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☆ U.S. fugitive ‘Fat Leonard’ seeks Venezuelan asylum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Leonard Glenn Francis slipped away from house arrest in San Diego on Sept. 4, only weeks before he was to be sentenced. By law the Venezuelan government must consider the asylum request. Venezuelan officials have said he intended to reach Russia. Leonard Glenn Francis, the CEO of Glenn Defense Marine Asia of Singapore. The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment when asked about Francis’ request for asylum in Venezuela.

☆ Hurricane Ian makes landfall over western Cuba, with Florida in its sights
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Local residents fill sandbags, as Hurricane Ian spun toward the state carrying high winds, torrential rains and a powerful storm surge, at Ben T. Davis Beach in Tampa, Florida, U.S., September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 27 (Reuters) - Hurricane Ian made landfall over western Cuba on Tuesday and was headed for the west coast of Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Ian is expected to strengthen on Tuesday after emerging over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, reaching Category 4 strength before it approaches the Florida west coast, the NHC said. A life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds, flash floods and possible mudslides are expected in portions of western Cuba on Tuesday, the NHC added. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Brijesh Patel and Deep Vakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden assures Florida mayors of federal help as Hurricane Ian nears
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has called mayors in three Florida cities as Hurricane Ian nears the state to assure them federal support is pre-positioned to deploy food, shelter and help after the storm passes. Biden also told the mayors it was important to encourage residents to heed evacuation orders, according to a read out of the call provided by the White House. FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said the agency is most concerned about storm surges and the slow pace of the storm, which could batter Florida's west coast for a sustained period. The Category 3 hurricane slammed into western Cuba on Tuesday, forcing evacuations, cutting power to nearly 1 million people and tearing roofs off homes as it tracked northward toward Florida, where residents anxiously await the sprawling storm. The U.S. government already has in place 128,000 gallons of fuel, 300 Army Corp of Engineer personnel, 3.7 million meals and over 3 million gallons of water, 29 Red Cross shelters, 200 ambulances and four medical teams, Criswell said.

☆ Amazon temporarily closes some Florida warehouses as Hurricane Ian approaches
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is temporarily closing warehouses in parts of Florida as Hurricane Ian churns toward the state. The company on Tuesday shuttered sites near Tampa and Orlando, according to notices sent to employees and reviewed by CNBC. The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday upgraded Hurricane Ian to a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. Amazon is the latest company to adjust its operations as Hurricane Ian approaches the southeastern coast. WATCH: Florida's Gulf Coast braces for Hurricane Ian to make landfall

☆ House Jan. 6 panel postpones hearing set for Wednesday due to Hurricane Ian
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

US Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot speaks during a House Select Committee hearing to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 13, 2022. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is postponing its next public hearing due to a major hurricane, the leaders of the panel announced Tuesday. "In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow's proceedings," Thompson and Cheney said. The delay came after Hurricane Ian, a Category 3 storm expected to wallop Florida with high winds and heavy rainfall, made landfall in Cuba. The committee also faces an end-of-the-year deadline to submit a final report to the president and Congress containing its findings and recommendations.

☆ Jan. 6 committee postpones Wednesday hearing as Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The panel cited Hurricane Ian, which is set to hit Florida on Wednesday, as reason for the delay. Chairman Bennie G. Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney released a Tuesday statement announcing that the panel's next public hearing, which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, will be postponed. "In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow's proceedings," the lawmakers said. Sewing up 'loose ends'January 6 committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin told reporters that the goal of the ninth – and presumably last – public hearing was to sew up "some loose ends." "People understand that the former president wouldn't take no for an answer," Raskin told reporters outside the US Capitol on September 22.

☆ Morning Bid: Eye of the storm
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYA look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. As Hurricane Ian raged and set its sights on Cuba and Florida, a global financial storm in bond and currency markets calmed moderately - though likely only temporarily. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFor all its potential destruction, Ian doesn't yet appear on the world markets radar. UK debt auctions this week will be watched very closely. But this may be the eye of the storm.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationNEW YORK, Sept 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - American presidents often use economic sanctions as a geopolitical lever against countries with whom they are in conflict but have stopped short of a shooting war. Yet while sanctions can inflict severe economic pain, history suggests they lack a decisive political punch. The sanctions against Russia were swift and closely coordinated. Meanwhile, authorities slapped targeted sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals, defense and transport firms, financial institutions, tech groups and energy companies. Economic restrictions sped up the country’s transition from apartheid to majority rule by the African National Congress.

Local residents fill sandbags, as Hurricane Ian spun toward the state carrying high winds, torrential rains and a powerful storm surge, at Ben T. Davis Beach in Tampa, Florida, U.S., September 26, 2022. Before heading to Florida, Hurricane Ian slammed into Cuba, forcing evacuations, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of people and swamping fishing villages. A Category 3 storm features maximum sustained winds of up to 129 miles per hour (208 km per hour). "I wasn't particularly scared until I saw the storm track this morning," Martino, 78, said as she prepared to go to her son's house north of Tampa. If Ian strikes Tampa, it would be the first hurricane to make landfall in the area since the Tarpon Springs storm in 1921.

