ReportWire

Tag: Turkey

  • Austria, Hungary equipping Serbia to curb border crossings

    Austria, Hungary equipping Serbia to curb border crossings

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    BELGRADE, Serbia — Austria and Hungary will help Serbia curb migrant crossings at its southern border, Hungary’s foreign minister said Thursday, citing an “explosion” in the number of people entering European countries without authorization in recent months.

    Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary and Austria would supply Serbia with both equipment and personnel to better secure its border with North Macedonia. He spoke after delegations from the three countries met in Belgrade.

    “It is our common interest to move the defense line toward the south and that is why we agreed to join forces,” Serbian media quoted Szijjarto as saying.

    “There has been an explosion in the number of migrants, and it really can be compared with 2015,” when more than 1 million people entered Europe, he said.

    Thursday’s meeting followed one the leaders of Austria, Hungary and Serbia held earlier in the week on developing a joint strategy to curb migration.

    Migrants from the Asia, Africa and the Middle East who manage to reach Greece from Turkey then move north along the so-called Balkan route toward North Macedonia and further into Serbia before reaching the borders of European Union members Hungary or Croatia.

    The journeys are long and often dangerous. Bodies floated amid splintered wreckage in the water off a Greek island on Thursday as the death toll from the sinking of two migrant boats hundreds of miles apart rose to at least 21, with many still missing.

    Hungary erected a wire fence on its border with Serbia in 2016 to stop unauthorized crossings and faced criticism for its anti-immigration policies. Migrants looking to enter Hungary now seek help from people smugglers to cross. Serbian police reported Wednesday that they detained a number of suspected smugglers following a raid near the border.

    “Serbia, Hungary and Austria share a joint problem because of the migration crisis and huge pressure at the borders,” Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said.

    Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic promised this week that Belgrade would align its visa policies with the EU’s to stop Serbia’s visa-free arrangements with some countries from being used for unauthorized migration.

    Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said his country received 58,000 asylum requests so far this year from people from Tunisia, Morocco, India and other countries whose citizens are not eligible for protection.

    ———

    Follow AP’s coverage of global migration: https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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  • At 15 least dead as 2 migrant boats sink in Greek waters

    At 15 least dead as 2 migrant boats sink in Greek waters

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    ATHENS, Greece — At least 15 people have died as two boats carrying migrants sank in Greek waters late Wednesday, and rescuers were looking for dozens still missing, authorities said early Thursday. The coast guard said 15 bodies had been recovered near the eastern island of Lesbos after a dinghy carrying about 40 people sank. Five people were rescued and three had been located on a rocky outcrop near the site of the sinking. A second rescue effort was launched several hundred kilometers (miles) to the west, near the island of Kythira, where a sailboat carrying about 100 migrants hit rocks and sank late Wednesday.

    Officials said 30 people had been rescued after that boat hit rocks off the village port of Diakofti on the east of the island. Winds in the area were up to 70 kph (45 mph).

    “We could see the boat smashing against the rocks and people climbing up those rocks to try and save themselves. It was an unbelievable sight,” Martha Stathaki, a local resident told The Associated Press. “All the residents here went down to the harbor to try and help.”

    Fire service rescuers lowered ropes to help migrants climb up cliffs on the seafront. Local officials said a school in the area would be opened to provide shelter for the rescued. Navy divers were also expected to arrive Thursday.

    Most migrants reaching Greece travel from neighboring Turkey, but smugglers have changed routes in recent months in an effort to avoid heavily patrolled waters around Greek islands near the Turkish coastline.

    Kythira is some 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of Turkey and on a route often used by smugglers to bypass Greece and head directly to Italy. ——— Full coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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  • Russia smuggling Ukrainian grain to help pay for Putin’s war

    Russia smuggling Ukrainian grain to help pay for Putin’s war

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    By MICHAEL BIESECKER, SARAH EL DEEB and BEATRICE DUPUY

    October 3, 2022 GMT

    BEIRUT (AP) — When the bulk cargo ship Laodicea docked in Lebanon last summer, Ukrainian diplomats said the vessel was carrying grain stolen by Russia and urged Lebanese officials to impound the ship.

    Moscow called the allegation “false and baseless,” and Lebanon’s prosecutor general sided with the Kremlin and declared that the 10,000 tons of barley and wheat flour wasn’t stolen and allowed the ship to unload.

    But an investigation by The Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” has found the Laodicea, owned by Syria, is part of a sophisticated Russian-run smuggling operation that has used falsified manifests and seaborne subterfuge to steal Ukrainian grain worth at least $530 million — cash that has helped feed President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

    AP used satellite imagery and marine radio transponder data to track three dozen ships making more than 50 voyages carrying grain from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to ports in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and other countries. Reporters reviewed shipping manifests, searched social media posts, and interviewed farmers, shippers and corporate officials to uncover the details of the massive smuggling operation.

    ___

    This story is part of an AP/FRONTLINE investigation that includes the War Crimes Watch Ukraine interactive experience and and upcoming documentary, “Putin’s Attack on Ukraine: Documenting War Crimes,” which premieres 10/9c Oct. 25 on PBS.

    ___

    The ongoing theft, which legal experts say is a potential war crime, is being carried out by wealthy businessmen and state-owned companies in Russia and Syria, some of them already facing financial sanctions from the United States and European Union.

    Meanwhile, the Russian military has attacked farms, grain silos and shipping facilities still under Ukrainian control with artillery and air strikes, destroying food, driving up prices and reducing the flow of grain from a country long known as the breadbasket of Europe.

    The Russians “have an absolute obligation to ensure that civilians are cared for and to not deprive them their ability of a livelihood and an ability to feed themselves,” said David Crane, a veteran prosecutor who has been involved in numerous international war crime investigations. “It’s just pure pillaging and looting, and that is also an actionable offense under international military law.”

    The grain and flour carried by the 138-meter-long (453 feet) Laodicea likely started its journey in the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, which Russia seized in the early days of the war.

    Video posted to social media on July 9 shows a train pulling up to the Melitopol Elevator, a massive grain storage facility, with green hopper cars marked with the name of the Russian company Agro-Fregat LLC in big yellow letters, along with a logo in the shape of a spike of wheat.

    Russian occupation official Andrey Siguta held a news conference at the depot the following week where he said the grain would “provide food security” for Russia-controlled regions in Ukraine, and that his administration would “evaluate the harvest and determine how much will be for sale.”

    As he spoke, a masked soldier armed with an assault rifle stood guard as trucks unloaded wheat at the facility to be milled. Workers loaded flour into large white bags like those delivered by the Laodicea to Lebanon three weeks later.

    Siguta, along with four other top Russian occupation officials, was sanctioned by the U.S. government on Sept. 15 for overseeing the theft and export of Ukranian grain.

    Putin signed treaties Friday to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine into the Russian Federation, in defiance of international law. The United States and European Union immediately rejected “the illegal annexation.”

    Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov told AP the occupiers are moving vast quantities of grain from the region by train and truck to ports in Russia and Crimea, a strategic Ukrainian peninsula that Russia has occupied since 2014. Despite Russian claims to have annexed Crimea, the United Nations ruled that land grab was also illegal.

    Videos posted on social media in recent months show a steady stream of grain transport trucks moving south through occupied areas of Ukraine with the letter “Z” painted on their sides, a wartime symbol for Russia and its military forces. Agro-Fregat train cars have been recorded rolling through the Crimean port town of Feodosia, where satellite imagery shows trucks and trains lined up as grain was being loaded onto ships.

    The Kremlin has denied stealing any grain, but Russia’s state-run news agency Tass reported on June 16 that Ukrainian grain was being trucked to Crimea, resulting in long lines at border checkpoints. Tass later reported that grain from Melitopol had arrived in Crimea and that additional shipments were expected, bound for customers in the Middle East and Africa.

    A July 11 satellite image shows the Laodicea tied up at a pier in Feodosia. The ship’s radio transponder was turned off and its cargo holds were open, being filled with a white substance from waiting trucks. Two weeks later, when it arrived at the Lebanese port city Tripoli, it claimed to be carrying grain from a small Russian port on the other side of the Black Sea.

    Full Coverage: AP Investigations

    A copy of the ship’s manifests obtained by AP claimed its port of origin was Kavkaz, Russia. Its cargo was listed as nearly 10,000 metric tons of “Russian Barley and Russian Flour in Bags.” The shipper was listed as Agro-Fregat and the buyer was Loyal Agro Co Ltd., a wholesale grocer headquartered in Turkey.

