Cooperate – LSD News

Epstein files lead to resignation of top Slovakian official, while British prime minister calls on former prince to cooperate with U.S. authorities | Fortune

LSD News Szerkesztőség — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 06:17:21 +0000

Newly disclosed U.S. government files on Jeffrey Epstein have prompted the resignation of a top official in Slovakia and revived calls in Britain for a former prince to share what he knows with authorities about Epstein’s links to powerful individuals around the world.

The fallout comes just a day after the Justice Department began releasing a massive trove of files that offers more details about Epstein’s interactions with the rich and famous after he served time for sex crimes in Florida.

The prime minister of Slovakia accepted the resignation on Saturday of an official, Miroslav Lajcak, who once had a yearlong term as president of the U.N. General Assembly. Lajcak wasn’t accused of wrongdoing but left his position after photos and emails revealed he had met with Epstein in the years after Epstein was released from jail.

The disclosures also have revived questions about whether long-time Epstein friend Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, should cooperate with U.S. authorities investigating Epstein.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should tell American investigators whatever he knows about Epstein’s activities. The former prince has so far ignored a request from members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein.

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department said it would be releasing more than 3 million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal most of the material it collected during two decades of investigations involving the wealthy financier.

The files, posted to the department’s website, included documents involving Epstein’s friendship with Mountbatten-Windsor, and Epstein’s email correspondence with onetime Trump adviser Steve Bannon, New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and other prominent contacts with people in political, business and philanthropic circles, such as billionaires Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

Other documents offered a window into various investigations, including ones that led to sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019 and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021, and an earlier inquiry that found evidence of Epstein abusing underage girls but never led to federal charges.

Slovakian official resigns

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, said Saturday that he had accepted the resignation of Lajcak, his national security adviser.

Lajcak, a former Slovak foreign minister, hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, but emails showed that Epstein had invited him to dinner and other meetings in 2018.

The records also include a March 2018 email from Epstein’s office to former Obama White House general counsel Kathy Ruemmler, inviting her to a get-together with Epstein, Lajcak and Bannon, the conservative activist who served as Trump’s White House strategist in 2017.

Lajcak said his contacts with Epstein were part of his diplomatic duties. Pressure mounted for his ouster from opposition parties and a nationalist partner in Fico’s governing coalition.

Draft indictment detailed Epstein’s abuse

The FBI started investigating Epstein in July 2006 and agents expected him to be indicted in May 2007, according to the newly records released. A prosecutor wrote up a proposed indictment after multiple underage girls told police and the FBI that they had been paid to give Epstein sexualized massages.

The draft indicated prosecutors were preparing to charge not just Epstein but also three people who worked for him as personal assistants.

According to interview notes released Friday, an employee at Epstein’s Florida estate told the FBI in 2007 that Epstein once had him buy flowers and deliver them to a student at Royal Palm Beach High School to commemorate her performance in a school play.

The employee, whose name was blacked out, said some of his duties were fanning $100 bills on a table near Epstein’s bed, placing a gun between the mattresses in his bedroom and cleaning up after Epstein’s frequent massages with young girls, including disposing of used condoms.

Ultimately, the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time, Alexander Acosta, signed off on a deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution. Epstein pleaded guilty instead to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from someone under age 18 and got an 18-month jail sentence. Acosta was Trump’s first labor secretary in his earlier term.

Epstein offers to set Andrew up on a date

The records have thousands of references to Trump, including emails in which Epstein and others shared news articles, commented on his policies, or gossiped about him and his family.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s name appears at least several hundred times, including in Epstein’s private emails. In a 2010 exchange, Epstein appeared to set him up for a date.

“I have a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with,” Epstein wrote.

Mountbatten-Windsor replied that he “would be delighted to see her.”

Epstein, whose emails often contain typographical errors, wrote later in the exchange: “She 26, russian, clevere beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email.”

Concerns over how Justice Department handled records

The Justice Department is facing criticism over how it handled the latest disclosure.

One group of Epstein accusers said in a statement that the new documents made it too easy to identify those he abused but not those who might have been involved in Epstein’s criminal activity.

“As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinized, and retraumatized while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy,” it said.

Meanwhile, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, pressed the department to let lawmakers review unredacted versions of the files as soon as Sunday. He said in a statement that Congress must assess whether the redactions were lawful or improperly shielded people from scrutiny.

