List of All Articles with Tag 'as'

By Dave Sherwood HAVANA (Reuters) -When the U.S. embassy in Havana reopened last May to Cubans seeking visas after a

China has been using Cuba as a spy base since at least 2019, the White House confirmed on Saturday. It was reported last week that Cuba and China had reached an agreement in principle to build a spy base on the island. The Wall Street Journal, quoting senior US officials familiar with the matter, reported that China planned on paying Cuba billions of dollars in exchange. Initially, the White House said that the report was inaccurate. However, on Saturday, it said: “This is an ongoing issue and not a new development.” It claimed though that “the arrangement as characterised in the reporting does not comport with our understanding.” The statement said that Joe Biden upon joining office in January 2021 was briefed on China’s efforts to expand its global military and intelligence presence. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] conducted an upgrade of its intelligence collection facilities in Cuba in 2019. This is well-documented in the intelligence record.” It said the Chinese government “will keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba, and we will keep working to disrupt it”. The statement added: “We think the PRC isn’t quite where they had hoped to be.” It also claimed that the US has taken diplomatic and other steps to “slow down” the Chinese government in Cuba. The WSJ had earlier reported that an electronic eavesdropping station on the island would allow Beijing to gather electronic communications from the southeastern United States, home to many US military bases, as well as monitor ship traffic. China, meanwhile, accused the US of “spreading rumours and slander” and called the US “the most powerful hacker empire in the world”. “As we all know, spreading rumours and slander is a common tactic of the United States,” Wang Wenbin, spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry said. “The United States is also the most powerful hacker empire in the world, and also veritably a major monitoring nation.” Read More Honduras opens embassy in China after breaking off ties with Taiwan Ex-governor general examining allegations of Chinese meddling in Canada steps down China calls US the ‘most powerful hacker empire’ as it denies deal to set up Cuba spy station

An "ambitious" all-Ireland rail review is understood to be delayed because of the Stormont crisis.

A severe cyclone is set to hit Pakistan and the west coast of India, home to major ports

The policy chief for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party said a no-confidence motion being considered by an opposition

A photo of Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow went viral due in part because he shared a resemblance to a famous actor.The Tampa Bay Rays had gotten off to a great start to the 2023 season, holding the best record in the entire American League entering Friday, June 9. The Rays' g...

The Confederation of British Industry has been abandoned by major sponsors of its annual conference, posing another challenge

A US citizen has been detained in Russia on drug trafficking charges, local reports said. According to Moscow’s courts of general jurisdiction, the man was detained on Saturday when “the Khamovniki District Court of Moscow took a preventive measure against an American citizen”. In a statement on Telegram, the court described the man as a “former paratrooper and musician” who is now “accused of engaging in the narcotics business through attracting young people”. “A preventative measure in the form of detention was taken,” the statement added, according to CNN. Russia’s TASS news agency quoted a US State Department spokesperson as saying that the US was aware of the reports that an American had been detained in Moscow. “The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad. We are aware of reports of the recent arrest of a US citizen in Moscow,” the spokesperson said. “When a US citizen is detained overseas, the Department pursues consular access as soon as possible and works to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.” The man will reportedly remain in custody in Moscow until 6 August 2023. Russian media reported that the US citizen is charged with large-scale illegal production, sale or trafficking of narcotic drugs. The US state department reportedly declined to identify the man citing privacy considerations but the Russian local media revealed the identity of the American. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

NFL training camp is not far away, which means that one team will be covered by HBO on "Hard Knocks." Here are the four candidates to appear on the show.The start of the 2023 NFL regular season is not far off. Mandatory minicamps have begun for some teams as of this writing, which mean...

Former president Donald Trump delivered a defiant speech in North Carolina on Saturday night despite being indicted just days before, taking swipes at the Justice Department, the investigation that led to the indictment and even his Republican opponents. Mr Trump took the stage at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro for the North Carolina GOP Convention, where he received an overwhelming reception despite his increasing legal woes. The Independent first reported that the Justice Department was ready to seek an indictment agianst Mr Trump, who now faces 37 charges related to his improper handling of classified materials. A federal grand jury under the supervision of special c ounsel Jack Smith indicted Mr Trump on on a slew of charges, including showing highly classified information to unauthorised people on two separate occasions. Mr Trump proclaimed his innocence onstage in North Carolina, calling the indictment a plot by “the radical left Democrats” and their “lawless partisan prosecutors.” “They say, well, we want to run against Trump, in the meantime, we got 5,000 prosecutors after us because they don’t want to run against us,” he said. “We beat them the first time, we did much better the second time.” The speech was Mr Trump’s second in the day at a state party convention. Earlier in the day, he spoke at Georgia’s state party convention, where he excoriated Mr Smith and the probe that led to the former president’s second criminal indictment. Mr Trump called the indictment a “witch hunt,” like the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as his first and second impeachment. “It’s called election interference,” he said. “Remember, it’s not me they’re going to go after when you think of it.” Mr Trump then used his indictment to make the case that he is the best-qualified Republican because he’s able to absorb the blows and scrutiny, arguing that other GOP hopefuls would not be able to stand the onslaught. “That person will not be able to withstand the fire,” he said. “And they come to me, ‘How do you stand this?’ And I usually look at them and say, ‘In a sick way I sort of enjoy it.” The former president criticised the media for not focusing on supposed corruption from President Joe Biden and his administration or the fact that President Joe Biden president found classified documents at the Biden Centre at the University of Pennsylvania and his private residence in Delaware. The difference between the incumbent president and his predecessor is that Mr Biden and his legal team quickly alerted the US government of the records and expedited their return. Mr Trump, according to prosecutors, went to great lengths to prevent the handover of classified material in his possession. As the 2024 GOP races comes into focus, Mr Trump also used the speech to attack his main rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, whom he has taken to calling “Ron DeSanctimonious” or DeSantus for short. “We are leading Desanctimonious by massive numbers,” he said. “He’s heading south quickly. No personality. You gotta have a personality to win. He’s got no personality.” The former president credited himself with getting Mr DeSantis elected governor in 2018 as he endorsed the then-congressman in the Republican gubernatorial primary that year. Mr Trump’s words came despite the fact that Mr DeSantis decried the indictment of the former president, arguing that it showed a two-tiered system of justice. Earlier in the day, former president Mike Pence addressed a much smaller ballroom here, accusing Mr Trump of backing down from the fight against abortion despite the fact he nominated the justices who overturned Roe v Wade. But Mr Trump took credit for the victory of the conservative and anti-abortion movement. “What I did by killing Roe v Wade, which everyone said was impossible,” he said. “Number one, we got it sent back to the states. And number two, and very importantly, I gave you power to negotiate. You had no power before.” The former president repeated some of his more popular lines such as banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and railing against vaccine mandates in schools. Mr Trump ended his speech with a defiant tone ahead of his court date in Miami next week. “These radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections using law enforcement,” he said. “It’s totally corrupt and we can’t let it happen. This is the final battle.” Read More Trump news – latest: Trump rages at ‘joke’ indictment and says DeSantis can’t win 2024 with ‘no personality’ Trump attacks special counsel Jack Smith in post-indictment speech with bizarre claim Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

This week, Texas beachgoers along the Gulf Coast may have observed a startling sight along the coastlines: possibly thousands of dead fish washed up on the sand.

Arcangelo is the winner of the 2023 Belmont Stakes, beating the leading National Treasure and the favored Forte on Saturday. Now let's look at the betting payouts.On Saturday, June 10, the final leg of the 2023 Triple Crown took place. Mage picked up the win at the Kentucky Derby, while Nat...