    Agro-Fregat didn’t respond to emailed questions and soon after AP’s inquiry, the company’s website appears to have been taken down. A phone number that had been listed on the website was out of service last week.

    A spokesman for Loyal Agro said the company took delivery of 5,000 tons of flour and the rest of the ship’s cargo went to Tartus, Syria.

    “We reached an agreement with Russia, the flour came from Russia,” said Muhammed Cuma, a spokesman for the company. “If the flour was stolen, then the Lebanese authorities would not have allowed it (to be imported).”

    But the Laodicea couldn’t have picked up its cargo in Kavkaz, the Russian port listed on the manifest. The ship’s hull, which reaches 8 meters (26 feet) below the surface, would run aground in the relatively shallow port, which according to Russia’s transport regulator can only accommodate ships with a maximum depth of 5.3 meters (17.5 feet).

    The port in Feodosia is more than twice as deep — easily able to accommodate the big ship.

    The Laodicea is one of three bulk cargo vessels operated by Syriamar Shipping Ltd., a Syrian government-run company under U.S. sanctions since 2015 for its ties to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    AP tracked 10 voyages made by the Laodicea and her sister ships — Souria and Finikia — from the Ukrainian coast to ports in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.

    Syriamar didn’t respond to emails to its headquarters in Latakia, Syria. A call to the phone number on the company’s website went unanswered.

    ___

    Another company involved in smuggling grain is United Shipbuilding Corp., a Russian state-owned defense contractor that builds warships and submarines for Russia’s navy. In April, the company and its senior executives were sanctioned by the United States for providing weapons to the Russian war effort.

    The company, through its subsidiary Crane Marine Contractor, bought three cargo ships just weeks before Putin invaded Ukraine, in a departure from its core business providing heavy lift platforms to the oil and gas industry.

    The three ships have made at least 17 trips between Crimea and ports in Turkey and Syria.

    A spokeswoman for United Shipbuilding Corp. in Moscow didn’t respond to questions sent via email. When AP called Crane Marine Contractor a receptionist answered by saying the company’s name. A man she transferred the call to, however, insisted AP had the wrong number.

    “You have reached the wrong place, we do not have such information,” said the man, who refused to give his name. “I have no clue what you are talking about and no clue who I can connect you with, do you understand?”

    During a typical voyage in mid-June, a 170-meter-long ship (560 feet) called the Mikhail Nenashev was captured on satellite being loaded at the Russian-controlled Avlita Grain Terminal in Sevastopol, Crimea, while its radio transponder was turned off. The ship’s crew turned the signal back on two days later while underway in the Black Sea.

    It turned south toward the Mediterranean and arrived on June 25 in Dörtyol, Turkey where exclusive video obtained by AP shows it two days later at a pier owned by MMK Metalurji, a steel producer. Cranes at the dock can be seen scooping up large bucket loads of grain and dropping it into waiting trucks that drive away.

    MMK Metalurji is the Turkish subsidiary of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works, a major Russian steel conglomerate controlled by Viktor Rashnikov, a Russian billionaire who is close to Putin. Rashnikov and his company have been sanctioned by the United States, European Union and United Kingdom for providing revenue and equipment in support of Russia’s war effort.

    In an email to AP, the company said the grain came from Russia: “The place where the said cargo is loaded is PORT KAVKAZ … according to the customs declaration and the written declaration made by the shipping agency to us.”

    As with Laodicea, Nenashev’s draught is too deep to dock at the Kavkaz port.

    Ami Daniel, CEO of the marine data analytics company Windward, said ships running dark is a red flag that illegal activity is occurring. He said it is also common for smugglers to falsify shipping manifests and customs declarations to hide the true origin of their cargo.

    “Illegally falsifying documentation is a tactic used by bad actors to disguise the origin of the goods they are transporting, be it for the purpose of evading sanctions, trafficking illicit goods, or other crimes,” said Daniel, a former Israeli naval officer.

    Rashnikov, who has a personal fortune estimated at more than $10 billion, appears to have anticipated the sanctions.

    Days before Russia launched its February invasion, his 140-meter-long superyacht (460 feet), the Ocean Victory, cruised from Dubai to the Maldives, a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean where the government hasn’t enforced Western sanctions. Ocean Victory’s crew turned off its radio transponder on March 1, and the $300 million party barge has been running dark ever since.

    Since the invasion, global grain prices have skyrocketed, boosting profits for Russian smugglers, while triggering what U.N. World Food Program director David Beasley on Sept. 15 called a “tsunami of hunger” affecting at least 345 million people.

    While there is little evidence Ukrainians themselves are under threat of famine, Russia’s war of aggression has starved its economy of export revenue. In 2021, before Russia’s most recent invasion, Ukraine exported $5 billion worth of wheat, corn and vegetable oils — primarily in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

    The high prices haven’t helped Ukrainian farmers in the occupied regions, who have been forced to sell their harvests to Russian-controlled companies for half of what they would have been paid before the war, according to Fedorov, the Melitopol mayor. If a farmer refuses, he said, the Russians just take the grain anyway, paying nothing.

    “It is a very low price, and our farmers don’t understand what they can do,” said Fedorov, who evacuated to Ukrainian-controlled territory after the invasion but keeps in touch with people back home.

    Ukrainian agricultural holding company HarvEast reported that Russians had taken about 200,000 metric tons of grain, which CEO Dmitry Skornyakov said cost his company about $50 million. He said his employees in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol reported the grain was trucked across the border into Russia.

    “To steal it, they just drive to Rostov and Taganrog, small Russian ports, then mix it with the Russian grain and say that that is Russian grain,” Skornyakov said.

    The same appears to be happening at sea.

    Satellite imagery and transponder data shows large cargo ships anchored off the Russian coast rendezvousing with smaller ships shuttling grain from both Crimean and Russian ports, obscuring the true origin of the cargo. Those larger ships then carried the blended grain to Egypt, Libya, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

    Daniel, the former naval officer whose company tracks ships globally, said ship-to-ship transfers of cargo at sea are rare, and are usually tied to smuggling. “When you’re a sanctioned country, you have a much more limited market,” he said. “So if you don’t blend your cargoes or if you don’t hide your origin, you probably have a much smaller market and therefore much lower price.”

    High demand for grain makes it easy for Russians to find buyers, said Oleg Nivievskyi, assistant professor and vice president for economics education at the Kyiv School of Economics.

    “There will be no problem to sell the stolen grain from Ukraine whatsoever,” he said.

    Yayla Agro, which makes packaged dried goods and ready-to-eat meals regularly stocked on the shelves of Turkish supermarkets, said it bought 8,800 metric tons of corn delivered by the Russian ship Fedor to the Turkish port of Bandirma on June 17. The cargo would be worth about $2.7 million.

    In a statement to AP, Yayla Agro denied it had ever purchased grain from the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, and said the bill of lading, certificate of origin and other official documents show the ship had been loaded in the port of Kavkaz.

    “We would like to stress that our company is involved in international trade, abides by ethical rules and considers abiding by international law as an absolute priority,” the company said. “In the same vein, (Yayla Agro) meticulously examines whether its commercial partners are the subject of any international sanction.”

    Satellite imagery from June 12 shows the Fedor was actually loaded in Sevastopol, Crimea.

    AnRussTrans, the Russian company that owns the ship through a subsidiary, didn’t respond to emailed questions. Sergey Dubrov, who answered the phone at the company’s headquarters in Moscow, denied receiving AP’s email and said he would only respond to written questions.

    “I can say one thing,” he added. “The ships exclusively work on legal transportation and do not violate international law.”

    Yayla also confirmed purchasing 7,000 metric tons of corn from another Russian ship, SV. Nikolay, on June 24. Satellite imagery shows the ship had docked at the grain terminal in Sevastopol six days earlier, but the company said its documentation showing the grain had come from Kavkaz.

    As with the other smuggling ships, both the Fedor and SV. Nikolay are too big to dock at Kavkaz.

    ___

    Turkey’s role in the theft of Ukrainian grain is particularly sensitive because the NATO country has tried to play the role of mediator between the two warring countries.

    Turkey helped broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine in July to allow both countries to export grain and fertilizer through safe corridors in the Black Sea. The deal did not address the grain Russia has taken from occupied areas. In the last two months Ukrainian officials said more than 150 ships carrying grain have departed from ports they still control, including shipments to Somalia and Yemen, war-torn nations currently facing famine.