☆ Millions in Florida urged to evacuate as Hurricane Ian nears
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A man runs by a boarded up storefront, as Hurricane Ian spins toward the state carrying high winds, torrential rains and a powerful storm surge, in the downtown area of Tampa, Florida, U.S., September 27, 2022. The latest 8 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) hurricane advisory put Ian's top winds at 120 mph (195 km per hour). Ian was most likely to come ashore south of Tampa near Sarasota, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Parts of central Florida could see as much of 2 feet (0.6 meter) of rain from Ian, according to the National Weather Service. If Ian strikes Tampa, it would be the first hurricane to make landfall in the area since the Tarpon Springs storm in 1921.

Hurricane Ian continues to strengthen as Florida and Cuba brace for strong winds and possible floods this week. Currently, in the western Caribbean Sea about 195 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba, Ian has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, with higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. A hurricane warning is in place for the Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio and Artemisa while a hurricane watch was issued along the west coast of Florida from north of Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay. The hurricane is forecast to bring 8 to 15 inches of rain to central West Florida, 3 to 8 inches to the rest of the Florida Peninsula and 4 to 6 inches to the Keys. This rain can cause flash and urban flooding mid-to-late week in central Florida as well as across the Florida Keys and peninsula through midweek.

☆ Venezuela rejects U.N. report detailing rights abuses, torture allegations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Hector Constant Rosales, Venezuela’s ambassador in Geneva, rejected the report released last week by the experts working for the U.N.’s Human Rights Council as a “pseudo report” that masked “obscure interests” opposed to the South American country. The government had not previously responded to the report — the third in a series from the council’s fact-finding mission on Venezuela. It also said Maduro had ordered torture in some cases, but provided no details of specific instances. The main targets included opposition leaders, students, journalists and people working for nongovernmental organizations, it said. Maduro’s government has not allowed the U.N.-backed experts to enter Venezuela or responded to over 20 letters they sent to authorities.

☆ Cuba approves same-sex marriage in unusual referendum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The code would allow surrogate pregnancies, broader rights for grandparents in regard to grandchildren, protection of the elderly and measures against gender violence. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has promoted the law acknowledged questions about the measure as he voted on Sunday. The measure had been approved by Cuba’s Parliament, the National Assembly, after years of debate about such reforms. But there is a strong strain of social conservatism in Cuba and several religious leaders have expressed concern or opposition to the law., worrying it could weaken nuclear families. That has meant a greater opening not only the once-dominant Roman Catholic Church, but also to Afro-Cuban religions, protestants and Muslims.

☆ Track Hurricane Ian's path as it takes aim at Florida's west coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | Mirna Alsharif Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Hurricane Ian is set to take aim at Florida's west coast as early as Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. "A few tornadoes" are also possible late Monday night and Tuesday "across the Florida Keys and the southern and central Florida Peninsula." What initially formed as Tropical Depression Nine early Friday morning strengthened that night into Tropical Storm Ian, the NHC said. The hurricane is forecast to bring 8 to 15 inches to central West Florida, 3 to 8 inches to the rest of the Florida Peninsula and 4 to 6 inches to the Keys. On Saturday, the governor expanded that to apply statewide, citing the risk of a major hurricane making landfall on Florida’s western coast.

☆ Ian strengthens into hurricane as Cuba, Florida brace for floods
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Tropical storm Ian strengthened into a hurricane Monday as Florida prepared for possible floods this week. "Ian will then emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, and pass west of the Florida Keys late Tuesday, and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday," it said. Earlier, the NHC had warned of the possibility of “considerable flooding impacts” later this week in west central Florida. In photos captured Sunday, residents in Tampa, Florida, could be seen filling sandbags to help prevent against flooding ahead of the storm. "Life-threatening" storm surge and hurricane-force winds are also expected to hit parts of western Cuba starting late Monday, with Ian expected to be at or near major hurricane strength by the time it nears western Cuba.

☆ Hurricane Ian Path: What to Know as Strong Storm Threatens Cuba, Florida
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ian strengthened into a hurricane Monday morning as it closed in on Cuba, where it could bring rain, floods and mudslides, and threatened Florida’s western coast, hurricane forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center urged residents in Cuba and Florida to prepare for a possible major hurricane this week, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival.

