Investigation

• Anti-corruptieinstanties stellen dat Andriy Yermak wordt verdacht van deelname aan een criminele groep die 10,5 miljoen dollar witwaste in een woningbouwproject, waarvan hij ontkent de eigenaar te zijn • Oekraïense autoriteiten hebben de machtige voormalige stafchef van Volodymyr Zelenskyy aangewezen als verdachte in een groot corruptieonderzoek, een stap die waarschijnlijk de druk op het presidentskantoor zal verhogen op een gevoelig moment in de oorlog met Rusland. • De politieke klasse van Kyiv werd vorig jaar geschokt door een uitgebreid onderzoek dat leidde tot publieke woede en ervoor zorgde dat de voormalige topadviseur en rechterhand van Zelenskyy, Andriy Yermak, aftrad. Lees verder...

Veiligheidsraad verklaart informatie te verzamelen over vliegtuigevacuatie nadat persoon op startbaan in Denver werd geraakt

• Democraten in het Congres zijn een formeel onderzoek gestart naar de vraag of de gratiemaatregelen van president Trump werden gedreven door zogenaamde "pay-to-play" regelingen waarbij financiële bijdragen of andere tegenprestaties een rol speelden. • De Democratische afgevaardigde Dave Min uit Californië is een van de drie wetgevers die het onderzoek leiden naar de verdachte omstandigheden rondom selecte presidentiële gratieverleningen. • Het onderzoek weerspiegelt de zorgen van de Democraten over mogelijke corruptie of quid pro quo-afspraken die de inzet van de presidentiële bevoegdheden tot gratieverlening door de regering-Trump zouden hebben beïnvloed.

• US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced charges against 11 defendants in a transnational drug trafficking conspiracy involving methamphetamine distribution, according to a May 7, 2026 press briefing. • Law enforcement arrested seven East Coast defendants and executed 25 search warrants across six judicial districts including DC, Baltimore, Alexandria, Philadelphia, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Albany, and Miami. • The operation represents a significant federal enforcement action combining anti-corruption investigations with drug trafficking charges against high-level political figures, according to the five-count indictment.

Broadcaster’s lawyers say NSW police should reveal which officers accessed or downloaded material from Jones’s phoneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice stand accused of engaging in impropriety when raiding the home of former shock jock Alan Jones during a sexual assault investigation.Officers searched the 85-year-old’s Sydney home in November 2024 after an eight-month investigation into reports of historical sexual abuse. Continue reading...

• A CNN investigation based on satellite imagery and damage assessments found that Iranian strikes damaged at least 16 U.S. military installations across eight Middle Eastern countries during the conflict. • Some U.S. military facilities suffered extensive harm classified as operationally unusable or facing difficult repair decisions, suggesting the scale of attacks was far greater than publicly acknowledged. • The report raises questions about whether the Pentagon has understated both physical damage and the true financial costs of the Iran war, challenging official public accounting of the conflict.

Sloths were set to be displayed at controversial new theme park but report revealed mammals died in warehouseProsecutors in Florida said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park.A Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025. Continue reading...

Company accepts it failed to prevent bribery in public sector contracts in Algeria and Oman, sought through use of agentsThe British defence company Ultra Electronics has accepted responsibility for failure to prevent bribery and agreed to pay £15m after an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.The penalties are part of a deferred prosecution approved by the high court on Friday, after an investigation opened in 2018, when the company referred itself to the UK law enforcement agency a month after corruption allegations were published by Algerian media. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission reviewing whether Reform UK leader should have declared billionaire’s gift before entering parliamentAnalysis: Farage’s bid to get ahead of story only raises more questionsFarage referred to standards watchdog over undisclosed £5m giftThe UK elections watchdog is considering whether to investigate an undisclosed £5m donation received by Nigel Farage before he announced his candidacy at the last general election.The move comes after the Guardian revealed this week that the Reform UK leader was given the money by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission is investigating claims money given to MP came from US businessman now convicted of wire fraudUK politics live – latest updatesLabour has called on Robert Jenrick to give up almost £40,000 donated to his campaign to be Conservative leader in 2024 following allegations that the sum came from an impermissible foreign donor now convicted of fraud.The party called for Jenrick to make a donation to charity after the Guardian revealed the Electoral Commission has been investigating claims that £37,500 out of £100,000 given to his campaign by a UK company Spott Fitness ultimately came from a company run by a US-based businessman, Gary Klopfenstein. Continue reading...