    Yet there are also indications the Turkish government itself may be a recipient of disputed grain from Ukraine. AP and “Frontline” tracked trips from Crimea to Turkey by the smuggling ships Mikhail Nenashev, Laodicea and Souria to docks with seaside silos operated by the Turkish Grain Board, a government-run entity that imports and exports grain and other agricultural products.

    The board’s press office and executives did not respond to emails with detailed questions about the suspect shipments.

    Though Turkish authorities have pledged to stop illegal smuggling, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a June news conference his country had not found any evidence of theft.

    “We’ve received such claims,” he said. “And such information is coming from the Ukrainian side from time to time. We take every claim seriously and investigate it seriously. … In our investigation on ships’ ports and goods’ origins, following claims about Turkey, we saw the origin records to be Russia.”

    Whatever the records say, the smuggling operation continues.

    Crane Marine Contractor’s ship Matros Koshka — named for a Russian sailor lauded as a national hero for his bravery during the Crimean War of 1854 — cruised north last week into the Black Sea with a listed destination of Kavkaz before turning off its transponder and running dark.

    Satellite imagery taken Thursday showed the 161-meter-long ship (528 feet) had docked once again at the grain terminal in the occupied Ukrainian port of Sevastopol, little more than a mile from a Soviet-era statue honoring its namesake.

    ___

    AP investigative reporters Sarah El Deeb reported from Beirut and Michael Biesecker reported from Washington, and news verification reporter Beatrice Dupuy was in New York. AP reporters Arijeta Lajka in New York, Zoya Shu in Berlin and Ahmad El-Katib in Beirut contributed to this report.

    ___

    Follow Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck, El Deeb at twitter.com/seldeeb, and Dupuy at twitter.com/Beatrice_Dupuy

    ___

    Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.

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  • Shopkeeper Saves Boy in Mall

    Shopkeeper Saves Boy in Mall

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    Shopkeeper Saves Boy in Mall – CBS News


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    “Caught on Tape”: A four-year old boy waiting for his father at an Istanbul shopping mall escaped injury or worse after he climbed to the top of an escalator and was caught by a quick-thinking shopkeeper.

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  • Putin’s ruthless power play may not preclude a revival of Ukraine grain deal | CNN Politics

    Putin’s ruthless power play may not preclude a revival of Ukraine grain deal | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Russian President Vladimir Putin just reminded the world that he has the capacity to apply pain far beyond the excruciating torment he’s inflicting on Ukraine.

    Russia’s suspension of a deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain from a region fabled as the world’s bread basket threatens to cause severe food shortages in Africa and send prices spiraling in supermarkets in the developed world. In the United States, it represents a political risk for President Joe Biden, who is embarking on a reelection campaign and can hardly afford a rebound of the high inflation that hounded US consumers at its peak last year.

    Russia’s decision looked at first sight like a face-saving reprisal for an attack claimed by Ukraine on a bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland. The bridge was a vanity project for Putin and the apparent assault represented another humiliation for the Russian leader in a war that has gone badly wrong.

    The Black Sea grain deal, agreed last year and brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, was a rare diplomatic ray of light during a war that has shattered Russia’s relations with the US and its allies and has had global reverberations.

    By refusing to renew it, Putin appears again to be seeking to impose a cost on the West, in return for the sanctions strangling the Russian economy. He may reason that a food inflation crisis might help splinter political support in NATO nations for the prolonged and expensive effort to save Ukraine. And grain shortages afflicting innocent people in the developing world could exacerbate international pressure for a negotiated end to a war that has turned into a disaster for Russia.

    The United States and other Western powers reacted to Russia’s announcement that the deal had been “terminated” with outrage, mirroring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Putin was trying to “weaponize hunger.”

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Russia was trying to use food as a tool in its war on Ukraine, adding that the tactic would make “food harder to come by in places that desperately need it and have prices rise … The bottom line is, it’s unconscionable. It should not happen.”

    Singling Russia out as a moral transgressor might be understandable given the horror it has visited on Ukraine and may rally fury over Putin’s move in the West and the developing world. But humanitarian arguments won’t sway a Russian president who launched an unprovoked onslaught on a sovereign neighbor and is accused of presiding over brutal war crimes.

    Still, Russia’s rhetoric after canceling the deal and the reactions from key players elsewhere in Eurasia suggest that the agreement may not be quite as terminated as the Kremlin claims. There’s a chance Putin sees a grain showdown as a way to improve his dire position.

    In a clear sign of diplomatic maneuvering, Russia justified its cancellation of the agreement by saying that it was not getting its share of the benefits. noting that it had faced obstacles with its own food exports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted, however, that Moscow might allow the return of exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports once its objectives were achieved.

    But UN Secretary General António Guterres underscored how difficult it might be to return to the deal with a categorical repudiation of Russia’s points in a letter to Putin, arguing that under the agreement, the Russian grain trade had reached high export volumes and fertilizer markets were nearing full recovery with the return of Russian produce. Guterres said that he’d sent Russia proposals to keep the grain deal alive but that he was “deeply disappointed” that his efforts went unheeded.

    The UN chief’s comments reinforced a view that, for now, Russia sees a point of leverage in refusing to renew the Black Sea grain deal. The decision comes against a complicated geopolitical backdrop following last week’s NATO summit at which G7, nations pledged to offer Ukraine the means of its self-defense for years to come.

    It may also represent the latest chess move in a shady double game of great power geopolitics being waged by a pair of Machiavellian autocrats — Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who are due to meet in August.

    Erdogan won prestige and the gratitude of his fellow NATO leaders and developing nations for brokering the original grain deal. But he has angered Russia in recent days, despite keeping open channels with Putin during the war. It’s conceivable the Russian leader could be sending a shot across the bows of his Turkish partner by canceling out his achievement.

    Russia was infuriated last week when Turkey sent a group of captured Ukrainian military commanders back to Zelensky despite a previous agreement they would not go home until after the war. Erdogan also risked his relationship with Putin by dropping opposition to Sweden’s entry into NATO, a move that significantly weakened Russia’s strategic position in Europe.

    But it was noticeable that Erdogan, who has a reputation for cannily playing his cards to enhance his own and Turkey’s influence, referred to Putin as his “friend” on Monday and suggested that the Russian leader might want to keep the “humanitarian bridge” of grain exports open.

    If he could somehow engineer a return to the deal, Erdogan could again bolster his place at the hinge of Eurasian great power politics. He’d also boost his goal of emerging as a leader among developing world nations and do a favor for Western leaders fearing an inflationary spike.

    Michael Kimmage, who served on the policy planning staff at the State Department between 2014 and 2016 and is now a professor at Catholic University of America in Washington, argues that Turkey is in a unique position, since it possesses considerable leverage inside NATO but also has robust relationships with both Ukraine and Russia.

    “I think it’s very possible that even before the Putin-Erdogan meeting there could be a resumption of the grain deal because that keeps Russia to a degree in the good graces of the international community,” Kimmage said.

    Reviving the grain deal would show that Russia, in its isolation, retains some Turkish support, Kimmage added, but the episode also demonstrates to the rest of the world that “when Russia wants, it can turn off the grain deal and be an enormous pain in the neck in the Black Sea.”

    First video of damage to Crimean bridge surfaces after reported strike

    While the war in Ukraine has consumed Russia’s foreign policy, Moscow has also made intense efforts to carve out its own influence in Africa and elsewhere in opposition to the United States. So it may risk damaging its own priorities by triggering widespread food shortages, especially since much of Ukraine’s grain is used in World Food Programs to alleviate famine in Africa.

    While the White House is fueling a sense of moral outrage over Russia’s move, it quickly dismissed another potential response – an attempt to bust a Russian blockade in the Black Sea.

    “That’s not an option that’s being actively pursued,” John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said Monday in a comment that was in line with Biden’s goal of avoiding any direct NATO clash with Russia, a nuclear superpower.

    While the end of the grain deal would cause significant global hardship, its worst effects may be weeks away – so there could be time for diplomacy to work.

    Nicolay Gorbachov, the President of the Ukrainian Grain Association, told Isa Soares on CNN International on Monday that exports by road, rail and river could mitigate the most damaging effects of the collapse of the deal for two or three weeks, even if such transportation methods lacked the volume of shipborne cargoes.

    But he also warned that ultimately, if Ukraine could not export its grain – “all of us, in developed countries, in developing countries, will face food inflation.”

    “In my opinion, the international community, the developed countries have to find the leverage to move grain from Ukraine to the world market,” he said.

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  • Donald Trump Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Donald Trump Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States.

