North Korea’s Kim gifted car by Russia’s Putin, state media says
The Russian-made car was delivered to Kim for his ‘personal use’, North Korea’s state-run KCNA says. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been gifted a car by Russian President Vladimir Putin in recognition of their “special personal relations”, state media has reported. The Russian-made car, the make and model of which was not disclosed, was delivered to Kim’s top aides, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, on February 18 for the North Korean leader’s “personal use”, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Monday. “Kim Yo Jong courteously conveyed Kim Jong Un’s thanks to Putin to the Russian side, saying that the gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders of the DPRK and Russia and as the best one,” KCNA said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Putin’s gift appears to violate Moscow-backed United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang, which prohibit the supply of all “transportation vehicles” to North Korea. Kim is believed to own an extensive collection of high-end cars and has been spotted travelling in luxury models including the Mercedes-Maybach S600, Rolls-Royce Phantom and Lexus LX 570. During his visit to Russia’s far east in September, Kim admired Putin’s presidential Aurus Senat limousine and was invited by the Russian leader to sit in the back seat. [embedded content] Putin and Kim, both of whom are increasingly isolated on the international stage, have forged closer ties since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In October, Kim wished Putin victory over the “imperialists’ anti-Russia scheme” in a letter marking the 75th anniversary of their countries’ bilateral relations, state media reported. The United States and its ally South Korea have expressed concern about growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. South Korea’s spy agency said in November that Russia likely assisted North Korea’s successful launch of a spy satellite, which Seoul, Tokyo and Washington condemned as a pretext to test ballistic missile technology. Adblock test (Why?)
US banking giant Capital One to buy Discover Financial for $35.3bn
The proposed acquisition would create the biggest credit card company in the US. Banking giant Capital One has announced plans to acquire Discover Financial Services for $35.3bn in a deal combining two of the United States’s biggest lenders and credit card issuers. Capital One founder and CEO Richard Fairbank described the deal as an “incredible opportunity to bring together two exceptional companies”. “This deal accelerates our longstanding journey to work directly with merchants, to leverage our customer base, our technology and our data to drive more sales for the merchants and great deals for consumers and small businesses,” Fairbank said in a video statement posted on the company’s website on Monday. Discover CEO Michael Rhodes said the acquisition would bring “together two strong brands with enhanced ability to accelerate growth” and that it “maximises value for our shareholders”. “We look forward to a bright future as part of the Capital One family and to providing expanded opportunities for our loyal customers,” Rhodes said in a statement. Capital One, the 12th largest US bank with more than $470bn in assets, would become the biggest US credit card company by loan volume under the acquisition. Discover, the smallest of the four major US-based credit card companies, boasts a network of some 305 million cardholders – nearly triple Capital One’s existing customer base. Credit cards have been a lucrative business for US issuers, with Americans’ card balances rising to a record $1.13 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the New York Federal Reserve. Under the proposed takeover, Discover shareholders would receive a little more than one share of Capital One for every Discover share they hold – a premium of about 27 percent compared with Discover’s closing price Friday. Capital One’s shareholders, which include Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, would own 60 percent of the combined company, with Discover shareholders owning the rest. The announcement of the deal attracted pushback from consumer rights advocates. Jesse Van Tol, the chief executive of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, said the acquisition would likely raise concern among regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “Retailers might also oppose? I can’t think of [a] bank merger facing more opposition than Capital One buying Discover,” Van Tol said in a post on X. US President Joe Biden’s administration has put tougher antitrust enforcement at the centre of his economic agenda, declaring that “capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism”. Last year, the US Justice Department’s antitrust division announced plans to enhance its review process for bank mergers in light of advances in technology in the financial services industry. Adblock test (Why?)
