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One reason the Met Gala after-parties are nearly as famous as the Met Gala itself has to do with an incident that took place 10 years ago at the Standard Hotel in the West Village of Manhattan. On that night, Beyoncé was a star of the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with her husband, Jay-Z, and her sister Solange Knowles. Afterward, in an elevator car headed to the Boom Boom Room, the club on the top floor of the Standard, Solange attacked her brother-in-law while Beyoncé stood watching and a bodyguard tried to restore order. The security-cam footage leaked to TMZ and the internet, and a family fight became the stuff of New York social lore. Connie Fleming, the hotel’s longtime doorwoman, reflected on the changes in the social atmosphere since the heady days of 2014.

Persons: Beyoncé, Jay, Solange Knowles, Solange, Christian Siriano, Coca Rocha, Connie Fleming Organizations: of, Metropolitan Museum of Art, TMZ Locations: West, of Manhattan, York

☆ A food delivery driver who bit off a customer's thumb has been seen delivering food again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA food delivery driver who pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm after biting off a customer's thumb has been spotted delivering food again, the BBC reported. Though Deliveroo riders have to be over 18 with no unspent criminal convictions, it's historically been up to individual riders, not Deliveroo itself, to check that their substitutes meet this criteria. But after Rocha appeared in court, the BBC spotted her twice collecting food for delivery on her moped, it reported. "We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to preventing misuse of our platform," the spokesperson told BI. "We have strengthened our processes and recently introduced a new registration process and identity verification technology for substitute riders."

Persons: —, Jeniffer Rocha, Stephen Jenkinson, Jenkinson, Rocha, didn't, he'd, She's, Jenkinson — Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, Winchester Crown, Deliveroo

☆ Why a Brazilian UFC star is championing a dead Austrian economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In recent years, the free-market economist and the contrarian Austrian school he led midcentury have been turned into a hashtag deployed by tax-wary workers. Ludwig von Mises From Mises Institute“Ludwig von Mises is Latin America’s leading economist,” declared the headline of a Bloomberg opinion piece earlier this month by economist Tyler Cowen. His free-market policy prescriptions, framed by an economic thinking centered on human behavior and individual choice, were widely considered out of fashion at the time. “That is my jam!” Shapiro said of the Austrian school. “If you start to understand the concept of the Austrian economic school,” Moicano said in a recent YouTube video, “you’re going to understand that’s what I need: free market, liberties, and wealth, my brother.

Persons: Renato Moicano, “, Ludwig von Mises, ” Moicano, Mises, midcentury, influencers, “ Ludwig von Mises, ”, Tyler Cowen, Marx, Camila Rocha, Moicano, Jair Bolsonaro, Javier Milei, Fabrice Coffrini, Milei, “ Milei, Daniel Raisbeck, Raisbeck, Milton Friedman, ” Mises, El, Nayib Bukele, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Rocha, Ben Shapiro, ” Shapiro, It’s, “ you’re Organizations: CNN — Brazilian UFC, Austrian, Mises, “, Bloomberg, New York University, Brazilian Center of Analysis, UFC, Economic, Cato Institute, Argentina national, Salvador, Conservative Political, Conference, Mises Institute, Mises Institutes, Fox Business, YouTube Locations: Austrian, United States, South, Central America, American, El Salvador, Argentina, Brazil, Davos, AFP, Milei, Buenos Aires, Mises, National Harbor , Maryland, Washington, Latin America

☆ I thought Costco was just for parents, but my partner and I love it. Here are 12 things we buy on a typical trip.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Annabel Rocha | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

My partner and I are dual income, no kids, so we shop at Costco for just adults. We love going to Costco for great deals on produce and sparkling water. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, haven't Organizations: Costco, Service, Business Locations: Chicago

☆ For U.S. Cuban claims holders, spy Manuel Rocha's plea deal raises fresh questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Raul Rubiera | Miami Herald | Getty ImagesWhen Carolyn Lamb saw news of Cuban spy Victor Manuel Rocha's arrest on the news last December, she recognized him immediately. The lower the value of the claims, the less the Cuban government would have to pay in any future negotiated settlement. Ashby assumed Rocha's paranoia about eavesdropping was in response to the George W. Bush administration's opposition to the Cuba claims buying business. But according to the Justice Department, by that point Rocha was already in his third decade as a Cuban agent. File photo of former US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, talking to the press on the 11th of July 2001.

