ Elon Musk, on Visit to Israel, Says Those Intent on Murder Must Be ‘Neutralized’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Max Colchester | Dov Lieber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Kfar Aza, one of the Israeli communities attacked by Hamas last month. The visit came amid criticism over alleged antisemitic posts on social-media network X. Photo: Israel Government Press Office/ReutersElon Musk said that those “intent on murder must be neutralized” after touring an Israeli community recently attacked by Hamas, just weeks after the billionaire described an antisemitic social-media post on X as “the actual truth.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday took Musk on a tour through Kfar Aza, a kibbutz attacked on Oct. 7. Netanyahu later showed Musk a video of the attacks on Israeli civilians, and the two men then livestreamed a conversation on X.

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kfar Aza, Reuters Elon Musk, Netanyahu Organizations: Israel Government Press Office, Reuters, Monday Locations: Kfar Aza

☆ BREAKING: 25 hostages have been released by Hamas, the first since a four-day truce was called
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( William Edwards | Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

25 hostages were released to Eygpt, the first release since a 4-day cease-fire was called. The released hostages include 12 Thai citizens and 13 other women and children. AdvertisementTwenty-five hostages were released by Hamas on Friday, the latest sign that the conflict between Israel and the militant group is cooling. The deal for the 12 Thai hostages was brokered by the Egyptian government, the country's media office said on Friday. According to the Israeli government's press office, 12 Thai hostages are in Israel now.

Persons: —, Srettha Thavisin Organizations: Service, Thailand's Locations: Israel, Assaf

☆ Fact Check: Post endorsing Trump is not by Javier Milei’s official account
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A message endorsing former U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2024 elections was posted by an account in support of Javier Milei, not by the official account of Argentina’s president-elect. Some users (archived) on Facebook (archived) have shared the message as if it were authentically posted by Milei himself. The bio indicates it is an account in support of Milei. Milei’s press office said in a statement on Nov. 23 that Trump will visit Buenos Aires and meet with Milei following a call between them. The message endorsing Trump was posted by an account in support of Milei, not by Milei’s official account.

Persons: Donald Trump, Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Milei, Trump, Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, Trump, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires

☆ Israel and Hamas agree to hostage deal in a major diplomatic breakthrough
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel's government has approved a hostage deal — a major diplomatic breakthrough amid the war. The outline includes the release of 50 hostages who are in Gaza and the release of 150 Palestinians held in Israel. The deal comes as Israeli forces continue their extensive ground operations in the Gaza Strip. AdvertisementIsrael's cabinet approved a hostage release deal on Wednesday morning local time, a major diplomatic breakthrough that comes more than six weeks into the devastating war between the two sides. Hamas said in a Telegram post that it agreed to the deal and that 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be released.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Haim Zach, Handout, John Kirby, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Emi Palmor, Herzi Halevi Organizations: Service, IDF, NBC News, Israel's, Biden, Government Press Office, US, National Security, Israel's Ministry of Justice, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Locations: Gaza, Israel, US, Qatar, Egypt, Tze'elim, Israeli, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Tehran

The deal also involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of Gaza, the Hamas statement said. Three Americans could be among the 50 women and children freed as part of the deal, senior US officials said. While the deal stipulates the release of at least 50 hostages it “incentivizes the release of everybody,” according to the official. “The hostages deal, as it is structured, includes a pause, a humanitarian pause over a number of days, four to five days at least. Soon after, two Israeli women, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, were also released.

Persons: CNN —, –, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Anat Moshe Shoshany, Nir Oz, ” “, ” Shoshany, “, ” Liz Hirsh Naftali, Abigail Edan, Abigail, ” Naftali, Judith Tai Raanan, Natalie Raanan –, Nurit Cooper, Yocheved Lifshitz, Israel Organizations: CNN, Hamas, US, Qatar, American, Palestinian Prisoners Locations: Gaza, Israel, Nova, Qatar

The Israeli military says Hamas is holding 239 hostages in Gaza, including foreign nationals from dozens of countries, who were taken during the October 7 attack. She would have turned nine on November 17 while in captivity, the single parent, whose wife died of cancer, previously told CNN. While reasonably hopeful that Emily might be among those that will be released, he told CNN on Wednesday that he has heard nothing from the government about her whereabouts or condition. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesAnother family told CNN they face a “terrible week” ahead as they wait to learn whether their loved one will be among the hostages released. Liz Hirsh Naftali, Edan’s great-aunt, told CNN about the “excruciating” wait to hear if her great-niece is coming home.

