A former aide to a far-right German EU lawmaker is charged with spying for China
The office of the federal prosecutor accused Jian Guo of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the EU Parliament between September 2019 and April 2024, when he was arrested.
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Global News
6 minutes ago
- Global News
‘America we are BACK!' White House launches official TikTok account
The White House launched an official TikTok account on Tuesday, just weeks before another deadline approaches for TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the popular social media platform or face a ban in the U.S. A 2024 law required TikTok to stop operating by January 19 of this year unless ByteDance had completed divesting the app's U.S. assets or demonstrated significant progress toward a sale. U.S. President Donald Trump opted not to enforce the law after he began his second term as president on January 20. He first extended the deadline to early April, then to June 19 and then again to September 17. The new account, using the handle @WhiteHouse, gained more than 100,000 followers as of Wednesday morning. The bio reads, 'Welcome to the Golden Age of America.' Story continues below advertisement The first video posted to the account shows footage of Trump declaring, 'Every day, I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation. I am your voice.' The post's caption reads, 'America we are BACK! What's up TikTok?' The second video shows images of the White House and has the caption, 'We're so back.' The third video shared on the official TikTok account is a montage of Trump, featuring clips of him dancing, sitting in a Tesla on the lawn of the White House and speaking to crowds at rallies and other notable appearances. 'Remember when the bunny took Joe Biden down? It's not taking Trump down,' Trump says in a clip of him at the White House Easter Egg Roll, recalling a 2022 incident involving former U.S. president Joe Biden. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I was the hunted, and now I'm the hunter,' the video caption reads. The White House announced on X that it had joined TikTok, sharing the link to the new account and three eye emojis. Story continues below advertisement The TikTok account Trump used for his presidential campaign last year, @realdonaldtrump, has more than 15 million followers. The president also relies heavily on his Truth Social account to deliver his message and posts occasionally on his X account. 'The Trump administration is committed to communicating the historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people with as many audiences and platforms as possible,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters on Tuesday. 'President Trump's message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we're excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before,' she said. Story continues below advertisement The creation of the White House TikTok account comes nearly four years after Trump issued an executive order to ban the app. 'The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in [China] continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,' an executive order signed by Trump in 2020 read. 'The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.' 0:51 Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for another 90 days, WH confirms In June, Trump signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 90 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. 'We are grateful for President Trump's leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available for more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform as we continue to work with Vice President Vance's Office,' TikTok said in a statement. Story continues below advertisement It is the third time Trump has extended the deadline. The first one was through an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court — took effect. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trump's tariff announcement. Extensions to the deadline have drawn criticism from some lawmakers, who argue the Trump administration is flouting the law and ignoring national security concerns related to Chinese control over TikTok. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Trump administration is once again 'flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings about the risks' posed by a China-controlled TikTok. 'An executive order can't sidestep the law, but that's exactly what the president is trying to do,' Warner added. — With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
Toronto Star
6 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
South African breeder is accused of $14 million rhino horn smuggling ring
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African prosecutors have accused a well-known rhino breeder of operating a global rhino horn smuggling network alongside five other people. John Hume, 83, owns one of the world's largest rhino herds at his Johannesburg ranch. He and the others are accused of a scheme involving 964 rhino horns valued at $14.1 million. Hume has not publicly commented. More from The Star & partners
Winnipeg Free Press
6 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
South African breeder is accused of $14 million rhino horn smuggling ring
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African prosecutors have accused a well-known rhino breeder of operating a global rhino horn smuggling network alongside five other people. John Hume, 83, owns one of the world's largest rhino herds at his Johannesburg ranch. He and the others are accused of a scheme involving 964 rhino horns valued at $14.1 million. Hume has not publicly commented. Hume was granted $5,000 bond by the Pretoria magistrates court, according to the National Prosecuting Authority, after he and the others handed themselves over to police on Tuesday. Bail conditions included turning over their passports. Prosecutors said they next appear in court on Dec. 9. A seven-year investigation by South African authorities found the suspects allegedly secured permits under false pretenses to buy and sell rhino horns domestically while funneling the horns into illegal markets in Southeast Asia. Under South African law, domestic trade is permitted with valid permits. However, international commercial trade in rhino horn is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. According to a blog promoting the private reserve that he opened in 2009, Hume and his staff at Rhinos of Buffalo Dream Ranch care for over 1,600 rhinos, including over 1,000 that have been bred there. The six suspects, including a lawyer, insurance broker and game reserve manager, are charged with 55 counts including racketeering, fraud, theft and money laundering. The country's environment minister, Dion George, called the investigation 'a powerful demonstration of South Africa's resolve to protect its natural heritage.' South Africa fights an ongoing battle to protect endangered rhinos, with a reported 103 killed between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to the government. Authorities have focused in recent years on criminal syndicates they believe are behind much of the poaching. The country has the world's largest rhino population with an estimated 16,000 to 18,000, according to conservation groups. That includes white rhinos and the critically endangered black ones.
