Latest news with #Giuliani
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Italian cos seek biz opportunities in Bengal
1 2 Kolkata: Several Italian companies are looking for opportunities to invest for business expansion as well as to partner with local firms in Bengal. The sectors that these companies are considering include machinery, automotive parts, steel, leather, textile, and agrotech, said Alessandro Giuliani, president of the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IICCI) in Kolkata on Friday. "Given the present geopolitical situation, many Italian companies are planning to bring their production to India and Bengal is one of their top preferences. Much infrastructure development is going on in the state, and we are eyeing business opportunities through collaborations," said Giuliani. There are around 300 Italian companies doing business in India, and some of them are present in Bengal, he added. He was speaking at a business meet organised by IICCI with the support of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC India). Giuliani urged Bengal-based companies to strengthen bilateral trade and cross-border investment opportunities. Local industry representatives proposed that MSMEs be involved in manufacturing products for Italian companies. Representatives from some Italian companies' India branches were also present at the meet. Bikramjit Ghosh, Deal Engineering India MD said, "Upcoming projects in urban renewal, logistics, and smart infrastructure can be good business opportunities for Italian companies in the state. "
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rudy Giuliani Chokes Up Remembering Former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik
Rudy Giuliani became visibly emotional while paying tribute to former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik, who died Thursday at age 69. The disgraced former New York City mayor audibly sniffled and appeared to be holding back tears at several points during Thursday's episode of his 'America's Mayor Live' podcast, a segment of which was recorded just moments after Kerik's death was publicly confirmed. Describing Kerik as 'my closest friend and my brother, who saved my life,' Giuliani said, 'Actually, there was no one in my life who was braver than he was.' 'I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver man and a stronger man, and I wish my father had known Bernie because my father was the bravest man I ever knew,' he explained. 'I don't know what I'm going to do without him. Never expected this. I love him.' A New Jersey native and Army veteran, Kerik was appointed by Giuliani to serve as New York's police commissioner in 2000. He was hailed as a national hero after overseeing the city's response, rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2004, he was tapped by then-President George W. Bush to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Five years later, however, he pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud and false statement charges, and was given a four-year prison sentence, of which he served three years. President Donald Trump pardoned Kerik during a 2020 clemency blitz, after which Kerik reteamed with Giuliani to investigate Trump's baseless claims of election fraud following his loss to Joe Biden later that year. Deeming Kerik 'one of the first victims of lawfare,' Giuliani added: 'He was pardoned by a great president with a big heart and a lot of decency, and he loved that president. 'Bernie dedicated, I would say, the last years of his life, from about 2015 on, to making sure Donald Trump would become president, and would succeed as president,' he continued. 'He loved him. He absolutely loved him.' Toward the end of the broadcast, Giuliani said he'd been planning to visit Kerik over the weekend. 'I feel like I should've been with him,' he said. Watch Thursday's episode of 'America's Mayor Live' below. Giuliani's comments on Bernie Kerik begin around the 1:08:52 mark: Donald Trump Taps Rudy Giuliani's Son For Top Sports Gig Ex-NY Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, Who Pleaded Guilty To Federal Tax Fraud, Has Died Rudy Giuliani Says He's Too Sick For Court Hearing — But Fine For Trump's Inauguration
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tearful Rudy Giuliani breaks down over death of Bernie Kerik
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani broke down in tears remembering ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik, who died on Thursday at age 69. 'I was a better man for having known Bernie,' Giuliani said on his 'America's Mayor Live' podcast shortly after Kerik's death was announced. 'I don't know what I'm going to do without him.' Earlier this month, Kerik was hospitalized with a serious illness from which he was expected to recover. Giuliani said he had planned to visit his old pal on Saturday and regrets not doing so earlier. 'I feel like I should've been with him,' the choked-up Brooklyn native told listeners. Giuliani recalled the times he spent with Kerik, which included fighting crime in New York City, moving the city forward after the 9/11 terror attacks and supporting President Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The former mayor also praised his longtime friend for his 'honesty and integrity,' claiming Kerik was targeted by 'lawfare' when he served three years in prison for tax fraud. Giuliani became increasingly emotional recalling Kerik's service to law enforcement in the U.S. and overseas during the Iraq War, as well as their work together in the private sector. 'I've gone through difficult times, right, and I found out who my friends were,' he confessed. 'Bernie was there for every single thing.' The water works began when Giuliani once again said he wished he'd been at Kerik's bedside when he died. 'I wish I was there for you Bernie, you were always there for me,' he sobbed before saying a prayer for Kerik.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Bernard Kerik, who led NYPD on 9/11 before prison and pardon, has died at 69
