Day: May 16, 2023

The US announced Tuesday a reward of up to $10 million for the capture or conviction of a Russian national accused of launching ransomware attacks against American law enforcement, businesses, and critical infrastructure. "Today, the State Department is announcing a reward offer, under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), of up to $10 million, for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Russian national Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev for transnational organized crime," agency spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. "We are taking these actions Matveev for his role in ransomware incidents targeting U.S. law enforcement, businesses, and critical infrastructure around the world," he added. The Justice Department said separately that it unsealed two indictments against Matveev, including law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, as well as victims in health care and other sectors nationwide. 'From his home base in Russia, Matveev allegedly used multiple ransomware variants to attack critical infrastructure around the world, including hospitals, government agencies, and victims in other sectors,' said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. The Treasury Department also imposed financial sanctions on Matveev, calling him a "key actor in the Russian ransomware ecosystem," recalling the Babuk ransomware against DC police on April 26, 2021. "The hackers who infiltrated the police department's computer network stole the home addresses, cellphone numbers, financial data, medical histories, and other personal details of police officers, along with sensitive information about gangs, suspects of crimes, and witnesses," it said in a statement. "In a public interview, Matveev claimed responsibility for posting the police department's stolen data online." 'The United States will not tolerate ransomware attacks against our people and our institutions,' said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. 'Ransomware actors like Matveev will be held accountable for their crimes, and we will continue to use all available authorities and tools to defend against cyber threats.'

Source: Anadolu Agency

Several prominent members of a UK gang were jailed on Tuesday for their role in a major passport fraud scheme that allowed numerous high-priority fugitives to evade capture, according to British media. Following a covert surveillance operation by the National Crime Agency, Anthony Beard and Christopher Zietek were apprehended for their involvement in supplying authentic passports obtained through fraudulent means to organized criminals. Beard, 61, was sentenced to six years and eight months. He was involved in replacing the photo of the passport holder with that of a wanted criminal seeking a new identity. He targeted vulnerable people whose passports were expiring, convincing them to let him apply for replacements in a process in which he would send the fugitive's photo instead. Zietek, 67, acted as an intermediary, collecting the passports from Beard and providing them to the notorious Adams family, a criminal organization based in North London. The Adams family then sold these passports to the fugitives, with prices reaching up to £15,000 (about $18,720) a piece.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Two people have died on Tuesday as a result of an explosion on a street in Spain's Basque region. The explosion occurred at a park bench at 6:30 p.m. local time (1730GMT) in the Guipuzcoan municipality of Orio, according to the Basque Department of Security cited by local newspaper Noticias de Gipuzkoa. The report said the two victims were a man and a woman. Emergency teams are now at the scene, according to the Basque police Ertzaintza.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Former President Donald Trump remains the front-runner among potential Republican candidates for the 2024 presidential race, according to a recent survey by Morning Consult. The survey, updated Tuesday, showed Trump with a significant lead of 43 percentage points against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis -- his closest potential rival in the Republican party. The poll said 61% of primary voters would support Trump, while DeSantis received the backing of 18% of respondents. Former Vice President Mike Pence received 6% of the votes and former UN envoy Nikki Haley and fellow Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy each received 4%. DeSantis has not formally declared his candidacy but many believe he will enter the race because of his popularity among the Republican party base. The survey was conducted May 12 - 14 and polled 3,571 potential Republican primary voters. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Trkiye decried on Tuesday a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election observation mission on Sunday's elections. 'Some political and accusatory statements in the report that went beyond the election process and inconsistent with the principles of independent and impartial observation were met with regret,' the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement. 'It should not be forgotten that political analysis and biased comments will undermine the reliability of OSCE election observation missions,' the statement said. The ministry said that a total of 489 international election observers followed Sunday's elections. All kinds of cooperation have been provided by Turkish authorities so that the observation missions can properly carry out their activities, the ministry said. In their reports, delegations underlined that the elections were held in accordance with the standards of free democratic elections and with an exemplary high turnout, the statement said. 'International observers have confirmed with various statements that the elections in our country are held in a transparent, free, pluralistic and fair environment where ballot box security is ensured, as well as in accordance with international standards,' it added. Millions of voters went to the polls on Sunday in Trkiye to elect the country's president and members of its 600-seat parliament. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's People's Alliance won majority in parliament, while the presidential race is headed to a second-round runoff on May 28, although Erdogan took the lead in round one.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Denmark has expressed its concern that Russia's political, military and territorial ambitions pose a threat to its sovereignty in its Foreign and Security Policy strategy document issued on Tuesday. In the 15-page document, it was stated that Denmark should plan to strengthen its defense and security and contribute to NATO's deterrence. It also urged the country to support the EU's neighbors to the east and in the Western Balkans. It further stressed the need to address the global consequences of Russia's war. 'We must deal with the subsidiary consequences of Russia's war of aggression, which are manifesting themselves around the entire world and which in many cases have reinforced existing dynamics and challenges. Food crises, energy crises, and a changing world economy affect countries and populations which, in many cases, are also affected by climate change and natural disasters,' it said. The report suggested that the development in the global economy leading up to 2050 is expected to alter the distribution of power in the world such that especially the EU and the US will lose ground to the growing economies, mainly China and India.

