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☆ Cool-girl brand Aritzia made employees rate each other's appearances, discriminated against Black salespeople, and fostered a culture of fear, some ex-staffers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Nichole Jankowski | Isabella Zavarise | Brianna Holt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

They said 54% of Aritzia employees and 60% of retail employees identified as BIPOC but declined to provide a breakdown of those statistics. Insider spoke with 53 current and former Aritzia employees, several of whom said that while the world of fashion is notoriously cutthroat, working at Aritzia was particularly grueling. Aritzia's spokesperson said the company's success was a "direct result of its high-performance culture." (In a statement of defense filed with the court on July 5, the store manager and Aritzia denied all allegations. A former Ontario store manager said that shortly after she was hired, the manager of store operations asked if she had a boyfriend.

Persons: Brian Hill, Hill, Kendall Jenner, Meghan Markle, Jennifer Lopez, Aritzia, Lindsey Adelman, Melina, Isabel Slone, Max Mumby, Aritzia's, Carly Bishop, Brian, Jennifer Wong, who's, Wong, Robson, We're, George Pimentel, Heather McLean, Hill's, Tim Hortons, Kendalls, —, Todd Korol, Jessica Porter, weren't, Candace Jerry, Anyango Juma Miguna, Miguna, Hannah, Kaycelyn Pascual, Pascual, couldn't, Nadia Mahammed, Mahammed, she'd, George Floyd, they'd, Todd Ingledew Organizations: Aritzia, Euromonitor International, Aritzia's, Queen's University, Fashion, Globe, Toronto Star, Getty, SPH, Employees, British Columbia Human, Product, Estate Development, Business Locations: Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario, Aritzia, ascot, Canada, Aritzia's Vancouver, Canadian, New York City, Aritzia's Paramus , New Jersey, Newmarket , Ontario, British, New York

☆ Pro-war Putin critic and nationalist Girkin detained in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, helped Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and then organise pro-Russian militias who took control of part of eastern Ukraine from Kyiv. Girkin's lawyer told the state news agency TASS that it was not clear why his client had been detained. RBC, citing two unnamed law enforcement sources, said Girkin's Moscow home was being searched and that he had been detained over a complaint against him made by a former Wagner employee. Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the R.Politik analysis firm, said the men who run Russia's law enforcement and power ministries had long wanted to arrest Girkin. Stanovaya said Girkin's detention was a signal that any of the bitterest critics of Moscow's approach to the war could face prosecution.

Persons: Putin, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Igor Strelkov, Girkin, PUTIN, Miroslava Reginskaya, Girkin's, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: RBC, Malaysia Airlines, Federal Security Service, of Angry Patriots, Kremlin, Telegram, Investigative, TASS, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Crimea, Kyiv, Girkin's Moscow

Moscow CNN —Some Russians greeted the weekend’s armed insurrection led by the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, with sympathy, appearing to welcome the mercenary fighters. Roman Romokhov/AFP/Getty ImagesLocals were also seen booing police cars that arrived as the Wagner fighters vacated Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, in an abrupt de-escalation. Over the weekend, checkpoints had been set up on Moscow’s outskirts, and residents braced for Wagner fighters to enter. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters“It was really uneasy yesterday,” Moscow resident Andrey told Reuters, “But look now, people are walking in the streets and it’s all good. But that sentiment runs counter to the messaging from the Kremlin, which has painted Prigozhin and his Wagner fighters as traitors to Russia.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, “ Wagner, Moscow –, Vladimir Putin, “, Roman Romokhov, ”, Dmitry, Natalia Kolesnikova, Maxim Shemetov, Andrey, ” Oleg, Prigozhin’s, Irada Zeynalova, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, Don, Putin, hasn’t, Putin – Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, Southern Military District, Getty, Rostov, Don, ”, Reuters, NTV, Belarusian, Fighters, CNN Locations: Moscow, Russian, Rostov, AFP, ” Rostov, Moscow’s, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Don

Image Mr. Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin at one of Mr. Prigozhin’s factories in St. Petersburg in 2010. Mr. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces, vowed to retaliate, on Friday. In an earlier videotaped speech, Mr. Prigozhin did not explicitly impugn Mr. Putin, instead casting him as a leader being misled by his officials. But, during the battle for Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin also emerged as a populist political figure, excoriating Russia’s military leadership for corruption. Others theorized that the Kremlin had orchestrated Mr. Prigozhin’s tirades against Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister, to deflect blame from Mr. Putin himself.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, ” Gen, Vladimir Alekseyev, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Russia’s, ’, “, ”, GOH, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, —, Sergei K, Shoigu, Dmitri S, diatribes, excoriating, Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ” Julian E, Barnes, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: Russian, ., Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Russia’s, Defense Ministry, Telegram, Twitter, National Security, Associated Press, Bakhmut, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Don, Russia, White, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Russian, Ukraine’s, “

