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☆ Italian senate passes controversial measure to ship boat migrants to Albanian camps
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Rome CNN —A controversial plan agreed upon between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart in November to send boat migrants to Italian-run centers on Albanian soil has passed the Italian Senate. The plan passed on a vote of 93 to 61. It is unlawful under EU law to immediately deport a migrant or refugee until their application for asylum is processed. The centers will be built with Italian funds and staffed with Italian civil servants to process up to 3,000 asylum applicants a month. In 2023, more than 157,000 people reached Italy by boat, according to Italian interior ministry data.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Giorgia Meloni, Atdhe Mulla, NGO’s, Meloni’s, Matteo De Bellis, “, ” Organizations: Rome CNN, Italian, Italian Senate, European Union, Bloomberg, Getty, Coast Guard, Navy, Amnesty Locations: Italian, Guantanamo, Albania, Afghan, Shengjin, Italy, United Kingdom, Rwanda

☆ Italy's Prysmian sees core profit rising 34% by 2027 under new strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

This will help it increase its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to around 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in 2027, from 1.49 billion euros last year, Prysmian said in a statement. Milan-listed shares in the company were up 2.6% by 0730 GMT, among the best performers within Italy's blue chip basket (.FTMIB). "Prysmian is uniquely placed to benefit from the opportunities presented by the structural changes arising from the convergence of the energy transition and digital transformation," Chief Operating Officer Massimo Battaini said in a statement. Annual cash flow is seen growing to between 0.9 billion and 1 billion euros in 2027 from 559 million euros last year. "Targets to 2027 are ambitious and above our estimates," Equita analyst Luigi De Bellis said in a note.

Persons: Battaini, Battista, Prysmian, Massimo Battaini, Valerio Battista, Luigi De Bellis, Giulio Piovaccari, Gianluca Semeraro, Sonali Paul, Michael Perry Organizations: Company, Cable, Thomson Locations: MILAN, Netherlands, Milan

☆ How a WWII diary led to an unlikely friendship spanning decades and continents
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Hong Kong CNN —David Bellis first visited Hong Kong as a tourist in 1989. She spent more than three years in an internment camp in Stanley, now a tourist-friendly seaside area of Hong Kong. But little did she know, her wartime diary would lead to an unlikely friendship with another Hong Kong resident – Bellis. An avid history lover, Bellis collects old Hong Kong photos and shares his discoveries on his Gwulo website. But in her 90s, you know, she was still teaching us about old Hong Kong and she had (another) book published.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — David Bellis, “, ”, he’s, Barbara Anslow, Anslow, Kerry Maddison, Maureen Rossi, Anslow’s, Stanley internee, –, – Bellis, David Bellis, Bellis, Grace, loh, ” Bellis, Ross, “ I’d, Stanley, Barbara, Hong, ‘, she’d, ’ ”, David, Rossi, “ David, mum’s, “ We’d, ‘ David, there’s, ’, Gwulo Bellis, Maddison, Noemi Cassanelli Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Naval, CNN Travel, Yahoo, “, Hong, Blacksmith, The Young Colonials, eBay Locations: Hong Kong, Australia, Wales, Sydney, England, British, Stanley, United Kingdom, Bellis, Anslow, Asia, Buckingham

☆ Inside Infowars' crumbling empire: Ex-Staffers reveal the 'volatile' and 'unhinged' atmosphere working for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Tom Porter | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

One afternoon in the spring of 2017 Alex Jones furiously lunged at his video producer. According to Jacobson, Jones had to be restrained by another Infowars staffer lest he actually hurt him. Alex Jones did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Owens also said he felt guilty about his complicity in promoting the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories during his time working there. "People hearing the words Sandy Hook, they automatically think Alex Jones," she added.

Persons: Alex Jones, lunged, Robert Jacobson, Jones, Jacobson, hawking, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Alex, baselessly, David, doesn't, Sandy Hooks, Sandy Hook, Josh Owens, Owens, Marjorie Taylor Greene, John Travolta, badgering, George, we're, Jone, Nuri Vallbona, lackey, …, That's, I'm, Christmas Jones, Kelly, David Duke, Duke, Infowars, He'd, David McCullough, Christopher Jordan, Jordan, they're, Megan Squire, Squire, Dave Mustain, Tim Kennedy, Donald Trump, Chris Mattei, Judge Barbara Bellis, Daria Karpova, Karpova, " Jacobson, he'll, He'll Organizations: Austin, Austin Community, Facebook, Factory, Infowars, Iron, Alamo, New York Times Magazine, REUTERS, New, Senate, Housing, Southern Poverty Law Center, San Diego, Free Speech Systems, YouTube, Sandy, Connecticut Superior, Associated Locations: Austin, Texas, USA, Infowars, Atlanta, Austin , Texas, U.S, New York City, Louisiana, Infowar, Newtown, Connecticut, New Orleans, Waterbury, Conn