Persons: V, Manuel Rocha, Steel Hector, Davis, Raul Rubiera, Carolyn Lamb, Victor Manuel Rocha's, Rocha, Lamb, Lamb's, Castro, Justin Solomon, CNBC Castro didn't nationalize, of Rocha, Fidel Castro's, It's, Jason Poblete, Poblete, John Kavulich, Sears Roebuck, Timothy Ashby, Ashby couldn't, Ashby, George W, Bush, Little, Covert, Gonzalo Espinoza Organizations: Miami Herald, Steel, Cuban, US State Department, National Security, Cuban Telephone Company, " Beverage Company, CNBC, Pepsi, General Electric, Century Fox, Cuba Trade, Economic Council, Justice Department, Citizen, State Department, National Security Council, DOJ, Cubans, FBI, AFP, Getty Locations: America, Omaha, Bolivia, Cuba, Havana, United States, Cuban, Rocha, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Argentina, Miami, Chile

☆ Former U.S. Ambassador Is Sentenced to 15 Years for Acting as Cuban Agent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former United States ambassador accused of working for decades as a secret agent for Cuba in one of the biggest national security breaches in years pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Manuel Rocha, 73, pleaded guilty to two charges — conspiring to defraud the United States as a foreign agent and failing to register as a foreign agent — as part of an agreement with the federal government. He also faces three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. Mr. Rocha, wearing a beige prison uniform and black glasses, conceded before he was sentenced to the “betrayal of my oath of loyalty to the United States during my two decades in the State Department.”“During my formative years in college, I was heavily influenced by the radical politics of the day,” said Mr. Rocha, who prosecutors said was recruited by Cuban intelligence agents in 1973. “Today, I no longer see the world through the radical eyes of my youth.”

Persons: Manuel Rocha, —, . Rocha, ”, Rocha Organizations: United, State Department, “ Locations: United States, Cuba, Cuban

☆ NASA’s space shuttle program reimagined rocketry. What went wrong?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The CNN Original Series “Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight” uncovers the events that ultimately led to disaster. Deemed an “engineering marvel,” the first of five winged orbiters — the space shuttle Columbia — made its inaugural flight in 1981. Crews aboard the recovery ships Liberty Star and Freedom Star retrieve a reusable right solid rocket booster (below) after a space shuttle mission. Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. NASA Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003.

Persons: ”, Sean O’Keefe, Casey Dreier, Crews, O’Keefe, Scott Andrews, NASA's, Michael P, Anderson, William C, McCool, Rick D, David M, Brown, Laurel, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, Joe Skipper, Karl Ronstrom, Ramon, NASA Chawla, Clark, Chawla, Robert Giroux, Kathryn O'Neill, Zachary, Brett Coomer, Florida Sen, Bill Nelson, Matt Stroshane, Tommy Peltier, Eric Gay, Smiley, Gene Theriot, Sean O'Keefe, George W, Bush, Ron Dittemore, Joe Cavaretta, O'Keefe, Mannie Garcia, NASA Sandy Anderson, Carlos Noriega, Michael L, Coats, Evelyn Husband, Thomas, John Raoux, Glenn Benson, Kim Shiflett, Rodney Rocha, Columbia’s, Rick Husband, “ Roger, Sen, Mark Kelly, “, ” Kelly Organizations: CNN, Shuttle Columbia, Sunday, NASA, Columbia, America’s, Planetary Society, European Space Agency, Space, International Space, Hubble, Liberty Star, NASA’s Ames Research Center, Space Shuttle Columbia, Kennedy Space Center, Reuters Space Shuttle Columbia, Scott Andrews People, Control Center, Getty, NASA Space, Israeli Air Force, Space Shuttle, Red Team, Blue Team, Johnson Space Center, Former, Houston, Houston Chronicle, People, US Navy Corps, Columbia Reconstruction, NASA Workers, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Reuters, Bannock, Bannock Junior, Senior, Bannock High School, Johnson Space, Challenger, Shuttle, East Texas Locations: Columbia, America’s Soviet, Florida, Houston, Israel, SPACEHAB, New York, Laguna Hills , California, Texas, San Augustine , Texas, Washington ,, Shoshone, Fort Hall , Idaho, New Mexico, East

