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CNBC embedded with teams from HSI and California Highway Patrol to witness four organized retail crime operations for this investigation. CNBCAt the bottom of organized retail crime rings are boosters — the people who go into stores and take the items. A bin filled with sparkly silver boots that police suspect an alleged San Jose, California, crime ring stole from T.J. Maxx. In a statement, a TJX spokesperson said the company is "thankful" for CHP's efforts and is taking organized retail crime "very seriously." Court records filed in connection with the case provide a rare glimpse into the inner workings of an alleged organized retail crime ring.

Persons: Michelle Mack, Mack, Michelle Mack's, Louis Vuitton, Adam Parks, they've, Parks, HSI, It's, Joaquin, El, Guzman, Scott Robles, Robles, moisturizer, Allegra, Maxx, Gabrielle Fonrouge, Manny Nevarez, TJX, Michael Ball, Diego, Donna Washburn, Washburn, Mack —, we'll, Charlotte, Estee Lauder, masterminding, Rob Bonta, Kenneth Mack, Bonta, Kimora Lee Gooding texted Michelle Mack, Jan, Gooding, Andrew Barclay, Scott, let's, Kenneth Mack texted Michelle Mack, Michelle Mack texted Alina Franco, Sephora, Prada, Ulta's, Dave Kimbell, Kimbell Organizations: Police, CNBC, Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Homeland, New, U.S . Custom House, Operation French, Walgreens, New Orleans Public, Federal, Gillette, CHP, TJX Companies, Bay Area, CNBC Police, Flea, Santa, Attorney, Capitol Flea, L'Oreal, Macy's, Body Locations: San Diego, Bonsall , California, California, Washington , Utah , Oregon, Colorado , Arizona , Illinois , Texas, Florida , Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, U.S, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, HSI, New Orleans, Orleans, San Jose, Jose , California, Maxx, Bay, Bay Area, San Jose , California, Santa Clara, Washburn, St, Augustine , Florida, Charlotte Tilbury, Prada, LensCrafters

CNN —A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by a border police officer in Shuafat refugee camp in occupied east Jerusalem, according to hospital officials and an Israeli police spokesperson. The boy falls to the ground just as the firework launches from his hand into the sky. CNN has asked police for further evidence of the alleged disturbances they say took place in the refugee camp on Tuesday. There were no casualties among the Israeli forces who dispersed the demonstrators at the Shuafat camp, the police spokesperson said. In a Telegram post, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded the soldier who shot and killed the boy.

Persons: Rami Al Halhouli, Molotov, Al Halhouli, Itamar Ben, Gvir, ” Ben, “ Organizations: CNN, “, Border Guard, National Locations: Jerusalem, Shuafat, Hadassah, Shu’fat

If the idea of drinking civet cat coffee, which is made from feces from the Asian palm civet, is a turn-off, there may be yet another reason to rethink the drink. This week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a warning aimed at tourists in Bali after an investigator showed undercover footage of how the civet cat excrement, containing partially digested coffee beans, is obtained. Tourists be warned: stay away from civet coffee." Plus, "there's a misconception that civet coffee ... has a unique taste, and this is often perpetuated by businesses to attract consumers and justify higher prices for their products," Baker said. A young civet cat in a cage in Bali.

Persons: Jason Baker, Baker Organizations: Animals, PETA, Bali ., Getty Locations: Bali, Catur, Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia

☆ He prosecuted child sex predators. Now, he’s going after Meta for allegedly enabling them
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Meta, along with other major social media companies, faces growing scrutiny over the safety of young users on its platforms. But of the several lawsuits filed against Meta over child safety in recent years, none have focused as pointedly as Torrez’s case on alleged child sexual exploitation. In some cases, Torrez said he volunteered to take child abuse cases and to visit safe houses to conduct interviews with child victims. The New Mexico Attorney General's office alleges it found in an investigation of Facebook and Instagram accounts promoting sexualized images of minors. Meta also says it has removed hundreds of thousands of accounts, groups and devices for violating its child safety policies.

