SEC, DOJ Officials’ Past Handling of Menendez Talks Under NJ Review
The New Jersey attorney general’s office is reviewing the conduct of two law enforcement officials as part of
2023-12-02 05:57
Global Red Cross suspends Belarus chapter after its chief boasted of bringing in Ukrainian children
The International Red Cross on Friday suspended the Belarusian chapter after its chief stirred international outrage for boasting that it was actively ferrying Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled areas to Belarus. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies halted the membership of the Belarus branch after it refused to oust its leader Dzmitry Shautsou. He is accused of having breached the Red Cross' much-vaunted and much-defended standards of neutrality and integrity. The board of IFRC had given the Belarus Red Cross until Nov. 30 to dismiss him, and said it would suspend the branch if it didn't. “The suspension means that the Belarus Red Cross loses its rights as a member of the IFRC,” the Geneva-based international organization said in a statement Friday. "Any new funding to the Belarus Red Cross will also be suspended.” Shautsou, in comments to the state Belta news agency, called the decision to suspend the Belarus Red Cross from the IFRC “absolutely politicized.” He said he went to the occupied areas in eastern Ukraine “to prove that children that undergo health improvement in Belarus return home safely.” Last year, the Belarus Red Cross received nearly 1.7 million Swiss francs ($1.9 million) from the the IFRC for services like HIV prevention, support for migrants near the border with Poland, “clown therapy” and help for people fleeing neighboring Ukraine. This year, the outlay has been more than 1 million francs. Shautsou was seen publicly wearing military fatigues with the “Z” insignia of Russian forces, and he claimed publicly that he favored deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus. He also told Belarusian television that the Belarus Red Cross was actively involved in bringing Ukrainian children to Belarus for “health improvement” purposes. Belarus has been Moscow’s closest ally since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, when its authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko allowed the Kremlin to send troops and weapons into Ukraine from Belarus. Russia has also deployed tactical nuclear weapons there. More than 2,400 Ukrainian children aged 6-17 have been brought to Belarus from four Ukrainian regions that have been partially occupied by Russian forces, according to a recent study by Yale University. The Belarusian opposition is seeking an international probe into the effort and says Lukashenko and his officials should be held accountable for it. The Belarus Red Cross has maintained that it did not take part in the removal of the children from Ukraine, and that the transfers were arranged by a Belarusian charity founded by state-backed Paralympic athlete Alexei Talai. Shautsou, however, in a report aired by the state TV channel Belarus 1 was seen visiting the occupied Ukrainian region of Luhansk and said that his organization took “an active part” in the transfers. An internal IFRC probe found that the Belarus Red Cross said Shautsou was “found to be solely responsible for the allegations.” It also determined that another organization was responsible for moving children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, and the Belarus Red Cross’ involvement was only within Belarus. It did not specify the other organization. The IFRC spells the name of the secretary-general of Belarus Red Cross as Dmitry Shevtsov. The Belarus Red Cross told The Associated Press on Friday that Shautsou will continue to run the group and that its board gathered on Friday to discuss financials and plans for 2024 “with the current situation taken into account.” Read More Indiana coroner identifies remains of teen girl found buried on land of man charged in her death A Kansas woman died in an apartment fire. Her family blames the 911 dispatch center's mistakes 5 takeaways from AP's Black attorneys general interviews about race, justice and politics Putin orders the Russian military to add 170,000 troops for a total of 1.32 million Man pleads guilty to 2022 firebombing of Wisconsin anti-abortion office Kenyan cult leader sentenced to 18 months for film violations but still not charged over mass graves
2023-12-02 05:53
Italy Weathers Scope Scrutiny to Extend Meloni’s Month of Wins
Italy was kept at three steps above junk by Scope Ratings, extending Premier Giorgia Meloni’s victory lap after
2023-12-02 05:51
Indiana coroner identifies remains of teen girl found buried on land of man charged in her death
An Indiana coroner has identified the remains of a 17-year-old girl who vanished in June and whose body was found this week in a box buried on land owned by a man now charged in her slaying
2023-12-02 05:49
Dolphins vs. Commanders will be Mike McDaniel's return to Washington, a key stop in his career
Mike McDaniel often refers to his time in Washington as one of the most formative periods of his coaching career
2023-12-02 05:47
S&P 500 rises to highest close of 2023 amid rate cut optimism
NEW YORKThe benchmark S&P 500 index closed at its highest level of the year on Friday amid growing
2023-12-02 05:45
How Sandra Day O’Connor Beat the Odds, Ruled the Court, and Became the Most Powerful Woman in America
Discover how Sandra Day O’Connor overcame the odds to become the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice.
2023-12-02 05:45
Trump attorney says trial during campaign would be 'election interference' if he is GOP nominee
An attorney for former President Donald Trump says it would amount to “election interference” if his client is the Republican nominee for president while on trial in Georgia in the months running up to the general election
2023-12-02 05:29
California cities and farms will get 10% of requested state water supplies when 2024 begins
California water agencies serving 27 million people will get 10% of the water they requested from state supplies to start 2024 due to a relatively dry fall
2023-12-02 05:27
Reaction to the death of former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
(Reuters) -Here are reactions to the death of retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme
2023-12-02 05:26
West Virginia AD Wren Baker retains football coach Neal Brown after 8-4 regular season
West Virginia coach Neal Brown will keep his job next season
2023-12-02 05:23
Brink's 25 points and 12 rebounds carry No. 3 Stanford to 85-44 rout of San Diego State
Cameron Brink had 25 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots in 25 minutes for No. 3 Stanford, which routed San Diego State 85-44 and moved Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer one victory closer to history
2023-12-02 05:23