Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, criticized the federal bank fraud charges against her as an illustration of how President Donald Trump “weaponized” the US justice system against political foes. The Trump Organization’s previous successful business fraud prosecution was led by James.
Reliance Industries Ltd, India’s largest oil importer, has announced it will comply with Western sanctions, ending days of rumors about how the two biggest oil companies in the world will handle new measures aimed at Russia.
Reliance “will be changing the refinery operations to meet the compliance requirements,” according to a company spokesperson who confirmed the company’s statement on Friday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
We will follow all instructions from the Indian government, the statement continued.
As President Donald Trump grows increasingly irritated with Russia’s unwavering war with Ukraine, the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil for the first time on Wednesday.
The decision, according to US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, was the result of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “refusal to end this senseless war” and urged allies to abide by the new sanctions.
The European Union put its 19th package of measures against Russia into place the day after it was put in place, which includes a total ban on Rosneft. Beginning January 21, the EU has previously stated that it will no longer be able to import fuel from Russian refineries that have received or processed Russian oil 60 days prior to shipment.
The largest refining facility in western Gujarat is run by Reliance, which is led by billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani. According to the news agency Press Trust of India, the company has purchased roughly half of the discounted Russian crude that is shipped to India every day (bpd).
Reliance and Rosneft signed a 10-year agreement in 2024, according to a report from Reuters at the time. Russian oil is also purchased through intermediaries.
Reliance stressed that it would adhere to European import standards, not specifics on how exactly it intended to navigate the sanctions or the fate of the 2024 Rosneft agreement.
Reliance’s spokesman said the company is confident that its time-tested, diversified crude sourcing strategy will continue to ensure stability and reliability in its refinery operations in order to fulfill domestic and export requirements, including those of Europe.
The sanctions come as India prepares to deal with Trump’s tariffs on Indian exports, which began in August as a fine for importing Russian oil. The biggest importers of Russian crude are China and India.
Trump has repeatedly stated over the past month that the Indian government has not confirmed that India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil as part of a wider trade agreement.
In a contentious case brought forth by US President Donald Trump, New York Attorney General Letitia James has entered a not-guilty plea to federal mortgage fraud charges.
After the Trump administration accused her of fabricating a property investment to obtain better loans, James appeared in court for the first time on Friday.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
A maximum sentence of 30 years in prison is served on two counts of bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions.
A federal court in Norfolk, Virginia held her hearing on Friday. James responded, “Not guilty, judge, to both counts,” when asked for her plea.
On January 26, her trial is scheduled to start.
After leaving the courtroom, James addressed the audience and criticized President Trump’s use of the legal system against his political rivals.
After former FBI director James Comey and former national security adviser John Bolton, who both face criminal charges in the past month, is Trump’s critic.
“This is not my concern,” The audience outside the courtroom was greeted by James as it was about all of us and a justice system that had been harmed, a justice system that had been used as a tool of retribution.
She reaffirmed her belief that justice will prevail by paraphrasing the Bible.
“Today, there is no fear.” She chanted, leading the audience in a chant, “No fear, no fear.” Because I think righteousness will flow down like water and justice will flow like a powerful stream.
A grand jury earlier this month indicted her.
Virginians in Norfolk, New York’s attorney general John Clark [AP Photo]
President Trump has long been the attorney general’s target since his first term, stretching back decades.
She called Trump an “illegitimate president” when she ran for her position as New York’s top prosecutor in 2018.
In her capacity as attorney general, she successfully brought a civil lawsuit against Trump, alleging that he defrauded investors and banks by significantly overstating his assets.
A judge initially ordered Trump to pay $ 35 million in damages as a result of the case in February 2024, but that amount has since been disregarded as excessive.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has characterized that incident as politically motivated along with the others he has been in.
Critics feared that Trump might use the authority in his post to exact retribution against his alleged adversaries when he won a second term in January.
He made a public request on September 20 for the Department of Justice to prosecute James, Comey, and California Senator Adam Schiff, who has not yet been charged.
In a message to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump wrote, “We can’t delay any longer, because it’s destroying our reputation and credibility.” “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED NOW!” “!
On September 25, Comey was charged five days later.
A veteran prosecutor named Erik Siebert was fired shortly before the indictments after he allegedly questioned the merits of the Comey and James cases.
Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide in the Trump administration without any prior experience as a federal prosecutor, took his place.
Halligan’s appointment will be challenged by James’ attorneys, according to their statements. For a high-ranking US attorney, Halligan signed the indictments against both James and Comey, which is a fairly unusual occurrence.
The allegations in Friday’s case center on James’ purchase of a Virginia home. James claimed she would use the house as a secondary residence, but the Trump Department of Justice argued that she did so on a rented out instead.
According to the prosecution, that made it possible for her to get a mortgage rate that was better.
Two people were killed in a drone strike by Israelis near the southern Lebanon town of Toul, and a different attack targeted a bulldozer in Khiam. Despite a cease-fire, the Israeli military claims to be attacking Hezbollah fighters and weapons installations.
According to Keegan Stephan, a 41-year-old former Occupy Wall Street organiser, Mamdani’s victory must depend on how the candidate leads the sprawling force of more than 36, 000 uniformed officers with annual budgets that can exceed $11 billion.
Stephan, a former civil rights attorney in New York, explained how overpolicing makes more arrests for low-level crimes, particularly in Black and brown neighborhoods.
He claimed that this increases the likelihood of undocumented individuals being targeted by federal agents by being funneled into the legal system.
According to Stephan, “the only way to actually oppose Trump and federal law enforcement is to stop the NYPD from overpolicing communities of color itself.”
Mamdani made a clear decision regarding how he would interact with the police, and on Tuesday announced that Jessica Tisch would be his choice for the top police officer under Adams.  ,
Stephan wasn’t happy with that choice.
According to Stephan, “I find it incongruous for a Mamdani-type politician to appoint the same police commissioner as Eric Adams, who advocates for a completely different kind of policing than Mamdani claims to.”
He cited Adams’ support for “quality of life” enforcement and the NYPD’s increased use of the “stop and frisk” tactic, both of which, under his leadership, raise arrest rates for low-level crimes in minority communities.
During Adams’ administration, complaints against NYPD officers grew to a 10-year high in 2024.
Tisch, according to him, has been responsible for a real rise in low-level offences, which have been statistically proven to target communities of color and impoverished people. I worry that she may be a hindrance to making those changes because it seems very contrary to Mamdani’s vision of policing in the city.
In terms of police reform and political protest in the city, Mamdani’s message is “significantly better” than Cuomo, Sliwa, or Adams, according to Stephan.
Occupy Wall Street protesters gather in Zuccotti Park for a meeting in November 2011 [File: John Minchillo/The Associated Press]
The candidate wants to see the establishment of a $1 billion Department of Community Safety to handle non-criminal calls, including those involving homelessness and mental illness.
He has also pushed for a change in the police commissioner’s power to give the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) ultimate authority over police discipline. Additionally, he has stated that he will end the Strategic Response Group, a police force that has a history of using excessive force against protesters.
The NYPD’s personnel would have an enormous amount of influence if Mamdani chose to lead the department, given its enormous power, which maintains its own political might despite being under the mayor’s control.