Department officials have acknowledged that many records in its files are duplicates, and it was clear from the documents that reviewers took different degrees of care or exercised different standards while blacking out names and other identifying information.

There were multiple documents where a name was left exposed in one copy, but redacted in another.

Epstein’s ties to powerful on display

The released records reinforced the Epstein was, at least before he ran into legal trouble, friendly with Trump and former President Bill Clinton. None of Epstein’s victims who have gone public has accused Trump, a Republican, or Clinton, a Democrat, of wrongdoing. Both men said they had no knowledge Epstein was abusing underage girls.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019, a month after being indicted.

In 2021, a federal jury in New York convicted Maxwell, a British socialite, of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of his underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

U.S. prosecutors never charged anyone else in connection with Epstein’s abuse. One victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, sued Mountbatten-Windsor, saying she had sexual encounters with him starting at age 17. The now-former prince denied having sex with Giuffre but settled her lawsuit for an undisclosed sum.

Giuffre died by suicide last year at age 41.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

China says it’s willing to cooperate with the U.S. on fentanyl

LSD News Szerkesztőség — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:29:31 +0000

China’s and U.S.’ flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

BEIJING — China is willing to do more to address White House concerns about illicit fentanyl trade, but it will be “a different thing” if ongoing debate over the drug facilitates more U.S. tariffs on the world’s second largest economy, an official from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters Wednesday.

Washington should have “said a big thank you” to China on what it has done to restrict fentanyl trade in the U.S., the official said via an official English translation, claiming the White House did not appreciate the effort and instead raised duties on Chinese goods twice this year over the drug.

Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has increased tariffs on Chinese goods by 20% on the basis of the country’s alleged role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis. The addictive drug, precursors to which are mostly produced in China and Mexico, has led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S.

The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

Earlier this month, the Chinese government published a white paper to publicize its efforts to curtail the production and export of fentanyl precursors over the last few years. The official did not respond directly to a question on whether China would stop its recent efforts to restrict such trade.

Under the Biden administration, the U.S. and China had said fentanyl was one of the few areas in which the two countries could cooperate. Both sides held dedicated talks in Beijing last year on the topic.

Trump indicated earlier this year that he could also use tariffs as a way to pressure China into forcing Beijing-based ByteDance to sell TikTok, which is running against an early April deadline to remain available in the U.S.

Trump had emphasized tariffs as a way to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China during his first presidency. Just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two sides reached a “Phase One” trade agreement requiring Beijing to increase its purchases of U.S. goods. U.S. data shows that the trade deficit with China narrowed to $295.4 billion in 2024, from $346.83 billion in 2016, just ahead of Trump’s first mandate.

But differences on trade have continued since the January start of the White House leader’s second mandate. The average effective U.S. tariff rate on Chinese goods is now set to hit 33%, up from around 13% before Trump began his latest term, according to estimates from Nomura’s Chief China Economist Ting Lu.

Beijing has responded to the latest U.S. tariffs with targeted duties on energy and agriculture products, while tightening restrictions on exports of critical minerals that the U.S. needs. China’s Ministry of Commerce has also added several U.S. companies, mostly in aerospace or defense, to lists that limit their ability to do business with China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said Wednesday that China’s countermeasures were “legitimate actions” to protect its own interests.

Allianz estimates the additional 20% U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would hit China’s GDP growth by 0.6 percentage points this year and next. But the firm still expects the Chinese economy to grow by 4.6% this year and 4.2% in 2026, based on the assumption that stimulus can mitigate the tariff impact.

“I would tend to say the retaliation is not so strong, maybe leaving room for negotiations,” Francoise Huang, senior economist for Asia-Pacific and global trade at Allianz Trade, said in a CNBC interview last week.

Census 2024: Department urges public to cooperate with enumerators

LSD News Szerkesztőség — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 08:34:08 +0000

The Department of Census and Statistics has assured the public that there is no cause for concern in providing information to enumerators conducting the ongoing Population and Housing Census 2024.

Director General of the department Anoja Seneviratne emphasized the importance of full public cooperation for the success of this national exercise.

