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☆ The Mystery That Ended Two Women’s World Cup Dreams
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Tariq Panja | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The scandal — a sudden and violent attack by a mystery man; accusations and denials; tabloid headlines — led to worldwide attention and, years later, a feature-length movie about Harding. But to Diallo, a 28-year-old French soccer player being led up a police station stairwell, the mention of her name — “Have you heard of Tonya Harding?” — produced only a blank stare. Now, in France, a generation later, the police suspected a similar motive in an attack on Kheira Hamraoui, Diallo’s teammate at the French club Paris St.-Germain. Prosecutors last September charged Diallo with aggravated assault in the attack on Hamraoui. Documents in the case and leaks to the French news media have accused Diallo of masterminding a premeditated attack.

Persons: Aminata Diallo, Tonya Harding, Harding, Diallo, ” —, Nancy Kerrigan, Germain, Hamraoui, Kerrigan, masterminding Organizations: Police, Paris St, French national Locations: Versailles, American, France, Diallo’s, women’s

☆ Vietnam jails former coast guard chief for 16 years for embezzlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, June 29 (Reuters) - A military court in Vietnam on Thursday sentenced a former coast guard commander to 16 years in prison, after finding him guilty of embezzlement in siphoning off $2 million from military procurement deals, state media reported. Nguyen Van Son, 59, was convicted of masterminding the theft of 50 billion dong ($2.12 million) while head of the coast guard, in what the judge described as a "particularly serious case" that hurt the image of the defence services, Voice of Vietnam (VOV) reported. The six other former top coast guard officials received prison time ranging from 10 to 15 and a half years each for their involvement in the embezzlement, VOV said. They were arrested last year, according to the defence ministry, which said Son was responsible for violations between 2015 and 2020, including "financial mismanagement" and "procurement irregularities". ($1 = 23,569 dong)Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nguyen Van Son, Nguyen Phu Trong, VOV, Son, Phuong Nguyen, Martin Petty Organizations: Communist Party, Thomson Locations: HANOI, Vietnam, siphoning

French President Emmanuel Macron held a 90-minute call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on June 10. Thousands of supportive rallies have been held around the world since her death September, although the nationwide unrest has subsided after Iranian security police clamped down on it. ABORTIVE PLOTNunez's letter put the July 1 NCRI rally in the context of the abortive plot led by Vienna-based Iranian diplomat Assadolah Assadi in October 2018 and three others. "Partner countries have in this regard recently mentioned many planned violent attacks, potentially targeting Iranian opposition figures." The letter said there was also an elevated risk of conflict between the NCRI and rival Iranian opposition groups at the rally, although there had been no incidents at past rallies.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Ban, Emmanuel Macron, Ebrahim Raisi, Laurent Nunez, Shahin Gobadi, Assadolah Assadi, Assadi, Nunez, John Irish, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Paris, Reuters, Council of Resistance, People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Iran PARIS, Iran, Tehran, Islamic Republic, IRAN, United States, Israel, Vienna, Belgium, Europe, Iranian, Paris , Washington, Saudi, Riyadh

[1/3] A man sits next to the body of his granddaughter who was killed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 1, 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions, shattered Ukrainian cities, and brought increasing attacks on Russian soil. Earlier, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, had said it was fighting inside Russia. 'NO ONE OPENED SHELTER'In Kyiv, Ukraine said it shot down 10 ballistic and Iskander cruise missiles in Russia's 18th attack on the capital since the start of May. Russia denies targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces have devastated Ukrainian cities and repeatedly hit residential areas since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Yaroslav Ryabchuk, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Olena Harmash, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moldova KYIV, Russia's, Russian Volunteer Corps, Belgorod region's, Soviet Union, NATO, Moldovan, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moldova, MOSCOW, Russia, Ukrainian, Shebekino, Moscow, Belgorod, Soviet, Western, EU, Scandinavia, Denmark, Lithuania, NATO

☆ Ex-aide to 1MDB fugitive Jho Low dies weeks after questioning
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Reuters) - A former aide to Malaysian fugitive Jho Low - wanted for his central role in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB corruption scandal - has died weeks after being questioned by Malaysian authorities on Low's whereabouts, his lawyers said on Wednesday. He was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on arrival and had his house searched, media reported. Malaysian authorities have previously said Low was believed to be in China, though Beijing has denied that. Low has been charged in Malaysia and the United States for allegedly masterminding the theft of $4.5 billion from now-defunct fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, who co-founded 1MDB, was sentenced to 12 years in prison last year for graft linked to the scandal.