☆ Wagner mercenary chief says Russia's war in Ukraine based on lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal. The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine." There was no immediate response from the Defence Ministry, which has ignored previous complaints from Prigozhin, in public at least. Putin has, however, backed a Defence Ministry order, which Prigozhin opposes, that mercenary groups like Wagner must sign contracts putting themselves under ministry control by July 1. Portraying the top brass as vodka- and cognac-swilling fools who lunch on caviar, he alleged the Russian war effort was being hobbled by corruption.

Persons: Putin, oligarchic, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, PUTIN Wagner, Russia's, Vladimir Putin, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Defence Ministry, NATO, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's, Moscow, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin says Russia's 'evil' defense ministry 'must be stopped' in latest shocking provocation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In response, the warlord called Russia's defense ministry "evil" and said it "must be stopped." He accused Russia's defense ministry of carrying out the attack, in which he claimed a "huge amount" of his mercenaries were killed; these claims could not be immediately confirmed, and Russia's ministry of defense countered that they are lies. Russia's defense ministry denied Prigozhin's accusations. "All the messages and videos speaded in social networks on behalf of E. Prigozhin about the alleged 'strike of the Russian Ministry of Defense against the 'rear camps of the Wagner PMC' are untrue and are an informational provocation," Russia's defense ministry said on Telegram. Prigozhin has frequently ripped into Russian military leadership, issuing shocking threats, scathing statements, and expletive-filled tirades over Moscow's consistent battlefield failures and incompetence.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Russia's, Friday's Organizations: Service, Group, Wagner, Wagner Group, Russian Ministry of Defense, Wagner PMC, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, Mercenaries, Bakhmut Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Putin's clashing warlords are on the verge of full-blown violence that could weaken his grip on power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The ongoing feud between Putin's warlords came to the brink of violence on Friday. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin went on a tirade against the Defense Ministry, prompting calls for his arrest. "The evil carried by the country's military leadership must be stopped," Prigozhin said, adding that his 25,0000 mercenaries were ready to stand against Russia's Defense Ministry. Insider's Ryan Pickrell previously reported that Putin plays Prigozhin and the Defense Ministry against each other, escalating tensions between those factions and attempting to deflect blame off himself. Prior to his tirades Friday, Prigozhin was bashing Russia's Defense Ministry for months, especially targeting Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin's, Prigozhin, Putin, It's, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Simon Miles, Tatiana Stanovaya, Sergey Shoigu, Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov Organizations: Defense Ministry, Service, Titan, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Wagner Group, Russia's Defense, Russia's Defense Ministry, KGB, Kremlin, Wagner, Meduza, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Russia's, Ministry, Russian, Russian General Staff Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Russian

☆ Russia's claim that it won in Bakhmut may be meaningless — and a good sign for Ukraine's upcoming counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia claimed victory over Bakhmut after a monthlong battle over the eastern Ukrainian city. On Sunday, Russia's defense ministry backed a claim first made by the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Prigozhin, that Russian forces have seized Bakhmut. "Their capture does not grant Russian forces operationally significant terrain to continue conducting offensive operations or any particularly strong position from which to defend against possible Ukrainian counterattacks." The battle in Bakhmut has also, at times, put the Wagner leader at odds with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Russian forces will likely need additional reinforcements to hold Bakhmut City and its flanks at the expense of operations in other directions," ISW reported.

☆ Clarence Thomas's first public scandal came in 1980, when he was a no-name aide to a GOP senator and complained to a journalist that his sister just waited by the mailbox for her welfare check
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 1980, 32-year-old Clarence Thomas was a no-name aide to a Republican senator. At a conference for Black conservatives, he complained to a journalist about his sister being on welfare. The journalist, Juan Williams, wrote a column about it that caught the attention of Reagan's team. "She gets mad when the mailman is late with her welfare check," Thomas said, according to Williams. Reagan ended up making massive cuts to welfare programs and allowing states to institute work requirements for welfare recipients.

