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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
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Police warn against allowing Urich to return to work, ‘place where he executed alleged crimes'
A new court hearing examined whether Yonatan Urich, a key suspect in the "Qatargate" case, should face lighter release conditions amid allegations of leaked documents. A tense hearing took place at the Lod District Court on Tuesday morning, a hearing before Judge Amit Michles over whether to lighten the restrictive release conditions of Yonatan Urich, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and one of the chief suspects in the 'Qatargate' investigations. His legal defense has made two main arguments. The first is that he wasn't really a public servant, but rather a private citizen. Therefore, there is no danger in allowing him to return to his employment and make contact with anyone connected to the Prime Minister's Office. The second is that there is no justification for not matching his release conditions to those of Eli Feldstein, the former military spokesman for the PMO and the first individual to be interrogated in connection with the case. Feldstein was arrested in November, while Urich was apprehended in March, on suspicion of alleged connections to Qatar and having organized a public relations campaign for the Gulf state, while it serves as a negotiator in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks and has close connections to the terrorist organization. Israel Police, in contrast, tried to establish that Urich indeed did function as a public servant, and that his actions undermined the interests of the PMO and the Israeli public at large. Police representative Supt. Aviv Porat said on Tuesday that materials coalesced in the interrogation indicate a 'significant suspicion that after October 7 and as criticism bloomed against Qatar for its connections with and involvement in Hamas, that the Gulf state reached out to Israeli figures to initiate a public-relations campaign to better its image in the eyes of the Israeli public.' Porat added that this alleged plan was approved by Qatari elements and kicked off. The plan allegedly included several courses of action, all aimed at shifting the impression Israelis had of the Gulf state post-October 7 - 'and Urich and other figures played a central role in the execution.' Urich's specific strength allegedly was formulating and pushing the messages out to the public. Porat emphasized that at the core of the issue is the nature of the messaging. 'If it was a different state working with Qatar on public relations for an electrical company, there would be a greater doubt as to whether state security was compromised,' he said. He specified, 'The suspicions that a man who was employed by the Likud and, in practice, worked in diplomacy in the PMO during the war, and, per the suspicions, was bribed by a foreign state to which he provided similar services - all without coming clean about it, not in the legal realm nor in the moral one.' Porat pointed out that several of the individuals who provided testimony in the case attested to Urich being a public servant. He added that there is more work required from investigators. When Michles responded that by that logic, the investigation will never reach a concluding point, Porat responded that the conditions under which Urich will be allowed to return to his place of work 'may enable an obstruction of the investigation.' The police representative added that by current estimates, the investigation against Urich is due to wrap up within the next 45 days. 'This is a man who is under investigation and may legitimately be allowed to return to the very same place from which he carried out the alleged crimes,' said Porat. Noa Milstein, Urich's lawyer, noted that anyone else who was interrogated or provided testimony was allowed to return to their place of work. She added that the list of forbidden contacts was never actually approved by the court, and that the list indicates 'the intentions of the interrogators.' Michles asked the police for an update, specifically on the hypothesis of him being a public servant. Last week, Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court Judge Menahem Mizrahi released Urich from all restrictions - allowing him to return to work at the PMO and at Perception, the company at the heart of the Qatargate investigations - but gave police the option to appeal the decision. It did, leading up to the Tuesday hearing. 'Leaked documents affair' The crux of the investigation, as it has been released to the public so far, is the 'leaked documents affair,' in which Feldstein allegedly leaked classified military documents to the German tabloid Bild, after permission for their publication was denied by the Israeli military censor. This was allegedly done at the direction of Urich and Israel Einhorn, another aide who was interrogated in connection with the case last month, from where he resides in Serbia. The documents were eventually published, allegedly to sway public opinion on the hostage negotiations. This was around August 2024, when six hostages were killed by their Hamas captors in a tunnel: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, and Alex Lobanov.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Did Iran-Israel war ever end? Cyberwar continues between Jerusalem, Tehran