Persons: Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Presiliano Torrez, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, pornographers, General Raúl Torrez, Countess, ” Torrez, Zuckerberg, Frances Haugen, ” Meta, Obama, Meta, Rebecca Wright, —, Linda Atkinson, aren’t, “, New Mexico Attorney General's, Issa Bee, Issa, you’re, Nkechi Nneji, Evelyn Hockstein, Ann Olivarius, McAlister Olivarius Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, Meta, Tech, Getty, CNN, Communications, ”, Harvard, London School of Economics, Stanford Law School, New Mexico Department of Justice, New Mexico Attorney, PayPal, National Center for, Force, Reuters, Bureau, US News Locations: New York, New Mexico, Torrez, Washington ,, Albuquerque, Mexico, ”, Bernalillo County, Torrez’s, United States

☆ Paris Fashion Week: Fashion, feminism and a fake Kate Moss
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Alice Pfeiffer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesEqually at Rabanne, tartan blazers were given a grungier edge with leather-trimmed sleeves and fasteners. The rise of ‘Les People’Traditionally, showing interest in celebrities (“Les people” in Parisian slang) was a big no-no amongst the proudly snobby French fashion press. For busy women, multitasking women, women who can. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesStockman-style coats in colored, patent and soft leather were everywhere at Chloé, as were thigh-high boots and wafting, chiffon dresses. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesTraditional preppy skirt suits were given an edge with "Miss Dior" emblazoned in a graffiti style scrawling.

Persons: Saint Laurent, —, Wim Wenders, “, ” Balmain’s, Ester Manas, Nina Ricci, Kate Moss, Denise Ohnona, Serre, Arnel Dela, Alessandro Vigilante, ”, Coco, Kroes, Pascal Le Segretain, Chemena, Sienna Miller, Gaby Aghion, preppy Kristin Scott Thomas, Miu Miu, Farida Khelfa, Carine, Julia Roitfeld, Victoria Beckham, Anna, Pat Cleveland, Jerry Hall, Georgia Jagger, Kiernan Shipka, Georgia May Jagger, Julien de Rosa, ’ ’, Charles de Vilmorin, Aldama, Loewe, Dior ” —, Jackie O, Salma Hayek, Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, Penelope Cruz, Hari Nef, Emily Ratajkowski, Victor Aubry, Sipa, JM Haedrich, Alexandre Maras, Louise Trotter, Sophie Abriat, Valentino, Givenchy, Laurent, Demna, BFRND, scupltor, Jaanisoo, Rémy Brière, Nicolas Di Felice, Louis Sullivan, Justin Shin, McQueen, Seán, Ib Kamara’s, Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton, Stockman, Jonas Gustavsson, Coco Chanel, Casey Cadwallader's, Albert York, Dior, Victor Virgile, Kristin Scott Thomas, Miu, Olivier Rousteing, Ik Aldama, Chloe —, Miller's, Arnold Jerocki, Filippo Fior, Gonzalo Fuentes, Thierry Chesnot, Ester Manas's Organizations: CNN, Paris, Paris CNN —, Eiffel, Saint Laurent Museum, Chloé, Victoria, Getty, Loewe, Dior, Monde, Saint Laurent, The Washington Post Locations: Paris, Trocadero, British, Deauville, Normandy, Mugler, Chloé, Georgia, AFP, Balenciaga, Chanel, Estonian, Courrèges, Dior

☆ The rise of the job-search bots
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Unlike the other bots, which ingested job openings into their own sites, LazyApply submitted applications via external job boards. AdvertisementUnlike the other bots, LazyApply did all the applying in real time, right in front of my eyes. Hugo Herrera for BISo far, though, it looks like the arrival of job bots is only making the problem worse. But the job bots at LazyApply and other services never get tired. Still, I came away from my time among the job-search bots feeling the way I do about much of AI.

Persons: they're, hadn't, Sonara, Hugo Herrera, LazyApply, American Aki, Aki Ito, Carlson, Boston Globe —, CareerBuilder, Tony Riggins, I've, Teal, Marc Cenedella, Cenedella, John Henry, —, didn't, it's, Bob, you'd, Emily Lamia, Lamia, she's, underpaid Organizations: BI, AK, Boston Globe, Employers, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, Facebook, YouTube, Business Locations: America, American, That's

☆ 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

☆ Dressing the Forgotten Woman
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Vanessa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“As always, she wakes up just before the alarm goes off.”“As always, she gets up in the dark and walks into the bathroom.”“As always, she quickly looks into the mirror. Yes, That’s her. Forty years old, mother of one, single, working.”So went the voice-over at the Undercover show: a prose poem written and read by the film director Wim Wenders. Certainly, a woman I know. Conventional wisdom has it that the promise on the runway should be aspirational — the person I want to be (richer, thinner, taller, more fabulous, more rebellious, more sexy, etc.)