Persons: Hadas Kalderon, Nir Oz, Kalderon’s, Erez, Ofer, Thomas Hand, “, Emily, Weeks, they’re, Leon Neal, Roman, Yarden, Gat, Abigail Edan, Liz Hirsh Naftali, Edan’s, ”, Abigail, ” Liz Hirsh Naftali, Israel’s, Anat Moshe Shoshany, won’t, she’s, –, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, CNN, Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, Palestinian, ’ Affairs, Hamas Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza

☆ In a Cairo hospital: Guilt, pain and a desperate wait
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Eleni Giokos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Today Wadea’s 9-year-old son, Abdelrahman, shares a hospital room at Nasser Medical Institute with his 14-year-old sister. Injured children board an ambulance to be transferred from Al-Aqsa Hospital to Egypt for medical treatment through Rafah on November 17, 2023. On Monday, 28 babies arrived in Egypt from Gaza at the Rafah crossing, according to an Egyptian government official. One baby was discharged in Gaza and went home with his parents to their temporary shelter, while two others stayed in the ICU unit of the Emirati hospital in Rafah, Gaza. Conditions in Gaza have grown desperate as fuel supplies dwindle, forcing the closure of 26 of the enclave’s 35 hospitals.

Persons: Rami Mahmoud, Elham Maged, Mahmoud, Cairo's, Cairo’s, “, ‘, ” Elham, ”, ’, Adel Hana, God, Rami, Elham, Muhammed Wadea, CNN Muhammed Wadea, Khan Younis, Abdelrahman, Wadea, Riham, Dr, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Mustafa Hassona, CNN's Eleni Giokos, CNN Ghaffar Organizations: CNN, Cairo's Nasser Medical Institute, Cairo’s Nasser Medical Institute, Nasser Medical Institute, Aqsa, Getty, United Nations Locations: Gaza City, Egypt, Gaza, Salah, Israel, Khan, Rafah, Qatar, United States, Al, Anadolu, Gazan

☆ It looks like Elon Musk had son X Æ A-12 in the Starship launch control room amid custody dispute with Grimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementElon Musk wasn't the only celebrity in the control room at SpaceX's Starship flight on Saturday. A screengrab from SpaceX's livestream on X shows Starship lifting off for its second attempt at space. The kid sure looks a lot like Elon Musk's 3-year-old son, X Æ A-12. Kimbal Musk picks up a child as Elon Musk talks with people on SpaceX's livestream of the Starship launch on X. SpaceXX Æ A-12 is one of three children Elon Musk has with Grimes, whose legal name is Claire Boucher. Elon Musk with 3-year-old son X at Tesla plant Gigafactory Texas in Austin, Texas.

Persons: —, Elon, Elon Musk, Kimbal, Kimbal Musk, Grimes, Claire Boucher, Musk, X, Gyula Bartos Organizations: Service, SpaceX, President's Press, AP Locations: Texas, California, Austin , Texas

☆ After U.S. fentanyl deal, China warns against selling chemicals used in narcotics
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An undated handout picture released by Guardia di Finanza shows tools that were seized as a part of an operation against fentanyl trafficking from China to U.S., in Piacenza, Italy. In a circular issued on Thursday, the office of the China National Narcotics Control Commission also cautioned against the risk of running into the "long-arm jurisdiction" of foreign law enforcement agencies. The United States has long sought China's cooperation to stop an illicit flow of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and is increasingly mixed with other drugs, often with lethal results. Under the agreement, China will go directly after specific chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors, a senior U.S. official said. U.S. officials say small chemical businesses in China make precursor chemicals that are shipped to Mexico to produce illicit fentanyl.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Ryan Woo, Miral Organizations: Guardia, Finanza, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, China National Narcotics Control, United, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Piacenza, Italy, Rights BEIJING, United States, San Francisco, Mexico

☆ Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones have lost their edge in Ukraine, but the company behind them is still making a big bet there
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones were a valuable weapon for Ukraine after Russia invaded last year. The TB2 drone has lost much of its utility as Russia's military has adapted to its use, however. AdvertisementA Bayraktar TB2 at a military base in Ukraine in March 2019. Press Office of the President of Ukraine / Mykola Lararenko / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesBaykar has supplied at least 50 TB2 drones to Ukraine to date. Baykar's Bayraktar Akinci drone on display at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in April.

