Uzbek in Swiss Money-Laundering Case Was Unfairly Detained, Says UN Panel
The June opinion by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention makes repeated references to the Swiss case against Gulnara Karimova and Lombard Odier, and while it isn't legally binding defense lawyers could use its conclusions to try to weaken the prosecutors' case.
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4 hours ago
- Yahoo
NATO-like protection for Ukraine in focus as Zelensky, European leaders head for Trump meeting
European and NATO leaders are joining Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Monday to present a united front in talks with President Donald Trump as US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Sunday said Russia is open to the idea of the US and its European allies offering Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defence mandate. European leaders said Sunday they would join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in talks with US President Donald Trump on Monday, as they try to find a way to end Russia's offensive. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday but the talks failed to yield any breakthrough on a ceasefire – though White House envoy Steve Witkoff said both leaders had agreed to provide "robust security guarantees" to Ukraine. Read moreRed carpet welcome but no Ukraine deal: key takeaways from the Trump-Putin summit Witkoff, who took part in the Trump-¨Putin talks in Alaska, said it 'was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that' and called it 'game-changing.' 'We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO," Witkoff told CNN's 'State of the Union.' Witkoff offered few details on how such an arrangement would work. But it appeared to be a major shift for Putin and could serve as a workaround to his deep-seated objection to Ukraine's potential NATO membership, a step that Kyiv has long sought. It was expected to be a key topic Monday as Zelensky and major European leaders meet with Trump at the White House. Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member trans-Atlantic military alliance, says an armed attack against one or more member nations shall be considered an attack against them all. What needed to be hammered out at this week's talks were the contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also participated in the summit. Ukraine and European allies have pushed the US to provide that backstop in any peace agreement to deter future attacks by Moscow. 'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners," Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' It was unclear, however, whether Trump had fully committed to such a guarantee. Rubio said it would be 'a huge concession." The comments shed new light on what was discussed in Alaska. Before Sunday, US officials had offered few details even as both Trump and Putin said their meeting was a success. Zelensky hails 'historic' US security guarantees reports European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday hailed the reports of robust security guarantees for Ukraine. But Zelensky, speaking alongside her at a news conference in Brussels, rejected the idea of Russia offering his country security guarantees. "What President Trump said about security guarantees is much more important to me than Putin's thoughts, because Putin will not give any security guarantees," he said. Zelensky later said on social media that the US offer regarding security guarantees was "historic". Moscow denounces Macron French President Emmanuel Macron, who will take part in the Washington meeting along with von der Leyen and others, said European leaders would ask Washington "to what extent" they were ready to contribute to the security guarantees offered to Ukraine in any peace agreement. Read moreUkraine and Europe must present 'united front', says Macron ahead of White House meeting Of Moscow's position, he said: "There is only one state proposing a peace that would be a capitulation: Russia." Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called that an "abject lie" in a statement on Telegram later Sunday. Moscow had been proposing a "peaceful resolution" of the conflict for seven years under the terms of the Minsk Accords, she said. Macron, she added, was trying to convince Ukraine that it could win on the battlefield even when he knew that that was "impossible". Hopes for 'productive meeting' Trump, who pivoted after the Alaska meeting to say he was now seeking a peace deal rather than a ceasefire, on Sunday posted "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating. Trump's sudden focus on a peace deal aligns with the stance long taken by Putin, one which Ukraine and its European allies have criticised as Putin's way to buy time while trying to make battlefield gains. Zelensky also said he saw "no sign" the Kremlin leader was prepared to meet him and Trump for a three-way summit, as had been floated by the US president. The leaders heading to Washington on Monday to appear alongside Zelensky call themselves the "coalition of the willing". As well as von der Leyen and Macron, they include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Also heading to Washington will be Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who get on well with Trump. On Sunday they all held a video meeting to prepare their joint position. (FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Met Police urged to scrap facial recognition at Notting Hill Carnival over 'racial bias' fears
Civil liberties and anti-racism groups have called on Met Police to abandon plans to deploy Live Facial Recognition (LFR) at this year's Notting Hill Carnival, warning of 'racial bias.' In a letter to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, 11 organisations, including Liberty, Big Brother Watch, and the Runnymede Trust, described LFR as 'mass surveillance' that 'treats all Carnival-goers as potential suspects.' It comes after Met Police announced plans to use facial recognition technology on the approaches to and from the event this year, though cameras will not be placed within the carnival boundaries themselves. Officers will use the cameras to identify individuals wanted by police, missing persons who might be at risk of exploitation and those subject to sexual harm prevention orders. The technology captures live footage and compares faces against a database of known offenders. But the groups have expressed their disappointment at the decision to reintroduce the technology at Carnival, warning that it may be 'less accurate for women and people of colour.' The letter states: "There is no clear legal basis for your force's use of LFR. No law mentions facial recognition technology and Parliament has never considered or scrutinised its use,' according to the BBC. "Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the [Metropolitan Police] is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias." The letter also highlighted concerns over a 2023 National Physical Laboratory study, which found that the Met's NeoFace system showed reduced accuracy for women and people of colour, depending on the algorithm used. The Met says LFR is accurate and balanced across ethnicity and gender and has insisted it will help keep people safe. The force emphasised strict safeguards were in place and anyone passing a camera who is not on the watchlist will have their biometrics immediately and permanently deleted. Police will deploy around 7,000 officers each day during the August Bank Holiday weekend event, focusing heavily on public safety, particularly preventing knife crime and violence against women and girls. So far in 2025, LFR has been deployed 111 times across London, leading to 512 arrests. During Carnival weekend, alerts from LFR systems will prompt officers to investigate further, although an alert does not automatically mean an arrest. Met Police has been contacted by The Standard for comment.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelensky for meeting with Trump
European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington to present a united front in talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia's war in Ukraine and firming up U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table. France 24's Emmanuelle Chaze reports from Kyiv.
