Poland buys $3 billion in military aircraft from South Korea

The country sealed $3 billion in deals with South Korea for the purchase of 48 Korean FA-50 fighters. The two deals for the purchase of Fighting Falcon combat and training planes follow contracts signed last month for the acquisition by Poland of $5.8 billion worth of South Korean tanks and howitzers.

The purchase of the FA-50 fighters will replace the retired Soviet-made MiG-29 and the Su-22 that Poland’s armed forces now have. The light, two-seater planes are made by Korea Aerospace Industries jointly with US company Lockheed Martin, and are compatible with the US-made F-16 fighters that Poland’s air force is equipped with and with the contracted F-35A fighters.

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🗳 Breaches of voting machine data raise worries for midterms

The list of suspected security breaches at local election offices since the 2020 election keeps growing, with investigations underway in at least three states -- Colorado, Georgia and Michigan.

The stakes appeared to rise this week when the existence of a federal probe came to light involving a prominent loyalist to former President Donald Trump who has been promoting voting machine conspiracy theories across the country.

In several of the cases, employees of local election offices or election boards gave access to voting systems to people who were not authorized to have it.

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💵 Treasury recommends exploring creation of a digital dollar

The White House said that after President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling on a variety of agencies to look at ways to regulate digital assets, the agencies came up with nine reports, covering cryptocurrency impacts on financial markets, the environment, innovation and other elements of the economic system.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said one department recommendation is that the US “advance policy and technical work on a potential central bank digital currency or CBDC.” On Capitol Hill, lawmakers have submitted various pieces of legislation to regulate cryptocurrency and other digital assets.

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🇭🇺 EU proposes to suspend billions in funds to Hungary

The European Union’s executive branch recommended Sunday that the bloc suspend around 7.5 billion euros in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money.

EU countries pay around 1% of their gross national income into the budget. Hungary is slated to receive at least 50 billion euros in all from the 2021-27 budget, according to commission estimates.

The commission has for nearly a decade accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of dismantling democratic institutions, taking control of the media and infringing on minority rights. Orban, who has been in office since 2010, denies the accusations.

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🚇 From carmakers to refiners, industries brace for rail strike

A strike could happen if the railroads and unions can’t settle their differences before an early Friday walkout deadline. There are 12 unions — one with two separate divisions — representing 115,000 workers that must agree to the tentative deals and then have members vote on whether to approve them. So far, nine have agreed to tentative deals and three others are still at the bargaining table.

All the tentative deals are based closely on the recommendations of a presidential emergency board US President Joe Biden appointed this summer that called for 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses in a five-year deal that’s retroactive to 2020. Those recommendations also includes one additional paid leave day a year and higher health insurance costs.

The unions want the railroads to provide unpaid leave time that workers could use to attend doctors appointments or attend to other personal business without being penalized.

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🗣 What Did Biden Say in His Sunday ’60 Minutes’ Interview?

🔷 US will get inflation under control
🔷 Support to Ukraine is ironclad, US will stay with Kiev as long as it takes
🔷 American troops will defend Taiwan in event of “unprecedented attack” by China
🔷 Biden admits he “intends” to run in 2024 but that a “firm decision… remains to be seen”

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MORE | Asked about the status of COVID-19, the US president conceded that the “pandemic is over.”

🔷 “We still have a problem with COVID,” he said. “We're still doing a lotta work on it. It's … but the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing.”

‼️ Germany renounces special relations with Russia by supplying weapons to Kiev - Ambassador ➡️ LIVE UPDATES

By supplying weapons to Ukraine, Berlin refused special relations with Russia, which allowed Germany to be an intermediary in Moscow's dialogue with the West, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

"In fact, the German authorities are refusing special relations between our countries and peoples, which were painstakingly built by previous generations and bound us even in the most difficult times. This is what has always distinguished the Germans from the ranks of the collective West, has allowed Berlin to act as a mediator who knows and understands Russia and its interests better than others," Nechaev said.

Nechaev added that for decades Germany had refrained from sending weapons, especially heavy equipment, to zones of armed conflicts.

"There was a broad internal political consensus on this matter. The practice has changed only now and only in relation to Russia. Of course, such a turn will have a negative impact on our bilateral relations. Especially when it comes to the issue of supply of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, which is now being very actively discussed," Nechaev said.

💰 Florida man pleads guilty to $2.6M COVID-19 relief fraud

Daniel Joseph Tisone, 35, of Naples, pleaded guilty in Fort Myers federal court to wire and bank fraud, as well as illegal monetary transaction. He faces up to 60 years in federal prison.

Tisone submitted false and fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration and banks seeking several different kinds of loans between March 2020 and April 2021.

He received one Main Street Lending Program loan, four Economic Injury Disaster Loans and five Paycheck Protection Program loans, totaling more than $2.6 million, authorities said. He allegedly used the money to purchase two homes in Naples, stocks and investment securities, a 2019 Tiara 34LS boat, a 4.02-carat engagement ring and ammunition.

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💸 Secret Service recovers $286M in stolen pandemic loans

The Secret Service said an investigation initiated by its Orlando office found that alleged conspirators submitted Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications by using fake or stolen employment and personal information and used an online bank, Green Dot, to conceal and move their criminal proceeds.

The agency worked with Green Dot to identify roughly 15,000 accounts and seize $286 million connected to the accounts. Billions have been fraudulently claimed through various pandemic relief programs — including Paycheck Protection Program loans, unemployment insurance and others that were rolled out in the midst of the worldwide pandemic.

Since 2020, the Secret Service initiated more than 3,850 pandemic related fraud investigations, seized over $1.4 billion in fraudulently obtained funds and helped to return $2.3 billion to state unemployment insurance programs.

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📹 A refugee from Ukraine says that the Ukrainian armed forces are even ready to kill children who attend Russian schools and kindergartens.

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📹 During the Reno Air Races in the US state of Nevada on Sunday, a pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed and caught fire.

▪️ The horrifying incident was caught on camera during the races' live webcast on YouTube, where it was visible that the jet crashed and burst into flames.

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📸 🇬🇧 The public ceremony to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II has ended in London. A memorial service will be held today at Westminster Abbey, after which the Queen will be buried at Windsor Castle.

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🇺🇳 The UN Secretary General said he doesn't consider visa restrictions on Russians in Europe a good idea

📹 A video is gaining popularity on social networks, showing President Biden rewriting the text from the prepared card for the book of condolences of Queen Elizabeth II.

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