Members of the French National Assembly have asked the president of the lower house of the country's parliament to set up an investigation committee to look into alleged Russian financing of political parties.
In a letter to Yael Braun-Pivet, shown to reporters, MPs said the move was prompted by a recent declassification of U.S. intelligence showing Russia had paid hundreds of millions of euros to foreign political parties "with the aim to ... influence elections".
The eight MPs, who belong to French President Emmanuel Macron's En Marche party, also noted that Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National party is still paying off a loan granted by Russian banks.
"These facts clearly suggest a Russian will to weigh in the French public debate ... they warrant the set-up of an investigation committee to establish if French political parties - and which ones - have benefited from Russian financing," the MPs wrote.
Citing the declassified U.S. intelligence, a senior Biden administration official said on September 13 the United States expects Russia will increasingly turn to covert political financing in coming months to undermine international sanctions over the war in Ukraine and maintain Moscow's influence abroad.
However, the official did not detail which countries the Russian influence efforts were believed to have targeted or provide specific evidence to lay out the claims of secret financing.
Israeli troops and tanks pushed on Saturday into parts of a congested northern Gaza Strip district that they had previously skirted in the more than seven-month-old war, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, medics and residents said.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in immediate danger but still in a serious condition, his deputy said on Sunday, four days after an assassination attempt that sent shockwaves through Europe.
At least 47 people have died after continued heavy rain and flooding in northern Afghanistan, an official said on Sunday, a day after a similar number were killed in a central province.
Russian airstrikes killed at least ten people and injured many others in a recreation area just outside Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday, local officials said.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz will undergo medical tests on Sunday due to "high temperature and joint pain", state news agency SPA reported.
A volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera has spectacularly erupted, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky, and people from seven nearby villages have been evacuated, authorities said on Sunday.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in serious condition and still faces risks of complications but has stabilised, officials said on Saturday, following Wednesday's assassination attempt.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Saturday it had summoned and handed a note of protest to Kyrgyzstan's top diplomat in the country in response to violence against Pakistani students in Bishkek.
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Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!