Persons: —, Haluk Bayraktar, Mykola Lararenko, Col, Volodymyr Valiukh, Ali Bakir, Haluk, Bakir, James Rogers, Rogers, Oguz Yeter, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, Press, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Main Intelligence, Business, Baykar, Cornell Brooks School Tech Policy Institute, Istanbul's, Airport Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Turkish, Russian, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Turkey, Ukrainian, Ankara, Syria, Libya, Nagorno, Karabakh, Ethiopia

☆ Italy arrests six in crackdown on fentanyl smuggling from China to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An undated handout picture released by Guardia di Finanza shows banknotes that were seized as a part of an operation against fentanyl trafficking from China to U.S., in Piacenza, Italy. Guardia di Finanza Press Office/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Italian police have arrested six people in a crackdown on a network that allegedly played go-between for fentanyl trafficking from China to the United States, Guardia di Finanza police and prosecutors in the northern city of Piacenza said on Wednesday. Washington is hoping to secure more cooperation from Beijing in combating production of the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, a scourge in the United States, when President Joe Biden meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday. Among those arrested in Italy is the alleged head of the network, a 51-year-old Italian man suspected of buying fentanyl from China over the past three years. He sold it on to buyers in the United States, and in one case in Mexico, the chief prosecutor said.

Persons: Grazia Pradella, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Emilio Parodi, Keith Weir Organizations: Guardia, Finanza, REUTERS Acquire, U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, Reuters, U.S, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Police, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Piacenza, Italy, United States, Guardia, Washington, Beijing, Mexico, Rome, Ukrainian, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, bitcoin

☆ Czech government freezes Russian state's real-estate assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The government press office said the EU country widened its national sanctions list to include a Russian company, which is controlled by the Russian presidential administration, and is in charge of managing Russian assets abroad. "The company's commercial activities are as of today illegal, as well as circumventing and violating this sanction, and its entire assets in the Czech Republic have been frozen," it said. In the Czech Republic, the Russian company manages a number of real estate properties, the Czech government said. The Czech sanctions list goes beyond the EU's sanctions packages and includes six other entities or persons. The Czech Republic has been among the strongest backers of Ukraine since the February 2022 full invasion by Russia.

Persons: Stringer, Putin, CTK, Jan Lipavsky, Jan Lopatka, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Czech, Czech Republic, EU, Russian, Russia, Prague

☆ Czech Government Freezes Russian State's Real-Estate Assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech government said on Wednesday it froze Russian state-owned properties in the Czech Republic, expanding a sanctions list set up in retaliation for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The government press office said the EU country widened its national sanctions list to include a Russian company, which is controlled by the Russian presidential administration, and is in charge of managing Russian assets abroad. "The company's commercial activities are as of today illegal, as well as circumventing and violating this sanction, and its entire assets in the Czech Republic have been frozen," it said. In the Czech Republic, the Russian company manages a number of real estate properties, the Czech government said. The Czech sanctions list goes beyond the EU's sanctions packages and includes six other entities or persons.

Persons: Putin, CTK, Jan Lipavsky, Jan Lopatka, Matthew Lewis Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, Czech Republic, Ukraine, EU, Russian, Russia, Prague

☆ Billionaire FBI informant Peter Thiel dished about two Kremlin invites to private Putin meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Hans-Martin Tillack | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

It was Angermayer who introduced Bisslinger to Thiel at the party, Thiel would later tell the FBI. After some small talk, Bisslinger made a pitch to Thiel: Thiel should travel to Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. If Thiel chose to attend, Bisslinger said, Bisslinger would arrange for him to meet privately with Putin. "Even if Mr. Angermayer did introduce Mr. Thiel and Mr. Bisslinger," the lawyers wrote in another letter, "Mr. Angermayer is not—and cannot be—responsible for whatever Mr. Bisslinger and Mr. Thiel may or may not have discussed." At his 40th birthday, he connected Peter Thiel with a Russian diplomat, Thiel later told the FBI.