☆ The burning acid behind ant stings was spotted around two stars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected commonplace chemical ingredients found in vinegar, ant stings and even margaritas around two young stars, according to NASA. The complex organic molecules they observed using the space observatory’s Mid-Infrared Instrument included acetic acid, a component of vinegar, and ethanol — otherwise known as alcohol. The team also found simple molecules of formic acid, which causes the burning sensation associated with ant stings, as well as sulfur dioxide, methane and formaldehyde. Stars form from swirling clouds of gas and dust, and the leftover material from star formation gives rise to planets. Detecting complex organic molecules in space is helping astronomers to determine the molecules’ origins as well as those of other larger cosmic molecules.

Persons: James Webb, Carl Sagan, “, Webb, detections, ”, Will Rocha, Young, Ewine van Dishoeck, Harold Linnartz, Linnartz, “ Harold, ” van Dishoeck Organizations: CNN —, NASA, ESA, Hustak, Leiden University, Astrophysics, Leiden Laboratory Locations: astrochemistry, Netherlands, ices

A former U.S. ambassador accused of working for decades as a secret agent for Cuba indicated on Thursday that he would plead guilty, a move that would bring to a swift end the legal case over one of the biggest national security breaches in years. Manuel Rocha, 73, said in federal court in Miami that he would file a change of plea, signaling that he is prepared to plead guilty. He was charged in December with acting as an agent of a foreign government and defrauding the United States. Mr. Rocha is expected to plead guilty to two counts of conspiring to act as a foreign agent. Prosecutors are expected to drop the other charges; the wire fraud charge carried a 20-year maximum sentence.

Persons: Manuel Rocha, Rocha, Rocha’s Organizations: Prosecutors, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Cuba, Miami, United States

☆ Former US diplomat accused of spying for Cuba indicates he plans to plead guilty, court docket shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Manuel Rocha, the former US ambassador to Bolivia accused of acting as a secret foreign agent of Cuba, said in court Thursday that he plans to plead guilty to charges, according to his court docket. During a hearing in Miami Thursday, Rocha and prosecutors “announce[d] the Defendant will be changing his plea,” according to the court docket. The court record does not give any information about what charges Rocha plans to plead guilty to. Rocha served as the US ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002 and as the deputy principal officer of the US Interests Section in Cuba in the 1990s. His role as the political officer at the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic gave him “special responsibility” for Cuba, prosecutors alleged.

Persons: CNN — Manuel Rocha, Rocha, “, Fidel Castro Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, US Embassy, Embassy, Cuban Locations: Bolivia, Cuba, American, Miami, Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, Argentina

Chesebro’s social media presence Pro-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro told Michigan investigators that he doesn’t have any social media accounts, including Twitter. But CNN uncovered a secret Twitter account that Chesebro used to anonymously post about the 2020 election in real-time. Yet in his interview with Michigan investigators, Chesebro said the very opposite, claiming that the entire electors plan was contingent on the courts. Michigan investigators secured Chesebro’s cooperation in December, after previously charging the 16 fake electors in that state with multiple felonies. Chesebro distances himself from the plotIn his interview with Michigan investigators, Chesebro repeatedly tried to downplay his knowledge of the electors plan.

Persons: Kenneth Chesebro, Chesebro, ”, Robert Langford, Danny Wimmer, Dana Nessel, “, ” Chesebro, Trump, BadgerPundit, Mike Pence, Joe Biden, Pence, hadn’t, Jack, “ Chesebro, Ryan Goodman, ” Goodman, Manny Arora, Arora, Wimmer, John Eastman, Alex Jones, I’d, Gore, Laurence, “ it’s, Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, Donald Trump, won’t, Biden, ” BadgerPundit, Jefferson, ” CNN’s Selwyn Rocha Organizations: CNN, Trump, Twitter, Michigan, CNN CNN, BadgerPundit, Chesebro, Republican, Pro, CNN CNN Twitter, Wayback Machine, New York University, Michigan Attorney, Bush, Trump International Hotel, Atlantic, ”, Biden, Eastman, Pence, Capitol Locations: Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, “, Chesebro, Gore, cryptocurrency, Washington ,, Bush, Trump’s, Washington