Chinese Coast Guard boards Taiwan tourist boat, triggers panic
Incident comes as Beijing announces stepped up patrols near Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands following the death of two Chinese fishermen in the area. Chinese Coast Guard officials briefly boarded a Taiwanese cruise ship on Monday in an incident the government in Taipei said triggered panic among the people of the self-ruled island. The incident near the Taiwanese Kinmen Islands, off the coast of the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, came a day after Beijing said it would step up patrols in the area in response to the deaths of two Chinese fishermen who drowned last week while being chased by the Taiwanese Coast Guard. In a statement on Monday, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said six Chinese officials boarded the Taiwanese tourist boat, which was carrying 11 crew members and 23 passengers. The Chinese officials checked the boat’s route plan, certificate and crew licenses and left about half an hour later. Taiwan’s Coast Guard said it dispatched its personnel to the scene. They arrived shortly after their Chinese counterparts left the cruise ship and “accompanied the ship all the way back to Shuitou Port” in Kinmen, it said. There was no immediate comment from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory. In Taipei, Kuan Bi-ling, the head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, condemned Beijing’s actions. “We think it has harmed our people’s feelings and triggered people’s panic. That was also not in line with the interest of the people across the strait,” she told reporters, adding that it was common for Chinese and Taiwanese tourist boats to accidentally enter the other side’s waters. “Boats like these are not illegal at all,” she said. Kinmen is located just 5km (3 miles) from China’s Xiamen and has been controlled by Taipei since Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. Fishermen from Taiwan and China regularly sail the stretch of water between Kinmen and the Chinese mainland. And on Wednesday, Taiwan said two of four Chinese fishermen died after their boat capsized while fleeing the Taiwanese Coast Guard. It said their boat was fishing “within prohibited waters” about one nautical mile (1.8km) away from the Kinmen archipelago. The other two survivors remain in Taiwan’s custody. China issued a furious condemnation and its coast guard said it would step up law enforcement patrols in the area. The patrols are intended to “further maintain the order of operations in relevant waters and protect the safety of fishermen’s lives”, Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Coast Guard, said in a statement on Sunday. Beijing has also called for the immediate release of the detained Chinese nationals. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council – which handles issues regarding Beijing – announced late on Monday that the families of the detained Chinese crew members are expected to arrive in Kinmen on Tuesday. The Straits Exchange Foundation – a semi-official Taiwanese body that handles technical and business affairs with China – said it “will also send personnel to Kinmen to provide humanitarian care to the mainland family members… and assist them in handling the aftermath”, it said. The incident has added to escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Chinese President Xi Jinping has in recent years ramped up rhetoric of unifying China and Taiwan, while the Chinese military has stepped up pressure on the island by deploying warplanes and naval vessels around it on a near-daily basis. Taiwan had a presidential election in January, which saw the win of Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te – a candidate Beijing considers a “separatist”. Adblock test (Why?)
Special session of Maharashtra Assembly to commence today, Maratha quota likely on agenda
The Maharashtra government will hold a special Vidhan Sabha session for one day on Tuesday to hold discussion on the Maratha reservation issue
‘Remember Modiji, if…’: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hits out at PM Modi during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Taking a dig at PM Modi’s claim that the BJP and its allies will get more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls likely to be held in April-May, Kharge said they will be thrown out of power and will not even get 100 seats.
PM Modi to unveil major rail development projects in J&K, to flag off first electric train in Valley today
These rail projects are expected to enhance connectivity, promote environmental sustainability and stimulate economic development in the region.
