Author: RT

Over 200 arrested in 13 countries in Europol crackdown on money laundering More than 200 people have been arrested in 13 countries as part of a global crackdown on money laundering, the European police authority Europol said on Wednesday. The swoop by law enforcement authorities in European countries, as well as Australia and the United States took place between September and November, AFP reports. The operations resulted “in the identification of 3,833 money mules alongside 386 money mule recruiters, of which 228 were arrested,” Europol said. More than 650 banks, 17 bank associations and other financial institutions helped to report 7,520 fraudulent money mule transactions, preventing a total loss of €12.9 million ($14.3 million), according to the statement. Over...

German Foreign Ministry says it has declared two employees of Russia's embassy in Berlin as personae non gratae DETAILS TO FOLLOW German Foreign Ministry says it has declared two employees of Russia's embassy in Berlin as personae non gratae Source: RT

Students jump out of windows as college burns in Ukraine (VIDEOS) Terrified students were forced to jump out of windows while trying to escape from smoke and fire raging inside a historic college campus in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. A 1914 building caught fire on Wednesday morning and thick clouds of smoke could be seen billowing from its windows. Multiple fire brigades and ambulance crews are at the scene. Одесса pic.twitter.com/o8AGYfcBpz— лэнц готфрит (@evergreen_dn) 4 декабря 2019 г. https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Students began rushing outside as soon as the fire started. Some of them had to jump out of windows. Dozens of people have been evacuated from the building. Two sisters were rescued by ...

Reef-erendum debate: NZ politician stuns the house by producing 14g ‘weed’ baggie (VIDEO) Deputy leader of the New Zealand National Party Paula Bennett set parliament ablaze (figuratively speaking) when she produced what appeared to be a 14-gram baggie of weed during a debate on legalization. "Does she think it promotes the wellbeing of New Zealanders when under her government's legislation people will be able to purchase up to 14 grams a day of weed," Bennett asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, holding up what later emerged to be a bag of dried oregano, to audible mocking laughter from her fellow MPs. //player.vimeo.com/video/377204953 The proposed 14-gram-a-day cannabis purchase limit is a hot topic ahead of the ref...

Australia restricts medical evacuations of refugees from Pacific detention centers Australia on Wednesday removed the right of doctors to order sick asylum seekers be evacuated from two remote Pacific detention centers for medical treatment. Opponents say this will  risks the lives of refugees. Under Australia’s controversial immigration policy, asylum seekers intercepted at sea are sent to camps in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. They can never settle in Australia, even if they are found to be refugees. In February, independent lawmakers and the opposition joined forces to give doctors the right to order sick asylum seekers be sent to Australia if they required medical care. After securing re-election in May, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would seek to repeal ...

UN launches bn emergency funding appeal over protracted conflicts, climate change The UN launched a humanitarian appeal for nearly $29 billion on Wednesday as climate change and increasingly protracted conflicts put tens of millions of people in urgent need of aid. The Global Humanitarian Overview estimated that 168 million people worldwide will need some form of emergency assistance in 2020, including food, shelter, and healthcare. That figure marks a “record in the modern era,” UN emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock said, referring to the period since WWII. Needs continue to rise in part because “conflicts are becoming more protracted and intense,” Lowcock said. “Combatants display total disregard for humanitarian law,” with the result that civilians caught up in confl...