Y Combinator-Backed Firstwork Nets $15 Mn To Expand Footprint Across US And Europe
SUMMARY Firstwork has raised $15 Mn in a Series A funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital The…
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SUMMARY Firstwork has raised $15 Mn in a Series A funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital The…
Open as PDF (click to enlarge) The International Monetary Fund’s October 2026 outlook shows…
Jared Kushner is pushing back on a report involving a hacked iPhone, international spies and billion-dollar transfers from foreign governments. An upcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole claims Kushner, who is President Trump's son-in-law, had access to more than $2 billion in "slush money funds" from Middle Eastern leaders in an attempt to influence U.S. foreign policy.
An excerpt of the book released Thursday details allegations encompassing Kushner's time as a senior White House adviser during the first Trump administration, which included a lead role in U.S. policy in the Middle East. Kushner had a major hand in negotiating key foreign policy deals that involved Israel, the Gulf states, China and Russia during that period.
Kushner and his legal team released fiery statements Thursday night categorically denying all accusations against him. Kushner said, "The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened." His attorney called them "false and defamatory" and said they intend to pursue legal action against those responsible, but did not specify whom.
The new book, "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East," alleges Kushner had access to billions of dollars in undisclosed foreign bank accounts intended to pay for "influence within the U.S. government." An excerpt from the book that was published in "Vanity Fair," but not independently verified by CBS News, says Dutch intelligence agents learned the Russians had hacked Kushner's iPhone in 2017 after flipping a Russian spy and subsequently gained access to Kushner's phone as well.
According to the report, "when Kushner used the phone, they could see his screen. Almost as soon as they got inside, the intelligence service began capturing every image of Kushner's screen as he used it." At the time, Kushner served as a senior White House adviser to President Trump, including on Middle Eastern diplomacy.
The report alleges Dutch spies witnessed him log into a United Arab Emirates account that had allegedly received hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan, and claims the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE put at least $2 billion into multiple bank accounts linked to Kushner, including an account with Israel's Central Bank.
According to the book excerpt, the owners and managers of the accounts were often disguised as official government entities or charities, but the funds were actually intended for "off-the-books diplomatic objectives" such as striking a deal to end the Israeli-Palesteinian conflict. The report also claims Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman put roughly $1 billion into at least one account for Kushner, citing a "person with knowledge of the money" saying "its allocation was for Kushner's personal benefit."
Kushner forcefully denied the accusations leveled in the "Vanity Fair" excerpt, writing in part, "The allegations made by this author are completely insane and never happened." "We denied every claim on the record, yet the author provided not a single shred of verifiable evidence to substantiate them," he said.
"No bank statements, wire transfer records, account numbers, transaction dates, or other verifiable details were provided to support these extraordinary accusations," he said. CBS News reached out to the White House, which referred us to a statement from Steven Cheung, who is assistant to the president and White House director of communications.
Cheung said the "bull**** Vanity Fair article comes from a book that is complete fiction, and was fabricated from the warped mind of failed spy thriller writer." "He presents no evidence or even a shred of documentation. Just mysterious words from unnamed sources," Cheung said on X. This article originally appeared on CBS News at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-kushner-pushes-back-report-hacked-phone-spies-transfer/
Oct 23 (Reuters) - The first Russian diesel bound for the US following a surprise agreement reached between Moscow and US President Donald Trump is aboard a tanker heading for New York, ship-tracking data showed on Friday. Trump announced the deal this month as part of his efforts to bring down soaring diesel prices ahead of November 3 US mid-term elections.
Trump also waived parts of a new US sanctions law against Russia and threatened Europe with a US diesel export ban unless countries released more from their emergency reserves to help ease prices. The Malta-flagged medium-sized tanker Agioi Fanendes was loaded with 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low sulphur diesel in Russia's Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22, according to LSEG shipping data.
It is expected to arrive in the United States on November 7. The identity of the buyer and seller were not immediately known. The cargo will be the first imported by the US since former President Joe Biden announced a ban on US imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in 2022. Trump announced on October 9 that Russia would immediately export 300,000 metric tons, or 2.25 million barrels, to the US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter".
A Kremlin spokesperson on Friday confirmed a first ship under the deal had departed, but did not specify whether it was bound for the US market or elsewhere. "As far as I'm aware, there have already been reports from the Ministry of Energy that the first tanker has, in fact, set sail for its recipients, its buyers.
Further shipments will continue at a steady pace from here on," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on a daily conference call. The deal with the US involved Russia lifting a self-imposed ban on diesel exports. RUSSIA RESUMING GLOBAL EXPORTS Since the EU imposed a full embargo on imports of Russian oil products in February 2023 over the war in Ukraine, Russia has exported diesel mainly to Turkey and Brazil, as well as to African countries.
It also supplies Central Asia by rail. Shipping data from LSEG and Kpler published this week showed Russian diesel cargoes resuming voyages to their traditional destinations after Moscow lifted its own ban, with at least two tankers signalling trips to Turkey and Brazil. It was unclear where other tankers were destined for, with cargoes loaded in Primorsk signalling Gibraltar, the Atlantic Coast or Port-Said, LSEG data showed.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has said additional US shipments would follow as companies from the two countries work out the necessary contracts. Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund, said last week that the US Treasury had asked the fund to help sort out tricky payment issues relating to the agreement.
Novak has said that Russia would be able to increase its diesel exports to its usual levels of 3-3.5 million tons per month by year-end. (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Jason Neely) This article originally appeared on Reuters at https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-tanker-carrying-40-000-062736177.html
While higher interest rates are a complication for stocks and bonds, they are an unequivocal boon if you just want to park some cash and make a little money, our columnist says.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to kill Oakland's coal export terminal after Trump backed the project with $75 million in funding.
Solidigm, SK hynix’s NAND flash memory subsidiary, has decided to halt its review of potential pre-initial public offering (IPO) fundraising and IPO options, citing volatile capital markets and recent trends in semiconductor stock prices, the chip giant said Friday. The company was established in the United States following SK hynix’s $9 billion acquisition of Intel’s NAND flash memory business.
"While SK hynix and Solidigm continue to deliver solid business performance, financial market volatility has increased, contributing to a broader correction in semiconductor stocks," SK hynix said in a press statement. "After comprehensively assessing these business conditions, Solidigm has decided to discontinue its review of potential pre-IPO and IPO options."
Reports circulated that Solidigm was considering a U.S. IPO as early as next year that could value the company at up to $150 billion, with the listing seen as a way to secure funding for U.S. production facilities and technology development amid growing demand for enterprise solid-state drives for artificial intelligence data center
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Commerce department to take $175mn equity stake in start-up that is financed by brother of the president’s son-in-law
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