Dozens at #UN General Assembly walk out as Israeli leader Netanyahu begins much-watched speech.

Encircled by critics and protesters at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders on Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, giving a defiant speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war. “Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure,” he said. “And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won’t.”

Netanyahu’s speech, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General Assembly hall en masse Friday as he began.

Responding to countries’ recent decisions to recognize Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu said: “Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere.”

As the Israeli leader spoke, unintelligible shouts echoed around the hall, while applause came from supporters in the gallery. The U.S. delegation, which has backed Netanyahu in his campaign against Hamas, stayed put. The few world powers in attendance, the United States and the United Kingdom, did not send their most senior officials or even their UN ambassador to their section. Instead, it was filled out with more junior, low-level diplomats.

“Anti-semitism dies hard. In fact, it doesn’t die at all,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu routinely accuses his critics of antisemitism.

Netanyahu faces international isolation, accusations of war crimes and growing pressure to end a conflict he has continued to escalate. Friday’s speech was his chance to push back on the international community’s biggest platform.

As he has often in the past at the United Nations, Netanyahu held up a visual aid -- a map of the region titled “THE CURSE,” which chronicles Israel’s challenges in its neighborhood. He marked it up with a large marker. He wore -- and pointed out -- a pin with a QR code that leads to a site about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that led to the war and about the Israeli hostages taken by the militants. Members of the Israeli delegation wore similar pins.

Netanyahu also frequently praised U.S. President Donald Trump, his chief ally in his political and military approach in the region. Netanyahu said the changes across the Mideast have created new opportunities. He said Israel has begun negotiations with Syria aimed at reaching security arrangements with the country’s new government.

The Israeli government took steps Friday to ensure that those in Gaza heard Netanyahu, setting up loudspeakers at the border to blast his words into the territory. The prime minister’s office also claimed that the Israeli army had taken over mobile phones in Gaza to broadcast his message. AP journalists inside Gaza saw no immediate evidence of Netanyahu’s speech being broadcast on phones there.

Netanyahu said the special measures were taken in an attempt to reach the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. He spoke in Hebrew at one point, and he read the names of the 20 who are believed to still be alive. But much of his speech was also aimed at an international audience that is increasingly critical of Israel.
A closely watched speech

Netanyahu’s annual speech to the UN General Assembly is always closely watched, often protested, reliably emphatic and sometimes a venue for dramatic allegations. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever for the Israeli leader.

In recent days, Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and others announced their recognition of an independent Palestinian state. The European Union is considering tariffs and sanctions on Israel. The assembly this month passed a nonbinding resolution urging Israel to commit to an independent Palestinian nation, which Netanyahu has said is a non-starter.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant accusing Netanyahu of crimes against humanity, which he denies. And the U.N’s highest court is weighing South Africa’s allegation that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which it vehemently refutes.

As Netanyahu spoke Friday, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered a few blocks from the heavily secured United Nations.

“Israel has chosen a war against every conscientious human being in this world,” said Nidaa Lafi, an organizer with Palestinian Youth Movement, prompting chants of “shame” from the growing crowd. “The masses have come to the irreversible realization that this war was always about the complete ethnic cleansing of Palestine, about the exploitation and the stealing of Palestinian land.”
Opposition to Netanyahu’s approach is growing

At a special session of the UN Security Council this week, nation after nation expressed horror at the 2023 attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, saw 251 taken hostage and triggered the war. Many of the representatives went on to criticize the response by Israel and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and influx of aid.

Israel’s sweeping offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced 90 percent of its population, with an increasing number now starving.

While more than 150 countries now recognize a Palestinian state, the United States has not, providing Israel with vociferous support. But Trump pointedly signaled Thursday there are limits, telling reporters in Washington that he wouldn’t let Israel annex the occupied West Bank.

Israel hasn’t announced such a move, but several leading members in Netanyahu’s government have advocated doing so. And officials recently approved a controversial settlement project that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, a move that critics say could doom chances for a Palestinian state. Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet during his visit.