The decade-long cyber war between Israel and Iran has heated up significantly after the June war. The decade-long cyber war between Israel and Iran has heated up after the June war, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Israeli officials received several suspicious text messages with malicious links in the wake of the 12-day war. 'It heated up after the start of the war, and it's still going on,' an anonymous Israeli official said. 'I'm still getting them.' Some recent attacks have included an Iranian cryptocurrency heist exchange, to spear phishing messages for Israeli diplomats or members of the Prime Minister's Office. While the two countries have an impermanent ceasefire, the war online never stopped, officials say. Ceasefire in action, but cyberattacks remain 'Although there is a ceasefire in the physical world, in the cyber arena, [the attacks] did not stop,' Boaz Dolev, chief executive of the Israeli cyberintelligence company ClearSky, told the FT. Iranian-aligned groups have tried to use a vulnerability from a recent Microsoft software breach to attack Israeli assets, Dolev said. Iran and Israel have carried out a decades-long shadow war, of which cyberattacks from both sides have played a significant role. Iran's Minister of Communications, Sattar Hashemi, told the FT that the Islamic Republic had faced its "most extensive" cyberattack campaign during the 12-day war, with over 20,000 attacks. One of these attacks shut down Iran's air defense systems as Israel Air Force jets began the June 13 attack on Tehran. But the attacks also played a vastly significant role in gathering intelligence on senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists, former Israeli officials told the FT. The air defense cyber attack was tactical, officials told the FT. "It was very specific, in order to allow Israel to make the first move,' said Menny Barzilay, a cybersecurity expert who served as the chief information security officer of the Israel Defense Forces intelligence services. 'Intelligence collection was the biggest game changer.' On the opposite side, an Israeli-aligned hacking group, Gonjeshke Darande, burned some $90 90mn from the Iranian crypto exchange company Nobitex by placing it in a digital wallet without private access keys. Nobitex denied Gonjeshke Darande's claims that it was a "tool" of the regime. The hacking group also attacked two major Iranian banks, including the state-affiliated Bank Sepah. Dotin, a tech company that provides software for the attacked banks, said that the incident disabled the banks' primary, backup, and disaster data. ClearSky said that Iranian-backed groups had done hack-and-leak attacks on 50 Israeli companies, including logistics, dual, and HR companies. The hackers then leaked the resumes of thousands of Israeli citizens who worked in the defense establishment. Some of the attacks also included messages that appeared to be from the Home Front Command, which advised Israelis to avoid bomb shelters. Hackers also tried to get into Israeli security camera systems to see where missiles were falling. IDF Col. (res.) Moty Cristal, who has a wide breadth of experience negotiating with ransomware groups, noted that none of the attacks on Israel had a dramatic impact. Iran, in contrast, suffered a major setback. Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref called for a 'serious short-term action plan" to boost the Islamic Republic's capabilities. Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi, a former Iranian Intelligence Ministry technical manager, said that one issue was Iran's 'centralised concentration of data'. The IDF targeted commanders who had registered phone numbers and addresses with their bank accounts, he told the FT. Israeli officials noted that they expected the cyber war to continue, especially given the extent of the damage that the Islamic Republic faced. It also allowed both sides to target each other, despite threats from US President Donald Trump to not continue the war. 'Both Israel and Iran know that if they attack each other, Trump will be angry,' Barzilay told the FT. 'But you can do whatever you want in cyberspace, and probably no one will say anything.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CP NewsAlert: China announces 75.8 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola
OTTAWA — China has announced preliminary tariffs on Canadian canola following an anti-dumping investigation launched last year in response to Canada's tax on Chinese electric vehicles. Canadian canola exports to China will face a 75.8 per cent duty beginning on Thursday. The move comes nearly a year after Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, a move that is to be reviewed by the beginning of October. Canada supplies China with most of its canola but China currently exports very few electric vehicles to Canada. China's Ministry of Commerce says in a social media post today that the two countries met four days ago to discuss trade. The Prime Minister's Office deferred comment on the canola tariffs to the secretary of state for international trade, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Free Malaysia Today
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Birthday wishes pour in on social media for PM
The Prime Minister's Office posted a 44-second video highlighting key moments in Anwar Ibrahim's leadership journey. PETALING JAYA : Well-wishes and prayers have poured in on social media for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who turns 78 today. They included messages from his Cabinet, state leaders, senior government officials, netizens and citizens of all backgrounds, Bernama reported. The Prime Minister's Office took to Facebook, with a post wishing Anwar good health, longevity and strength to continue steering the country towards a just and prosperous Malaysia Madani. 'All staff at the Prime Minister's Office extend our warmest wishes to YAB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his 78th birthday,' the post read, accompanied by a 44-second video highlighting key moments in his leadership journey. Religious affairs minister Na'im Mokhtar also prayed for Anwar to be blessed with health, strength and wisdom in leading the nation. Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari posted his best wishes to Anwar, describing him as a distinguished national leader who governs with wisdom. Chief secretary to the government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar conveyed his gratitude for Anwar's wise leadership. 'Our prayer is that every step YAB takes will be guided by divine direction, showered with Allah's mercy and love. Thank you for your wise and dedicated leadership in building Malaysia Madani,' he was quoted as saying. Malaysians of all ages, races and professions also sent their wishes, including a heartwarming gesture from pupils of SK Presint 14 Putrajaya, who formed the number 78 to mark Anwar's age. 'From us, the people of Malaysia, we sincerely wish YAB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim a happy 78th birthday,' the post read.
Associated Press
01-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
OTTAWA, ON, June 30, 2025 /CNW/ - Note: All times local National Capital Region, Canada This document is also available at SOURCE Prime Minister's Office
