BERLIN/MILAN (Reuters) -A Ukrainian man was arrested at a holiday bungalow in Italy on suspicion of coordinating attacks on three Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, officials said on Thursday, a breakthrough in an episode that sharpened tensions between Russia and the West. Described by both Moscow and the West as an act of sabotage, the explosions largely severed Russian gas supplies to Europe, prompting a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezing energy supplies on the continent. No one has taken responsibility for the blasts and Ukraine has denied any role. The arrest comes just as Kyiv is engaged in fraught diplomatic discussions with the United States over how to end the war in Ukraine without giving away major concessions and swathes of its own territory to Russia. “Politically we are firmly on Ukraine’s side and will continue to be so,” said Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig when asked if the arrest would affect Berlin’s ties to Kyiv. “What is important for me is that Germany is a country of law, and crimes in our jurisdiction are fully investigated.” The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, a statement from the prosecutor’s office said. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships He and his accomplices had set off from Rostock on Germany’s northeastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack, it said. The vessel had been rented from a German company with the help of forged identity documents via middlemen, it added. Authorities acted on a European arrest warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of important structures. An official in the Ukrainian president’s office said he could not comment as it was not clear who had been arrested. The official reiterated Ukraine’s denial of any role in the blasts. Successive Ukrainian governments have seen the pipelines as a symbol of, and vehicle for, Russia’s hold over European energy supplies that Kyiv argued made it hard to act against Moscow ever since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. FORMER UKRAINIAN OFFICER? The Wall Street Journal reported that the suspect was a retired captain in Ukraine’s armed forces and previously served in Ukraine’s security service SBU, as well as in an elite unit that defended Kyiv in the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The officer purportedly headed a team of two soldiers and four civilian divers covertly recruited by a special Ukrainian military unit to lay explosives that damaged the undersea pipelines, the WSJ said, citing investigators. German prosecutors declined to comment on the WSJ report. Carabinieri officers arrested the suspect overnight in San Clemente on Italy’s Adriatic coast, where he was supposed to spend a few days with his family. “Once his presence had been verified, the Carabinieri surrounded the bungalow and launched a raid, during which the man surrendered without resistance,” a statement by the Carabinieri said, adding the suspect was 49 years old. A police official told Reuters the suspect was arrested because, when providing documents at a hotel check-in, an alert flagging he was wanted popped up at the police headquarters, which dispatched a Carabinieri police patrol. In September 2022, one of the two lines of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was damaged by mysterious blasts, along with both lines of Nord Stream 1 that carried Russian gas to Europe. Moscow, without providing evidence, blamed Western sabotage for the blasts, which cut off most Russian gas supplies to the lucrative European market. The U.S. denied having anything to do with the attacks. The Washington Post and Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine have previously said the team that carried out the attack was put together by a former Ukrainian intelligence officer, who denied involvement. In January 2023, Germany raided a ship that it said may have been used to transport explosives and told the United Nations it believed trained divers could have attached devices to the pipelines at about 70 to 80 metres deep. The boat, leased in Germany via a Poland-registered company, contained traces of octogen, the same explosive that was found at the underwater blast sites, according to the investigations by Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered Europe’s deadliest conflict in 80 years, in which analysts say more than 1 million people have been killed or injured. (Reporting by Rachel More, Philippe LeroyBeaulieu, Sarah Marsh, Giulio Piovaccari, Gavin Jones, Thomas Escritt, Tom Balmforth, Stine Jacobsen; writing by Matthias WilliamsEditing by Gareth Jones and Philippa Fletcher)