Dems join heavily funded effort to oust fellow Dem in crime-ridden city
Democratic operatives have joined an effort to recall a progressive Washington, D.C. councilmember over his criminal justice reform policies, raising tens of thousands of dollars since the campaign launched in December. Capitol Hill resident Jennifer Squires began the effort to oust Councilmember Charles Allen amid an escalating crime surge in the nation’s capital. By February, the campaign had already raised over $56,000 and garnered support from Democratic political fundraisers and congressional staffers, including former President Obama superdelegate and Democrat lobbyist Moses Mercado, according to campaign filings. “Crime has become a real issue in the District with lasting consequences,” Squires said in a statement in January. “As a mother whose children used to walk to school daily across Capitol Hill, it’s really frightening.” “A growing group of us watched as our Councilman, someone I voted for, systematically did the exact opposite things he should be doing to keep us safe,” she said. In response to the recall effort, Allen pointed to his efforts to recruit more police officers with a $25,000 dollar signing bonus for new hires and helping pass anti-gun laws, such as increasing penalties for dangerous automatic weapons. “This recall effort is misleading and misinformed,” Allen said in a statement to WUSA9. “I’ve worked to hold criminals accountable with strong laws and bring a whole of government approach to reducing crime long-term.” Democrats supporting the recall effort include former House aide and TikTok lobbyist Michael Hacker, fundraiser Tonya Fulkerson and the chief of staff for Rep. Dan Kildee, Mitchell Rivard, Bloomberg reported. Around 100 people attended the first volunteer event on Thursday and at least a dozen hands raised after recall organizers asked who had been carjacked, the campaign wrote on X. “I did national politics, not local politics,” Mercado said during the event, The Washington Post reported. “But I realized — I had a conversation with my wife about what if something happens, God forbid, somebody carjacks her?” BLUE CITY’S RAMPANT VIOLENCE LED THIS FORMER DC RESIDENT TO FLEE THE CRIME-RIDDEN CAPITAL Allen supporters have criticized the effort, including former councilmember and longtime D.C. resident Tommy Wells, who filed for an anti-recall committee and fundraising effort in support of Allen on Thursday, Axios reported. Wells argued that Allen has widespread support after three consecutive election victories and criticized the recall effort for also attracting significant Republican support. 5 MONTHS. 5 BURGLARIES. ANOTHER RESTAURANT SHUTTERS AS CRIME PUSHES BUSINESSES TO BRINK IN BLUE CITY “The voters of Ward 6 overwhelmingly reelected, Charles Allen, one year ago,” Wells told Fox News in an emailed statement. “The people who launched this recall are upset about actions that Allen took long before his reelection, and now they are diverting his time and energy from doing his job, including fighting crime. They should be working with him and his team instead of devoting time and money to overturning the will of the voters.” “The recall effort is playing into the hands of right wing Republicans, who claim that Democrats are mismanaging US cities, and that DC in particular does not deserve home rule,” Wells said. “These are the same Republicans who prevent sensible gun controls that would go far in reducing violent crime in a city awash in guns.” But Squires, a fellow longtime Washington resident, said the neighborhood has worsened under Allen’s watch. She defended Republican support for the recall campaign and said they were welcome during a Thursday event, according to The Washington Post. It’s “not about politics,” Squires said Thursday, reiterating that the campaign is focused on tackling the city’s crime crisis. “This is basically a campaign about ideas and trying to convince this man he’s got the wrong ideas,” Squires said about Allen’s criminal justice reform policies. “I don’t care if you’re Republican, I don’t care who you are — especially if you live in Ward 6. That’s his constituency.” As crime has dipped in some major cities across the country, the nation’s capital has faced skyrocketing crime, ending 2023 with 274 murders — the most in over two decades, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. Robberies and thefts spiked 67% and 23%, respectively, while motor vehicle thefts almost doubled. SURGING CRIME, COSTS FORCED 52 BUSINESSES TO SHUTTER IN THIS BLUE CITY LAST YEAR. ANOTHER IS ABOUT TO CLOSE The recall campaign condemned Allen, who served as the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee’s chair from 2017 to 2022, for shepherding a criminal code reform last year that would have lowered penalties for certain offenses like burglaries and carjackings had Congress and President