Persons: Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer, Thiel, Daniil Bisslinger, Bisslinger, Vladimir Putin's, Angermayer, Putin, Maksim Konstantinov, —, Frank Figliuzzi, Vladimir Putin, — Charles Johnson —, Johnathan Buma, Johnson, Welt, Dmitry Peskov, John Lamparski, Donald Trump, — Thiel, Der Spiegel, he'd, Elon Musk, Musk, Thiel —, he's, Palantir, He's, Uma Thurman, Robbie Williams, Queen Latifah, Paul Kagame, Dan McCrum, John Kerry, Richard Grenell, Kerry, Sensei Biotherapeutics, Trump, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Maureen Dowd, Alexander Schütz, Eva Schütz, Schütz, — Heinz, Christian Strache, Markus Braun, Jan Marsalek, Marsalek, Caroline Haskins, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Mattathias Schwartz, Hans, Martin Tillack Organizations: Kremlin, Tech, Pentagon, CIA, Facebook, SpaceX, Kremlin's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Embassy, Thiel, St ., Economic, Getty, FBI, Atlantic, Bisslinger, Germany, Elon, Russia, NSA, US Special Operations Command, National Health Service, Apeiron Investment, Munich Security, intel, Trump, State Department, Angermayer's, PayPal, Nasdaq, Sciences, The New York Times, Deutsche Bank, Welt Locations: Silicon Valley, Schloss Neuwaldegg, Vienna, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Berlin, Russia, St, St . Petersburg, Petersburg, Ukraine, Europe, Germany, NATO, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Palantir, Washington, Rwanda, Baltic, Belarus, Iran, Angermayer's Malta, Munich, China, China's, Austrian, Austria, Exxpress, Wirecard, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Ukraine military says onslaught on Avdiivka in the east intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A police officer walks near a damaged residential building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 17, 2023. Russian forces have focused on the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since their drive on Kyiv stalled in the first days of the invasion in February 2022. Oleksandr Borodin, press officer for Ukraine's third separate assault brigade, said Russian forces were launching major infantry attacks, while trying to keep equipment intact. Russian forces, he told Espreso, were unable to replenish supplies quickly and Ukrainian defensive positions were solid. Russia's Defence Ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian troops and equipment near Bakhmut.

Persons: Yevhen, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksandr Borodin, Borodin, Espreso, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Ukraine's, Staff, Russian, Russia's, Russia's Defence Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Donetsk, Luhansk, Ukrainian, Israel, Bakhmut, Kupiansk, Skadovsk, Russian, Kherson

☆ News outlets deny prior knowledge of Hamas attack after Israeli government demands answers over misleading report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The first pictures AP received from any freelancer show they were taken more than an hour after the attacks began. In a statement, CNN said Eslaiah was not working for the network on the day of the attack. “We had no prior knowledge of the October 7th attacks,” a CNN spokesperson said. A member of Israel’s war cabinet, Benny Gantz, also used the report to question whether journalists had prior knowledge of the attack. The Committee to Protect Journalists denounced the Israeli government’s rhetoric, warning it could put media workers in harm’s way.

Persons: Hassan Eslaiah, ” Lauren Easton, “, ”, ” Easton, Eslaiah, “ Hassan Eslaiah, Israel, Yousef Massoud, Yousef, photojournalists, HonestReporting, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Kaiser Organizations: CNN, Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, Israel, AP, ” Reuters, Hamas, “ Reuters, The Times, Government Press, Journalists, Protect Journalists Locations: Gaza, ”, Israel

☆ Italy judge seizes 780 mln euros from Airbnb in tax probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A woman talks on the phone at the Airbnb office headquarters in the SOMA district of San Francisco, California, U.S., August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 6 (Reuters) - An Italian judge has ordered the seizure of 779.5 million euros ($836.40 million) from short-term rentals platform Airbnb's Ireland unit for alleged tax evasion, Milan prosecutors' office said on Monday. The probe concerns Airbnb's (ABNB.O) alleged failure to withold 21% of landlords' rental income and pay it to Italian tax authorities, as required by a 2017 law, prosecutors in the northern Italian city said in a statement. Airbnb's Italian press office did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration is meanwhile planning a crackdown on tax cheating on short-term rentals, and wants to raise taxes from 21% to 26% for owners of multiple short-term rental properties.

Persons: Gabrielle Lurie, Milan, Giorgia, Emilio Parodi, Alvise, Chris Reese, Franklin Paul, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, EU, Justice, Thomson Locations: SOMA, San Francisco , California, U.S, Italian

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