Persons: ”, That’s, Wim Wenders

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Wariness over rate cuts lingers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Traders react as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is seen delivering remarks on a screen, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, March 22, 2023. This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Stocks mixed bagWall Street ended Wednesday mixed as investors digested the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes from the January meeting. Fed's cautionMinutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting showed central bank officials expressed caution about lowering interest rates too quickly.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Takeshi Ebisawa, Morgan Stanley, Jim Caron Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Nvidia, Federal, U.S . Drug, Administration, Morgan Stanley Investment Locations: New York City, . Federal, New York, Japanese, Thailand

☆ US agents fooled a yakuza boss into giving them weapons-grade plutonium he thought would be sold to Iran: court docs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US officials say they arrested a Japanese crime boss trying to sell nuclear fuel. The documents said Takeshi Ebisawa thought the fuel would go to an Iranian nuclear-weapons program. AdvertisementUS agents say they tricked a Japanese crime lord into handing over nuclear fuel to them in an audacious sting operation. They said the DEA fooled Ebisawa into believing he was selling them a shipment of plutonium and uranium to help Iran to build nuclear weapons. AdvertisementThey say Ebisawa was invited onto a video call with somebody posing as an Iranian general as part of the ruse.

Persons: Takeshi Ebisawa, —, Ebisawa, Damian Williams, Somphop Singhasiri Organizations: Service, Business, Department of Justice Locations: Iranian, Iran, Brooklyn, Myanmar, Thailand, Burma

☆ Feds charge Japanese Yakuza leader with nuclear materials trafficking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The DOJ alleges that a high-ranking member of the Yakuza, Takeshi Ebisawa, was the central figure in a plot to funnel American weapons to ethnic militias in Myanmar in exchange for heroin and meth. Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday said they charged a Japanese Yakuza leader with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries in the belief that they would be used by Iran to make a nuclear weapon. "A U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory later analyzed the samples and confirmed that the samples contain uranium and weapons-grade plutonium," the statement said. Williams said Ebisawa "brazenly trafficked" the nuclear material while believing it would be used to develop a nuclear weapons program." The top prosecutor also said that even as he tried to sell the nuclear materials, the Yakuza leader "also negotiated for the purchase of deadly weapons, including surface-to-air missiles," M60 machine guns, AK-47s and armor-piercing ammunition.

Persons: Takeshi Ebisawa, Ebisawa, Damian Williams, Williams Organizations: DOJ, U.S . Drug, Administration, Attorney's, U.S, AK Locations: Myanmar, New York, Japanese, Burma, Iran, Thailand, Iranian, Manhattan, U.S

☆ Takeshi Ebisawa: Alleged yakuza leader charged with attempting to sell nuclear materials from Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An alleged leader of a Japanese organized crime syndicate has been charged with attempting to sell weapons-grade nuclear materials from the leader of an ethnic insurgent group in Myanmar, according to a new indictment from the US Justice Department. Takeshi Ebisawa, an alleged leader in the yakuza who was arrested in 2022 on charges over drug and weapons trafficking conspiracies, faces several new charges for allegedly attempting to sell nuclear materials to someone he believed was an Iranian general, in exchange for a significant weapons cache. The agent asked Ebisawa if the material was usable for nuclear weapons, saying that Iran needed “it for nuclear weapons.”“I think so and I hope so,” Ebisawa said, according to the indictment. In a recorded video call, brokers for the leader of the insurgent group claimed the leader had thousands of kilograms of nuclear material and “could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in” the territory the leader controlled. During the call, the DEA undercover agent asked about exchanging uranium for weapons from Iran, which the brokers and the leader agreed with.

Persons: CNN —, Takeshi Ebisawa, Ebisawa, ”, ” Ebisawa Organizations: CNN, US Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Court, Southern, of New Locations: Myanmar, Iranian, Iran, Burma, Ebisawa

☆ Commercial real estate is in big trouble — and the problems may have major financial fallout
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThe tremors rattling US commercial real estate are spreading to other countries and sectors, and threaten to escalate into a financial earthquake as refinancing deadlines loom. There are growing signs that commercial real estate is in serious trouble. AdvertisementProspective losses, refinancing woes, international contagion, and panic selling combine to create a bleak outlook for the commercial property sector. The catalyst for both the banking and commercial real estate drama is deceptively dry: rising interest rates. AdvertisementMoreover, "Undercover Billionaire" star and real estate tycoon Grant Cardone has hailed the ongoing correction as a rare chance for everyday people to buy "trophy real estate" from institutional owners.