Netanyahu’s office also “instructed civilian groups in cooperation with the army to place loudspeakers on trucks on the Israeli side of the border,” it said in a statement, noting that the broadcasts would be arranged so they would not endanger soldiers.
Palestinians had their UN say the day before

Netanyahu was preceded at the leaders’ meeting a day earlier by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who addressed the General Assembly via video on Thurdsay after the U.S. denied him a visa. He welcomed the recent announcements of recognition but said the world needs to do more to make statehood happen.

“The time has come for the international community to do right by the Palestinian people” and help them realize “their legitimate rights to be rid of the occupation and to not remain a hostage to the temperament of Israeli politics,” he said.

Abbas leads the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which administers portions of the West Bank. Hamas won legislative elections in Gaza in 2006 before seizing control from Abbas’ forces the following year.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war, then withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their envisioned state, part of a “two-state solution” that the international community has embraced for decades.

Netanyahu opposes it robustly, maintaining that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas. In his speech, Netanyahu insisted that Israel is battling radical Islam on behalf of all nations.

“You know deep down,” he said, “that Israel is fighting your fight.”

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Geller reported from New York. Liseberth Guillaume in New York contributed.

#Russia is helping China to prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, defence institute says

#Scientists find new bite-resistant wetsuits can reduce shark bite injuries.

Fatal shark bites are vanishingly rare, with less than 50 unprovoked shark bites on humans worldwide in 2024, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History. But increased sightings of large sharks in some parts of the world have swimmers, surfers and divers looking for new ways to stay safe.

Scientists with Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, tested four bite-resistant materials and found they all reduced the amount of damage from shark bites. They performed the work by dragging samples of the materials behind boats and allowing white and tiger sharks to bite the samples.

The bites from such large sharks can still cause internal and crushing injuries, but the materials showed effectiveness beyond a standard neoprene wetsuit, the scientists said. The research found that the bite-resistant materials “can reduce injuries sustained from shark encounters,” said Flinders professor Charlie Huveneers, a member of the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders and a study co-author.

“Bite-resistant material do not prevent shark bites, but can reduce injuries from shark bites and can be worn by surfers and divers,” Huveneers said.

There were small differences between the four tested materials, but they all “reduced the amount of substantial and critical damage, which would typically be associated with severe hemorrhaging and tissue or limb loss,” said Tom Clarke, a researcher with the science and engineering college at Flinders and a study co-author.

Chainmail suits to resist shark bites have existed for decades, but lack in flexibility for aquatic activities like surfing and diving, the scientists said in research published in the journal Wildlife Research on Thursday. Newer wetsuits can be designed to provide flexibility as well as protection.

The scientists tested the efficacy of wetsuit materials Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster. The scientists said in their paper that they found that all of the materials “offer an improved level of protection that can reduce severe wounds and blood loss, and should be considered as part of the toolbox and measures available to reduce shark-bite risk and resulting injuries.”

The promise of effective shark resistant wetsuits is encouraging for people who spend a lot of time in areas where there are large sharks, said Nick Whitney, a senior scientist and chair of the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies Program at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life in Boston. That includes surfers and spearfishers, he said.

Whitney, who was not involved in the study, said it’s also encouraging that the materials are unlikely to make a person “feel invincible” and engage in risky behaviors around sharks.

“I also like it because it’s not relying on any impact on the shark’s behaviour,” Whitney said. “It’s basically very, very simple. In the extremely rare event that you get bitten by a shark, this material will hopefully make you bleed less than you would if you were not wearing this.”

The researchers said the suits do not eliminate all risks from sharks, and precautions still need to be taken around the animals.

They are hopeful their research will help the public “make appropriate decisions about the suitability of using these products,” Huveneers said.

Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press

‘I could not blow into it’: Woman taking Manitoba Public Insurance to court over breathalyzer test.

