Ap

BERLIN (AP) — The former chief executive of financial services company Wirecard and two other ex-managers went on trial Thursday over the firm's collapse in what has been described as the biggest case of fraud in post-war Germany. Wirecard was long the darling of Germany's fintech scene until it filed insolvency proceedings in 2020, saying 1.9 billion euros that had been on its balance sheet could not be found. The case exposed flaws in Germany's financial oversight bodies and embarrassed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had lobbied on behalf of the company during a visit to China. Prosecutors in Munich allege that ex-CEO Markus Braun signed off on financial reports he knew were false. The firm allegedly booked nonexistent revenue it attributed to multiple partnerships in other countries and used fake documents to show it had funds that it did not, they said. The firm’s former head of accounting and the managing director of a Dubai-based subsidiary are also on trial. The … [Read more...] about Ex-Wirecard boss on trial in fraud case that shamed Germany

The town of McEwen was hit by intense flooding Saturday, along with the rest of Middle Tennessee, and shattered the state's rainfall record with 17.02 inches in 24 hours, the Associated Press reported. The state hadn't seen record-breaking rainfall since 1982, when 13.6 inches came down in 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. McEwen, which is in Humphreys County, was issued a flash flood watch before the rain began, with weather forecasters expecting just four to six inches. Weather service meteorologist Krissy Hurley, in Nashville, said the worst storm the middle of the state had seen before Saturday produced nine inches of rain. "Forecasting almost a record is something we don't do very often," Hurley told AP. "Double the amount we've ever seen was almost unfathomable." The flooding in Tennessee has left at least 22 people dead as rescue crews searched Sunday for missing residents. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. Rescue crews … [Read more...] about Tennessee Town Hit by Flooding Shatters Rainfall Record with 17 Inches

Police in Italy conducted searches on 17 anti-vaccine activists allegedly involved in a Telegram chat promoting violence against the government and prominent figures, the Associated Press reported. This chat was called Basta Dittatura, or Enough of the Dictatorship. Turin police officers told AP that this Telegram chat had tens of thousands of members and that the searches turned up weapons and flammable acid. The chat served as a "prime forum" for organizing protests against Italy's Green Pass requirements. The Green Pass shows proof of COVID-19 vaccination, recent negative test or already having and being cured of the virus. Italy and several other European countries require people to show their pass to enter restaurants, museums, movie theaters and long-distance public transport. Protests grew last month after Italy began to require the pass to access workplaces, becoming the first Western country to do so. Nearly every weekend, there is a new anti-vaccine or anti-pass … [Read more...] about Police Search Anti-Vaccine Activists Accused of Plotting Attack in Italy

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 9 NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party on Thursday looked set to retain control in his home state of Gujarat following a record state legislature win, but it was trailing behind its rival Congress party in northern Himachal Pradesh state. The landslide win in Modi’s home state is expected to provide a big boost to the party ahead of national elections due in 2024. The BJP has not lost state assembly elections in the western industrial state since 1995. Modi was Gujarat’s top elected official for 13 years before becoming prime minister in 2014. Modi’s party remains popular despite criticism of rising inflation, unemployment and religious polarization. According to India's autonomous Election Commission, the BJP was leading in 158 out of 182 seats in the Gujarat state legislature and the Congress party was … [Read more...] about Indian PM Modi’s party heading for big win in his home state

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The son of a Russian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin has been acquitted in Norway of violating a law that bars Russians from flying drones. Andrey Yakunin, who holds both a Russian and a British passport and who lives in Italy, was arrested in Hammerfest, in Arctic Norway, on Oct. 17, after he had sailed around the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard and along the coast of Norway. When off Svalbard, he was responsible for two drones that he owned, and which were used several times for flights over the archipelago which sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Norwegian mainland. On some occasions he piloted them himself, the court said. The 47-year-old Yakunin had been filming with the drone while mountaineering, glacier walking and sailing. Sweden Launches Investigation After Drones Spotted by Nuclear Power Plants https://t.co/hyXpL5cDZz — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 17, 2022 Under Norwegian law, it … [Read more...] about Putin Ally Family Scion Acquitted of Breaking Norway Drone Laws