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Monday, June 23, 2025

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This article was published 2 years ago

https://nordictimes.com/world/leon-black-to-be-investigated-by-u-s-senate-over-epstein-dealings/

World

Leon Black to be investigated by U.S. Senate over Epstein dealings

Published 29 July 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Leon Black is the founder and former CEO of private equity firm Apollo Management.
1 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Leon Black, former CEO of Apollo Global Management, is being investigated by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee for his business dealings with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The committee is particularly interested in whether Black’s work with Epstein to avoid taxes through offshore companies was illegal.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is investigating Leon Black, the former CEO of private equity giant Apollo Global Management, for his business dealings with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a source familiar with the probe.

Leon Black resigned as CEO of Apollo earlier this year after external auditors found that he had paid more than $150 million to Epstein over several years. According to Black, Epstein gave him “estate planning, tax and philanthropic advice” for his “family business. Although Black has stated that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities, this information has led to further scrutiny of his business relationships and the decisions Apollo made under his leadership.

The Senate Finance Committee has now subpoenaed documents and information related to Black’s relationship with Epstein, according to CNN. This latest probe is part of a broader investigation into tax evasion and money laundering through offshore companies. Leon Black has previously said that he “deeply regrets” any involvement with Epstein.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/chaos-at-french-festival-over-140-attacked-with-syringes/

World

Chaos at French festival – over 140 attacked with syringes

Deteriorating safety

Published today 15:44
– By Editorial Staff
The Fête de la Musique is usually described as one of France's biggest folk festivals - but this year it was a nightmare.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

France’s annual music festival, Fête de la Musique, turned into chaos when over 140 people were reportedly attacked with syringes in several parts of the country over the weekend. At the same time, there were reports of violent riots, injured police officers, and hundreds of arrests.

WARNING: This article contains disturbing images and video clips.

The traditional Fête de la Musique, which every year attracts millions of people to streets and squares across France, had a grim aftermath this year.

According to information from French authorities and several media outlets, at least 145 people reported being stabbed or stabbed with syringes during the festival last weekend.

The attacks are said to have taken place in various locations around the country, including Paris, Metz, and other major cities.

Assaults, smoke bombs, and chaos

Several witnesses describe chaotic scenes with fights, smoke bombs, and panic among festival-goers. Video clips shared on social media show people being kicked while lying on the ground and large crowds being dispersed by police.

The police confirm that they have received a large number of reports of suspected syringe attacks, but emphasize that it is still unclear exactly what was injected – or whether the syringes contained any dangerous substances at all.

Several of those affected were taken to hospital for examination and toxicological tests, but the results have not yet been made public. According to reports, dozens of police officers were injured during the unrest.

Hundreds arrested

According to the French Ministry of the Interior, twelve people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the syringe attacks. At the same time, it is reported that around 370 people have been arrested for other crimes related to the festival, including violent crimes, vandalism, and disorderly conduct.

Fête de la Musique has been held since 1982 and is one of France’s largest public festivals, where both amateur and professional musicians perform in streets and squares.

However, this year’s event was marred by unusual and serious acts of violence, which have raised concerns and sparked debate about security at large public events.

The police are continuing their investigation to determine the motives, extent, and possible risks to those affected.

The authorities are urging anyone who suspects they have been attacked to seek medical attention immediately and contact the police.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/ritter-the-maga-movement-is-dead/

World

Ritter: The MAGA movement is dead

Donald Trump's USA

Published today 11:23
– By Editorial Staff
Scott Ritter says it is clear that Trump is putting Israel's interests first.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Former UN weapons inspector and Marine Corps officer Scott Ritter condemns Donald Trump’s decision to drag the US into a new war in the Middle East.

On social media, Ritter asserts that Trump has not only broken his own promises of peace, but also dragged the entire MAGA movement down with him.

“MAGA is officially dead as a movement”, Ritter writes, arguing that by wearing his trademark red MAGA cap while allowing the US to enter yet another war, Trump has stripped the movement of all meaningful content and turned it into an empty symbol.

“When a President wears a MAGA hat while conspiring to take America to war after promising that, as the leader of MAGA, he would pursue peace, MAGA stands for nothing”, Ritter concludes.

Ritter, who became known for his fearless stance during the UN weapons inspections in Iraq in the 1990s, is now directing his message directly to Trump’s voters. He urges them to openly distance themselves from the president and those who stand by him, whom he believes are pursuing a dangerous agenda that has nothing to do with the original ideas of MAGA.

“If you’re MAGA, then you must disassociate yourself from this President and everyone who stands with him. They are not MAGA. They are Israel first. And that’s the most dangerous ideology facing America today”, he writes.

“A national disgrace”

The former UN inspector dismisses Trump’s bombing of Iran as a pointless and pathetic attempt to save face after talking himself into a corner.

“An act of theater. Trump’s big mouth had boxed him into a corner. Iran wouldn’t play his game. So he had to bomb Iran to save face”.