Source: Anadolu Agency

EU countries on Tuesday agreed on new tax transparency rules related to crypto-assets, aiming to prevent fraud in the bloc. In an EU Council meeting in Brussels, finance ministers came to a political agreement on the rules covering crypto-asset service providers serving clients in the EU. The measures extend an existing directive and require financial institutions to report the income that their clients, especially wealthy individuals, receive from cryptocurrency transactions. This information will then be automatically shared with the tax administrations other member states, closing a loophole that allowed cryptocurrencies to be used for tax evasion. Set to go into effect in 2026, the measures still need official approval from member states to come into effect. "Final adoption of the new rules will be possible when the consultative opinion of the European Parliament becomes available," said the press release.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Leaders across Europe on Tuesday gathered in Iceland for the Summit of the Council of Europe, which will mainly focus on the war in Ukraine. In her opening remarks, Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir expressed respect for Ukraine's determination to resist and reiterated Europe's commitment to stand with Kyiv. Jakobsdottir called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine "as the first steps towards ending this war." Underlining the fourth edition of the summit has three main objectives, she said: "First, to reaffirm our support for Ukraine to adopt concrete measures to address accountability for war crimes, and to strengthen the Council of Europe's role as a leading human rights organization." "Second, to renew in general terms our commitment to the democratic human rights values that our societies are based on, and that must be nurtured and protected," she said. She added that as a last point, the summit aims to recommit to the values Europe seeks to meet pressing global challenges. "We are here to discuss problems that need urgent action, and let us make the most of this opportunity," she stated before giving the floor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Addressing the summit virtually, Zelenskyy once again underlined the need for additional air defense systems and reserves and said that his country needs "more than fighter jets." He also thanked all the countries and leaders who helped Kyiv to improve its defense, especially air defense. "We are Europeans, so we are free," he said. "We are Europeans, so we act at 100% of our strengths when it comes to protecting our way of life." "Let this be forever the rules of our continent," he concluded. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, said that demanding accountability for Russia's war crimes will be "an important focus" of the summit. "We will do everything possible so that Ukraine wins the peace," von der Leyen said and emphasized that Europe "will do nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." She concluded by saying that Europe will stand by Ukraine's side in this "common fight" for "as long as it takes." 'UK left EU but not Europe' British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed UK's commitment to be part of Europe and said leaving the bloc does not change that reality. The world is becoming "more contested and more volatile," with Russia's war and China's growth, Sunak told the summit. "The challenge to our values is growing and the moment to push back is now. Democracies like ours must build resilience so that we can out cooperate and out compete those who drive instability," he said, explaining that is why the UK is working "so closely with our friends across Europe." "The United Kingdom may have left the EU, but we have not left Europe. We remain a proud European nation," he said. The two-day summit will continue on Wednesday with a general debate and a press conference following the closing session.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The UN said Tuesday that talks continue to extend the Black Sea grain deal which is to expire Thursday, noting: "We're obviously in a delicate stage." "Contacts are going on at different levels.' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, adding that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been kept abreast of the situation. Guterres has been talking to UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths and others, said Dujarric. The spokesman said the grain initiative, along with the memorandum of understanding with Russia on fertilizer and grain exports from Russia are critical to keeping global food prices down. "And we hope that all involved will live up to their responsibilities," he said. Earlier in the day, the Kremlin said the public will be informed about Russia's decision on the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative when it is made. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news conference in Moscow that contacts between the parties to the deal are ongoing, and several questions on issues concerning the implementation of the Russian part of the agreement are still open. Trkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement last July in Istanbul to resume grain exports from Ukrainian ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February, to help tackle a global food crisis. More than 30 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs have been exported from Ukraine since last August, according to the UN. Russia has sought the removal of obstacles to its fertilizer exports, namely banking restrictions, to agree to another extension of the deal during talks, most recently last Wednesday and Thursday.

Source: Anadolu Agency