Russia spent $300 million to covertly influence world politics, U.S. government says
CBSN
Russia has covertly spent more than $300 million since 2014 to try to influence politicians and other officials in more than two dozen countries, the State Department alleges in a newly released cable.
The cable released Tuesday cites a new intelligence assessment of Russia's global covert efforts to support policies and parties sympathetic to Moscow. The cable does not name specific Russian targets but says the U.S. is providing classified information to select individual countries.
It's the latest effort by the Biden administration to declassify intelligence about Moscow's military and political aims, dating back to ultimately correct assessments that Russia would launch a new war against Ukraine. Many of President Joe Biden's top national security officials have extensive experience countering Moscow and served in government when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched wide-ranging campaigns to influence the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections.
Air Busan plane catches on fire in South Korea, leaving seven people with injuries at Gimhae airport
Seoul — Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries Tuesday when an airplane burst into flames at an airport in South Korea, authorities said Wednesday, with local media suggesting the blaze may have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, according to the country's transport ministry.
The United Nations estimates that about 200,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to the shattered northern part of the Gaza Strip since Israel authorized their movement on Monday. CBS News' team in Gaza followed one man among the masses making the trek back home, to see what was left of his life before the war.
Seoul, South Korea — The first report on last month's Jeju Air crash in South Korea confirmed traces of bird strikes in the plane's engines, though officials haven't determined the cause of the accident that killed all but two of the 181 people on board. The preliminary accident report released by South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board on Monday said that feathers and bird blood stains were found in both engines.
Pope Francis urges eradication of antisemitism, says horror of the Holocaust must never be forgotten
Pope Francis warned of the "scourge of antisemitism" in his Angelus prayer on Sunday, the eve of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, noting it marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Geneva — The World Health Organization said Friday it was reviewing its priorities in preparation for the withdrawal of its largest donor, the U.S., and stressed that it provides vital services that protect the country from health threats. President Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the U.S. to withdraw from the WHO, a body he has repeatedly criticized over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.