• Leaked audio from the 'Summer House' reunion has prompted Bravo to launch an official investigation into the breach. • Reality star Paige DeSorbo addressed the controversy in an exclusive interview, speaking out on the incident's details. • The scandal adds to ongoing drama in the Bravo universe, affecting cast dynamics and fan reactions nationwide.

The RSF leadership, accused of committing genocide, used UAE as a ‘safe haven’ for family members and their wealth, records showA network linked to the leadership of a militia accused of genocide has amassed a vast property portfolio in Dubai as part of a sprawling “paramilitary-industrial complex” across Africa and the Middle East, an investigation has revealed.Family members, sanctioned individuals, and entities linked to the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have acquired more than 20 luxury properties, worth £17.7m, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to the Sentry, a US investigative group. Continue reading...

John Edwards, the data privacy watchdog, says he is fully cooperating with ICO’s independent report into ‘HR matters’The UK’s information commissioner has stepped back from his job after the data protection regulator launched an independent workplace investigation into unspecified “HR matters”.John Edwards, the national watchdog for information rights, data privacy and transparency among public bodies, said he was cooperating with the investigation in a post on his LinkedIn account. Continue reading...

Conservatives expected to push for privileges committee involvement in a Commons vote on MondayA series of senior Labour figures have dismissed calls for a new investigation into what Keir Starmer told MPs about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as political point scoring, before a possible Commons vote on the issue.The Conservatives have called for the cross-party privileges committee, the remit of which includes examining whether MPs broke rules, to look at whether the prime minister misled parliament when he said normal procedures were followed with Mandelson’s appointment. Continue reading...

• The Department of Justice dropped its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Powell regarding the agency's building expenditures, marking a significant development in federal oversight. • The decision came amid broader discussions on Capitol Hill about federal accountability, with both Republican and Democratic representatives weighing in on the implications. • The outcome reflects shifting priorities in federal investigations and debates over Fed governance and spending practices.

• The Department of Justice has dropped its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, marking a significant policy shift. • The decision comes amid Trump's emergency economic orders, potentially easing tensions over Fed independence. • This move is viewed as stabilizing financial markets but criticized by conservatives seeking accountability on monetary policy.

The department of justice has refused to hand over key evidence from the Jeffrey Epstein files and could delay Scotland Yard’s criminal inquiry.Good morning. The UK criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson has reportedly ground to a halt after the US justice department refused to hand over evidence contained in the Epstein files.The documents relate to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Scotland Yard believes could hold key evidence related to Mandelson, who served as business secretary and US ambassador. While the Met has asked for voluntary disclosure, the US department of justice is insisting on a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request, a legal back and forth between countries to obtain evidence, the Telegraph has reported. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Internal concerns over allowing US firm linked to ICE and Israeli military to process highly sensitive data The Metropolitan police has held talks with Palantir that could lead to the London force buying the US spy-tech company’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis for criminal investigations, the Guardian has learned.Palantir, whose software is used by Donald Trump’s ICE immigration enforcement programme and the Israeli military, demonstrated its systems to senior officers in the intelligence division at the UK’s largest police force last month. Intelligence staff have been tasked with finding intelligence systems that AI could automate to increase productivity. Continue reading...

State attorney general said inquiry will look into whether AI tool offered ‘significant advice’ to campus shooting suspectSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxFlorida’s top prosecutor is to launch a criminal investigation into how the tech company OpenAI and its software tool ChatGPT may influence users’ threats of harm to themselves or others, including whether it “offered significant advice” to a gunman accused of conducting a mass shooting in the state last year.State attorney general James Uthmeier said at a news conference on Tuesday that his office is expanding an examination of OpenAI, saying a “criminal investigation is necessary” and the state had issued subpoenas to the $852bn California-based tech firm. Continue reading...