☆ Actively managed funds come with unique risks and rewards. Here's how investors can pick a winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Still, actively managed funds can have a better chance of outperforming during periods of volatility. Actively managed funds have historically underperformed passive strategies, but 2022 was a better year than most for stock pickers . As investors navigate another uncertain year in markets, actively managed funds could add differentiated performance to their portfolios – if traders choose carefully. Actively managed funds can help diversify portfolios, but investors will have to do their due diligence, she said. Other interesting strategies within actively managed funds include long-short and total return strategies, according to Bellis.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, on the hook for more than $1 billion because of lies he spread about the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, has filed for bankruptcy, court documents showed Friday. In seeking Chapter 11 protection, the Infowars host filed boilerplate bankruptcy documents in Texas, claiming he was worth $1 million to $10 million and had debts of $1 billion to $10 billion. Connecticut Judge Barbara Bellis later imposed punitive damages of $473 million for promoting those false conspiracy theories about Sandy Hook, bringing the bill to a staggering $1.44 billion. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Jones filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Houston, a court filing showed. The filing said Jones has between $1 million and $10 million of assets and between $1 billion and $10 billion of liabilities. In October, a Connecticut jury in a case brought by relatives of more than a dozen Sandy Hook victims ordered Jones and Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, to pay nearly $1 billion in damages. Jones claimed for years that the 2012 killing of 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was staged with actors as part of a government plot to seize Americans’ guns. In addition to the $1 billion compensatory damages, Jones was ordered to pay $473 million in punitive damages in the Connecticut case.

☆ Alex Jones Ordered to Pay $473 Million More for Sandy Hook Claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Erin Mulvaney | Jonathan Randles | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Connecticut judge ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay an additional $473 million in punitive damages for making defamatory claims that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax, bringing the total judgment against him in the case to $1.4 billion. Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis imposed the penalty Thursday on top of a nearly $1 billion jury verdict last month, which capped a weekslong trial to determine how much Mr. Jones should pay for claiming the 2012 massacre, where a gunman killed 20 children and 6 adults, was a government conspiracy.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company were ordered Thursday to pay an additional $473 million in punitive damages to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre over promoting the falsehood that the 2012 school shooting was a hoax. Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, told The Associated Press he hoped that the punitive damages awarded Thursday send a message to conspiracy theorists who profit from lies. Twenty children and six educators were killed after a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and opened fire on Dec. 14, 2012. The Connecticut trial was the second related to his Sandy Hook conspiracy theories. In August, a Texas jury ordered Jones to pay nearly $50 million in damages to Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse was killed in the massacre.

New York CNN Business —A Connecticut judge on Thursday ordered right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay an additional $473 million in punitive damages over the lies he told about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Under Connecticut law, a judge determines the amount of punitive damages to award. The decision in Connecticut came after a separate jury in Texas determined that Jones and his company should award two Sandy Hook parents who sued in that state nearly $50 million. While Jones initially lied about the 2012 shooting, he later acknowledged that the massacre had occurred as he faced multiple lawsuits. But he failed to comply with court orders during the discovery process of the lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas, leading the families in each state to win default judgments against him.

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay $473 million in punitive damages for his defamatory claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting, a Connecticut judge ruled on Thursday. On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman murdered his mother, then killed 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School before killing himself. Some experts doubt the move will offer much protection for Jones’ assets, even if he is not able to pay the full judgments against him. The Sandy Hook families have intervened in the case, urging a judge to freeze Free Speech Systems' assets and investigate its finances. They claim Jones pulled $62 million from the company while burdening it with $65 million in “fabricated” debt.

☆ Alex Jones seeks new trial after $1B Sandy Hook verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the 15 plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Jones, declined to comment on the filing Saturday, but said he and other attorneys for the Sandy Hook families will be filing a brief opposing Jones’ request. Twenty first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School died in the attack on Dec. 14, 2012. The verdicts came after another jury in Texas in August ordered Jones and his company to pay nearly $50 million in damages to the parents of another slain Sandy Hook child. A third trial over the hoax claims, involving two more Sandy Hook parents, is expected to be held near the end of the year in Texas. Pattis, Jones’ lawyer, wrote in the motions filed Friday that there was a lack of evidence directly connecting Jones with the people who harassed and threatened the Sandy Hook families.