    Birth date: June 14, 1946

    Birth place: New York, New York

    Birth name: Donald John Trump

    Father: Fred Trump, real estate developer

    Mother: Mary (Macleod) Trump

    Marriages: Melania (Knauss) Trump (January 22, 2005-present); Marla (Maples) Trump (December 1993-June 1999, divorced); Ivana (Zelnicek) Trump (1977-1990, divorced)

    Children: with Melania Trump: Barron, March 20, 2006; with Marla Maples: Tiffany, October 13, 1993; with Ivana Trump: Eric, 1984; Ivanka, October 30, 1981; Donald Jr., December 31, 1977

    Education: Attended Fordham University; University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance, B.S. in Economics, 1968

    As Trump evolved from real estate developer to reality television star, he turned his name into a brand. Licensed Trump products have included board games, steaks, cologne, vodka, furniture and menswear.

    He has portrayed himself in cameo appearances in movies and on television, including “Zoolander,” “Sex and the City” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

    Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” was first used by Ronald Reagan while he was running against President Jimmy Carter.

    For details on investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, visit 2016 Presidential Election Investigation Fast Facts.

    1970s – After college, works with his father on apartment complexes in Queens and Brooklyn.

    1973 – Trump and his father are named in a Justice Department lawsuit alleging Trump property managers violated the Fair Housing Act by turning away potential African American tenants. The Trumps deny the company discriminates and file a $100 million countersuit, which is later dismissed. The case is settled in 1975, and the Trumps agree to provide weekly lists of vacancies to Black community organizations.

    1976 – Trump and his father partner with the Hyatt Corporation, purchasing the Commodore Hotel, an aging midtown Manhattan property. The building is revamped and opens four years later as the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The project kickstarts Trump’s career as a Manhattan developer.

    1983-1990 – He builds/purchases multiple properties in New York City, including Trump Tower and the Plaza Hotel, and also opens casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, including the Trump Taj Mahal and the Trump Plaza. Trump buys the New Jersey Generals football team, part of the United States Football League, which folds after three seasons.

    1985 – Purchases Mar-a-Lago, an oceanfront estate in Palm Beach, Florida. It is renovated and opens as a private club in 1995.

    1987 – Trump’s first book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” is published, and becomes a bestseller. The Donald J. Trump Foundation is established in order to donate a portion of profits from book sales to charities.

    1990 – Nearly $1 billion in personal debt, Trump reaches an agreement with bankers allowing him to avoid declaring personal bankruptcy.

    1991 – The Trump Taj Mahal files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

    1992 – The Trump Plaza and the Trump Castle casinos file for bankruptcy.

    1996 – Buys out and becomes executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.

    October 7, 1999 – Tells CNN’s Larry King that he is going to form a presidential exploratory committee and wants to challenge Pat Buchanan for the Reform Party nomination.

    February 14, 2000 – Says that he is abandoning his bid for the presidency, blaming discord within the Reform Party.

    January 2004 – “The Apprentice,” a reality show featuring aspiring entrepreneurs competing for Trump’s approval, premieres on NBC.

    November 21, 2004 – Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

    2005 – Establishes Trump University, which offers seminars in real estate investment.

    February 13, 2009 – Announces his resignation from his position as chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Days later, the company files for bankruptcy protection.

    March 17, 2011 – During an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Trump questions whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States.

    June 16, 2015 – Announces that he is running for president during a speech at Trump Tower. He pledges to implement policies that will boost the economy and says he will get tough on immigration. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re sending people who have lots of problems,” Trump says. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.”

    June 28, 2015 – Says he’s giving up the TV show “The Apprentice” to run for president.

    June 29, 2015 – NBCUniversal says it is cutting its business ties to Trump and won’t air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants because of “derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants.”

    July 8, 2015 – In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Trump says he “can’t guarantee” all of his employees have legal status in the United States. This is in response to questions about a Washington Post report about undocumented immigrants working at the Old Post Office construction site in Washington, DC, which Trump is converting into a hotel.

    July 22, 2015 – Trump’s financial disclosure report is made public by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

    August 6, 2015 – During the first 2016 Republican debate, Trump is questioned about a third party candidacy, his attitude towards women and his history of donating money to Democratic politicians. He tells moderator Megyn Kelly of Fox News he feels he is being mistreated. The following day, Trump tells CNN’s Don Lemon that Kelly was singling him out for attack, “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”

    September 11, 2015 – Trump announces he has purchased NBC’s half of the Miss Universe Organization, which organizes the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.

    December 7, 2015 – Trump’s campaign puts out a press release calling for a “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

    May 26, 2016 – Secures enough delegates to clinch the Republican Party nomination.

    July 16, 2016 – Introduces Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.

    July 19, 2016 – Becomes the Republican Party nominee for president.

    September 13, 2016 – During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his office is investigating Trump’s charitable foundation “to make sure it’s complying with the laws governing charities in New York.”

    October 1, 2016 – The New York Times reports Trump declared a $916 million loss in 1995 which could have allowed him to legally skip paying federal income taxes for years. The report is based on a financial document mailed to the newspaper by an anonymous source.

    October 7, 2016 – Unaired footage from 2005 surfaces of Trump talking about trying to have sex with a married woman and being able to grope women. In footage obtained by The Washington Post, Trump is heard off-camera discussing women in vulgar terms during the taping of a segment for “Access Hollywood.” In a taped response, Trump declares, “I said it, I was wrong and I apologize.”

    October 9, 2016 – During the second presidential debate, CNN’s Cooper asks Trump about his descriptions of groping and kissing women without their consent in the “Access Hollywood” footage. Trump denies that he has ever engaged in such behavior and declares the comments were “locker room talk.” After the debate, 11 women step forward to claim that they were sexually harassed or sexually assaulted by the real estate developer. Trump says the stories aren’t true.

    November 8, 2016 – Elected president of the United States. Trump will be the first president who has never held elected office, a top government post or a military rank.

    November 18, 2016 – Trump agrees to pay $25 million to settle three lawsuits against Trump University. About 6,000 former students are covered by the settlement.

    December 24, 2016 – Trump says he will dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation “to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President.” A spokeswoman for the New York Attorney General’s Office says that the foundation cannot legally close until investigators conclude their probe of the charity.

    January 10, 2017 – CNN reports that intelligence officials briefed Trump on a dossier that contains allegations about his campaign’s ties to Russia and unverified claims about his personal life. The author of the dossier is a former British spy who was hired by a research firm that had been funded by both political parties to conduct opposition research on Trump.

    January 20, 2017 – Takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts during an inauguration ceremony at the Capitol.

    January 23, 2017 – Trump signs an executive action withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration and awaiting congressional approval.

    January 27, 2017 – Trump signs an executive order halting all refugee arrivals for 120 days and banning travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days. Additionally, refugees from Syria are barred indefinitely from entering the United States. The order is challenged in court.

    February 13, 2017 – Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigns amid accusations he lied about his communications with Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Flynn later pleads guilty to lying to the FBI.

    May 3, 2017 – FBI Director James Comey confirms that there is an ongoing investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during a hearing on Capitol Hill. Less than a week later, Trump fires Comey, citing a DOJ memo critical of the way he handled the investigation into Clinton’s emails.

    May 2017 – Shortly after Trump fires Comey, the FBI opens an investigation into whether Trump “had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests,” citing former law enforcement officials and others the paper said were familiar with the probe.

    May 17, 2017 – Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is appointed as special counsel to lead the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein makes the appointment because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into Trump’s campaign.

    May 19, 2017 – Departs on his first foreign trip as president. The nine-day, five-country trip includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, a NATO summit in Brussels and a G7 summit in Sicily.

    June 1, 2017 – Trump proclaims that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord but adds that he is open to renegotiating aspects of the environmental agreement, which was signed by 175 countries in 2016.

    July 7, 2017 – Meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in person for the first time, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany.

    August 8, 2017 – In response to nuclear threats from North Korea, Trump warns that Pyongyang will “face fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Soon after Trump’s comments, North Korea issues a statement saying it is “examining the operational plan” to strike areas around the US territory of Guam.

    August 15, 2017 – After a violent clash between neo-Nazi activists and counterprotesters leaves one dead in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump holds an impromptu press conference in the lobby of Trump Tower and declares that there were “fine people” on both sides.

    August 25, 2017 – Trump’s first pardon is granted to former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt for disregarding a court order in a racial-profiling case. Trump did not consult with lawyers at the Justice Department before announcing his decision.