The notice said Hosco has various medical conditions that make breathing difficult — including a probable diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

According to the notice, the officer cautioned Hosco for criminal refusal, as none of her breaths were strong enough to generate a reading on the breathalyzer. This led to a 90-day licence suspension and an immediate vehicle impoundment, with her case proceeding administratively rather than criminally.

“I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me, because I do not drink, and I have not had any alcohol since my 50th surprise birthday party. And I’m 77, so that’s a long time,” she said in the interview.

Hosco said she believes her breathing issues are at fault, noting she was a smoker for 33 years and hasn’t been able to blow up a balloon since at least 2007. To make matters worse, she said she tested positive for COVID-19 the same night she was pulled over.

The court document said Hosco filed for an administrative review with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), but was told the suspension and resulting fines and consequences would be upheld.

According to Hosco’s notice filed in court, MPI did not provide her any reasons for the decision other than a letter which reads: “Based on the balance of probabilities, you operated a conveyance and refused or failed to comply, without reasonable excuse, with a demand made by a peace officer.”

The notice said MPI gave no consideration to Hosco’s credibility, overall health issues, or her right to counsel. It noted in order for Hosco to get her licence back, MPI required her to have an Ignition Interlock Device installed in her car.

Hosco told CTV News, like the breathalyzer, she’s not able to provide a strong enough breath to activate the device to start her vehicle.

“I don’t think it’s fair I could not blow into the breathalyzer, so I lose my licence, and I can’t get my licence back because I can’t blow into the immobilizer,” she said, fearing she may not ever get her licence back.

Hosco’s lawyer, Ryan Poirier, said he wants to see the licence restored.

“But aside from that, we would like the court to find that this system should be made better for Manitobans,” he said.

Poirier said he wants the court to direct MPI to provide more specific reasons when issuing long-term licence suspensions, and ensure police give people the right to counsel when conducting roadside impaired driving investigations.

He said they are in discussions with MPI.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for MPI said they can’t comment on specific cases due to privacy reasons.

“To be clear, legislation requires an ignition interlock device to be installed following certain roadside suspensions. This is not at the discretion of MPI,” the statement reads in part.

Arguments are set to be heard in court on Oct. 9.

#Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test, satellite photos analyzed by the AP show.

Iran has not formally acknowledged last week’s test at a circular pad that has hosted other major launches by the country’s civilian space program. A single lawmaker in Iran’s parliament, however, claimed, without offering evidence, that Tehran tested a possible intercontinental ballistic missile.

The test and the claim raise concerns that Iran may be trying to expand the reach of its missiles as tensions remain high ahead of United Nations sanctions, which are likely to be reimposed this weekend over Tehran’s nuclear program — as it also repairs missile sites that were struck by the Israelis.

“Israel’s successes in the 12-day war against Iran’s missile attacks reinforced for Tehran the importance of developing more ballistic missiles and qualitatively better versions of them,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The think tank has long been critical of Iran and has been sanctioned by Tehran.

“Consider this part of Tehran’s efforts to build back better, and as quickly as possible,” he added.
Scorch marks seen on the launch pad

On Sept. 18, Iranian social media users posted images of the sky over Semnan province, showing what appeared to be a rocket’s contrail at sunset. Iranian officials did not acknowledge what caused the contrail, nor did Iranian state media report on the incident.

Satellite photos taken prior to that by Planet Labs PBC show the circular pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport — about 230 kilometres (145 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, in Semnan — painted blue ringed with red, white and green lines — the colors of the Iranian flag.

But in satellite images since Sept. 18, the pad appeared discolored, though it wasn’t fully clear until a more-detailed Planet image requested by the AP taken this Wednesday. That image shows significant scorch marks, the pattern of which resembled scorching seen at the pad following past launches. When rockets launch, the flames from their engines pour down onto pads.

Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, who studies missiles, said the scale of the scorching suggested Iran launched a solid-fuel missile, as burning aluminum oxide particles cause such marks.

