geneva_convenience

The Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday commandeered and diverted into Iranian territorial waters an oil tanker sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands through the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official said. The incident is the first such seizure in months in the strategic waterway.

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has reportedly deployed foreign Takfiri fighters from northern Syria to the border with Lebanon, sparking renewed concern over the group’s destabilizing activities and growing presence in the region.

According to sources cited by The Cradle, foreign militants affiliated with HTS were transferred in recent days from the Harem area in Idlib province to the city of al-Qusayr, near the Syrian–Lebanese border.

The movement reportedly coincided with the transfer of heavy military equipment, including armored vehicles and other hardware.

“At the same time, forces affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the ‘Syrian Transitional Government’ attempted to advance and take positions inside Lebanese territory, specifically in the Wadi al-Thalajat area of Ras al-Maara, along the Syrian–Lebanese border in the Damascus countryside,” the sources said, referring to barren areas where the Lebanese army is not present.

To many in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city, Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov embodied the old, corrupt politics — with his history of suspected criminal links and corruption cases and a political past tied to a pro-Kremlin party. In ousting him, Mr. Zelensky accused him of holding Russian citizenship.

Yet the mayor’s downfall has mostly brought concern, even among local opponents who had long wished him gone. Many residents said the evidence behind the accusation of holding Russian citizenship looked fabricated, prompting concerns that it was part of a broader power grab by the president to remove a political rival.

Mr. Zelensky had moved swiftly. He revoked Mr. Trukhanov’s Ukrainian citizenship, forcing him out of office, and then installed a military administrator to run Odesa alongside an acting mayor — the City Council’s secretary, a member of Mr. Zelensky’s party.

“I can’t feel happiness,” said Oleksandra Kovalchuk, who ran on Mr. Zelensky’s party list in the last municipal elections. “Not under these circumstances.”

To many in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city, Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov embodied the old, corrupt politics — with his history of suspected criminal links and corruption cases and a political past tied to a pro-Kremlin party. In ousting him, Mr. Zelensky accused him of holding Russian citizenship.

Yet the mayor’s downfall has mostly brought concern, even among local opponents who had long wished him gone. Many residents said the evidence behind the accusation of holding Russian citizenship looked fabricated, prompting concerns that it was part of a broader power grab by the president to remove a political rival.

Mr. Zelensky had moved swiftly. He revoked Mr. Trukhanov’s Ukrainian citizenship, forcing him out of office, and then installed a military administrator to run Odesa alongside an acting mayor — the City Council’s secretary, a member of Mr. Zelensky’s party.

“I can’t feel happiness,” said Oleksandra Kovalchuk, who ran on Mr. Zelensky’s party list in the last municipal elections. “Not under these circumstances.”

Mr. al-Shara was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq, and then went on to found the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda. He had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head until December of last year, shortly after he led a rebel offensive that ousted Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian leader has been discreetly cooperating with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and Al Qaeda since he took control of a slice of rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria in 2016, according to Syrian officials and Western diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with diplomatic protocol.

By the time Jeffery Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, he had established an enormous network of wealthy and influential friends. Emails made public this week show the crime did little to diminish the desire of that network to stay connected to the billionaire financier.

Thousands of documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday offer a new glimpse into what Epstein’s relationships with business executives, reporters, academics and political players looked like over a decade.

They start with messages he sent and received around the time he finished serving his Florida sentence in 2009 and continue until the months before his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.

All male citizens turning 18 must complete a medical examination to assess their fitness for military service.

If the number of volunteers falls short, a draft lottery will be implemented to select individuals for service in the Bundeswehr, Germany"s armed forces.

Women will also be included in the process, receiving a questionnaire designed to evaluate their potential readiness to serve in the military.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to expand the German military, with a target of increasing the number of active troops to 260,000 and reservists to 200,000. The duration of mandatory service is set at six months, with half of that time dedicated to basic training, ensuring that recruits are adequately prepared for their roles.

For those who choose to volunteer for military service, the compensation is approximately €2,600 per month. Additionally, individuals who sign contracts for longer than one year will be granted "short-term contract soldier" status, which includes pay comparable to that of professional military personnel.

Jeffrey Epstein has claimed that Hillary Clinton had a sexual relationship with former attorney Vince Foster. This assertion comes in the wake of ongoing investigations into Epstein"s activities and connections.

Vince Foster, who served as Deputy White House Counsel during the Clinton administration, died by suicide under circumstances that have been described as mysterious in 1993. His death has been the subject of various conspiracy theories and investigations over the years.

This latest claim by Epstein adds to the controversy surrounding his past associations and statements. Epstein has previously been involved in various political discussions, including proposing individuals to Peter Thiel and other officials in emails, as reported in recent developments.

Jeffrey Epstein has claimed that Hillary Clinton had a sexual relationship with former attorney Vince Foster. This assertion comes in the wake of ongoing investigations into Epstein"s activities and connections.

Vince Foster, who served as Deputy White House Counsel during the Clinton administration, died by suicide under circumstances that have been described as mysterious in 1993. His death has been the subject of various conspiracy theories and investigations over the years.

This latest claim by Epstein adds to the controversy surrounding his past associations and statements. Epstein has previously been involved in various political discussions, including proposing individuals to Peter Thiel and other officials in emails, as reported in recent developments.