    September 5, 2017 – The Trump administration announces that it is ending the DACA program, introduced by Obama to protect nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Trump calls on Congress to introduce legislation that will prevent DACA recipients from being deported. Multiple lawsuits are filed opposing the policy in federal courts and judges delay the end of the program, asking the government to submit filings justifying the cancellation of DACA.

    September 19, 2017 – In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump refers to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” and warns that the United States will “totally destroy North Korea” if forced to defend itself or its allies.

    September 24, 2017 – The Trump administration unveils a third version of the travel ban, placing restrictions on travel by certain foreigners from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. (Chad is later removed after meeting security requirements.) One day before the revised ban is set to take effect, it is blocked nationwide by a federal judge in Hawaii. A judge in Maryland issues a similar ruling.

    December 4, 2017 – The Supreme Court rules that the revised travel ban can take effect pending appeals.

    December 6, 2017 – Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announces plans to relocate the US Embassy there.

    January 11, 2018 – During a White House meeting on immigration reform, Trump reportedly refers to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries.”

    January 12, 2018 – The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump allegedly had an affair with a porn star named Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels. The newspaper states that Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, arranged a $130,000 payment for a nondisclosure agreement weeks before Election Day in 2016. Trump denies the affair occurred. In March, Clifford sues Trump seeking to be released from the NDA. In response, Trump and his legal team agree outside of court not to sue or otherwise enforce the NDA. The suit is dismissed. A California Superior Court judge orders Trump to pay $44,100 to Clifford, to reimburse her attorneys’ fees in the legal battle surrounding her nondisclosure agreement.

    March 13, 2018 – Trump announces in a tweet that he has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and will nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Tillerson’s replacement.

    March 20, 2018 – A New York Supreme Court judge rules that a defamation lawsuit against Trump can move forward, ruling against a July 2017 motion to dismiss filed by Trump’s lawyers. The lawsuit, filed by Summer Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant, is related to sexual assault allegations. In November 2021, attorneys for Zervos announce she is dropping the lawsuit.

    March 23, 2018 – The White House announces that it is adopting a policy, first proposed by Trump via tweet in July 2017, banning most transgender individuals from serving in the military.

    April 9, 2018 – The FBI raids Cohen’s office, home and a hotel room where he’d been staying while his house was renovated. The raid is related to a federal investigation of possible fraud and campaign finance violations.

    April 13, 2018 – Trump authorizes joint military strikes in Syria with the UK and France after reports the government used chemical weapons on civilians in Douma.

    May 7, 2018 – The Trump administration announces a “zero tolerance” policy for illegal border crossings. Sessions says that individuals who violate immigration law will be criminally prosecuted and warns that parents could be separated from children.

    May 8, 2018 – Trump announces that the United States is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal.

    May 31, 2018 – The Trump administration announces it is imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

    June 8-9, 2018 – Before leaving for the G7 summit in Quebec City, Trump tells reporters that Russia should be reinstated in the group. The annexation of Crimea in 2014 led to Russia’s suspension. After leaving the summit, Trump tweets that he will not endorse the traditional G7 communique issued at the end of the meeting. The President singles out Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making “false statements” at a news conference.

    June 12, 2018 – Trump meets Kim in person for the first time during a summit in Singapore. They sign a four-point statement that broadly outlines the countries’ commitment to a peace process. The statement contains a pledge by North Korea to “work towards” complete denuclearization but the agreement does not detail how the international community will verify that Kim is ending his nuclear program.

    June 14, 2018 – The New York attorney general sues the Trump Foundation, alleging that the nonprofit run by Trump and his three eldest children violated state and federal charity law.

    June 26, 2018 – The Supreme Court upholds the Trump administration’s travel ban in a 5-4 ruling along party lines.

    July 16, 2018 – During a joint news conference with Putin in Helsinki, Trump declines to endorse the US government’s assessment that Russia interfered in the election, saying he doesn’t “see any reason why” Russia would be responsible. The next day, Trump clarifies his remark, “The sentence should have been, ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.” He says he accepts the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the election but adds, “It could be other people also.”

    August 21, 2018 – Cohen pleads guilty to eight federal charges, including two campaign finance violations. In court, he says that he orchestrated payments to silence women “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office.” On the same day, Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort is convicted on eight counts of federal financial crimes. On December 12, Cohen is sentenced to three years in prison.

    October 2, 2018 – The New York Times details numerous tax avoidance schemes allegedly carried out by Trump and his siblings. In a tweet, Trump dismisses the article as a “very old, boring and often told hit piece.”

    November 20, 2018 – Releases a statement backing Saudi Arabia in the wake of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Virginia resident, killed in October at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Khashoggi was a frequent critic of the Saudi regime. The Saudis initially denied any knowledge of his death, but then later said a group of rogue operators were responsible for his killing. US officials have speculated that such a mission, including the 15 men sent from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to murder him, could not have been carried out without the authorization of Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In the statement, Trump writes, “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event, maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”

    December 18, 2018 – The Donald J. Trump Foundation agrees to dissolve according to a document filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. The agreement allows the New York attorney general’s office to review the recipients of the charity’s assets.

    December 22, 2018 – The longest partial government shutdown in US history begins after Trump demands lawmakers allocate $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall before agreeing to sign a federal funding package.

    January 16, 2019 – After nearly two years of Trump administration officials denying that anyone involved in his campaign colluded with the Russians to help his candidacy, Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, says “I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or people in the campaign. I said the President of the United States.”

    January 25, 2019 – The government shutdown ends when Trump signs a short-term spending measure, providing three weeks of stopgap funding while lawmakers work on a border security compromise. The bill does not include any wall funding.

    February 15, 2019 – Trump declares a national emergency to allocate funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico. During the announcement, the President says he expects the declaration to be challenged in court. The same day, Trump signs a border security measure negotiated by Congress, with $1.375 billion set aside for barriers, averting another government shutdown.

    February 18, 2019 – Attorneys general from 16 states file a lawsuit in federal court challenging Trump’s emergency declaration.

    March 22, 2019 – Mueller ends his investigation and delivers his report to Attorney General William Barr. A senior Justice Department official tells CNN that there will be no further indictments.

    March 24, 2019 – Barr releases a letter summarizing the principal conclusions from Mueller’s investigation. According to Barr’s four-page letter, the evidence was not sufficient to establish that members Trump’s campaign tacitly engaged in a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government to interfere with the election.

    April 18, 2019 – A redacted version of the Mueller report is released. The first part of the 448-page document details the evidence gathered by Mueller’s team on potential conspiracy crimes and explains their decisions not to charge individuals associated with the campaign. The second part of the report outlines ten episodes involving possible obstruction of justice by the President. According to the report, Mueller’s decision not to charge Trump was rooted in Justice Department guidelines prohibiting the indictment of a sitting president. Mueller writes that he would have cleared Trump if the evidence warranted exoneration.

    May 1, 2019 – The New York Times publishes a report that details how Giuliani, in his role as Trump’s personal attorney, is investigating allegations related to former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential Trump opponent in the 2020 presidential race. Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma Holdings. In 2016, the elder Biden pressured Ukraine to oust a prosecutor who had investigated Burisma for corruption. Giuliani suggests that Biden’s move was motivated by a desire to protect his son from criminal charges. Giuliani’s claims are undermined after Bloomberg reports that the Burisma investigation was “dormant” when Biden pressed the prosecutor to resign.

    June 12, 2019 – Trump says he may be willing to accept information about political rivals from a foreign government during an interview on ABC News, declaring that he’s willing to listen and wouldn’t necessarily call the FBI.

    June 16, 2019 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveils a sign at the proposed site of a Golan Heights settlement to be named Trump Heights.

    June 18, 2019 – Trump holds a rally in Orlando to publicize the formal launch of his reelection campaign.

    June 28, 2019 – During a breakfast meeting at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman reportedly discuss tensions with Iran, trade and human rights.

    June 30, 2019 – Trump becomes the first sitting US president to enter North Korea. He takes 20 steps beyond the border and shakes hands with Kim.

    July 14, 2019 – Via Twitter, Trump tells Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Illhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley to “go back” to their home countries. Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Pressley are natural-born US citizens; Omar was born in Somalia, immigrated to the United States and became a citizen.

    July 16, 2019 – The House votes, 240-187, to condemn the racist language Trump used in his tweets about Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Omar and Pressley.

    July 24, 2019 – Mueller testifies before the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee.