☆ London Fashion Week: Highlights from the Fall-Winter 2024 runways
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Fiona Sinclair Scott | Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Ben BroomfieldFaux furFleecy, fuzzy or fine: Faux fur was a key textile on the London runways. Ben Broomfield/Ben Broomfield @photobenphotoRobyn Lynch gave the white anorak a romantic silhouette during her Fall-Winter 2024 show. Maja SmiejkowskaStaged in a Gothic Revival church in East London, Dilara Findikoglu's show was a twisted fantasy. Dilara FindikogluSinead O'Dwyer, whose collection was inspired by a not-so-appropriate take on office wear, led the charge on diverse casting this season. Chris YatesModel on the runway at Molly Goddard RTW Fall 2024 as part of London Ready to Wear Fashion Week held at the Cecil Sharp House on February 17, 2024 in London, England.

Persons: scrappy, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Jonathon Ferris, John Malkovich, Maximilian Raynor’s, Harris Reed, Victoriana, — Conner Ives, Sinead Gorey —, Ives, Gorey, Maria Callas —, JW Anderson, Jonathan Anderson, ”, Amy Winehouse’s, Lily Cole, Agyness Deyn, Edward Crutchley, Stephen Jones ’ millinery, Molly Goddard’s, ” Goddard, ” Molly Goddard, Ben Broomfield, Broomfield, Simone Rocha, Jean Paul Gaultier, Queen Victoria, Conner Ives, Precious Lee, Sinead Gorey, Johanna Parv, Parv, Daniel Lee, moleskin, Henry Nicholls, Robyn Lynch, Lynch upcycled outerwear, Ben Broomfield @photobenphoto Robyn Lynch, Chris Yates, Naomi Campell, Joe Maher, Daniel Lee's, Filippo Fior, Burberry Erdem, Giovanni Giannoni, Jason Lloyd Evans, Jason Lloyd Evans Harris, Marc Hibbert Jonathan Anderson's, JW Anderson “, ” Anderson, ” JW Anderson, Ben Broomfield Sinead Gorey, Eamonn M . McCormack, Aldama Precious Lee, Maja Smiejkowska, Dilara, Dilara Findikoglu Sinead O'Dwyer, Chris Yates Lottie Moss, Kate Moss's, Sinead O'Dwyer, Molly Goddard RTW, Cecil Sharp, Aitor Rosas Sune, WWD, Rosas Sune, Molly Goddard's frilly, Ahluwalia Organizations: London CNN, Central Saint Martins, Tate, JW, Fashion, Burberry, British Vogue, Jean Paul Gaultier couture, Getty, ., Company, British Museum, Getty Images Locations: London, Tate Britain, East London’s, Paris, AFP, Irish, East London, England, Nigeria

Here are some key findings from an Associated Press investigation into Rocha's alleged betrayal and the missed red flags that could have helped him avoid scrutiny for decades. Rodríguez told AP he believed at the time he received from the Cuban defector in 2006 was an attempt to discredit a fellow anti-communist crusader. It wasn’t just Rodríguez’s tipster — whom he refused to identify to the AP but says was recently interviewed by the FBI. Officials told the AP that as early 1987, the CIA was aware Castro had a “super mole” burrowed deep inside the U.S. government. The FBI and CIA declined to comment, and the State Department didn’t respond to requests.

