By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Thursday urged colleges to take into account challenges that applicants

BEIJING (Reuters) -It is China's "priority" to stop Taiwan's vice president and presidential frontrunner William Lai from visiting the United

A brief but fierce storm pummeled concertgoers at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver with golf ball-sized hail, injuring dozens and forcing the cancellation of the show’s headliner, former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson

Six people were charged Friday in an alleged scheme to divert tens of thousands of dollars in public funds to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign months before his election. The indictment announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg does not implicate Mr Adams or any other city employees. Rather, it describes a straw donor scheme orchestrated by individuals with business before the city who hoped to maximize their donations to the future mayor in exchange for political favors. “We allege a deliberate scheme to game the system in a blatant attempt to gain power,” Mr Bragg said in a statement. “The New York City Campaign Finance Board program is meant to support our democracy and amplify the voices of New York City voters. When the integrity of that program is corrupted, all New Yorkers suffer.” Prosecutors said the scheme was led by Dwayne Montgomery, a former NYPD inspector currently listed as the director of integrity for the Teamsters Local 237, which represents municipal workers. According to the indictment, Mr Montgomery recruited friends and relatives to take advantage of the city’s generous matching funds system, which provides an eight-to-one match for the first $250 donated by a city resident. In addition to Mr Montgomery, the indictment names as defendants Shamsuddin Riza, Millicent Redick, Ronald Peek, Yahya Mushtaq, and Shahid Mushtaq. According to prosecutors, between 2020 and 2021, those who made donations in their own name were reimbursed by Mr Montgomery, who provided more than $40,000 of his money. He worked with a string of co-defendants to help recruit donors, including Mr Riza, who indicated he was hoping to secure work from the city. “FYI ! This is the one I want , Safety , Drywall , and Security one project but we all can eat,” Mr Riza wrote in a July 2021 email to Mr Montgomery, sending along the information for a construction project called Vital Brooklyn, prosecutors allege. Mr Montgomery also worked alongside a campaign representative to organize a virtual fundraiser for Mr Adams in August, 2020, prosecutors contend. The representative is not named in the indictment. None of the defendants could immediately be reached for comment. Mr Adams' campaign released a statement denying any involvement in the alleged scheme. “There is no indication that the campaign or the mayor is involved in this case or under investigation,” a spokesperson for Mr Adams’ campaign, Evan Thies, said in a statement. “The campaign always held itself to the highest standards and we would never tolerate these actions.” The defendants each face charges of conspiracy, attempted grand larceny, and offering a false instrument. Read More NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of doctoring photo of police officer friend killed in the line of duty Ex-NYC mayor Bill de Blasio and wife are separating – but will still live with each other New York City's Rikers Island, facing possible federal takeover, found violating safety standards NYC mayor accused of doctoring photo of murdered police officer friend Ex-NYC mayor Bill de Blasio and wife are separating – but will still live together

ISTANBUL The presidents of Ukraine and Turkey will discuss on Friday the potential extension of the Black Sea

The Yankees are one of 10 teams still waiting to don City Connect jerseys. Will the Bronx Bombers ever wear a City Connect uniform? MLB introduced the special line of "City Connect" uniforms in 2021 with the promise that all 30 teams in the league would eventually take part.Those j...

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Delta staff lost a passenger's dog at Atlanta Airport. Paula Rodriguez's dog, Maia, escaped its cage as Delta staff were transferring her to her flight at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the busiest in the world.

UConn star Paige Bueckers is back on the court 10 months after suffering the second major knee injury of her college career

Canada’s House of Commons gave a rousing standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who fought in the Second World War – unaware he had served in a Nazi SS unit. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was sitting in the gallery when he was described as a “Ukrainian hero” and a “Canadian hero” to applause from prime minister Justin Trudeau and president Volodymyr Zelensky. However, leaders were left red face when house speaker Anthony Rota subsequently apologised after it emerged that Hunka served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up mostly of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command. In a statement, Mr Rota said that on 22 September “in my remarks following the address of the president of Ukraine, I recognised an individual in the gallery. “I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so.” Mr Rota said that “no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them. This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention.” “I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my actions,” the speaker said. The Canadian Jewish group CIJA said it was “deeply troubled” that a Nazi veteran had been celebrated, and said “proper vetting is imperative to ensure such an unacceptable incident does not occur again”. The incident came shortly after Mr Zelensky delivered a passionate speech to the Canadian parliament to bolster support from his Western allies. Mr Rota then hailed Mr Hunka as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and “a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero.” Following the address, Mr Zelensky, who is Jewish and lost family members during the Holocaust, raised his fist in acknowledgement as the veteran saluted. Mr Hunka’s Nazi unit are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, and were visited by SS leader Heinrich Himmler in 1944 who said his men would be “eager” to “liquidate the Poles”. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said that Mr Rota's remarks ignore “the horrific fact that Hunka served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented.” Since his invasion in February 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made unsubstantiatec alims that Ukraine of ‘harbours neo-Nazis’. Read More Putin gives defence chief one month deadline to stop Ukrainian counteroffensive in its tracks Russian airstrikes kill 2 and wound 3 in southern Ukraine as war enters 20th month Russian foreign minister lambastes the West but barely mentions Ukraine in UN speech Trudeau and Zelensky give Ukrainian Nazi war veteran standing ovation in parliament We have a responsibility to defend our citizens, says Canada’s defence minister Leader of Canada's House of Commons apologizes for honoring man who fought for Nazis