    July 25, 2019 – Trump speaks on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump asks Zelensky for a “favor,” encouraging him to speak with Giuliani about investigating Biden. In the days before the call, Trump blocked nearly $400 million in military and security aid to Ukraine.

    August 12, 2019 – A whistleblower files a complaint pertaining to Trump’s conduct on the Zelensky call.

    September 11, 2019 – The Trump administration lifts its hold on military aid for Ukraine.

    September 24, 2019 – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the beginning of an impeachment inquiry related to the whistleblower complaint.

    September 25, 2019 – The White House releases notes from the July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky. The readout contains multiple references to Giuliani and Barr. In response, the Justice Department issues a statement that says Barr didn’t know about Trump’s conversation until weeks after the call. Further, the attorney general didn’t talk to the President about having Ukraine investigate the Bidens, according to the Justice Department. On the same day as the notes are released, Trump and Zelensky meet in person for the first time on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. During a joint press conference after the meeting, both men deny that Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate Biden in exchange for aid.

    September 26, 2019 – The House releases a declassified version of the whistleblower complaint. According to the complaint, officials at the White House tried to “lock down” records of Trump’s phone conversation with Zelensky. The complaint also alleges that Barr played a role in the campaign to convince Zelensky that Biden should be investigated. Trump describes the complaint as “fake news” and “a witch hunt” on Twitter.

    September 27, 2019 – Pompeo is subpoenaed by House committees over his failure to provide documents related to Ukraine. Kurt Volker, US special envoy to Ukraine, resigns. He was named in the whistleblower complaint as one of the State Department officials who helped Giuliani connect with sources in Ukraine.

    October 3, 2019 – Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump says both Ukraine and China should investigate alleged corruption involving Biden and his son. CNN reports that the President had brought up Biden and his family during a June phone call with Xi Jinping. In that call, Trump discussed the political prospects of Biden as well as Elizabeth Warren. He also told Xi that he would remain quiet on the matter of Hong Kong protests. Notes documenting the conversation were placed on a highly secured server where the transcript from the Ukraine call was also stored.

    October 6, 2019 – After Trump speaks on the phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the White House announces that US troops will move out of northern Syria to make way for a planned Turkish military operation. The move marks a major shift in American foreign policy and effectively gives Turkey the green light to attack US-backed Kurdish forces, a partner in the fight against ISIS.

    October 9, 2019 – Turkey launches a military offensive in northern Syria.

    October 31, 2019 – Trump says via Twitter that he is changing his legal residency from New York to Florida, explaining that he feels he is treated badly by political leaders from the city and state.

    November 7, 2019 – A judge orders Trump to pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit against his charity filed by the New York state attorney general. According to the suit, Trump breached his fiduciary duty by allowing his presidential campaign to direct the distribution of donations. In a statement, Trump accuses the attorney general of mischaracterizing the settlement for political purposes.

    November 13, 2019 – Public impeachment hearings begin and Trump meets Erdogan at the White House.

    November 20, 2019 – During a public hearing, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland says he worked with Giuliani on matters related to Ukraine at the “express direction of the President of the United States” and he says “everyone was in the loop.” Sondland recounts several conversations between himself and Trump about Ukraine opening two investigations: one into Burisma and another into conspiracies about Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 US election.

    December 10, 2019 – House Democrats unveil two articles of impeachment, one for abuse of power and one for obstruction of Congress.

    December 11, 2019 – Trump signs an executive order to include discrimination against Jewish people as a violation of law in certain cases, with an eye toward fighting antisemitism on college campuses.

    December 13, 2019 – The House Judiciary Committee approves the two articles of impeachment in a party line vote.

    December 18, 2019 – The House of Representatives votes to impeach Trump, charging a president with high crimes and misdemeanors for just the third time in American history.

    January 3, 2020 – Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Trump announces that a US airstrike in Iraq has killed Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force.

    January 8, 2020 – Iran fires a number of missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the American strike that killed Soleimani. No US or Iraqi lives are reported lost, but the Pentagon later releases a statement confirming that 109 US service members had been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injuries in the wake of the attack.

    January 24, 2020 – Makes history as the first President to attend the annual March for Life rally in Washington, DC, since it began nearly a half-century ago. Trump reiterates his support for tighter abortion restrictions.

    January 29, 2020 – Trump signs the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement.

    January 31, 2020 – The Trump administration announces an expansion of the travel ban to include six new countries. Immigration restrictions will be imposed on: Nigeria, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar (known as Burma), with exceptions for immigrants who have helped the United States.

    February 5, 2020 – The Senate votes to acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment. Sen. Mitt Romney is the sole Republican to vote to convict on the charge of abuse of power, joining with all Senate Democrats in a 52-48 not guilty vote. On the obstruction of Congress charge, the vote falls along straight party lines, 53-47 for acquittal.

    May 29, 2020 – Trump announces that the United States will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organization.

    July 10, 2020 – Trump commutes the prison sentence of his longtime friend Roger Stone, who was convicted of crimes that included lying to Congress in part, prosecutors said, to protect the President. The announcement came just days before Stone was set to report to a federal prison in Georgia.

    October 2, 2020 – Trump announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Later in the day, Trump is transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and returns to the White House on October 5.

    November 7, 2020 – Days after the presidential election on November 3, CNN projects Trump loses his bid for reelection to Biden.

    November 25, 2020 – Trump announces in a tweet that he has granted Michael Flynn a “full pardon,” wiping away the guilty plea of the intelligence official for lying to the FBI.

    December 23, 2020 – Announces 26 new pardons, including for Stone, Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, Charles.

    January 6, 2021 – Following Trump’s rally and speech at the White House Ellipse, pro-Trump rioters storm the US Capitol as members of Congress meet to certify the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election. A total of five people die, including a Capitol Police officer the next day.

    January 7-8, 2021 – Instagram and Facebook place a ban on Trump’s account from posting through the remainder of his presidency and perhaps “indefinitely.” Twitter permanently bans Trump from the platform, explaining that “after close review of recent Tweets…and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

    January 13, 2021 – The House votes to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” He is the only president to be impeached twice.

    January 20, 2021 – Trump issues a total of 143 pardons and commutations that include his onetime political strategist, Steve Bannon, a former top fundraiser and two well-known rappers but not himself or his family. He then receives a military-style send-off from Joint Base Andrews on Inauguration morning, before heading home to Florida.

    February 13, 2021 – The US Senate acquits Trump in his second impeachment trial, voting that Trump is not guilty of inciting the deadly January 6 riots at the US Capitol. The vote is 43 not guilty to 57 guilty, short of the 67 guilty votes needed to convict.

    May 5, 2021 – Facebook’s Oversight Board upholds Trump’s suspension from using its platform. The decision also applies to Facebook-owned Instagram.

    June 4, 2021 – Facebook announces Trump will be suspended from its platform until at least January 7th, 2023 – two years from when he was initially suspended.

    July 1, 2021 – New York prosecutors charge the Trump Organization and Trump Payroll Corporation with 10 felony counts and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg with 15 felony counts in connection with an alleged tax scheme stretching back to 2005. Trump himself is not charged. On December 6, 2022, both companies are found guilty on all charges.

    February 14, 2022 – Accounting firm Mazars announces it will no longer act as Trump’s accountant, citing a conflict of interest. In a letter to the Trump Organization chief legal officer, the firm informs the Trump Organization to no longer rely on financial statements ending June 2011 through June 2020.

    May 3, 2022 – The Trump Organization and the Presidential Inaugural Committee agree to pay a total of $750,000 to settle with the Washington, DC, attorney general’s office over allegations they misspent money raised for former President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

    June 9-July 21, 2022 – The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol holds eight hearings, where it hears from witnesses including top ex-Trump officials, election workers, those who took part in the attack and many others. Through live testimony, video depositions, and never-before-seen material, the committee attempts to paint the picture of the former president’s plan to stay in power and the role he played on January 6.

    August 8, 2022 – The FBI executes a search warrant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, as part of an investigation into the handling of presidential documents, including classified documents, that may have been brought there.

    August 12, 2022 – A federal judge unseals the search warrant and property receipt from the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. The unsealed documents indicate the FBI recovered 11 sets of classified documents from its search, including some materials marked as “top secret/SCI” – one of the highest levels of classification, and identify three federal crimes that the Justice Department is looking at as part of its investigation: violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice and criminal handling of government records.