Persons: Jho, Kee Kok Thiam, Valen, Kee, Al Jazeera, Al, Low, Najib Razak, Hasnoor Hussain, Rozanna Latiff, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Malaysian, Partners, Malaysian Anti, Corruption, 1Malaysia Development, Thomson Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian, U.S, Malaysia, Macau, 1MDB, China, Al Jazeera, Beijing, United States

CNN —Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against New York Rep. George Santos, the Republican lawmaker whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Santos is expected to appear as soon as Wednesday at federal court in New York’s eastern district, where the charges have been filed under seal. Spokespeople for the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office, the Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he will look at the charges before determining if he thinks Santos should be removed from Congress. But as Santos’ past came under closer scrutiny, with large chunks of his official biography revealed to be conjured from nothing, he increasingly adapted the persona of a right-wing troll.

☆ Sudan's army chief, the warlord and a feud that risks civil war
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Michael Georgy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

ABANDONING THEIR BENEFACTORAmid the bloodshed, Hemedti captured the attention of Bashir, a general who came to power in a 1989 coup. Bashir also gave his family and associates free rein to sell Sudan's gold, helping him amass a fortune. In the aftermath, Hemedti secured the post of deputy head of state, a position that technically reports to Burhan. Like Sudan's army, the RSF deployed fighters to Yemen where Gulf Arab states have fought a proxy war for years against Iranian-backed Houthis. The military wants the RSF integrated into the regular army and under its controls, two military sources said.

☆ Is Trump going to jail? Ex-president's odds of lockup for New York indictment are slim to none, legal experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"I do not see a scenario where Donald Trump spends one minute in jail," one defense attorney told Insider. It's more possible Trump could face a fine, community service, or probation, experts said. "I can't say for absolute 100% certainty there can't be jail because on the books, he can go to jail," said high-profile defense attorney and former Brooklyn prosecutor Arthur Aidala. Any kind of community service would likely be "private" so Trump couldn't be "out there cleaning a park or picking up garbage," Aidala said. Also, in 2018, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Manhattan federal court in connection to the the hush-money payments.

☆ Trump claims Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is backed by George Soros. Here's why that attack is an antisemitic trope.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Trump said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is backed by the billionaire philanthropist George Soros. To be clear, there is no evidence that George Soros has donated to Bragg. "George Soros and Alvin Bragg have never met in person or spoken by telephone, email, Zoom etc.," Vachon told Insider via email. Neither George Soros nor Democracy PAC contributed to Alvin Bragg's campaign for Manhattan District Attorney." To the far right, Soros represents a member of that cabal, said Lorber, an analyst at Political Research Associates.

☆ Not so fast. A New York grand jury will hear a final surprise witness on Monday and won't vote on Trump indictment until it's over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Manhattan grand jury will continue hearing evidence Monday in the Trump hush-money investigation. A final witness must testify before the panel can deliberate and then vote on a possible indictment. News of a Monday grand jury witness was first reported by CNN. The surprise final witness provides an updated clue to the timing of a possible indictment of Trump and of any co-defendants. Experts who have described the Manhattan grand jury process to Insider say there are several steps between the final testimony and the vote.

☆ Atlanta DA Fani Willis loves using a law designed for going after the mob. She may use it to charge Trump.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The law — designed for going after the mob — makes sense for her investigation into Donald Trump, experts say. In her time in the district attorney's office, Willis has aggressively used Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization statute. One sprawling 56-count RICO case, against the rapper Young Thug's alleged gang, is in its second month of jury selection ahead of what's expected to be a nine-month trial. But if she were to bring a case, experts believe RICO charges are likely. Rahmani cautioned that a RICO case may make Willis look too aggressive.