☆ 'Loud mouth' Prigozhin's public feuding with Russia's military leaders is an effort to blame the Kremlin for Wagner's failures in Bakhmut, military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia's military brass have been locked in a public feud for monthsMeanwhile, Prigozhin's Wagner Group troops have sustained significant losses in Bakhmut. For months, Wagner troops have borne the brunt of the attritional fighting in Bakhmut as the frontlines grinded to a brutal stalemate. The White House in February said Wagner troops had suffered 30,000 casualties since the war began in February 2022. A mural depicting mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Group that reads: "Wagner Group - Russian knights." "I think they probably hate [Prigozhin] because he's such a loud mouth," Hodges said of Russia's defense leaders.

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin is going off the rails in Ukraine, and Putin may not have much choice but to let him, war expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Though he strikes hardest at the defense ministry, he has seemingly aimed his frustrations at Putin as well. During the intense fighting in Bakhmut, where the mercenaries have suffered tremendous losses, simmering tensions between the Russian defense ministry and the Wagner boss have boiled over. With the replacement of Gen. Sergei Surovikin, an infamous Russian leader pushed by ultranationalists like Prigozhin, in January, the Russian defense ministry retook control. The situation got so bad for Wagner at one point that expert observers speculated that the Russian military was purposefully decimating the group. Prigozhin said he was threatened with treason over his assertions that Wagner forces would pull out of Bakhmut.

It also highlights Russian frustration at failing to complete the capture of Bakhmut after more than nine months of costly, intense battle. ANGRY TIRADEWhat looked real, however, was Prigozhin's fury at Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. "If Putin wants him to be in combat, he'll force him in one way or another to do so." Marten said its involvement in the battle for Bakhmut, including fighters recruited from Russian prisons, had allowed Putin to avoid declaring a full-scale mobilization. Whatever its immediate intentions around Bakhmut, Wagner is likely to remain a significant player in the war, given Prigozhin's personal ambitions and determination to stay in the limelight.

☆ The debate over banning TikTok has been poisoned by anti-Asian rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The TikTok CEO's testimony to Congress in March highlighted the anti-Asian rhetoric around the app. And second: The discourse around those issues, particularly talk of banning the app entirely in the US, has been poisoned by a surge in anti-Asian rhetoric, making it difficult to have a national conversation around TikTok in good faith. But what set the hearing with TikTok's CEO apart was the tone and personal nature of the questions, Asian American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups said. That paints a target on the back of Asian Americans, Chinese nationals living in the US, and, by extension, all other Asian populations, advocacy experts said. The rhetoric has consequences for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the US economyAll this has implications for the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US and the global Asian diaspora.

☆ Ye finally got new lawyers after ghosting the ones who dropped him following his antisemitic rants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ye, aka Kanye West, got new lawyers months after ghosting his old ones. He's now lawyered up in three lawsuits against him, court records show. Three lawyers at the Santa Fe, California-based firm Weeks Nelson are representing Ye in a lawsuit brought by Thomas St. John, a business management firm. Filings from Thomas St. John show the firm tried to serve Ye with the lawsuit since October without success. The lawyers will likely help Ye avoid default judgments in those cases, where he risked losing automatically without any representation in court.

☆ Kanye West's ex-lawyers finally found him after months of trying to tell him they quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lawyers who represented Ye — aka Kanye West — finally found him after months of trying. After months of searching, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig LLP, the firm that represented West for everything from contract disputes to employment lawsuits, tracked Ye down and told him they quit. He was found at a location "primarily used by persons and entities not affiliated with Ye or his businesses," according to lawyers for Greenberg Traurig. He stopped responding to texts from Greenberg Traurig, the lawyers wrote in a series of court filings, asking for repeated extensions for the deadline to track him down. While the service may mark the end for Greenberg Traurig, it's only the beginning for Ye, whose legal risks couldn't get much higher.

☆ How M&M’s is making the most of its spokescandies controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Given the outsize attention, some think M&M’s announcement is a PR stunt to hype its upcoming Super Bowl commercial. M&M’s relatively subtle changes aimed at inclusivity didn’t seem like they were designed to spark much controversy, if any. At the Washington Post, for example, an opinion piece declared “the M&M’S changes aren’t progressive. “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” M&M’s said. “The original colorful cast of M&M’s spokescandies are, at present, pursuing other personal passions,” Wesley said.