Biden not blocked the legislation. The councilmember was also criticized for his proposal that slashed millions from the police budget in 2020 and was accused of supporting progressive legislation enabling criminals. Allen’s actions “to open the jail doors for violent offenders while slashing the police department budget is having real consequences,” Squires told Fox News in her statement. “We are now seeing the results of his failed leadership and misguided policies.” But Wells said Allen strengthened the community’s parks, retail shops and libraries, The Washington Post reported. “They’ve moved to a fabulous place, and they’re upset and angry, and that’s understandable,” Wells said about residents fed up over crime. “Their focus is on Charles. But they also have to remember: Why did they move there to begin with? This is a great place that Charles helped create.” On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C. Board of Elections issued an official petition for the recall, The Washington Post reported. Recall organizers have 180 days to collect around 6,000 signatures in order to move forward with a recall election. Allen did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Biden’s $200K payment from brother receives renewed scrutiny after report detailing failed hospital venture
A heavily scrutinized $200,000 check that President Biden received from his brother, James Biden, in 2018 has resurfaced in a new report detailing how the latter leaned heavily on his family’s influence to promote a now-defunct hospital chain targeted by the Department of Justice for fraud. According to the report published Sunday by Politico, James centered his consulting work for Americore, a company that operated rural hospitals, on his leverage as a member of the Biden family, but those connections never materialized into more financing for the company before it ultimately collapsed. Fox News Digital reported last year that Americore loaned James approximately $600,000 on the promise that his name could bring in funding from the Middle East. On the same day, $200,000 of the $600,000 was transferred to James’ personal bank account, prompting him to write Biden a $200,000 check from that same account. GOP SENATOR FUMES OVER ‘WACKO’ DEMOCRATS’ LACK OF ‘COMMON SENSE’ ON TRANS SPORTS: ‘GOING TO GET HURT’ Politico said that its investigation of James’ work for Americore “did not find that Joe Biden involved himself in the firm or took actions on its behalf,” but that the president “did benefit indirectly from his brother’s work with the firm,” citing the $200,000 payment. The White House has consistently denied that the money was anything other than repayment for a loan Biden previously gave James as a private citizen, and redacted bank records appear to show a $200,000 payment made to James just weeks earlier from a bank account belonging to Biden. However, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have emphasized the payment, whether a loan or not, “aptly demonstrates one way [Biden] personally benefited from his family’s shady influence peddling of his name and their access to him.” GOP SENATE HOPEFUL KEPT TIES TO GEORGE SOROS-BACKED GROUP WHERE HUNTER BIDEN SERVED ON BOARD “Even if the transaction in question was part of a loan agreement, we are troubled that Joe Biden’s ability to recoup funds depends on his brother’s cashing-in on the Biden brand,” Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital in October. James is expected to be interviewed as part of the committee’s impeachment inquiry against Biden on Feb. 21. According to Politico, a number of former Americore executives said James, at the time, wanted to give Biden equity in the company, put him on its board, and promote its success in a future presidential campaign, none of which ever occurred due to the company’s failure. STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICIALLY CALLS ON KAMALA HARRIS TO INVOKE 25TH AMENDMENT, REMOVE BIDEN FROM OFFICE Americore is facing an ongoing $100 million federal prosecution after the DOJ found one of its hospitals allegedly undertook a scheme to defraud Medicare by billing the government for medically unnecessary lab tests. However, James has not been accused of any crime. In December, a Chapter 11 trustee for Americore testified before the Oversight Committee that the $600,000 loan was provided to James with no documentation in return for the promise of funding from the Middle East that never came. Carol Fox told the committee she filed a lawsuit against James, saying he made “representations that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’ and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections.” The suit was ultimately settled with James required to pay back $350,000 of the loan. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and representatives of James Biden for comment.