The European Commission will keep pressing for a preferential tariff for wine and spirits exports to the U.S. that would spare the sector the 15% rate applied on most items under the EU-U.S. trade deal, the EU’s trade commissioner said on Thursday. “This one we didn’t get in. But I can tell you that there is clear commitment from the European Commission to put it on the table,” Maros Sefcovic said when asked if a preferential rate for the sector had been secured. Sefcovic spoke after the European Union and the U.S. detailed commitments made in the deal reached last month, which includes a 15% U.S. tariff on most imports from the bloc, including autos, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber. The same rate also applies to EU wine and spirits exports, despite industry efforts to get a lower, or even zero rate. That means U.S. buyers of French Champagne, Irish whiskey, and Italian Prosecco could face significant price rises, with the tariffs impacting some $10 billion worth of alcoholic beverage imports each year, analysts say. Brands affected include Diageo’s Guinness beer and Pernod Ricard’s Jameson Irish whiskey. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, an industry group representing spirits producers and marketers, has called for permanent zero tariffs by both sides and expressed disappointment that no preferential rate had been agreed. “Without a permanent return to zero-for-zero tariffs on spirits, American distillers do not have the certainty to plan for future export and job growth without the fear of retaliatory tariffs returning,” it said. It added that it was “determined to continue engaging with the Trump administration to urge for additional negotiations”. That message was echoed by Herve Dumesny, director general of European industry group spiritsEUROPE. “We urge both sides to remain at the negotiating table and deliver a swift, full return to zero-for-zero,” Dumesny said. “This means reaffirming the support for our sector across the Atlantic by removing U.S. tariffs on EU spirits and lifting any suspended EU retaliatory measures on U.S. products.” The EU announced a six-month suspension of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, including distilled spirits and wine, on August 5, according to the U.S. spirits council. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Helen Popper)

Bed Bath & Beyond will no longer operate in California, with the company’s chairman saying the blue state’s “overregulated” system “makes it nearly impossible for businesses to succeed.” “This decision isn’t about politics — it’s about reality,” executive chairman Marcus Lemonis said Wednesday in an official statement on X. “California’s system makes it nearly impossible for businesses to succeed, and I won’t put our company, our employees, or our customers in that position.” “California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America. It’s a system that makes it harder to employ people, harder to keep doors open, and harder to deliver value to customers,” the statement read. Lemonis says that California’s economic policies have resulted in “higher taxes, higher fees, higher wages that many businesses simply cannot sustain.” Bed Bath & Beyond will still market its products to Californians and offer online ordering. The company says this will eliminate “the inflated costs created by an unsustainable model.” “We’re taking a stand because it’s time for common sense. Businesses deserve the chance to succeed. Employees deserve jobs that last. And customers deserve fair prices. California’s system delivers the opposite.” California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office responded to the announcement on X: “After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed.” “We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store.” Bed Bath & Beyond is attempting a comeback after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2023, when it was forced to liquidate all its assets, including all of its retail stores. It merged with Kirkland’s Home in 2024 and has subsequently rebranded. The company plans to launch 300 “new smaller format ‘neighborhood’” locations across America, Lemonis told Fox News on Wednesday. The first “Bed Bath & Beyond Home” store opened in Nashville earlier this month.

