Skip to main content

Israeli occupier attacks threaten historic Christian presence in West Bank town

In Taybeh, one of the few Palestinian communities with a Christian majority in the occupied West Bank, fears are growing that Israeli occupier attacks on farmland and property could push more families to emigrate, threatening the town’s demographic character and historic Christian presence. Local officials and clergy warned of the impact of rising violence by Israeli occupiers, which has coincided with worsening living and economic conditions in the town. Taybeh, east of Ramallah, is one of the few Palestinian towns in the West Bank that still has a Christian majority, according to church and local accounts. Residents say the town’s Christian roots go back thousands of years. Residents say the attacks have deepened fears in the town, even as they stress their determination to remain on their land. Also Read: Pakistan raises red flag over illegal settlements in West Bank, calls for Israel accountability In recent years, Israeli occupiers have established several ill...

US seeks 3 years prison for Binance founder Zhao

US prosecutors want Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, to serve three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating laws against money laundering. Prosecutors made the request in a Tuesday night filing in Seattle federal court. They said sentencing Zhao to twice the maximum 18 months recommended under federal guidelines would reflect the magnitude of his wilful violations, and send a message that "the right choice, every time, is to comply with the law." Lawyers for Zhao requested probation. US District Judge Richard Jones is expected to sentence Zhao on April 30. Read more: Binance to end support for USDC stablecoin on Tron blockchain network Once the most powerful figure in the crypto industry, Zhao, 47, stepped down as Binance's chief last November, when he and the exchange admitted to evading anti-money laundering requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act. Binance agreed to a $4.32 billion criminal penalty. Prosecutors said Binance, employing a "Wild West" model that welcomed criminals, did not report more than 100,000 suspicious transactions with designated terrorist groups including Hamas, al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. They also said Zhao's platform also supported the sale of child sexual abuse materials and was a recipient of a large portion of ransomware proceeds. Also read: Iran President Raisi departs after three-day visit "He made a business decision that violating US law was the best way to attract users, build his company, and line his pockets," prosecutors said. In seeking leniency, Zhao's lawyers cited the first-time offender's "unflinching" acceptance of responsibility, his $50 million criminal fine, and that no defendant in a remotely similar case has been imprisoned. They also said Zhao made Binance an industry leader on compliance, "despite the initial failures that led to this prosecution." Zhao founded Binance in 2017. He has been free on a $175 million bond, and agreed not to appeal any sentence within federal guidelines. Binance's penalty included a $1.81 billion criminal fine and $2.51 billion of restitution. Zhao also paid $50 million to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, his lawyers said. The case is US v. Zhao, US District Court, Western District of Washington, No. 23-cr-00179.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/8oYlRvM

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...

Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...

Indian opposition supporters detained ahead of protest at Modi's home

Police in the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to protest against last week's arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, a key opposition leader whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has governed the national capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the financial crime-fighting agency on corruption charges relating to the city's liquor policy, weeks before India begins voting in general elections on April 19. He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 28, with the lawyer for the agency arguing he was the "kingpin" in the case and needed to be interrogated. Kejriwal's party, all of whose main leaders are now imprisoned in connection with the case, says he has been "falsely arrested" in a "fabricated case". The federal government and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interfere...