☆ Call us back, Ye! Kanye West changed his number and now lawyers say they can't get in touch with him.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lawyers who repped Ye aka Kanye West still can't reach him, they said in court filings. The rapper, who goes by Ye, changed the phone number he used to communicate with his lawyers. In Friday's filing, the lawyers say that Ye changed his phone number. The lawyers at Greenberg Traurig aren't the only ones having trouble getting in touch with Ye. In the Friday filing, the lawyers at Greenberg Traurig said they have spoken to the lawyers for Thomas St. John about their shared predicament.

☆ Trump targets the 'thug' special counsel investigating him and his 'Trump Hater' wife in new attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump attacked special counsel Jack Smith in recent days, calling him a "thug" and "terrorist." He claimed the Smith's wife, who worked on Michelle Obama's documentary, "a serial and open Trump Hater." Trump complained that the special counsel probing Biden's mishandling of classified documents was "a nice guy." ), is a Trump Hating THUG whose wife is a serial and open Trump Hater, whose friends & other family members are even worse," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. Trump claimed that Smith's "wife & family get a perfect "10" for spewing Trump HATE."

☆ Kanye West still doesn't have lawyers, and it could cost him millions of dollars in lawsuit losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ye, aka Kanye West, hasn't replaced lawyers who abandoned him following his antisemitic tirades. In another case in Los Angeles county court, lawyers have been trying to track down Ye since October to serve him with a lawsuit. That deadline is fast approaching, with radio silence from Ye, court filings show. In yet another case, lawyers for a plaintiff trying to sue Ye can't even find the rapper to serve him papers. If Ye doesn't come to court with an answer to the lawsuit, he risks losing it by default.

☆ Where's Ye? The lawyers who dropped Kanye West after his antisemitic tirades can't locate him to say they've quit.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The lawyers can't find him to tell him they've quit, and West isn't responding to texts. Lawyers for Greenberg Traurig were able to serve West with documents telling him they no longer wanted to represent him. In that case, held in federal court in California, US District Judge George H. Wu allowed Greenberg Traurig to withdraw on December 2. In court documents first reported by The Sun and reviewed by Insider, lawyers for Thomas St. John said on December 19 that they couldn't serve West with the lawsuit. West's previous lawyers — presumably the ones at Greenberg Traurig — told the management firm they no longer represented West, and the firm couldn't locate any replacement firm.

☆ Behind a Wall Street headhunter's rapid ascent lie accusations of harassment and abuse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

"It was a complete whirlwind, and it felt too good to be true," Morrison told Insider. "Everyone is given a calendar reminder of when they have to submit a review," one former employee told Insider. Durlston told Insider she wasn't a credible source given the acrimonious nature of her departure from Durlston. "Everyone gets pretty loose at these events," a former employee told Insider, noting the availability of alcohol throughout the day. Bahram told Insider this was not a prohibition but merely a suggestion that it would not be an appropriate arrangement.

☆ Oath Keepers: Second seditious conspiracy trial against Oath Keepers begins with opening statements
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Justice Department prosecuted the first Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy case earlier this fall with mixed success – two leaders, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, were convicted of the charge while three others were acquitted. That adjustment was on full display Monday, as prosecutor Troy Edwards delivered his opening argument to the jury. Prosecutors struggled at times during the first trial to explain whether Rhodes directly ordered his militia to enter the Capitol building. Rhodes told them it was now time to take their place in history,” Edwards said. When the Oath Keepers heard that the Capitol had been breached, Edwards said they hustled toward the chaos.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowWASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before a U.S. House committee on Tuesday, the cryptocurrency exchange's founder and the congressional panel said on Friday, as regulators investigate his role in the wake of its collapse. In a statement late on Friday, the panel said it would hear from newly appointed FTX CEO John Ray and from Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder and former CEO, on Tuesday. "But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th," he added. loadingZhao said that after Binance, an early investor in FTX, sought to exit its stake over one-and-a-half years ago, Bankman-Fried made "offensive tirades" against Binance team members. Binance sold back to FTX its stake in the company last year.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowWASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on Dec. 13, the cryptocurrency exchange's founder and the congressional panel said on Friday, as regulators investigate his role in the wake of its collapse. A day earlier, the committee's chair, Maxine Waters, told Reuters that she is prepared to subpoena Bankman-Fried if he does not agree to appear before the panel. In a statement put out late on Friday by the House of Representatives committee, the panel said it would hear from newly-appointed FTX CEO John Ray and from Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder and former CEO, on Dec. 13. "But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th," he added. loadingZhao said after Binance - an early investor in FTX - sought to exit its stake over one-and-a-half years ago, Bankman-Fried made "offensive tirades" against Binance team members.

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