☆ People on Twitter are mocking George Santos for weighing in on the Silicon Valley Bank implosion: 'Tell them how you once ran Switzerland's largest bank, George'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York Rep. George Santos tweeted that he was against bailing out Silicon Valley Bank. "Tell them how you once ran Switzerland's largest bank, George," read one tweet. Santos was referring to an announcement from federal regulators assuring the public that depositors of Silicon Valley Bank will be made whole. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took control of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after a disastrous bank run. "Says financial expert and former Goldman CEO George Santos," read a tweet from Chris Jackson, a former county commissioner in Lawrence County, Tennessee.

☆ Kellyanne Conway meets again with Manhattan district attorney as Trump hush-money probe barrels toward possible indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ex-Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway was back for a 2nd meeting with Manhattan prosecutors Wednesday. She directly links Trump to a 2016 hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen has alleged. A Manhattan grand jury is hearing evidence relating to the illegal, election-eve payment. Conway "said she'd pass along the good news" to Trump, Cohen wrote. Getting little to no traction," Cohen texted Hicks as the hush-money payment to Daniels was being negotiated, federal filings say.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio was interviewed by the FBI over his relationship with a Malaysian businessman involved with the 1MDB scandal, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian were interviewed by the FBI in 2018 and 2019, Bloomberg reported. The stars had received gifts from Jho Low, who is accused of masterminding the 1MDB scandal. Earlier, DiCaprio had to return a number of gifts given to him by Low, including an Oscar won by Marlon Brando. On Thursday, Bloomberg revealed previously undisclosed documents which show the FBI interviewing DiCaprio in 2018 about his relationship with Low. Representatives for Kardashian and DiCaprio did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.

☆ Factbox: Who are candidates to become next BOJ governor?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Nikkei newspaper reported the government has sounded out BOJ Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya as the next governor, citing anonymous government and ruling party sources. The government will present a nominee for BOJ governor, and that for two deputy governors, to parliament later this month. But he also said in July the BOJ must "always" think about the means of exiting ultra-loose monetary policy. FEMALE DEPUTY GOVERNOR CANDIDATESNo female has yet served as BOJ deputy governor or governor, a tradition Kishida may seek to change to enhance diversity. FINANCIAL BUREAUCRAT DEPUTY GOVERNOR CANDIDATESIf a former BOJ executive becomes governor, there is a strong chance one of the deputy governor posts will be filled by top finance ministry bureaucrats such as Shigeaki Okamoto and Yasushi Kinoshita.

☆ Trump questions whether not paying taxes is 'even a crime' as he laments his former CFO Weisselberg's jailing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump questioned whether his former CFO not paying taxes was "even a crime." Allen Weisselberg, 75, has been sentenced to five months for his role in a Trump Organization tax dodge scheme. Weisselberg, 75, was earlier this month sentenced to five months for his role in masterminding a Trump Organization tax dodge scheme. Weisselberg was sentenced days before the Trump Organization was hit with a $1.6 million fine during the company's sentencing for its December conviction on payroll-tax fraud. The former CFO remained loyal to his former employer throughout the trial, continuing to insist that Trump himself did nothing wrong.

☆ Defeated Republican charged with attacks on New Mexico Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico was charged on Tuesday with contracting four gunmen to shoot at the homes of Democratic officials after he visited them to dispute his 2022 election defeat. Pena, described as a "radical right election denier" by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, was arrested on Monday. Pena, who has previously been convicted of felonies such as burglary, faces a 1 p.m. pre-trial detention hearing on Wednesday. Pena wrote in July in the New Mexico Audit Force Telegram group in response to a claim of fraud in Nevada. Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A failed GOP candidate masterminded shootings at 4 Democratic officials' homes, Albuquerque police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Albuquerque police accused a failed GOP candidate of masterminding shootings at 4 Democrats' houses. Police arrested Solomon Pena, who lost a US House race to a Democratic rival last year. The head of the Albuquerque Police Department, Harold Medina, said during a press conference on Monday that police believe that Solomon Pena, 39, was behind all four shootings. At the Monday press conference, police said that five people were involved in the shootings, but did not clarify their alleged roles. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said at the press conference that the police investigation had "basically confirmed" that the shootings were politically motivated.