Persons: Manuel Rocha, Félix Rodríguez, Rocha, “, ” Rodríguez, MANUEL ROCHA, ”, Fidel Castro’s, Fidel Castro, “ El, Liliana Ayalde, Castro, Evo Morales, Ayalde, retracing, “ Che ” Guevara, Rodríguez, tipster, Peter Romero Organizations: MIAMI, Ivy League, CIA, Cuban, Miami, FBI, State Department, Associated Press, WHO, Yale, of Intelligence, Authorities, The Taft School, Prosecutors, U.S, AP, Officials, . Locations: America, Cuban, Cuba, Chile, Colombia, New York City, Connecticut, Bolivia, U.S, Paraguay, Brazil, Latin America, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Street Style Levels Up to Couture
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Simbarashe Cha | More About Simbarashe Cha | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Couture week is by no means an outlier on the fashion calendar. But this season, the shows seemed to really find their stride with a dialogue that was consistent between the runway and the streets. Street style was especially inspiring with an elegance that departed from the more subdued looks we saw last summer. The inspiration was particularly felt at Jean Paul Gaultier, where the guest designer Simone Rocha debuted her first couture collection. As for Schiaparelli, the show — packed with its usual wall-to-wall celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya — opened with a model carrying a sparkly robot baby.

Persons: Jean Paul Gaultier, Simone Rocha, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya —, Viktor, Rolf, Maison, John Locations: Couture

☆ The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Here are some of the best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone:Schiermonnikoog, the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is better known for canals, dikes and tropical Dutch Caribbean Islands like Bonaire and Curaçao than the sandspun isles along the country’s North Sea coast. Flores Island, Azores, PortugalWaterfalls trickle down an imposing rock face on the island Flores in the Azores. aroxopt/Adobe StockOne of the most remote islands in an already remote archipelago, Flores Island in the westernmost stretches of the Azores is a nature lover’s dream. To say there’s room to stretch out and breathe on these Baltic Sea islands is an understatement. The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyoneHavsVidden offers a secluded escape on northern Fasta Åland with villas with their own saunas overlooking the rocky shoreline.

Persons: Annemarieke Romeijn, ”, Eyrún, Gabriela Silva, Flores, Rocha dos Bordões, Santa Cruz das Flores, Randi Skaug, “, Torunn Tronsvang, Richard Kellett, Luis Fonseca, iStockphoto, São João Baptista, Berlengas, Arlindo Serrao, Mola mola, Francesco Curione, Lent, Skyros, revelry, – it’s, Drake, Åland Organizations: CNN, Adobe, Heimaey, puffin, Norway Visitors, Intrepid, UNESCO, Visitors Locations: Europe, Ibiza, Netherlands, Caribbean, Bonaire, Curaçao, West Frisian, Wadden, Schier, Lauwersoog, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Heimaey, Westman, Hotel Ranga, gannet, fulmar, Flores Island, Azores, Portugal, Flores, Santa Cruz, Naustholmen, Norway, Bodø, Northern Norway, Norwegian, Lofoten, ”, Tiree, Scotland, Hawaii, Scottish, Oban, Glasgow, Loganair, Berlengas, Peniche, São, Grande, Alicudi, Sicily, Italy, Taormina, Skyros, Greece, Mykonos, Rathlin, Northern Ireland, Ballycastle, Åland, Finland, Bothnia, Sweden

☆ U.S. Ex-Ambassador Charged as Secret Agent for Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( José De Córdoba | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Victor Manuel Rocha, pictured in 2001, served as a diplomat in Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Mexico. Photo: Gonzalo Espinoza/AFP/Getty ImagesA former senior U.S. diplomat who served in U.S. embassies across Latin America was accused of spying for Cuba’s intelligence service for decades in one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting security breaches of the U.S. government, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday. Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday. The unsealed complaint said that the 73-year-old Rocha had worked for Cuba as a covert agent since at least the early 1980s until now.

Persons: Victor Manuel Rocha, Gonzalo Espinoza, Rocha Organizations: Getty, ., Federal Bureau of Investigation Locations: Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, U.S, America

☆ Former U.S. ambassador spied for Cuba for decades, Justice Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that Victor Manuel Rocha, the former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, has been charged with acting illegally as a foreign agent for the government of Cuba, Dec. 4, 2023. Prosecutors say Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, spent more than 40 years spying for Cuba while he rose through the State Department, where he was U.S. ambassador to Bolivia during the Clinton administration. Rocha's case is "one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent," Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday at a press conference. "To further that role, Rocha obtained and maintained employment in the United States government in positions that provided him: (1) access to nonpublic information, including classified information; and (2) the ability to affect United States foreign policy," wrote prosecutors. I have – have created the legend of a right-wing person," Rocha allegedly said, referring to the Cuban intelligence services.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Victor Manuel Rocha, Clinton, Merrick Garland, Rocha, Rocha's Organizations: State Department, United, Southern, Southern District of, Foreign Government, DOJ, Undercover, Cuban Locations: Bolivia, Cuba, American, Miami, U.S, United States, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Republic of Cuba, States, Cuban