Persons: —, aren't, Barry Sternlicht, Pfandbriefbank, Warren Buffett, Ian Jacobs, Jacobs, Grant Cardone Organizations: Service, Business, Starwood Capital's, Bloomberg, European Central Bank, New York Community Bancorp, Investors, Silicon Valley Bank, Federal Reserve, Wall Street, Berkshire Hathaway, Ares Management Locations: Europe, Silicon, San Francisco, New York City, Manhattan, Los Angeles

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

CNN —The home of a Canadian Sikh activist in Brampton, Ontario, was hit by gunfire on Monday, months after the assassination of another activist sent India-Canada relations into a spiral. “It appears that only one bullet hole was found but that is subject to change,” Peel Regional Police wrote in a statement. The bullet hole in Gosal's home in Brampton, Ontario. The Canadian citizen was gunned down by masked men last June outside a Sikh temple in British Colombia. Weeks later, the United States accused an Indian government official of being involved in a conspiracy to kill another Sikh separatist, American citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on US soil.

Persons: Inderjit Singh, Gosal, Singh, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Weeks, Gurpatwant Singh, Pannun, Nikhil Gupta, Gupta, Nijjar, “ Organizations: CNN, Justice, Peel Regional Police, Indian Consulate Toronto, Canadian, Indian, Global Affairs Canada Locations: Brampton , Ontario, India, Canada, India’s Punjab, British Colombia, United States, Ontario, Punjab

☆ Michelin Guide history: How did a tire company become a restaurant rating guide?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Enter a pocket-sized red book known as the Michelin Guide. As a result, more French people had a desire to tour the country, making the Michelin Guide increasingly essential. The Michelin Guide now covers over 30,000 restaurants across three continents and more than 30 million guides have been sold. Addison is one of 13 three-star Michelin restaurants in the US and the only one in all of Southern California. A Michelin logo on a chef's uniform at the gala presentation of the Michelin Guide Spain on December 14, 2021.

Persons: André, Édouard Michelin, André Michelin, Édouard, Olivier Darmon, Guenter, ” Darmon, Darmon, ” William Bradley, Addison, William Bradley, Lauren di Matteo Addison, Bradley, ” Bradley, “, Roberto Alcocer, Christophe Bellanca, Christophe, Jordan Younis, Liz Clayman, Christophe Bellanca’s, they’re, Gwendal Poullennec, Richard Saker, Christophe Bellanca's, Alan Batt, ” Poullennec, Taylor Swift’s, Jorge Gil, Carbone, Jay, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama, It’s, didn’t, Kevin Thornton’s, ” Thornton, Thornton, Michelin “, Bobby Yip, don’t, ’ ”, Alcocer, He’s, ” Bellanca Organizations: New, New York CNN, Michelin, Ferrand, Michelin Tire Company, Compagnie, des, Culture, AAA, CNN, Washington Post, Bellanca, Michelin Guides, Spain, Europa Press, Major Food Group, Irish Times, Conted, Reuters Locations: New York, Clermont, Paris, France, Europe, United States, San Diego, Southern California, Addison, Valle, Mexican, Oceanside, Oceanside , California, New York City, Cartmel, Cumbria, England, Kevin Thornton’s Dublin

☆ Undercover Israeli Killings in West Bank Hospital May Be War Crimes: UN Experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The killing of three Palestinian men in a hospital in the occupied West Bank last month by Israeli commandos disguised as medical workers and Muslim women may amount to war crimes, a group of U.N. experts said on Friday. The experts concerned are special rapporteurs engaged by the United Nations to examine a specific human rights issue. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesIsrael’s military was not immediately available for comment on their statement. The West Bank has seen an explosion of violence since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent invasion of Gaza by Israel. (Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva; Additional reporting by Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Persons: Ibn Sina, prima facie, Emma Farge, Emily Rose, Gareth Jones Organizations: West Bank, Shin, Basel Al, United, Hamas, Jenin Brigade, Islamic, The West Bank Locations: GENEVA, Jenin, Basel, Israel, United Nations, Gaza, headscarves, Palestinian, Geneva, Jerusalem

☆ The son of a man accused of planning to attack the southern border says his father is 'not a terrorist'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The FBI accused Paul Faye Sr. of planning an attack on the southern border. But his son, Joseph Faye says his father only "talks a big game." Faye said he'd warned his father about undercover agents, but Faye Sr. didn't listen. AdvertisementThe son of a man accused of planning a violent attack on the southern border says his father is a "compulsive liar" who "talks a big game." Faye Sr. was accused of trying to sell an unregistered AK-47 suppressor to an undercover FBI agent.

