Congress bestows highest honor on 13 troops killed during Afghanistan withdrawal

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday presented Congress’ highest honor — the Congressional Gold Medal — to 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, even as the politics of a presidential election swirled around the event. Both Democrats and Republicans supported the legislation to posthumously honor the 13…

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Blinken, Lammy stress importance of Taiwan Strait status quo in US-UK talks

State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy addressed Indo-Pacific security and highlighted the need to maintain the status quo on the Taiwan Strait during their U.S.-U.K. Strategic Dialogue, underscoring its global significance.  “We also discussed joint efforts to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and freedom…

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US senator blocks promotion of top aide to Defense Secretary Austin

washington — Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is blocking the quick promotion of the top military aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over concerns that he and other senior staff did not immediately notify President Joe Biden when Austin was hospitalized with complications from cancer treatment earlier this year.  Biden in July nominated Lieutenant General Ronald Clark…

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Zimbabwe rolls out hefty fines for poor telecommunications services

Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government has introduced hefty fines of up to $5,000 for poor service in the country’s telecommunications industry. In a statement Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera said the government will levy fines of between $200 and $5,000 per infringement for telecommunications companies and internet providers who fail to give reliable service. Willard…

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Google loses final EU court appeal against $2.7 billion fine in antitrust shopping case  

London — Google lost its final legal challenge on Tuesday against a European Union penalty for giving its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage over rivals in search results, ending a long-running antitrust case that came with a whopping fine.  The European Union’s Court of Justice upheld a lower court’s decision, rejecting the company’s appeal against…

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Experts applaud steps US steps to disrupt Russian disinformation 

washington — The U.S. Justice Department announced September 4 that two Russian nationals, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, had been charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the Southern District of New York. “The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media…

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US charges 2 in Telegram terror plot against minorities, officials, infrastructure

WASHINGTON — Two people who prosecutors say were motivated by white supremacist ideology have been arrested on charges that they used the social media messaging app Telegram to encourage acts of violence against minorities, government officials and critical infrastructure in the United States, the Justice Department said Monday.  The defendants, identified as Dallas Erin Humber and…

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