Dr. James Dobson, the influential Christian psychologist and Focus on the Family founder, died Thursday at age 89. The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute announced that Dobson had passed away in Colorado Springs following a brief illness. A seminal proponent of family values in the 1980s and 90s who served as advisor to five Presidents, Dobson helped mobilize a conservative movement on issues like abortion, pornography, and gay marriage. Born on April 21, 1936, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson was the son of Myrtle Georgia and James Clayton Dobson Sr., both of whom were prominent figures in the Nazarene Church. Raised in a devout Christian household, he developed an early passion for understanding human behavior and faith. Dobson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) in 1958 and later a PhD in Child Development from the University of Southern California in 1967, laying the foundation for his influential career. Dobson’s national breakthrough came in 1970 with his best-selling book, Dare to Discipline, which offered biblical parenting advice in an era when many secular psychologists were championing a more permissive approach. The more than 70 books he would go on to author and co-author, including The Strong-Willed Child (1978), Love for a Lifetime (1987), and Bringing Up Boys (2001), cemented his reputation as America’s premier Christian family expert, selling millions of copies worldwide. But Dobson’s influence mainly emerged with the founding of Focus on the Family in 1977. What started as a small radio ministry featuring biblical advice on parenting and marriage grew into a global organization, airing on more than 4,000 stations in North America alone. The ministry would later expand to include film series and a popular children’s radio theater program, Adventures in Odyssey. In the 1980s, Dobson’s advocacy for traditional family values also led him to become a leader in the conservative movement alongside Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority and Pat Robertson of the Christian Coalition. In 1981, he founded the Family Research Council to promote public policies aligned with Christian morality. His firm stance on issues like parental discipline and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage sparked debates. Yet, despite fierce criticism in the secular media, his commitment to his convictions remained unwavering. He would eventually go on to serve on President Donald Trump’s advisory board for evangelical affairs. Tributes poured in for Dobson on the announcement of his death, with Samaritan’s Purse President, Franklin Graham, calling him a “staunch defender of the family” who stood for “morality and Biblical values as much as any person in our country’s history.” Bestselling Christian author and radio personality Eric Metaxas called him “a hero” and said Dobson was not afraid to bring his faith into the public sphere for God’s purposes.” Dobson is survived by his wife of 65 years, Shirley Deere Dobson, and their two children, Danae and Ryan.

A New York appeals court on Thursday overturned the massive civil fraud penalty against President Donald Trump, ruling the nearly half-billion-dollar fine was ‘excessive’ under the Eighth Amendment. The five-judge appeals court panel ruled that the $355 million penalty against Trump — not including interest — “is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the Associated Press reported. The total fine levied by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron against Trump and other executives in the Trump Organization, including Eric and Donald Trump Jr., exceeded $527 million when interest was factored in. The civil fraud case against Trump was brought by New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, who alleged that Trump inflated his net worth to gain favorable terms from lenders. Judge Engoron sided with James, finding that between 2014 and 2021, the president overvalued his assets by up to $2.2 billion, CNBC reported. The judge ordered Trump to pay the massive fine, while also barring him from running his business in New York for three years. While the appeals court threw out the massive fine, it kept the ruling in place that Trump committed fraud, leaving open the option for an appeal to the state’s highest court. The judges also kept the other penalties on Trump’s company in place, but said that the president can seek a further extension of the pause on those penalties. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “TOTAL VICTORY in the FAKE New York State Attorney General Letitia James Case!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State. Others were afraid to do business there. The amount, including Interest and Penalties, was over $550 Million Dollars. It was a Political Witch Hunt, in a business sense, the likes of which no one has ever seen before. This was a Case of Election Interference by the City and State trying to show, illegally, that I did things that were wrong when, in fact, everything I did was absolutely CORRECT and, even, PERFECT.” Judge David Friedman ripped James for bringing the lawsuit, writing, “Plainly, her ultimate goal was not ‘market hygiene’ … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business. The voters have obviously rendered a verdict on his political career. This bench today unanimously derails the effort to destroy his business.” Appellate Division Judge Peter Moulton said in a concurring opinion that “the calculation of the disgorgement in this case was far from a reasonable approximation.” The panel, however, was divided in its ruling, issuing more than 300 pages of concurring and dissenting opinions, according to the AP. While most of the judges agreed that the penalty was excessive, there was disagreement over whether the attorney general’s lawsuit against Trump was justified. Two judges said it was, but another judge argued that James exceeded her authority, adding that a lawsuit should have been filed by one of Trump’s lenders if they felt cheated, but no lenders took legal action against Trump. The Democratic attorney general filed the suit against Trump after vowing on the campaign trail to “take on” the then-Republican presidential frontrunner. In one campaign video, James blasted Trump as “incompetent” and “an embarrassment to all that we stand for.” Trump maintained his innocence and fought back against the charges throughout the case, calling the suit a politically motivated “Witch Hunt.” Trump appealed the civil fraud judgment in February 2024, with his attorney Alina Habba saying, “Letitia James is not going to get away with it; the Biden administration is not going to get away with it.” “President Trump has done nothing wrong,” Habba added at the time. “All he has done is win a campaign, and that is scaring them because they know when he goes back in November 2024 he is going to clean house, and that is truly the problem.” In his lengthy post on Truth Social following the court’s decision on Thursday, Trump added that James “only brought this Case in order to hurt me politically.” “She is a Trump Deranged Lunatic! They made me bond the outrageous sum, which never happened before, and which cost me Millions of Dollars a month. It should have never been allowed to happen, and everyone knew it!”