The north-south marks suggest a blast deflector being used as well to channel the flames, he said.
The claim of an intercontinental ballistic missile

Iranian parliament member Mohsen Zanganeh, appearing on Iranian state television on Saturday, claimed that the Islamic Republic had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday. He portrayed it as a sign of Iran’s strength as it faces challenges from Israel and the West.

“We have neither abandoned (nuclear) enrichment, nor handed uranium over to the enemy, nor backed down from our missile positions,” said Zanganeh, a member of parliament’s budget committee from Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province.

“The night before last we tested one of the country’s most advanced missiles, which until now had not, so to speak, been trialed — and that test was successful,” he said.

“In other words,” he added. “I mean to say that even under these conditions we are conducting a security test of an intercontinental-range missile.”

Zanganeh did not elaborate on where he got his information, nor did he provide any evidence to support his assertion. Iranian parliament members have made exaggerated claims in the past.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles typically have ranges greater than 5,500 kilometres (3,415 miles). That would extend far beyond the range reportedly allowed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles).

The range of 2,000 kilometres encompasses much of the Middle East, including Israel and American military bases in the region. An intercontinental missile would at least put all of Europe in range. The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees its Mideast operations, did not respond to a request for comment.
Questions remain over the launch

Despite the lawmaker’s claims, there are still many questions surrounding the launch — including just what Iran sent into the sky.

Iran has in the past used the pad to launch solid-fueled missiles called Zuljanah, named after a horse of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a key figure in the Shiite faith who was massacred with his fighters at Karbala in the 7th century.

The Zuljanah can launch satellites in space. However, the fact that it uses solid fuel and is capable of reaching space has raised concerns by the U.S. government that Iran could potentially build an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“If, as is increasingly being alleged, the test was of a space-launch vehicle, it represents a desire by Tehran to potentially threaten targets outside the Middle East, like the European continent and even the American homeland,” Taleblu said.

Such missiles can deliver nuclear weapons, but Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful. U.S. intelligence agencies also assess that Iran is not actively pursuing an atomic bomb, though it had been enriching uranium to up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran also would need to miniaturize any possible nuclear bomb to put it atop a ballistic missile.

With Iran not formally acknowledging the launch and the erratic contrail that was left behind, the likelihood is that the launch may have failed. There’s also no acknowledgment by U.S. space officials of Iran putting any new satellites into space on Sept. 18.

Iran may also have used the launch to signal to the West that it will continue its missile program, despite sanctions and pressure — though without a formal confirmation, it remains unclear just what Tehran was trying to do.

“The problem is that so much happens with Iran,” Hinz said. “It’s hard to say what is coincidental and what is a pattern.”

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Re-allocated tuna tags put P.E.I. boats back to work. Some tuna fishers on P.E.I. who thought their season was over are back in business, with a green light from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) giving dozens another shot at a payday.

The federal department released 48 tuna tags to Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) licence holders on Thursday. Several fishers picked them up before heading to North Lake Harbour on the island’s eastern end, often called the “tuna capital of the world.”

The late-September re-allocation gives eligible fishers one more chance to land a high-value catch and recoup rising costs.

“It’s nice to get an extra fish every year,” said commercial fisherman Cody Gallant. “Just more income. You get to keep fishing and another chance to make back some of the loss of expenses.”

Tuna is internationally managed, having been historically overfished. Canada is given a yearly quota, which is shared among regional fleets, then divvied up to licence holders. Near season’s end, the federal department can re-allocate unused quota via tags. The tags function as tickets to catch.

It helps keep owner-operators financially viable, said Ian MacPherson, PEIFA’s executive director.

“Operating costs have been going up quite a bit over the last few years,” he said. “Fuel has gone up significantly, bait has gone up significantly… obviously, crew members’ wages have increased over the last few years.”

He said the association is continually pursuing more quota for its members. MacPherson added P.E.I. has the highest number of bluefin licence holders, but several other fleets have more quota per licence.

