Nation and world news in brief for September 27
Multiple Iranians indicted over Trump campaign hack: Politico
(Reuters) — Multiple Iranians have been indicted by a U.S. grand jury on charges over hacking Republican Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Politico reported on Thursday.
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Politico said the names of the defendants and the specific criminal charges were not immediately available. Without citing sources, it said a grand jury secretly approved the indictment on Thursday afternoon and that the Justice Department was expected to announce the charges as soon as Friday.
The Justice Department declined to comment and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Biden announces $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — U.S. President Joe Biden announced more than $8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine on Thursday to help Kyiv repel Russian invaders, using a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to make a major commitment.
The aid includes the first shipment of a precision-guided glide bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, with a range of up to 81 miles (130 km). The medium-range missile gives Ukraine a major upgrade to the weapons it is using to strike Russian forces, allowing the Ukrainians to do it at safer distances.
The bomb, capable of striking targets with high accuracy, is to be dropped from fighter jets. Biden will not announce that Washington would let Ukraine use U.S. missiles to hit targets deeper in Russia, a U.S. official said.
Migrant crossings through Panama’s Darien Gap down 35% in 2024
METETI, Panama (Reuters) — Migrant crossings through the treacherous Darien Gap that connects Panama to Colombia are down by over a third in the year’s first nine months, a Panamanian border official said on Thursday, crediting heightened security by the new government.
Between January and Sept. 25, 259,712 migrants arrived in Panama through the Darien, a 35% decrease compared with the same period in 2023, Alexis de Gracia, head of the National Border Service’s eastern brigade, said, citing official data.
Panamanian authorities attribute the drop to stricter security measures implemented by the government of President Jose Raul Mulino since he took office on July 1.
The new government’s efforts include the closing of some routes through the jungle passage and increasing deportations with U.S. support.
The data also come nearly four months after U.S. President Joe Biden instituted a broad asylum ban on migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Alabama executes convicted murderer in second-ever nitrogen gas execution
(Reuters) — Alabama executed convicted murderer Alan Miller on Thursday in the second-ever nitrogen-asphyxiation execution since the state pioneered the method in January.
Miller, 65, was convicted for the 1999 murders of three men, including two co-workers, in a shooting spree at two offices in Pelham, Alabama. His victims were Lee Michael Holdbrooks, Terry Lee Jarvis and Christopher Scott Yancy.