Border Patrol Union rips Biden over border crisis: ‘You OWN this catastrophic disaster’
The National Border Patrol Council on Monday had some harsh words for President Biden over his handling of the ongoing border crisis, calling him a “coward” who has failed to take responsibility. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Border Patrol Union called out the president, writing: “Dear Joe, You OWN this catastrophic disaster at the border – lock, stock and barrel.” “You created it. You nursed it along. You encouraged it. You facilitated it. It’s all yours,” wrote NBPC. “Don’t run from it now like a coward. Signed, The BP agents you’ve thrown under the bus.” The post comes after a Senate deal on border enforcement measures collapsed earlier this month after Republicans withdrew their support, rejecting a compromise to tie the bill with aid to Ukraine. VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR BREAKS SILENCE ON BIDEN ADMIN PROVIDING VETERAN MEDICAL RESOURCES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Biden and Democrats accused Republicans of kowtowing to former President Donald Trump, his presumed GOP opponent in the 2024 race, after the former president signaled his opposition. The White House also seized on the Border Patrol Union’s support for the border deal. Biden, meanwhile, has repeatedly said his hands are tied on the border issue and would shut it down if given the authority by Congress. Critics have countered that the president already has the ability and simply refuses to enforce the law. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration in allowing Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas installed along its border with Mexico to stem a flow of illegal crossings. LINDSEY GRAHAM, WHO VOTED AGAINST SENATE FOREIGN AID BILL, ‘VERY OPTIMISTIC’ ABOUT HOUSE PROPOSAL The ruling came after Texas restricted U.S. Border Patrol’s access to an area along the river known as Shelby Park, accusing the Biden administration of not being tough enough on crossings. The Biden administration has had a rocky relationship with Border Patrol agents since taking office. In his first year, the president accused agents of having “strapped” migrants in a clash at the border in Del Rio and promised they would “pay” – statements that the president never corrected, nor apologized for. The September 2021 incident in question came as Border Patrol agents were dealing with a surge of more than 10,000 migrants who had gathered under a bridge. Photographs emerged that some Democrats and media commentators had incorrectly interpreted as showing agents using whips or whipping migrants who were trying to cross the river. In fact, the agents were using split reins to control their horses. Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Bank to delay land auction at West Virginia Gov. Justice’s resort
A Virginia bank says it will delay plans to auction off land at West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s posh resort in an attempt to recover more than $300 million on defaulted business loans by the governor’s family. In a filing Friday in Greenbrier County Circuit Court, Carter Bank & Trust of Martinsville, Virginia, said it will reschedule the March 5 auction to a later date, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported. The bank also asked that a hearing set for Tuesday be postponed on a request by the Greenbrier Sporting Club in White Sulphur Springs for a preliminary injunction against the bank. Carter Bank published a legal notice in the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Feb. 6 announcing the March 5 auction in Lewisburg involving land at the Greenbrier Sporting Club. Carter Bank has said it would “aggressively” pursue $302 million it was owed in principal debt, plus interest and fees, from companies owned by the governor’s family. WEST VIRGINIA GOV. JUSTICE SEEKS TO BLOCK BANK’S LAND AUCTION TO COLLECT ON HIS LOANS In its Friday filing, Carter Bank said it “understands that homeowners within the Greenbrier Sporting Club development are also very interested in this matter and may be considering undertaking action of their own.” The sporting club is a private equity club and residential community that opened in 2000. Justice bought the resort out of bankruptcy in 2009. He began serving the first of his two terms as governor in 2017. The sporting club’s Feb. 7 circuit court complaint said the auction would jeopardize thousands of jobs and “severely damage” both the club and the Greenbrier Resort, which has hosted U.S. presidents and royalty and is the county’s largest employer. The complaint also sought a jury trial to address claims by the Justice family against Carter Bank. On at least four occasions between 2021 and 2023, the Justice companies tried to steer their banking business from Carter Bank to other lenders, who were prepared to pay off all or part of their Carter Bank loans. But Carter Bank “blocked or sabotaged” the transfer efforts, the complaint said. A federal lawsuit filed by the Justice companies against the bank in November is pending. Justice, who owns dozens of companies, also has been the subject of numerous court claims that he has been late in paying millions of dollars he owes in fines, such as for unsafe working conditions at his coal mines. Justice, a Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Joe Manchin. Manchin has said he is not seeking reelection.