A U.S. district judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton temporarily blocked a new Texas law for some school districts on Wednesday, preventing them from being required to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Texas Senate Bill 10 (S.B. 10) was signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in June. It stated, “a public elementary or secondary school shall display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.” The bill stated the Commandments would be listed thus: I AM the LORD thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.     Thou shalt not  make to thyself any graven images.    Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.    Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.    Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.    Thou shalt not kill.  Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Thou shalt not steal.  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.  Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.    Texas would be the largest state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools. Louisiana was the first to pass a law last year, but a federal appeals court blocked it. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships But U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued an injunction on Wednesday that barred 11 school districts named as defendants in a lawsuit from displaying the Ten Commandments. Other public school districts in the state are still bound by the law, which takes effect September 1. “Even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer,” Biery wrote. “There is also insufficient evidence of a broader tradition of using the Ten Commandments in public education, and there is no tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms. … There are ways in which students could be taught any relevant history of the Ten Commandments without the state selecting an official version of scripture, approving it in state law, and then displaying it in every classroom on a permanent basis.” In 1980, in the case Stone v. Graham, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that posting the Ten Commandments in Kentucky public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Justice William Rehnquist issued a blistering dissent in which he noted: The Court rejects the secular purpose articulated by the State because the Decalogue is “undeniably a sacred text.”  It is equally undeniable, however, as the elected representatives of Kentucky determined, that the Ten Commandments have had a significant impact on the development of secular legal codes of the Western World. The Establishment Clause does not require that the public sector be insulated from all things which may have a religious significance or origin. This Court has recognized that “religion has been closely identified with our history and government,” Abington School District, and that “[t]he history of man is inseparable from the history of religion,” Engel v. Vital. Kentucky has decided to make students aware of this fact by demonstrating the secular impact of the Ten Commandments. He quoted Justice Robert Jackson, concurring in the 1948 case McCollum v. Board of Education, who wrote: I think it remains to be demonstrated whether it is possible, even if desirable, to comply with such demands as plaintiff’s completely to isolate and cast out of secular education all that some people may reasonably regard as religious instruction. Perhaps subjects such as mathematics, physics or chemistry are, or can be, completely secularized. But it would not seem practical to teach either practice or appreciation of the arts if we are to forbid exposure of youth to any religious influences. Music without sacred music, architecture minus the cathedral, or painting without the scriptural themes would be eccentric and incomplete, even from a secular point of view. … I should suppose it is a proper, if not an indispensable, part of preparation for a worldly life to know the roles that religion and religions have played in the tragic story of mankind. The fact is that, for good or for ill, nearly everything in our culture worth transmitting, everything which gives meaning to life, is saturated with religious influences, derived from paganism, Judaism, Christianity–both Catholic and Protestant–and other faiths accepted by a large part of the world’s peoples. One can hardly respect the system of education that would leave the student wholly ignorant of the currents of religious thought that move the world society for a part in which he is being prepared.

Former New Jersey state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee for governor, has slashed Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s lead in half in the state’s 2025 gubernatorial contest, according to recent polling. Ciattarelli, who is running for governor a second time after narrowly losing to incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, trails Sherrill […]

'Third Country Nationals who may not be granted asylum'

They supposedly contain information that could 'change the narrative'