An attorney for Jones, Norm Pattis, said in an email Friday that he is confident the verdict will be reversed on appeal. The families say they suffered a decade of harassment and death threats from people who believed the bogus claims. The Connecticut jury found Jones and Infowars parent company Free Speech Systems LLC should also pay punitive damages, which are set to be determined by a judge after several days of hearings next month. In their filing Friday, the families offered various methods of calculating punitive damages in similar cases. The Connecticut verdict came several months after a jury in Texas awarded two Sandy Hook parents $49.3 million in damages.

☆ Alex Jones seeks new trial after $1 billion Sandy Hook verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Alex Jones arrives at the court house as he faces a second defamation trial over Sandy Hook claims in Waterbury, Connecticut, September 22, 2022. Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the 15 plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Jones, declined to comment on the filing Saturday, but said he and other attorneys for the Sandy Hook families will be filing a brief opposing Jones' request. Twenty first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School died in the attack on Dec. 14, 2012. A third trial over the hoax claims, involving two more Sandy Hook parents, is expected to be held near the end of the year in Texas. Pattis, Jones' lawyer, wrote in the motions filed Friday that there was a lack of evidence directly connecting Jones with the people who harassed and threatened the Sandy Hook families.

Infowars founder Alex Jones speaks to the media after appearing at his Sandy Hook defamation trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S., October 4, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoOct 12 (Reuters) - A Connecticut jury began its third day of deliberations on Wednesday to decide how much conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting for falsely claiming that the massacre was a hoax. Closing arguments concluded last Thursday in Waterbury, Connecticut, not far from where a gunman killed 20 schoolchildren and six staff members in the town of Newtown. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIn August, another jury found Jones and his company must pay $49.3 million to Sandy Hook parents in a similar case in Austin, Texas, where his Infowars website is based. Jones, who has since acknowledged the shooting occurred, also testified, railed against his "liberal" critics and refused to apologize to the families.

☆ In angry outburst, Infowars host Alex Jones says ‘he’s done being sorry’ during second defamation trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Safia Samee Ali | Safia Samee Ali Is A Reporter For Nbc News Digital | Based In Chicago. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

In an angry outburst, conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones said “he’s done being sorry” as he took the stand Thursday during his second defamation trial for saying the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. A defiant Jones said he believed Sandy Hook was a hoax when he spread his lies. Twenty children and six educators were killed after a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and opened fire on Dec. 14, 2012. Alex Jones defamation trials Alex Jones is facing a defamation trial in Connecticut after being found liable for spreading lies that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. This is the second such trial for Jones, who has already been ordered to pay at least $4.1 million to a Sandy Hook family.

☆ Alex Jones admonished by judge as Sandy Hook defamation trial goes off the rails
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York (CNN Business) Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones tangled Thursday in an explosive courtroom exchange with an attorney for families of Sandy Hook victims who have sued him in Connecticut, prompting an admonishment from the judge and warning that they could be held in contempt if they violate court rules moving forward. The warning from a frustrated Judge Barbara Bellis came during the trial that will determine how much Jones must pay the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims for his lies about the massacre. Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the families , questioned the far-right media personality about his false claim that the 2012 shooting in which 26 people were killed was a "hoax," prompting Jones to grow angry and attack him. Jones accused Mattei of being disingenuous and said he was guilty of "ambulance chasing" before descending into a rant in court about "liberals." Bellis, who had previously warned Jones that some of his outbursts were a violation of court rules, reminded the Infowars founder that he was in a "court of law" and is required to follow her instructions.

☆ Alex Jones grilled by Sandy Hook families’ lawyer over hoax claims, doubles down on ‘deep state’ conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Jones baselessly told his audience in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that the incident was staged. In the Connecticut case, where Jones is being sued by eight more Sandy Hook families, Judge Barbara Bellis issued a default judgment against the Infowars founder in November 2021 after he failed to comply with court orders. The attorney argued to the jury that the lies Jones told about the families of Sandy Hook victims were far more damaging than the commentary that had bothered Jones and prompted his legal action. Because the judge already ruled that Jones is liable, the jury is determining the amount in damages to award the plaintiffs. Norman Pattis, Jones’ attorney, has argued that the claims made by the Sandy Hook plaintiffs are “exaggerated.” Pattis has also said the Sandy Hook families have “become partisans” and said the defense will argue the harm has been overstated “because they want to silence [Jones] for political reasons.”

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