At North Lake, crowds gathered along the wharf to watch as crews secured lines, hauled a bluefin alongside and lifted it on a scale hook for the first weigh. Several families and tourists took photos with the catch. After grading, the fish was iced and prepared for a final weigh to determine value.

It came out to around 180 kilograms, or close to 400 pounds. One fisher said that could fetch up to $6,000 if sold domestically.

Beyond the bottom line, there are other benefits, said Gallant. “It’s good to be on the water.”

Fishers have until the end of the year to use their tuna tags, or until the quota is caught.

#Israeli strikes on Yemen’s capital kill at least 9 people and injure scores, the #Houthi rebels say.

ADEN, Yemen — Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Friday that at least nine people were killed by Israeli strikes on the country’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa the previous day, the latest in an increase in exchanges between Israel and the Iranian-backed rebels over the war in Gaza.

The strikes on Thursday afternoon came a day after a drone launched by the Houthis wounded 22 people in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a rare breach of Israel’s air defenses.

According to the health ministry in the Houthi-controlled northern half of Yemen, which includes Sanaa, four children, two women and three older people were among the dead. Rebel officials also said 59 children, 35 women and 80 older people were among the wounded.

Medics were still searching for victims believed to be trapped under rubble, the rebels said, indicating the casualty tolls could rise.

The Israeli military said Thursday it carried out strikes in Yemen, with dozens of aircraft targeting Houthi military command headquarters, military camps and security and intelligence facilities.

A Houthi spokesperson, Omar el-Bekhety, said Thursday the Israeli strikes targeted residential neighborhoods and electricity facilities and claimed the Houthis’ defense systems had thwarted a “large part of the attack.”

“These crimes will not deter our people or break their will but will increase their steadfastness and resilience in confronting the Zionist crimes and continuing to support and back the honorable, oppressed, free people of Gaza,” he added.

According to Sanaa residents, one of the strikes hit a building in a densely populated area in Sanaa, believed to have housed a Houthi leader. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.

Ahmed al-Mahweity said Friday that the strikes set off intense explosions that damaged several houses in the neighborhood. Selim Rageh, another resident, said several cars were also damaged.

“Everyone in the area came out covered in dust as if they came out from graves,” said Salem al-Qasab, a shop owner. ”Thick dust rose from the ground due to the intensity of the explosions. It was a terrifying scene, with the skies turning to clouds of black smoke and dust.”

Akram al-Adeiny said Thursday the explosion was so intense it brought down the ceiling of his house, though no one was injured. His colleague in a cellphone shop lost his wife and child in one of the attacks, he said.

The Sanaa residents spoke to the AP over the phone.

Israel has launched previous airstrikes in response to the Houthis firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

Ahmed Al-haj, The Associated Press

#Russia not probing into Canadian airspace, federal officials say.

#OTTAWA — Following several recent high-profile Russian incursions into NATO airspace, senior defence and foreign affairs officials told members of Parliament Thursday that Canada has not seen similar Russian moves into Canadian airspace over the past year.

Eric Laporte, head of the regional security and defence relations division at Global Affairs Canada, told MPs on the House of Commons foreign affairs committee that Russia’s efforts to probe the defences of NATO allies increased “markedly” this year.

“Russian drone incursions is not a new phenomenon. They’ve been doing it since 2022, essentially, but the pace and scope has increased recently,” he said.

Laporte called the incursions a “cat and mouse game” that is both “egregious” and “reckless” and risks escalation. He added that the alliance stands ready to respond.

The committee is studying the recent Russian air incursions over eastern Europe.

Russia has in recent weeks sent drones into Polish and Romanian airspace and flown fighter jets through Estonian airspace.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said the stepped-up Russian activity is “head spinning.”

Ty Curran, deputy director general of international security policy at the Department of National Defence, told the committee Canada has “not seen any incursions” or “penetration of our air defence” space in the past year.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said it intercepted Russian military aircraft off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday.