☆ Economists say BOJ's Amamiya is top governor candidate, tightening this week unlikely
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 24 economists who replied to the Jan 5-12 poll, 16, or 67%, chose Amamiya as the most likely candidate to become the next BOJ governor. Four economists in the poll, or 17%, chose Nakaso, who is seen less dovish than Amamiya, as the most likely candidate. In a September poll that asked the same question, Amamiya and Nakaso received 61% and 33% of economists' votes, respectively. Five analysts expected the unwinding of easing to start in April, at the first BOJ meeting under the new governor. Elsewhere in the poll, 83% of economists said Japanese nominal wages were unlikely to outpace rising consumer prices in 2023.

☆ Donald Trump's longtime money man, Allen Weisselberg, quickly gets coveted cot in 'safest place' at Rikers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg breezed through intake at NYC's infamous Rikers jail. The West Facility houses only Rikers inmates serving sentences of under one year, Mualimmak-Ak said. A dorm in the West Facility of Rikers, where the ex-CFO of Donald Trump's real-estate company is serving 5 months for masterminding a decade-long payroll tax-fraud scheme. The West Facility is constructed of high-tech plastic fabric stretched over aluminum frames, according to the DOC website. An exterior shot of the West Facility, new home at Rikers jail for Allen Weisselberg, longtime CFO for former President Donald Trump.

☆ Rikers expert says Allen Weisselberg will get better treatment as a prominent Trump supporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump's ex-CFO, Allen Weisselberg, was sentenced Tuesday to five months in NYC's Rikers jail. Rikers guards love Trump and will give better treatment to Weisselberg, 75, one expert predicts. Being 75 years old and in the news will also help Weisselberg, predicted the expert, Five Mualimmak-Ak, a jail-reform activist and former detainee who visits Rikers frequently. "Ninety-percent of the guards are Trump supporters, even though most of them are Black and Latino women," said Mualimmak-Ak, program director for LIFE Camp, a city-based nonprofit. "So he'll get preferential treatment from the guards because he is a Trump supporter.

☆ The Proud Boys jury hasn't even been seated yet, and the defense already says it's biased
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Proud Boys sedition-trial jury will be picked Monday, out of a pre-vetted pool of DC residents. The defense teams plan to make one last-ditch venue-change motion immediately after the jurors are seated, according to a person familiar with their strategy. "It's not surprising that these potential jurors knew something about the Proud Boys and January 6th, particularly since they live in DC," Suter told Insider. Those views included "preconceived beliefs that the Proud Boys are a 'dangerous armed group,' a 'hate filled group,' 'racists,' and other clearly biased views followed by assertions that they nonetheless can be fair." Defense lawyers are very likely spending the weekend pouring over any public records on the 45 or so prospects in the pool, Suter said.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried doesn't 'have the typical profile of a crook' – and his fear of failure might explain FTX's collapse, Bill Ackman says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ackman compared SBF to convicted fraudster Bernie Madoff, saying neither "have the typical profile of a crook.' The crypto exchange cofounded by Bankman-Fried seems to have been profitable and backed by top venture capitalists, Ackman said Friday. This reminds me of Madoff," tweeted Ackman, the founder and CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. Young Wall Street trader Bankman-Fried went from relative obscurity to the head of crypto empire FTX in just four years. That runaway success soon after leaving a top college sheltered Bankman-Fried from learning how to cope with failure, Ackman suggested.

CNN —Peruvian lawmakers have voted to oust President Pedro Castillo, dramatically escalating Wednesday’s political crisis that began hours earlier when Castillo attempted to dissolve the legislative body and install an emergency government. A majority of 101 lawmakers in the 130-person congress later voted to impeach Castillo, with the body announcing that Vice President Dina Boluarte will be sworn in as the new President of Peru. Francisco Morales, the president of Peru’s Constitutional Court, urged Boluarte to assume the presidency in a speech prior to the congressional vote. Lawmakers stand inside Congress on the day of their planned impeachment vote on President Pedro Castillo in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. The complaint allows congress to carry out its own investigation against the president.

☆ The rise and fall of Wirecard
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

July 2: The head of Germany's financial watchdog calls the accounting scandal at Wirecard "a massive criminal act". July 6: German prosecutors arrest the head of a Dubai-based subsidiary of Wirecard. 2021Jan. 29: Felix Hufeld, president of German financial watchdog BaFin, steps down. 2022Jan. 14: German prosecutors file first charges in Wirecard fraud, the Financial Times reports. Sept. 21: A Munich district court said it had admitted charges against former Wirecard executives, paving way for a trial.

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