☆ US charges ex-ambassador with spying for Cuba over decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rocha, 73, was arrested and is expected to appear before a federal judge in Miami on Monday. Bolivian President Hugo Banzer shakes hands with Victor Manuel Rocha, the then U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, during a ceremony in the Goverment Palace in La Paz, August 3, 2000. File photo DM/JP/HB Acquire Licensing RightsRocha worked for the State Department from 1981 to 2002, the Justice Department said. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters he was unable to provide details on an ongoing law enforcement matter.

Persons: Victor Manuel Rocha, Merrick Garland, Rocha, Hugo Banzer, Matthew Miller, Miller, Andrew Goudsward, Katharine Jackson, Ismail Shakil, Simon Lewis, Rami Ayyub, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Justice, Justice Department, Cuban, United, Bolivian, HB, State Department, White, National Security Council, . military's Southern Command, Washington, Directorate of Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, Bolivia, Cuba, Miami, Goverment, La Paz, Florida, U.S

MIAMI (AP) — A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with serving as a covert agent for Cuba's intelligence services dating back decades, the Justice Department said Monday. Newly unsealed court papers allege that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba's behalf since at least 1981, including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and providing false information to U.S. government officials. The complaint, filed in federal court in Miami, charges Rocha with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. The 73-year-old had a 25-year career as a U.S. diplomat, including top posts in Bolivia, Argentina and the U.S. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Persons: —, Manuel Rocha, Rocha Organizations: MIAMI, Justice Department, Cuban, Associated Press Locations: American, Bolivia, Miami, U.S, Argentina, Havana

☆ An ex-US ambassador charged with being a longtime secret agent for Cuba bragged about it to undercover FBI officer, feds allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An ex-US diplomat has been federally charged over allegations he worked as a secret agent for Cuba. Feds allege that Rocha even bragged about his work for Cuba as "more than a grand slam." AdvertisementAttorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that Rocha's arrest "exposes one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent." "Those who have the privilege of serving in the government of the United States are given an enormous amount of trust by the public we serve," said Garland. We did more than they thought," Rocha told the undercover fed, the court documents allege.

Persons: Victor Rocha, Rocha, —, Merrick Garland, Garland, Fidel Castro Organizations: Feds, Service, United, Department of Justice, State Department, National Security Council, Justice Department, Cuban, Directorate, Intelligence, Department of State, US Southern Command Locations: Cuba, United States, Bolivia, Miami , Florida, Colombia, Republic of Cuba

Federal prosecutors said on Monday that a retired State Department official worked for decades as a secret agent for Cuba, and told an undercover F.B.I. agent that the United States was “the enemy.”In a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Miami, the prosecutors said that the diplomat, Manuel Rocha, had secretly aided Cuba’s “clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States” since 1981 as he rose undetected through the ranks of the diplomatic corps and the National Security Council. Mr. Rocha, 73, appeared to have met with handlers from Cuba’s premier spy agency as recently as 2017, prosecutors said, and boasted that his 40 years of spying on behalf of the communist government in Havana had “strengthened the revolution immensely.”For more than two decades, Mr. Rocha handled matters related to Latin America in a series of roles at the State Department under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, including a stint as ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002. More recently, Mr. Rocha, a native of Colombia who grew up in New York, served as an adviser to the U.S. military command responsible for Cuba.

Persons: Manuel Rocha, Cuba’s, . Rocha, “, Rocha, Bill Clinton, George W, Bush Organizations: State Department, United, National Security Locations: Cuba, United States, Miami, Havana, America, Bolivia, Colombia, New York

One of the people said the Justice Department case accuses Rocha of working to promote the Cuban government’s interests. The Justice Department declined to comment. It was not immediately clear if Rocha had a lawyer and a law firm where he previously worked said it was not representing him. Following his retirement from the State Department, Rocha began a second career in business, serving as the president of a gold mine in the Dominican Republic partly owned by Canada’s Barrick Gold. Foley & Lardner said Rocha left the law firm in August.