Norad also noted the Russian planes did not enter American or Canadian airspace and that this is a regular occurrence that is not seen as a threat.

Drones have also been spotted over Denmark and Norway recently, although those nations have not specifically attributed the incursions to Russia.

In response to Russia’s actions, NATO has invoked Article 4 consultations and launched Operation Eastern Sentry to bolster its posture and air defences on Europe’s eastern flank.

Canada has not provided additional forces to Eastern Sentry at this point. Officials pointed to Canada’s contributions to Russian deterrence through the troop deployment in Latvia.

Poland shot down Russian drones in its airspace but allied militaries did not shoot down the MiG 31 jets that flew over Estonia.

Former defence minister Bill Blair pointed out that U.S. President Donald Trump has made a “very significant change” in his posture toward the restoration of Ukraine’s original territorial integrity this week.

Trump also called on NATO countries to stop buying oil from Russia and declared he is considering tariffs against countries still purchasing Russian energy.

Canadian officials said there could be a broader response from NATO in the future if Russia escalates, and Ottawa is constantly reviewing possible new sanctions on Russia.

Laporte said Canada is looking into options related to the oil and gas revenues that are topping up Russia’s war chest.

“We recognize that oil and gas continues to be an important source of revenue for the Russian economy and that is why we are looking at other options under our G7 presidency to reduce Russia’s oil revenues,” Laporte said.

“In the long term, we know the sanctions are causing persistent diversions of resources for Russia, so it is damaging its growth potential.”

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press

#News: Ex-FBI director James Comey charged with making false statement, obstruction, AP source says.

The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of #Trump’s chief grievances, the long-concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.

Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements. “No one is above the law,” Bondi said.

The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Bondi is being weaponized in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the operations of the Justice Department, blurring the line between law and politics for an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.

Comey was fired months into Trump’s first administration and since then has remained a top target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russia investigation. He was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi bring charges against Comey and complained that Justice Department investigations into his foes had not resulted in charges.

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last week following the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert, who had not charged Comey and had faced pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a mortgage fraud investigation.

The following evening, Trump lamented in a Truth Social post aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He nominated as the new U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had been one of Trump’s personal lawyers but lacked the federal prosecution experience that would typically accompany the responsibility of running one of the Justice Department’s most prestigious offices.

Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week. Prosecutors evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.

The two-count indictment consists of charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding. Comey’s lawyer had no immediate comment.

Trump has for years railed against both a finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow to sway the outcome of that race. Prosecutors led by special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but they did find that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’s assistance.

Trump has seized on the fact that Mueller’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign and the Kremlin colluded, and that there were significant errors and omissions made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication. A yearslong investigation into potential misconduct during the Russia investigation, was conducted by a different special counsel, John Durham. That produced three criminal cases, including against an FBI lawyer, but not against senior government officials.

The criminal case against Comey does not concern the substance of the Russia investigation but rather accuses him of having lied to Congress.

The indictment comes against the backdrop of a Trump administration effort to cast the Russia investigation as the outgrowth of an effort under Democratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’s interference in the election and to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s victory.

Administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have declassified a series of documents meant to chip away at the strength of an Obama-era intelligence assessment published in January 2017 that said Moscow had engaged in a broad campaign of interference at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A senior Justice Department official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, Comey was picked by Obama to lead the FBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation in the summer of 2016.

Comey’s relationship with Trump was strained from the start and was exacerbated when Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private White House dinner to pledge personal loyalty to the president. That overture so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.

Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an action later investigated by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice.

After being let go, Comey authorized a close friend to share with a reporter the substance of an unclassified memo that documented an Oval Office request from Trump to shut down an FBI investigation into his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump and his allies later branded Comey a leaker, with the president even accusing him of treason. Comey himself has called Trump “ego driven” and likened him to a mafia don.