NEW YORK — Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City's police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69. FBI Director Kash Patel said that Kerik's death Thursday came after an unspecified 'private battle with illness.' Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who tapped Kerik as a bodyguard for his 1993 mayoral campaign and later appointed him to lead the NYPD, reflected on their long history on his show Thursday. 'We've been together since the beginning. He's like my brother,' Giuliani said through tears. 'I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver and stronger man.' New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a former NYPD officer, said he'd visited Kerik, his 'friend of nearly 30 years,' at a hospital earlier in the day. Kerik, an Army veteran, was hailed as a hero after the 9/11 attack and eventually nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, before a dramatic fall from grace that ended with him behind bars. He served nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty in 2009 to tax fraud, making false statements and other charges. The charges stemmed partially from apartment renovations he received from a construction firm that authorities say wanted Kerik to convince New York officials it had no links to organized crime. During Kerik's sentencing, the judge noted that he committed some of the crimes while serving as 'the chief law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has.' President Trump pardoned Kerik during a 2020 clemency blitz. Kerik was one of the guests feting Trump after his first federal court appearance in Florida in a case related to his handling of classified documents. Kerik grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, where he dropped out of the troubled Eastside High School later depicted in the 1989 film 'Lean on Me.' He joined the Army, where he became a military policeman stationed in South Korea. He went on to work private security in Saudi Arabia before returning stateside to supervise a jail in New Jersey. He joined the NYPD in the late 1980s and was appointed in the 1990s to run New York's long-troubled jail system, including the city's notorious Riker's Island complex. Kerik was appointed by Giuliani to serve as police commissioner in 2000 and was often by the mayor's side in the period after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. 'He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left,' Giuliani recalled in a statement following Kerik's death. In Kerik's 2015 book, 'From Jailer to Jailed,' he described becoming 'America's Top Cop' after the attacks. 'But I'd give anything for that day not to have happened. I wish it hadn't. But it did,' he wrote. 'And I happened to be there at the time. I was there, and I did the best I could do under the circumstances. It's all any of us did.' He was tapped by President George W. Bush to help organize Iraq's police force in 2003, then nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security the following year. But Kerik caught the administration off guard when he abruptly withdrew his nomination, saying he had uncovered information that led him to question the immigration status of a person he employed as a housekeeper and nanny. More serious legal troubles followed, culminating in his conviction. In 2005, Kerik founded the Kerik Group, a crisis and risk management consulting firm. More recently, he worked for Giuliani again, surrounding the efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 loss.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'
Rudy Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, mourned the death of former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard "Bernie" Kerik on Thursday, describing the grief of losing his "best friend" and a "true patriot" as "inexpressible." Kerik died at 69 years old "after a private battle with illness," according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Kerik and Giuliani were prominent figures during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City due to their leadership roles in the city, and they quickly became close friends. "On September 11th, Bernie Kerik and I saved each other's lives. If we weren't already friends, that bound us together forever. He was my best friend, a true Patriot, and one of the bravest men I've ever known," Giuliani wrote in a statement. Bernard Kerik, Former New York Police Commissioner And 9/11 Figure, Dies At 69 Giuliani said Kerik was at his side "within 20 minutes of the attack" on 9/11 and "never left." Read On The Fox News App The first collapse trapped both of them in a building for what Giuliani thinks was 20 to 30 minutes, but they were able to escape safely with "substantial additional assistance" and "extraordinary bravery" – an attitude that Giuliani said "permeated the way" for recovery over the next four months. "Bernie's leadership helped guide the people of a very frightened city to draw from their inherent individual strength as Americans and children of God," Giuliani said on Thursday. He also praised Kerik's career in law enforcement, specifically pointing out his role as Commissioner of Rikers Island, where he was able to reduce violence in the prison by 90%, and his role as NYPD commissioner, where he reduced crime in the city. "He was driven by an unwavering love of this country and a commitment to serving others. He was one of the most decorated New York City police officers of his time," he said. Former Nypd Commissioner Calls On Political Leaders To 'Get Out There' And 'Deescalate' Violence Kerik's 35-year career has been recognized with more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the Department of Homeland Security. He was considered for the role of Homeland Security chief in 2004, but lied to the White House during vetting, which ultimately led to him pleading guilty to eight felonies, including tax fraud, in 2009. He spent about three years in prison, then moved to home confinement and, later, supervised release. President Donald Trump pardoned him of the convictions in 2020. Kerik worked with Giuliani again to investigate claims of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani expressed his condolences to Kerik's wife, his two daughters and his son – who is also a police officer – and said he believes all of Kerik's friends and admirers are "much better for knowing him." Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Andrea Margolis contributed to this article source: Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'
