Several members of M23 are reportedly dead, injured and kidnapped claims some sources (unconfirmed).
The case, which has captured global attention due to the unprecedented figure involved, reflects growing tensions between Google and Russia following international sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.
The lawsuit was brought forward by 17 Russian broadcasters, including Russia 1 and the platform of Russia Today presenter Margarita Simonyan, a vocal supporter of President Putin. Google’s YouTube removed these accounts under sanctions, prompting Moscow judges to impose a punitive fine described by the judge as “a case in which there are many, many zeros,” according to Russian news outlet RBC.
Initially, the fine was set at 100,000 rubles daily, doubling every 24 hours since 2020. The resulting penalty has now swelled to $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000—far surpassing Google’s total revenue of $88.2 billion and market valuation of $2 trillion, and dwarfing the global economy’s estimated worth of around $100 trillion, according to the World Bank.
Despite the mounting pressure, Google has shown little sign of compliance, noting in its latest earnings report that “these ongoing legal matters” are unlikely to impact its operations materially. Google wound down its Russian division in 2022, declaring bankruptcy for its subsidiary Google LLC in Russia, although it continues to provide services like its search engine and YouTube.
In contrast, other platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, have been outright banned by Russian authorities, although Google’s services remain accessible. YouTube’s removal of pro-Moscow content has particularly irked the Kremlin, especially bans on propaganda platforms like Tsargrad TV, owned by oligarch Konstantin Malofeev.
The colossal sum, which stands as one of the largest penalties in legal history, may be more symbolic than practical given Google’s limited assets in Russia. Yet, as Russia’s legal strategy continues to escalate, the tech giant appears unfazed, its team noting that the situation is unlikely to reach a fine as high as a “googol”—a figure equal to 10 followed by 100 zeros.
Police in Mogadishu launched major security sweeps across districts and outskirts on Wednesday, intensifying operations against Al-Shabaab militants. Authorities are cracking down amid rising efforts to boost security in the capital. Somalia.
The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, arrived in Entebbe, Uganda, on Wednesday for a working visit of a few hours with his counterpart, President Yoweri Museveni.
Welcomed at the airport by the Ugandan Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Jacob Oboth-Oboth, President Tshisekedi went to State House Entebbe where he was received by his host.
The two heads of state immediately began a one-on-one meeting focused on security in Eastern DRC.
The discussions are expected to address joint military operations between the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
The two principals are also anticipated to brainstorm on the M23 rebellion which has left a trail of destruction in North Kivu.
Also possible on the agenda is the joint plans by DRC and Uganda to build roads in North Kivu to boost regional trade and security.
The infrastructure projects have been affected by insecurity in the area.
This meeting comes two weeks after a gathering in Kinshasa between senior military officials from both countries to assess the effectiveness of operations against armed groups in the region.
The Congolese Minister of Infrastructure, Alexis Gisaro, as well as the Chief of Staff of the FARDC and other members of the presidential cabinet are accompanying the Congolese head of state during this mission in Uganda.
To Bujumbura:
From Kampala,President Félix Tshisekedi arrived this Wednesday in Bujumbura, Burundi, to take part in the 23rd summit of Heads of State and Government of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) which took place opens this Thursday October 31, 2024.
There is rumour that a certain Francis Mushinzimana has been missing for nearly a fortnight,none knows his where about.There are claims that state security agents may have arrested him because of his tweets that apparently unveil some wrongs on government policies .His latest tweet was on the ownership of the Presidential jet that may have finally cemented the long awaited need for his arrest.Many claim that he is blamed for siding with Wazalendo,trying to blame Rwanda's relationship with neighbours,supporting FDLR and supporting Ingabire Victoire among others.Below are some of the tweets he did over time that may have landed him in trouble!
This is the very first entity in the Walikale territory (North Kivu) to be conquered by the rebels since the start of the conflict at the end of 2021.
According to intelligence Sources we gathered from Saturday evening and on site reports say that the hostilities were launched around 4am this Sunday by a group of rebels, who allegedly came from Kashuga, and who allegedly set fire to a Wazalendo position of the NDC-Renové and APCLS group.
The news is corroborated by MP Willy Mishiki, elected member from Walikale. The latter fears the rebels' breakthrough towards the neighboring provinces of Tshopo, South Kivu and Maniema.
" The war in the East has just taken a decisive turn today with the fall of the town of Kalembe this Sunday at 9am. It is the first village reached by the aggressors and their puppets in the territory of Walikale, the last barrier to reach the provinces of Tshopo, South Kivu and Maniema with a conflagration effect towards other provinces of the country. Kalembe is a very strategic town, providing access to Lubero and Rutshuru and Tshopo via the Oninga grouping ," warns the national deputy.
The Wazalendo, deprived of weapons, retreated to the hills overlooking the locality, said the same source, which called on the National Assembly to urgently look into the matter.
The Walikale territory is now the 5th in North Kivu to be affected by the conflict after Rutshuru, Masisi, Lubero and Nyiragongo, despite the state of siege declared in early May 2021.
Furthermore, the territory of Beni, towards the north, remains the scene of terrorist attacks maintained by the ADF. Only the cities of Goma, Butembo and Beni, equally threatened by urban crime, still remain symbolic of the authorities of the state of siege.
On the ground, the Congolese army is still observing a ceasefire decreed by the Luanda peace process since August 4.
" This abandonment of the ex-Wazalendo risks complicating the situation on the ground while our government is distracted by the ceasefire in Luanda while our enemies are recovering areas and the FARDC are no longer fighting ," fears Willy Mishiki.
On Saturday, October 12, during the 5th ministerial meeting in Luanda, Congolese and Rwandan delegates agreed to work on a harmonized plan to neutralize the FDLR rebels as well as the lifting of Rwandan defense measures, without clearly mentioning the start of hostilities against the M23.
While the Congolese government, through Judith Suminwa, relayed that in Luanda, Kigali had agreed to withdraw its 4,000 soldiers present on Congolese soil, Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, denied this, continuing to deny the presence of soldiers from the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The fighting, which began in the morning, involved several surrounding villages, including Bwito, Ibuga-Kashuga, Kitunda and Ihula, with Kalembe as the main scene of clashes. Around 10 a.m., our Intelligence sources confirmed the occupation of Kalonge, part of Kalembe, by M23 forces. The latter came from Kashuga and launched attacks on these different fronts,with claims of reinforcements in men and combat equipment from Rwanda. These clashes were accompanied by a human toll marked by injuries among civilians: two young boys were were hit by stray bullets during the exchanges of fire. Many civilians took refuge in health facilities, others holed up in their homes, while some fled into the bush to escape the fighting. The occupation of Kalembe by the M23, an entry point into the territory of Walikale, is an unprecedented fact. This reveals not only the geographical extension of the zone of influence of this rebel group, but also the growing fragility of the region in the face of armed violence.