The Justice Department, during Trump’s first term, declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of his memos. The department’s inspector general did issue a harshly critical report in 2019 that said Comey violated FBI policies, including by failing to return the documents to the FBI after he was dismissed and for sharing them with his personal lawyers without FBI permission.

Earlier this year, the department fired Comey’s daughter, Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination was carried out without any explanation and was done for political reasons.

By Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer And Michael Kunzelman.

Kunzelman reported from Alexandria, Virginia.

#MOSCOW, September 24. The #Ukrainian army lost about 1,495 troops in clashes with Russian forces across all combat areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine issued by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday.

The updated figures show that the Ukrainian side lost up to 130 troops in the zone of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North, some 230 troops in the sector of the Battlegroup West, up to 215 troops in the area of the Battlegroup South, over 535 troops in the sector of the Battlegroup Center, roughly 315 troops in the area of the Battlegroup East and up to 70 troops in the sector of the Battlegroup Dnepr.

Units of the Battlegroup North neutralized four mechanized brigades and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian armed forces near the settlements of Andreyevka, Alexeyevka, Varachino, Novaya Sech, Pavlovka and Khrapovshchina in the Sumy Region. In the Kharkov direction, Russian troops overpowered a motorized infantry brigade and territorial defense units near the settlements of Bochkovo, Volchansk and Okhrimovka in the Kharkov Region. As a result of these actions, Ukrainian forces lost five vehicles, two artillery systems (including a 155mm French-made TRF-1 howitzer), a counter-battery radar and an ammunition warehouse.

The Battlegroup West’s units enhanced the tactical situation. Russian troops took control of 115 buildings in Kupyansk in the Kharkov region. In addition, strikes were carried out against personnel and equipment of four mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a national guard brigade near Boldyrevka, Kolodeznoye, Petrovka, Smorodkovka, Staroverovka (Kharkov region), Maslyakovka, and Yampol (Donetsk People's Republic). Enemy losses amounted to up to 230 troops. They also lost a British-made Snatch armored fighting vehicle, 14 vehicles, and three field artillery guns. A counter-battery radar, seven electronic warfare systems, and nine ammunition storage sites were also destroyed.

The Battlegroup South improved the situation along the line of contact and continued to eliminate enemy forces that had been encircled in the Donetsk People's Republic south of the Kleban-Byk Reservoir. More than 4.5 square kilometers of territory were secured in this area during the past 24 hours. Strikes targeted formations of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade, and a national guard brigade near Ivanopolye, Ilyinovka, Konstantinovka, Nelepovka and Seversk (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy lost up to 215 troops, a tank, three armored fighting vehicles, six vehicles, and six field artillery guns. Three electronic warfare stations, five ammunition, fuel, and materiel storage facilities were destroyed.
Center, East, Dnepr

The Battlegroup Center’s units took more advantageous positions. Four mechanized brigades, a tank brigade, an assault brigade, three air assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine brigade, a territorial defense brigade, and a national guard brigade were targeted near Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Krasny Liman, Novopavlovka, Petrovka, Rodinskoye and Torskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. Ukrainian losses totaled more than 535 troops, two armored fighting vehicles, five pickup trucks, two artillery pieces, and a US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar.

The Battlegroup East’s units continued to push deeper into enemy defenses. Russian forces engaged a mechanized brigade and a marine brigade near Malomikhaylovka (Dnepropetrovsk region), Novogrigorovka, Poltavka, and Uspenovka (Zaporozhye region). Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 315 troops, a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, three armored fighting vehicles, ten vehicles, three field artillery guns, and an electronic warfare unit.

The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted significant losses on personnel and equipment of a heavy mechanized brigade, a mountain assault brigade, and a coastal defense brigade near Kamyshevakha, Lukyanovskoye (Zaporozhye region), Verovka, and Veseloye in the Kherson region. The enemy lost up to 70 troops. A US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, four vehicles, two artillery systems, two electronic warfare stations, and three ammunition depots were also destroyed.