The action itself, Ritter argues, was as ineffective as it was cynical.

“He bombed two empty facilities that had been previously struck by Israel. And he bounced six bombs off an indestructible facility (Firdos), claiming destruction despite the opposite being the case. That’s it. A ‘contained’ strike. A nothing burger”.

The outspoken commentator concludes his criticism by describing Trump as a leader unworthy of both his office and the trust of his voters.

“And this is the man whose supporters call the greatest leader in the world. He’s a national disgrace”.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/war-with-iran-will-be-the-empires-next-great-disaster/

World

Comment: War with Iran will be the Empire’s next great disaster

The escalation in the Middle East

A war against Iran will not liberate the people, but unleash forces that no one can control anymore. The history of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria risks repeating itself – at a terrible cost. That's the assessment of award-winning journalist and war correspondent Chris Hedges.

Published today 10:09
Chris Hedges believes that the war against Iran will be very costly for the US - on several levels.
2 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

War opens a Pandora’s box of evils that once unleashed are beyond anyone’s control. The warmongers who ordered the strikes by US bombers on Iranian nuclear sites have no more of a plan for what comes next in Iran than they had in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya or Syria. European allies, whom Israel and Trump have alienated with these air assaults, are in no mood to cooperate with Washington.

The Pentagon, even if it wanted to, does not have the hundreds of thousands of troops it would need to attack and occupy Iran – the only way Iran might be subdued. And the idea that the marginal and discredited Iranian resistance group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), which fought alongside Saddam Hussein in the war against Iran and is viewed by most Iranians as composed of traitors, is a viable counter force to the Iranian government is ludicrous.

In all these equations the 90 million people in Iran are ignored just as the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria were ignored. They will not welcome the United States and certainly not Israel as liberators. They may hate the regime, but they will resist. They don’t want to be dominated by foreign powers.

A war with Iran will be interpreted throughout the region as a war against Shiism. Soon there will be retaliation. Lots of it. It will come at first with desultory missile strikes and then attacks carried out by elusive enemies on ships, military bases and installations. Steadily it will grow in volume and lethality.

The death toll, including among the some 40,000 soldiers and Marines stationed in the Middle East, will mount. Ships, including aircraft carriers, will be targeted. We will, as we did in Iraq and Afghanistan, begin to lash out with a blind fury, fueling the conflagration we began.

Those who lured us into this war know little about the instrument of war and even less about the cultures or peoples they seek to dominate.

Blinded by hubris, believing their own hallucinations, they have learned none of the lessons of the last two decades of warfare in the Middle East. A war with Iran will be a self-defeating and costly quagmire, one more nail in the rotting edifice of the empire.

 

Chris Hedges

 

This article was originally published by Chris Hedges on Substack.

https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-breaks-promise-launches-overnight-attack-on-iran/

World

Trump breaks promise – launches overnight attack on Iran

The escalation in the Middle East

Published yesterday 10:21
– By Editorial Staff
Trump announced the US decision to attack Iran during a press briefing at the White House overnight. On the right, a large B2 bomber used in the strike.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Overnight Sunday, the US carried out airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – in a dramatic escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran. “America first” President Donald Trump, who has now officially dragged the country into a new war of aggression at Israel’s request, described the attack as “very successful” and claimed that Iran’s nuclear capability was “totally destroyed”.

The decision followed weeks of tension in which Israel, since 13 June, has attacked Iranian targets to stop what it claimed, without evidence and contrary to intelligence reports, was an imminent nuclear weapons program.

Trump gave Iran a two-week deadline for diplomatic negotiations but acted after only two days, according to sources, due to pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been described as desperate to draw the US into the war of aggression against Iran.

Immediate repercussions

Iran condemned the attacks as “outrageous” and warned of “serious and lasting consequences”. In response, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel, injuring at least 23 people in cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed that Iran’s nuclear program had been “set back two to three years” despite 30 years of never being able to demonstrate that it was close to producing any nuclear weapons.

International reactions

The attack has provoked strong reactions globally. Netanyahu called Trump’s decision “historically courageous”, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres described it as “a dangerous escalation”. Cuba and Venezuela condemned the attacks, and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier expressed concern that we are “sliding toward World War III”. In the US, congressmen such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Thomas Massie criticized the decision as “unconstitutional” because it lacked congressional approval.

Economic and regional impact

Financial markets are expected to react negatively due to increased uncertainty and rising oil prices. Airlines are avoiding Middle East airspace, and the Houthi movement in Yemen announced that a response to US attacks is “inevitable”. Trump warned Iran of “force far greater” if it does not seek peace, increasing the risk of a wider conflict.

While Trump touts the attack as a military success, analysts fear it could trigger a wave of retaliation, threatening US bases and destabilizing the region. Iran’s Atomic Energy Authority insists that its nuclear program will continue despite the damage.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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