    September 21, 2022 – The New York state attorney general files a lawsuit against Trump, three of his adult children and the Trump Organization, alleging they were involved in an expansive fraud lasting over a decade that the former President used to enrich himself. According to the lawsuit, the Trump Organization deceived lenders, insurers and tax authorities by inflating the value of his properties using misleading appraisals.

    October 3, 2022 – Trump files a lawsuit against CNN for defamation, seeking $475 million in punitive damages.

    November 15, 2022 – Announces that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

    November 19, 2022 – Trump’s Twitter account, which was banned following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, is reinstated after users respond to an online poll posted by Twitter CEO and new owner Elon Musk.

    December 19, 2022 – The Jan. 6 insurrection committee votes to refer Trump to the Department of Justice on at least four criminal charges. Four days later the panel releases its final report recommending Trump be barred from holding office again.

    February 9, 2023 – Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are restored following a two-year ban in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, a Meta spokesperson confirms to CNN. On March 17, 2023, YouTube restores Trump’s channel.

    March 30, 2023 – A grand jury in New York votes to indict Trump, the first time in American history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges.

    April 4, 2023 – Surrenders and is placed under arrest before pleading not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records in Manhattan criminal court. Prosecutors allege that Trump sought to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election through a hush money scheme with payments made to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump. He has denied the affairs. Hours after his arraignment, Trump rails against the Manhattan district attorney and the indictment during a speech at his Florida resort at Mar-a-Lago.

    May 9, 2023 – A Manhattan federal jury finds Trump sexually abused former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll in a luxury department store dressing room in the spring of 1996 and awards her $5 million for battery and defamation.

    May 15, 2023 – A report by special counsel John Durham is released. In it he concludes that the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The report does not recommend any new charges against individuals or “wholesale changes” about how the FBI handles politically charged investigations, despite strongly criticizing the agency’s behavior.

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  • Global Awareness Initiative Reports an Analysis Proves Execution of Armenian Prisoners of War Are Real

    Global Awareness Initiative Reports an Analysis Proves Execution of Armenian Prisoners of War Are Real

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    Press Release
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    updated: Oct 17, 2020


    YEREVAN, Armenia, October 17, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​To stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan and spread awareness in the international community, Armenia’s tech community leaders came together to form the Global Awareness initiative.

    Latest news from the front line of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh:

    •  Contrary to the claims of the Azerbaijani side that the two videos of executions of two Armenian prisoners of war were fabricated by Armenia, a thorough analysis of the video proves that the footage and content were real. The analysis was released by an ex-British Army officer and open source analyst Nick Waters in an investigative journalist article for bellingcat. This video was initially posted on Azerbaijani Telegram channels alongside a description stating that the two men captured were Armenian soldiers. By analyzing several criteria, such as the uniforms, weapons, geolocation and date in the videos, the author concludes that the video is genuine and the detainees appear to have been transported away from Armenian lines and towards Azerbaijani lines before they were executed.
    • Major General of the Libyan National Army Ahmed al-Mismari confirms that Turkey sends terrorists to Azerbaijan. ”Thousands of terrorists, Syrian and of other nationalities, have been sent to Libya by Turkey using the Mitiga and Misrata airports. Now Turkey uses those airports to send Libyan, Syrian and other terrorists to Azerbaijan,” Ahmed al-Mismari told Sky News Arabia.
    • On October 16, violating the ceasefire agreement signed on October 10, Azerbaijan launched heavy shelling again on Stepanakert and other communities in Artsakh. The office of the human rights defender of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan reports that three peaceful civilians were wounded in the village of Shosh. No data on the casualties is reported yet.
    • Two Hamza Militants, who came back to Syria after fighting for Turkey in the war against Artsakh, were interviewed. They reported that Syrians were used as human shields while the Azerbaijani army was always at least 200 meters behind them. He also stated that around 1,000 fighters were sent initially, out of which 300 were allowed to return, while most of the rest died.
    • Armenian doctors in Artsakh performed surgery and treated an Azerbaijani captive. He is currently under medical care. This comes shortly after a video was leaked where Azerbaijani soldiers brutally killed two handcuffed and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war and beheaded a soldier.
    • The Parliament of Luxembourg unanimously adopted a motion condemning the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh, Turkey’s involvement in the conflict and supporting all initiatives for an immediate ceasefire.
    • A poster with a little Azerbaijani girl, who is seemingly crying, has gone viral on social media as part of an anti-Armenian campaign. Around the same time, images and videos of the shooting’s backstage surfaced online where the mother of the little girl was encouraging her to cry harder, then proudly noting her ‘little princess’ was a model. Many called this “exploiting children to encourage audience pity.”
    • In the presence of the honorary consul of Armenia, the Milan City Council has unanimously approved a motion calling on the Italian authorities to recognize the Republic of Artsakh and condemn the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression.
    • In a recent Twitter trend, a few days before the war, Azerbaijani people were discussing whether or not they would kill an Armenian child. An overwhelming number of responders stated that they wouldn’t even hesitate to do so, as “Armenians are the enemy of the Azerbaijani people.” Some of them mentioned that had they killed babies in the 90s war, there would be no Armenians to fight today.

    See the complete press release here.

    Press kit

    Global Awareness
    +37455939005
    info@globalawareness.am
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  • Global Awareness Initiative Reports Azerbaijan Deliberately Targets Hospitals and Kindergartens in Nagorno-Karabakh

    Global Awareness Initiative Reports Azerbaijan Deliberately Targets Hospitals and Kindergartens in Nagorno-Karabakh

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Oct 15, 2020


    YEREVAN, Armenia, October 15, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​​​​​​​​​​​To stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan and spread awareness in the international community, Armenia’s tech community leaders came together to form the Global Awareness initiative.

    ​​Latest news from the frontline of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh:

    • In the afternoon of Oct. 14, the Minister of Defense of Armenia reports that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have targeted hospitals in Artsakh where civilians also receive medical treatment. During the day, there has been more shelling in the town of Martuni, their artillery hit a local kindergarten. These are violations of the humanitarian ceasefire and gross violation of international humanitarian law.
    • On Oct. 14, Azerbaijan targeted the territory of the Republic of Armenia adjacent to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The attack was made on sheer assumptions that the military equipment, which was on Armenian soil, “intended” to start fire towards Azerbaijan. As a result of Azerbaijan’s unprovoked aggression on the territory of Armenia, a 14-year-old teenager was wounded.
    • The Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris both issued separate statements on the escalating military conflict in Karabakh. In his statement, Joe Biden particularly said, “I am deeply concerned by the collapse of the October 10 ceasefire and the resumption of fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.” Biden also added that the Trump Administration must tell Azerbaijan that it will not tolerate its efforts to impose a military solution to this conflict.
    • Azerbaijani peace activists Narmin Shahmarzade and Giyas Ibrahimov have been called to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning. They were told that though there is “freedom of speech,” the views they express publicly can “result in something more serious against the state’s interests.” The two activists also have received harassment statements, as well as threats to their lives. On Oct. 13, three journalists were detained for their professional activities.
    • Azerbaijan’s MOD has published a video “they filmed in captured Hadrut.” But an analysis by a Russia-based verification team claims the video was actually filmed in a neighboring village, Tagaser. The analysts suggest that some parts of the video might have been recorded during Azerbaijan’s militant invasion of Hadrut’s two days ago. The publishing of the video comes after Ilham Aliyev’s unfounded claims that Hadrut had been successfully captured by the Azerbaijani Army, which the Ministry of Defense of Artsakh immediately denied.
    • According to the Wall Street Journal, Turkey has recruited hundreds of fighters from Syrian militias to join Azerbaijan in fighting Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Hundreds more are preparing to go, according to two Syrians involved in the effort.

    See the complete press release here.