Florida US representative indicted in November for allegedly misusing more than $5m of federal disaster fundsDemocratic US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules. The panel was set to issue its recommended punishment for the Florida representative on Tuesday.Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a federal grand jury in November for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign. Continue reading...

Justice department’s focus seems to be on SPLC’s prior use of paid informants to monitor hate groups, group’s CEO says The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organization, the group’s CEO said on Tuesday.Bryan Fair, the CEO of the SPLC, said the details of the investigation were not entirely clear, though “the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Retired NHS worker Nicholas Stone, 65, died after becoming unwell at protest against far-right group Bristol PatriotsThe daughter of a retired NHS worker is calling for a full and independent investigation into the death of her father after it emerged he died after police contact at a protest against the far right.Nicholas Stone, 65, who lived in Bristol, died on 10 January after becoming unwell at a protest opposing the rightwing group Bristol Patriots, who were staging a demonstration in the city centre. Continue reading...

• The Federal Trade Commission opened a formal investigation into Amazon's AI-powered recruiting system on April 19, citing concerns that algorithms may discriminate against female and minority candidates based on historical hiring data. • Amazon disclosed that its internal testing revealed the system had a 3.2% higher rejection rate for female applicants in engineering roles, prompting the company to halt deployment pending remediation. • The FTC investigation adds to growing regulatory scrutiny of AI hiring tools and could result in significant compliance obligations or penalties affecting how major corporations deploy algorithmic hiring across the industry.

• British and French intelligence agencies announced a coordinated investigation Friday into suspected Russian interference in upcoming European elections, citing evidence of coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting NATO members. • Intelligence officials briefed parliament and the European Commission on Russian operatives' attempts to manipulate social media narratives, exploit internal political divisions, and sow discord regarding Ukraine support policies. • The investigation focuses on a Russian intelligence network allegedly operating from St. Petersburg that has infiltrated European political parties, media outlets, and online forums with false narratives about NATO expansion and Ukraine aid.

• The FDA announced the first ibogaine investigational new drug application as part of Trump's mental health executive order accelerating psychedelic drug approvals and research pathways. • HHS will coordinate with the FDA and DEA to expedite research approval and clinical trial access for emerging mental health treatments under strict medical supervision and scientific oversight. • The initiative specifically targets treatment-resistant conditions and addresses mental health needs among veterans and patients who have not responded to conventional therapies.

Dianna Russini, who was photographed with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, climbed onto Jeep to pull out man and dogA day after resigning from the Athletic amid an internal investigation into photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, NFL reporter Dianna Russini rescued an older man and a dog from an overturned car in New Jersey.Russini’s actions in the aftermath of a car crash on Wednesday in Wyckoff, New Jersey, were confirmed by a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Page Six on Friday first reported on the wreck and Russini’s intervention, 10 days after the celebrity news outlet exclusively published the photos of Russini and Vrabel. Continue reading...

Maria Medetis Long had expressed doubts over case of John Brennan, whose agency said Russia boosted Trump in 2016Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA federal prosecutor leading the investigation into former CIA director John Brennan is no longer working on the case after expressing reservations about it, according to a person familiar with the matter.The prosecutor, Maria Medetis Long, informed attorneys involved in the case she was no longer handling it, according to CNN, which first reported she was leaving the case. Medetis Long is a career attorney serving as the chief of the national security division in the US attorney’s office for the southern district of Florida. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...

One insider estimates Australians pay A$10 in fees per ticket, with fans bearing the burden of monopolised music tour schedules and inflated artist valuesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia is being urged to improve ticketing transparency after a US federal court found Live Nation Entertainment had a harmful monopoly over big concert venues.This week, a New York jury found the global entertainment giant and its subsidiary Ticketmaster liable for systematically stifling competition to extract excessive profits from concertgoers. The jury identified a baseline overcharge of US$1.72 for every ticket sold by Live Nation since 2010 – totalling an additional US$595m in 2025 alone. Continue reading...