Latest news with #StateSecurityService
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Ukraine Graft Raid Ups Pressure on Kyiv to Clean House
Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven't yet, sign up here. After a night marked by heavy Russian missile and drone attacks, Ukrainians awoke to learn that the state-security service was raiding premises of anti-graft officials, accusing them of cooperation with Moscow.
TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Georgia stops sale of uranium worth $3m 'that could've been used in bomb'
Georgia's State Security Service said on Thursday it had detained two people for handling and attempting to sell $3m (R53.71m) worth of uranium which could have been used to make a deadly bomb. The service said it had prevented a 'transnational crime' involving 'the illegal sale and purchase of nuclear material, in particular, the radioactive chemical element uranium'. One Georgian citizen and one foreigner were arrested in the western city of Batumi on the Black Sea, the statement said. The pair, whom the statement did not name, could face up to 10 years in prison. The State Security Service did not say how enriched the uranium was but said it was such a powerful emitter of alpha and beta radiation that it could have been used to make a deadly bomb with mass fatalities. Georgia, a country of about 3.7-million in the South Caucasus, has foiled several attempts to sell uranium or other radioactive materials since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a republic.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Georgia stops sale of $3 million of uranium that could have been used in bomb
Find out what's new on ST website and app. TBILISI - Georgia has detained two people for handling and attempting to sell $3 million worth of uranium which could have been used to make a deadly bomb, the national security service said on Thursday. The prosecutor general said one Georgian and one Turkish national had been arrested and charged with the illegal purchase, possession and disposal of radioactive substances. The pair were arrested in the western city of Batumi on the Black Sea and could face up to 10 years in prison. "...the citizen of Georgia illegally purchased and stored the radioactive substance uranium...(and) tried to sell the mentioned nuclear material to the Turkish citizen for $3 million," the prosecutor's statement said, without naming them. The State Security Service said it had prevented a "transnational crime" over the uranium which could have been used to make a deadly bomb causing mass fatalities. Contacted by Reuters, the agency declined to give any further details on how enriched the uranium was. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Singapore Premium China carmaker Hongqi, known for Xi Jinping's limos, to launch in Singapore in 2026 Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Opinion Grab tried to disrupt taxis. It now wants to save them Georgia's State Security Service published video on Thursday showing law enforcement agents using a radiation scanner to inspect a passenger vehicle as well as two small vials, one of which appeared to contain a white, powdery substance. There was no word on the uranium's origin or potential destination. One isotope of uranium, uranium-235, is fissile, meaning it can sustain the nuclear chain reaction used in reactors and bombs. The two other isotopes, uranium-238 and uranium-234, are not fissile. The security of nuclear materials was one of the biggest concerns after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a member. There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades. In 2019, Georgia said it had detained two people for handling and trying to sell $2.8 million worth of uranium-238. In 2016, authorities arrested twelve people, including Georgians and Armenians, in two separate sting operations within the same month and accused them of attempting to sell in total about $203 million worth of uranium-238 and uranium-235. In 2014, Georgia caught two Armenians trying to smuggle cesium-137, a radioactive isotope of the metal cesium, into the country. REUTERS
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Straits Times
Georgia stops the sale of $3 million of uranium that could have been used in a bomb
TBILISI - Georgia's State Security Service said on Thursday that it had detained two people for handling and attempting to sell $3 million worth of uranium which could have been used to make a deadly bomb. Georgia's State Security Service said it had prevented a "transnational crime" involving "the illegal sale and purchase of nuclear material, in particular, the radioactive chemical element uranium." One Georgian citizen and one foreigner were arrested in the western city of Batumi on the Black Sea, the statement said. The pair, whom the statement did not name, could face up to 10 years in prison. The State Security Service said that the uranium could have been used to make a deadly bomb with mass fatalities. When contacted by Reuters, the State Security Service declined to give any further details on how enriched the uranium was. The Service published video on Thursday showing law enforcement agents using a radiation scanner to inspect a passenger vehicle as well as two small vials, one of which appeared to contain a white, powdery substance. Uranium-235 is an isotope that is fissile, meaning it can sustain the nuclear chain reaction used in nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs while Uranium-238 is not fissile. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Singapore Prison Service debunks online claims that it launched 'the world's first floating prison' Singapore Jail for elderly man for using knife to slash neighbour, who later died of heart disease Opinion Grab tried to disrupt taxis. It now wants to save them The security of nuclear materials was one of the biggest concerns after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a member. There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades. In 2019, Georgia said it had detained two people for handling and trying to sell $2.8 million worth of Uranium-238. In 2016, authorities arrested twelve people, including Georgians and Armenians, in two separate sting operations within the same month and accused them of attempting to sell in total about $203 million worth of uranium-238 and uranium-235. In 2014, Georgia caught two Armenians trying to smuggle Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope of the metal cesium, into the country. Data from the U.N. nuclear watchdog's Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) showed that trafficking of nuclear and radioactive material remains very limited. REUTERS
Reuters
7 days ago
- Reuters
Georgia stops the sale of $3 million of uranium that could have been used in a bomb
TBILISI, July 17 (Reuters) - Georgia's State Security Service said on Thursday that it had detained two people for handling and attempting to sell $3 million worth of uranium which could have been used to make a deadly bomb. Georgia's State Security Service said it had prevented a "transnational crime" involving "the illegal sale and purchase of nuclear material, in particular, the radioactive chemical element uranium." One Georgian citizen and one foreigner were arrested in the western city of Batumi on the Black Sea, the statement said. The pair, whom the statement did not name, could face up to 10 years in prison. The State Security Service said that the uranium could have been used to make a deadly bomb with mass fatalities. When contacted by Reuters, the State Security Service declined to give any further details on how enriched the uranium was. The Service published video on Thursday showing law enforcement agents using a radiation scanner to inspect a passenger vehicle as well as two small vials, one of which appeared to contain a white, powdery substance. Uranium-235 is an isotope that is fissile, meaning it can sustain the nuclear chain reaction used in nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs while Uranium-238 is not fissile. The security of nuclear materials was one of the biggest concerns after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a member. There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades. In 2019, Georgia said it had detained two people for handling and trying to sell $2.8 million worth of Uranium-238. In 2016, authorities arrested twelve people, including Georgians and Armenians, in two separate sting operations within the same month and accused them of attempting to sell in total about $203 million worth of uranium-238 and uranium-235. In 2014, Georgia caught two Armenians trying to smuggle Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope of the metal cesium, into the country. Data from the U.N. nuclear watchdog's Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) showed that trafficking of nuclear and radioactive material remains very limited.
