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The criticism of the Epoch Times
Epoch Times boss in the US arrested for money laundering

The finance director of the media company Epoch Times, Bill Guan, has been arrested in the United States on suspicion of involvement in a money laundering scandal, several media reports.

According to prosecutors, Guan allegedly led a network that laundered at least $67 million through a system in which proceeds of criminal activity were purchased with cryptocurrency and then funneled back to the Epoch Times.

A spokesperson for the Epoch Times told the BBC that it is cooperating with the investigation and that Guan is suspended from work until further notice.

Epoch Times was started by the Chinese Falun Gong movement in the early 2000s. In the US, the newspaper has made itself known as a voice for misinformation and conspiracy theories, including around the covid vaccine and the election in the US in 2020, writes CNBC.

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The North Korea crisis
South Korea resumes military activity at the border

South Korea is resuming all military activity on its border with North Korea following the hundreds of junk balloons sent by the neighboring country in the past week. This is written by the news agency Yonhap. At the same time, they promise to deploy all available measures to protect citizens if the balloons do not stop immediately.

- The responsibility for this situation lies solely with North Korea. If North Korea launches further provocations, our military will punish them swiftly, said Cho Chang-Rae, South Korea's deputy defense minister.

The announcement comes a day after South Korea announced it was suspending the peace agreement with North Korea from 2018, which is based on both countries actively working for a permanent peace between the neighbors.

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Sources: Michel looking for revenge against von der Leyen

A bitter power struggle is shaking the EU's top echelon with only days left until the European Parliament elections. European Council chief Charles Michel is doing everything he can to undermine Ursula von der Leyen's hopes of leading the European Commission for another five years, sources told Politico.

The site has spoken to an EU official who says Michel is pursuing his "own revenge agenda" when discussing the EU's future with member states' heads of government.

Michel's own term ends on December 1 and according to the sources, he aims to become the EU's next foreign minister. Something that will be difficult if von der Leyen remains.

It is an ill-kept secret in Brussels that Michel and von der Leyen do not like each other. The frosty relationship dates back to 2021, when Michel seized the only armchair during a summit with Turkish President Erdogan while von der Leyen was given a humiliating seat on a sofa a few meters away. The incident has therefore become known as "sofagate".