Persons: —, Manuel Rocha, Rocha, Fidel Castro’s, Evo Morales, “, ″ Rocha, Morales, Rocha’s, ” Rocha, Karla Wittkop Rocha, ”, Canada’s Barrick, he’s, Foley, Lardner, ” Dario Alvarez, ____ Tucker Organizations: MIAMI, Associated Press, Justice Department, AP, Democratic, Republican, Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Bolivian, National Security Council, State Department, Canada’s, Clover Leaf, Llorente, Cuenca’s Locations: American, Bolivia, Miami, Cuban, America, Cuba, U.S, Colombia, New York City, Argentina, Washington, United States, Italy, Honduras, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Pennsylvania, Spanish, Cuenca, “, Investigative@ap.org

☆ A celebrity stylist says the TikTok bow trend is the easy way to be on-trend next season
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Priya Raj | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Celebrity stylist Samantha Brown told BI the trend is easy to follow using what you already own. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Fforde told BI that her personal style is a balance of feminine and masculine aesthetics, and the bows lend themselves to this. AdvertisementAshlyn Greer, co-founder of online styling platform Fashivly told BI that bows can be added to any aspect of your look, so get creative. "Bows and ribbon now really seem to have taken over everyone's style — we have a current obsession with bows adorning everything," Fforde told BI.

Persons: Samantha Brown, —, Malone Souliers, Malone, Priya Raj, Simone Rocha, Brown, Lara Arno, Grace Fforde, Fforde, Ashlyn Greer Organizations: Service Locations: Italian, London, England, cardigan

So when Banegas fled gang threats in Honduras once more in 2021, he set his sights not on the United States, but Mexico. He gets along with his Mexican coworkers, he said, and he's proud his six-month-old son, David, is a Mexican citizen. 'VERY SOLID OPTION'A decade ago, a few hundred people annually received asylum in Mexico. The vast majority of migrants who enter Mexico continue north toward the U.S., posing challenges for the Biden administration. U.S., Mexican and U.N. officials have called for regional cooperation to help migrants resettle in places such as Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia, aiming to reduce illegal migration to the U.S.

Persons: Walter Banegas, Daniel Becerril, Banegas, Long, he's, David, Biden, Giovanni Lepri, Arturo Rocha, Jose Medina Mora, Fernando Hernandez, Kaitlyn, Hernandez, Daina Beth Solomon, Laura Gottesdiener, Christian Plumb, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Pace, REUTERS, Rights, United, Pace Industries, UNHCR, U.S, ASK, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Mexico, Saltillo , Mexico, Rights SALTILLO, Mexican, Saltillo, Honduran, United States, United Nations, Michigan, U.S, Haiti, Venezuela, El Salvador, Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Texas, Monterrey, Chang's, Mexico City

☆ Some Migrants Are Swapping Their American Dream for a Mexican One
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

So when Banegas fled gang threats in Honduras once more in 2021, he set his sights not on the United States, but Mexico. He gets along with his Mexican coworkers, he said, and he's proud his six-month-old son, David, is a Mexican citizen. The vast majority of migrants who enter Mexico continue north toward the U.S., posing challenges for the Biden administration. U.S., Mexican and U.N. officials have called for regional cooperation to help migrants resettle in places such as Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia, aiming to reduce illegal migration to the U.S. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City and Laura Gottesdiener in Saltillo; Editing by Christian Plumb and Suzanne Goldenberg)

Persons: Laura Gottesdiener, Beth Solomon, Walter Banegas, Banegas, Long, he's, David, Biden, Giovanni Lepri, Arturo Rocha, Jose Medina Mora, Fernando Hernandez, Kaitlyn, Hernandez, Daina Beth Solomon, Christian Plumb, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: United, Pace Industries, UNHCR, U.S, ASK Locations: Beth Solomon SALTILLO, Mexico, Mexican, Saltillo, Honduran, Honduras, United States, United Nations, Michigan, U.S, Haiti, Venezuela, El Salvador, Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Texas, Monterrey, Chang's, Mexico City

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