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According to news sources, US intelligence has discovered evidence that Russian forces deployed near the Ukrainian border have received actual orders to launch an assault. On Sunday, CBS News was the first to report that the Kremlin had given the go-ahead to commanders among the more than 150,000 troops stationed in possible attack areas. Face the Nation said that "on the ground commanders are drafting concrete plans for how they will manoeuvre in their sector of the battlefield. According to the New York Times, the Kremlin has also authorized an invasion. According to the publication, this intelligence caused Joe Biden to announce this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin had chosen to carry out an attack. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told CBS that the Biden administration is still persuaded that Russia is moving through with its strike plans. "Everything we're seeing, as President Biden stated, indicates that the choice we believe President Putin has...

It is my pleasure and joy to welcome you all to the ABI's annual dinner as the ABI's new Director General. I'd want to express my gratitude to John Glen, the Economic Secretary, and KPMG, our sponsors. I'd also like to express my gratitude to the ABI team for putting on such a spectacular event. I also want to express my gratitude to Huw Evans. Huw is a well-known figure in the industry, and with good reason. Huw graciously allowed me to attend what turned out to be his final Board meeting in December. The main topic of conversation looked to be, well, Huw and the really astronomical results he had achieved in the member and staff surveys, so I should have been dubious right away. As the applause faded, one Board Director turned to me and remarked, "There's just one route you can go from here." Not exactly the upbeat encouragement I was hoping for! Those polls reveal a clear picture. Huw put in long hours for the ABI and the industry. And I'm sure we...

In his prison cell in Paris, a French modeling agent and close associate of the late US millionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was discovered dead. Prosecutors said that Jean-Luc Brunel was found hanging in his cell at La Santé prison around 01:00 on Saturday. The 76-year-old had been detained for more than a year while being probed for rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Brunel had vehemently denied any misconduct on his part. Brunel's lawyers stated the allegations had "crushed" him and blamed the allegations on a "media-judicial system." Brunel co-founded Karin Models in France in 1977 and MC2 Model Management in the United States with the help of Epstein. In December 2020, Brunel was stopped at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport while attempting to catch a flight to Senegal. His detention was part of a French investigation into charges of sex trafficking and sexual assault against Epstein, which focused on possible crim...

According to tweets from an executive on a test version seen by Reuters, Donald Trump's new social media endeavor, Truth Social, is slated to launch in Apple's App Store on Monday, perhaps marking the former president's return to social media on the US Presidents' Day holiday. A verified account for the network's chief product officer, Billy B, responded to queries about the app from users asked to use it during its test period in a series of postings late Friday. According to screenshots seen by Reuters, one user inquired when the software, which had been accessible for beta testers this week, would be released to the general public. "We're scheduled to be released on the Apple app store on Monday, February." The launch will reintroduce Trump to social media after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube following his supporters' attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, when he was accused of sending comments inciting violence. Donald...

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order for the military to conduct a series of maneuvers using the country's nuclear arsenal on Saturday. The exercises will feature ballistic and cruise missile launches, as well as nuclear-capable bombers and vessels from Russia's Black Sea Fleet, according to The New York Times. In recent weeks, Russia has undertaken significant military maneuvers along Ukraine's border, in the Black Sea, and in Belarus. The Associated Press reported earlier this month that Russia had flown two Tu-22M3 nuclear-capable bombers over Belarus. Russia has around 6,000 nuclear warheads, according to the Arms Control Association. President Biden warned on Friday that he is "convinced" that Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, and that the assault will almost certainly include a strike on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city. Russia has around 100,000 troops stationed along Ukraine's border. According to the New York Times, Russian-backed separa...