Speaking to the media, Mrs. Seneviratne acknowledged reports of some households refusing to share information. She reassured citizens that the data collected would remain confidential and would not be used for personal decision-making and that instead, it will serve as a foundation for shaping national policies and plans for the next decade.

The census, which began its information collection phase on October 7, 2024, follows a preparatory labeling phase initiated in October 2023. Red labels were affixed to all buildings, identifying households for enumeration. Based on these labels, enumerators are now gathering detailed data about residents and their living conditions, according to the department.

“This census is being conducted under the authority of the Census Ordinance. We aim to complete the enumeration phase by December 23. The President has declared December 19 as the official census date through a gazette notification”, Mrs. Seneviratne added.

The Director General also reminded the public to contact the dedicated hotline, 1901, if an enumerator did not visit their houses.

Highlighting the significance of this effort, she stated, “The information gathered will play a vital role in planning the future of the country. The Department urges every household to participate actively and ensure accurate representation in the census.”

U.S., China sign agreement to cooperate on financial stability

LSD News Szerkesztőség — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 11:26:11 +0000

A bank employee count China’s renminbi (RMB) or yuan notes next to U.S. dollar notes at a Kasikornbank in Bangkok, Thailand, January 26, 2023.

Athit Perawongmetha | Reuters

BEIJING — The U.S. and China last week signed agreements for cooperating on financial stability, according to a People’s Bank of China readout Monday.

The agreement was part of a meeting of the U.S.-China Financial Working Group in Shanghai on Thursday and Friday. Brent Neiman, deputy under secretary for international finance at the Treasury Department, and Xuan Changneng, deputy PBOC governor, co-lead the working group.

The two sides also exchanged a list of people to contact in the event of financial stress or risk events, the PBOC readout said. A Treasury readout was not available as of early Monday afternoon Beijing time.

Representatives from the Federal Reserve, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, National Financial Regulatory Administration and China Securities Regulatory Commission also attended, the PBOC said.

The readout described the conversation as “professional, pragmatic, candid and constructive,” according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese statement. Topics discussed included capital markets, cross-border payments and the two countries’ monetary policy, especially in the context of China’s recently concluded Third Plenum meeting, the PBOC readout said.

Technical experts reported on each country’s systematically important global banks, financial institutions’ operational resilience and climate risk stress testing.

China’s government bond market saw heighted volatility earlier this month amid a report of PBOC intervention. Central bank governor Pan Gongsheng said Thursday via state media that China’s financial risks have dropped, including from local government debt.

Last week, U.S. and Chinese financial institutions also met in their first roundtable meeting under the framework of the working group, the PBOC said, without providing specific names. The institutions shared potential cooperation opportunities and discussed how finance could contribute to sustained growth.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng launched economic and financial working groups in September 2023 through which Treasury officials would meet regularly at a vice minister level with the Ministry of Finance and PBOC, respectively.

Apple supplier Foxconn says it will cooperate with Chinese authorities on tax, land use investigations

LSD News Szerkesztőség — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 09:18:45 +0000

Hon Hai Group’s headquarters, in Taipei, Taiwan, 15 July 2021.

Ceng Shou Yi | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Apple supplier Foxconn, officially known as Hon Hai, said it will cooperate with Chinese authorities on investigations, following a report that officials are conducting tax audit inspections and reviewing land use of Foxconn subsidiaries.

State media Global Times reported on Sunday, citing unnamed sources, that multiple offices of Hon Hai’s subsidiaries across China had been subjected to tax audits and on-site investigations into land use. The report did not elaborate on the investigations.

Hon Hai Technology Group is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer. The company assembles consumer products like Apple’s iPhones.

“Legal compliance everywhere we operate around the world is a fundamental principle of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn). We will actively cooperate with the relevant units on the related work and operations,” the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Hon Hai’s Taipei-listed shares fell 3.29% in early Monday morning trade.

Hon Hai share performance

The investigations come as Foxconn founder Terry Gou bids to become Taiwan’s next president. Beijing claims that the self-governed island is part of its territory.

In August, Gou announced that he was entering Taiwan’s 2024 presidential elections as an independent candidate after again failing to secure the nomination for the main opposition Kuomintang party earlier this year. He dropped a previous presidential bid in 2019 after the KMT selected a different candidate as its nominee.

Gou stepped down as Foxconn chief in 2019 and resigned as a company board member in September.