    Press kit

    Global Awareness​
    ​+37455939005
    ​info@globalawareness.am
    www.globalawareness.am

    Source: Global Awareness

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  • Global Awareness Initiative Reports More Evidence on Syrian Mercenaries’ Involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh

    Global Awareness Initiative Reports More Evidence on Syrian Mercenaries’ Involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Oct 13, 2020


    YEREVAN, Armenia, October 13, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​​​​​​​​​​​To stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan and spread awareness in the international community, Armenia’s tech community leaders came together to form the Global Awareness initiative.​

    Latest news from the frontline of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh:

    • The National managed to talk to a Syrian fighter from the Sultan Murad Brigade currently in Azerbaijan. The National reveals that army officers order Syrians to attack, while Azerbaijani troops, who were supposed to be fighting with them, “are kilometres behind us.” “The Turks put us in such a position that we can’t any more escape from here,” said Ibrahim, who accepted the job to support his family.
    • The General Prosecutor of Azerbaijan accuses the WarGonzo blogger Semyon Pegov of “illegally crossing” the border of Nagorno-Karabakh, openly supporting terrorism, and calling for anti-state acts. These accusations came after he showed a video of himself in Hadrut with the Artsakh Defense Army, dismissing the statement of Ilham Aliyev that Azeri troops had captured the town. Azerbaijani people have also openly threatened and demanded Pegov’s death for his “pro-Armenian” coverage.
    • Mango has reconsidered manufacturing in Turkey after Saudi Arabia’s unofficial boycotts for Turkish goods. The company is now looking for suitable alternatives to Turkey as a back-up plan. Other brands like Boohoo are also thinking about how the possible implications of Turkey’s involvement in regional wars and sponsoring terrorists would affect their operations.
    • The government of Azerbaijan is getting increasingly worried as people in Baku start protesting about the classified losses in the Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh conflict. People demand for the numbers to be revealed, as they don’t believe that the statement by the president, claiming their losses are less than the Armenian ones, is legitimate. 
    • Despite numerous warnings, Azerbaijan keeps targeting the civilian population and infrastructure in an aggressive manner. According to the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh, as of October 9, 20 civilians have been killed and 101 injured since the attacks started on September 27. All attacks on civilians were pre-planned and targeted.
    • Azerbaijani army has repeatedly violated the humanitarian ceasefire announced two days ago. During the first night of the ceasefire, the army kept shelling not only the capital Stepanakert, but also Shushi, Martuni and many other villages. Civilians had to spend the night in shelters. Houses and other properties were severely damaged.
    • According to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, under the guise of humanitarian cargo, a significant number of attack UAVs are being supplied to Azerbaijan from Turkey and Israel.

    See the complete press release here

    Press kit

    Global Awareness​
    ​+37455939005
    ​info@globalawareness.am
    www.globalawareness.am

    Source: Global Awareness

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    Categories:
    Diplomatic Relations, Politics, Human Rights, International News, News, Terrorism

    Tags:
    Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh, Terrorists, Turkey, War

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  • Global Awareness Initiative Reports Azerbaijan Violated Humanitarian Ceasefire

    Global Awareness Initiative Reports Azerbaijan Violated Humanitarian Ceasefire

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    Global Initiative reports that a humanitarian ceasefire was announced to take effect on Oct. 10, 12:00 local time by Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and Azerbaijan. However, less than an hour after the effective time, Azerbaijan opened fire.

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Oct 11, 2020


    YEREVAN, Armenia, October 11, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    To stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan and spread awareness in the international community, Armenia’s tech community leaders came together to form the Global Awareness initiative.​​​

    What’s happening on the frontline of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)

    • The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia reports that before the announcement of the humanitarian ceasefire, Azerbaijan attempted a subversive-intelligence infiltration in the direction of Hadrut. Russian military journalists from WarGonzo report that the adversary is assumed to be part of a foreign army, possibly Turkish Special Forces. The attempt came after Ilham Aliyev’s announcement on Oct. 9, 2020, about having captured the Hadrut region. However, president Aliyev’s statement was immediately officially denied by the Ministry of Defense of Armenia as well as by reporters from WarGonzo, who were physically in the Hadrut area.
       
    • After 11 hours of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a humanitarian ceasefire was confirmed to start at 12:00 local time. Leading up to the ceasefire, Azerbaijan ramped up its shelling on Armenian civilian targets. At 12:00 it stopped. According to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, the ceasefire lasted only about an hour before Azerbaijan launched attacks on the Southern province of Armenia proper, capital Stepanakert of Artsakh, and Hadrut. 
       
    • The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army reports that less than 2 hours before the ceasefire between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and Azerbaijan takes effect, the Azerbaijani army launches drone strikes towards the territory of the Republic of Armenia.
       
    • The Staff of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh got concrete information that the Azerbaijani subversive group which entered Hadrut town in the morning killed 2 civilians in their home – the mother and her son with a disability.

    According to BILD journalist Paul Ronzheimer reporting from Stepanakert, the Azerbaijani army is still shelling the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), and fighting is still ongoing in the South. Other regions are relatively calm.

    See the complete press release here.

    Press kit

    Global Awareness​
    ​+37455939005
    ​info@globalawareness.am
    www.globalawareness.am

    Source: Global Awareness

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  • Global Awareness Initiative Reports Azerbaijan Bombs Cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh

    Global Awareness Initiative Reports Azerbaijan Bombs Cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Oct 16, 2020


    YEREVAN, Armenia, October 10, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​​​​​To stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan and spread awareness in the international community, Armenia’s tech community leaders came together to form the Global Awareness initiative.​

    What’s happening on the frontline of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)

    • CNN held an interview with the president of Azerbaijan, where he was asked about the presence of Turkish F-16s in their territory. The president confirmed they are in the base. The statement of the president contradicts the one made by his assistant Hikmat Hajiyev a day before, where he claimed there were no F-16 fighter-jets on their soil.
    • The Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh published a document, where it’s clearly seen that under the authoritarian regime of the Aliyev clan there has been a rise in Armenophobia across Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, the situation is not only in politics but also among the people of Azerbaijan and the educational system.
    • Recently there have been thousands of pages created by Azerbaijani people trying to spread national propaganda across Facebook and Instagram. Facebook removed 589 Facebook accounts, 7,906 Pages and 447 accounts on Instagram, which were used to boost pro-government activities. These accounts even attacked influential people like Cardi B and Elton John, threatening and forcing them to remove their posts. Facebook cited these as “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
    • On October 8, Azerbaijan’s army bombed the Saint Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi dating back to the 19th century, twice. This is a grave violation of The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The second bombing happened a few hours later, when there were journalists to report about the shelling. Russian and local reporters were injured.
    • The City Council of Geneva City just adopted a Resolution (49 yes, 18 abstentions, 2 no) condemning the military aggression of Azerbaijan, recognizing the right of the Armenians from Karabagh to self-determination, and demanding from the federal government to freeze the assets of the Aliyev family in Switzerland.

    More from today:

    See the complete press release here
    Press kit

    Global Awareness​
    ​+37455939005
    ​info@globalawareness.am
    www.globalawareness.am

    Source: Global Awareness

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  • Global Awareness Initiative Says Azerbaijan Continues to Violate Human Rights by Actively Bombing Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s Capital

    Global Awareness Initiative Says Azerbaijan Continues to Violate Human Rights by Actively Bombing Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s Capital

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    This has resulted in many civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure, garnering the attention of the international community.

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Oct 7, 2020


    YEREVAN, Armenia, October 7, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Armenia’s tech community leaders have come together to form Global Awareness, an initiative to spread awareness in the international community and stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

    ​​As the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh continues to escalate, more awareness is now being spread by both international media outlets and world leaders. Azerbaijan continues to violate human rights by actively bombing Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital. This has resulted in many civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure, garnering the attention of the international community.

    Further updates on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as of Oct. 6, 2020: 

    • While Aliyev in his interview with Al Jazeera announces that Azerbaijan welcomes Armenians living in Artsakh to live together, Azerbaijani “Smerch” rocket explodes near the Red Cross in Stepanakert after a series of explosions in Artsakh on Oct. 6, reported by RT reporter Murad Gazdiev and Komsomolskaya Pravda reporter Aleksandr Kots.
       
    • Canada has suspended all military export permits to Turkey due to concerns centered around human rights violations. Foreign affairs minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has stated: “Canada continues to be concerned by the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting in shelling of communities and civilian casualties.”
       
    • RT correspondent Murad Gadziev reports that Syrian al Nusra jihadists are now being deployed to Karabakh to fight for Azerbaijan – head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Agency informed. Nusra, also known as Al Qaeda in Syria, is the dominant rebel faction in Idlib, and second only to ISIS in infamy.
       
    • Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti says LA is proud to be home to the largest Armenian diaspora and condemns the violence visited upon Artsakh and Armenia by Azerbaijan.
       
    • On Oct. 6, the Armenian Ministry of Defense made an official announcement that no fire was launched at Azerbaijan from the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The MoD has also stated that all allegations stating otherwise, especially from the side of Azerbaijan, are intentional lies.

    More from today:

    See the complete press release here
    Press kit

    CONTACT:
    Mary Baboyan
    ​PR manager at globalawareness.am
    ​info@globalawareness.am
    ​www.globalawareness.am

    Source: Global Awareness

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