☆ Crédit Agricole Subsidiaries to Settle Alleged Violations of U.S. Sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Two subsidiaries of French bank Crédit Agricole Group’s corporate and investment banking arm have agreed to pay more than $1.12 million in civil penalties to settle alleged violations of U.S. sanctions, the Treasury Department said on Monday. Separately, CFM Indosuez Wealth, a Monaco-based indirect subsidiary also of Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, has agreed to pay $401,039 for allegedly violating sanctions against Cuba, Iran and Syria, OFAC said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. PREVIEW Representatives of Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The two subsidiaries were responsible for implementing the compliance policies of their two parents, Crédit Agricole SA and its investment banking arm, but failed to do so from as early as 2011 until 2016, according to OFAC.

Ian was in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday night, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said, but the storm was intensifying. It was forecast to skirt western Florida on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida because of the threat, and the Florida National Guard activated 2,500 service members. Tropical storm warnings covered the Cuban provinces of La Habana, Mayabeque and Matanzas, and Little Cayman and Cayman Brac were under a tropical storm watch. The entire western coast of Florida is vulnerable to storm surge, said Rhome, of the National Hurricane Center.

A man collects empty cans at the seafront ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Ian in Havana, Cuba, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Hurricane Ian is expected to hammer western Cuba late in the day with heavy winds and rain and a potentially life-threatening storm surge after strengthening overnight from a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday. "Devastating wind damage is possible where the core of Ian moves across western Cuba," the center said. The U.S. hurricane center said the highest risk of life-threatening storm surge would occur along Florida's western coast from Fort Myers to the Tampa Bay region. In Cuba, officials have placed the island's western provinces under a hurricane alert and have announced plans for allocating food and evacuating people from low-lying areas.

The storm, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to make landfall in Cuba on Monday evening. Lugo was one of many Florida residents preparing for flooding from torrential rains could submerge streets and homes. In a grocery store in St. Petersburg, across the state on the Gulf Coast, only empty cardboard boxes remained where the store normally stocks distilled water. "This is a really big storm," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a morning news conference, noting that the storm could potentially envelope both coasts of the state. From there, Ian could either make landfall north of Tampa Bay early on Friday or turn northwest toward Florida's Panhandle.

☆ Cuba votes to legalize same-sex marriage, decades after LGBTQ people in the country were persecuted and sent to labor camps
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Cuba has voted to legalize same-sex marriage, election officials said on Monday. The country voted in a referendum to amend its Family Code, which is part of the constitution. Decades ago, LGBTQ people in Cuba were persecuted and sent to labor camps. According to election results, around two-thirds of people who voted in the referendum did so in favor of the amendments. It's a significant moment for the island country which, during the 1960s and 1970s, persecuted LQBTQ people and sent to labor camps.

☆ Cubans approve gay marriage by large margin in referendum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Marc Frank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A voter casts his vote at a polling station during the new Family Code referendum in Havana, Cuba, September 25, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Cubans approved gay marriage and adoption overwhelmingly in a Sunday referendum backed by the government that also boosted rights for women, the national election commission said on Monday. "Justice has been done," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote in a tweet. The 100-page "family code" legalizes same-sex marriage and civil unions, allows same-sex couples to adopt children, and promotes equal sharing of domestic rights and responsibilities between men and women. Preliminary results from the electoral commission showed 74% of 8.4 million Cubans eligible to vote participated in the Sunday referendum.

☆ A CIA doctor investigating the mysterious Havana syndrome says he got symptoms of the illness himself
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A CIA doctor dispatched to investigate the so-called Havana syndrome opened up about his own illness. The anonymous doctor told CNN he started experiencing symptoms of the syndrome himself while in Cuba. Reports of this syndrome, nicknamed "Havana syndrome" because of where it was first reported in late 2016, are officially referred to as "anomalous health incidents" (AHIs). Andrews was awakened by a sudden loud noiseAndrews told CNN that he was in "disbelief" when he started experiencing the symptoms himself. The so-called Havana syndrome has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, as more and more US cases have been reported.

☆ Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida's Gulf Coast, canceling Biden rally and bringing Ron DeSantis his biggest storm test as governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency in Florida as the response kicks into high gear. "We know we are going to have some major impacts throughout the state of Florida," said DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis' emergency declaration also allows Floridians to bypass typical time limits on prescriptions and stock up early. In a press conference Monday afternoon in Largo, Florida, state Attorney General Ashley Moody reminded businesses that Florida law prohibits them from price gouging supplies people will need. "Our entire county is going to feel some type of impact," Cathie Perkins, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, said at the Largo press conference.

President Joe Biden on Saturday approved an emergency declaration for Florida as the state faces a potential major hurricane from what is now Tropical Storm Ian, the White House said. It could approach Florida’s western coast by Wednesday or Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. On Saturday, the governor expanded that to apply statewide, citing the risk of a major hurricane making landfall on Florida’s western coast. A hurricane warning was in place for Grand Cayman and tropical storm watches were in place for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Ten people died in the U.S. directly from the storms, and there were 82 “indirect” deaths, most of which were in Florida, according to a National Hurricane Center report.

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