Persons: Paul Faye Sr, Joseph Faye, Faye, he'd, Faye Sr, — Organizations: FBI, Service, NBC News, National Firearms, AK, Business

☆ A fugitive accused of killing his girlfriend in Boston has escaped from a jail in Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Larry Madowo | Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A man accused of killing his girlfriend in Boston before fleeing to Kenya has escaped from a Nairobi jail, where he was awaiting extradition after his capture last week. He’s accused of killing his girlfriend, Maggie Mbitu, whose body was found in his SUV in a parking garage at Boston Logan International Airport on November 1, two days after she was reported missing. Within hours, authorities identified him as the Boston-area fugitive who US investigators said boarded a plane to Kenya shortly after killing his girlfriend. The day before her body was found, Kangethe boarded flights from Boston to Kenya. Surveillance footage showed him leaving the parking garage and entering an airport terminal, police said.

Persons: Kevin Kangethe, He’s, Maggie Mbitu, Kangethe, Ann Mbitu, Boston Kangethe, Mbitu, ” Organizations: CNN, Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts State Police, Police, Kenyan, Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Locations: Boston, Kenya, Nairobi, United States, African, Massachusetts

☆ The FBI has arrested a self-touted militia sniper who says he was planning to attack people at the southern border
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FBI says Faye admitted to wanting to launch an attack on the southern border. AdvertisementA self-touted militia sniper was arrested by the FBI and accused of trying to sell an undercover agent an unregistered suppressor for an AK-47. But there's more — the FBI says Paul Faye Sr. owned multiple weapons and explosives and was planning to launch a violent attack on people at the southern border. According to the criminal complaint, an undercover FBI agent contacted Faye via TikTok, after which the pair exchanged phone numbers. Advertisement"I would be on top that roof right there, zeroing out, taking out anybody," Faye told the agent, per the complaint.

Persons: Paul Faye Sr, Faye, —, TikTok, BI's Alia Shoaib Organizations: FBI, AK, Service, National Firearms Locations: Kentucky , Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee

☆ Madagascan President's Ex-Aide Offered Influence for Bribes, London Jury Told
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina's ex-chief of staff offered to use her influence to obtain bribes from precious stone miner Gemfields in exchange for help with lucrative mining rights, prosecutors told a London court on Tuesday. Romy Andrianarisoa, 47, is accused of seeking substantial payments from Gemfields between 2021 and 2023 to help the company expand its business into Madagascar. Prosecutor Alex Leach told jurors at Southwark Crown Court that Andrianarisoa was, at the time of the alleged offending, a "trusted adviser" to Rajoelina. At the meeting, Andrianarisoa "made it clear she had direct influence on the president", Leach added. He said Gemfields later approached Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) after it became clear Andrianarisoa and her associate Philippe Tabuteau were seeking a bribe.

Persons: Sam Tobin LONDON, Andry Rajoelina's, Romy Andrianarisoa, Andrianarisoa, Alex Leach, Leach, Sean Gilbertson, Gemfields, Britain's, Philippe Tabuteau, Tabuteau, Sam Tobin, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Southwark Crown, Crime Agency, NCA, Gemfields Locations: London, Gemfields, Madagascar, Southwark, Tabuteau

☆ Former Drug Smugglers Share How Drug Trafficking Actually Works
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Dylan Brzezinski | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, speaks with Business Insider about trafficking cocaine from Ecuador to Europe through a cartel connection. Tritton was arrested in Ecuador and sentenced to 12 years in one of the world's most violent and corrupt prisons. David McMillan is a British Australian former drug smuggler. Shaun Attwood is a former drug smuggler who ran a successful ring trafficking MDMA pills in the US in the '90s. He speaks with BI about his experience with drug-dealing gangs and how the drug market works.

Persons: Pieter Tritton, Tritton, David McMillan, Adi Jaffe, Jaffe, Shaun Attwood, Attwood, Neil Woods, Woods, incapablestaircase.com Adi Jaffe, Neil Organizations: University of California Locations: Ecuador, Europe, British Australian, Southeast, Central Asia, Los Angeles, American

☆ Four Secret Service agents were disciplined after getting snookered by imposter federal cops
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But what happened to the four Secret Service agents they bamboozled? But the remaining two are still working as Secret Service agents "after discipline," Mihalek said. But the pair's ability to trick four Secret Service agents was no laughing matter. But at least one of the other Secret Service agents had his location tracked while working. AdvertisementRegardless, it's a bad look, former Secret Service agents told Business Insider.

Persons: —, imposters, Jill Biden, Haider Sher Ali, Arian Eugene Taherzadeh, Donald J, Mihalek, Ali, Joe Biden, Ari Eugene Taherzadeh, Taherzadeh, Air Marshal who'd, he'd, El, Calvin Klein, Jill Biden's, Taherzadeh's, Jill, Joseph Funk, Funk, Bill Pickle, Al Gore's, Pickle Organizations: Secret Services, Service, Federal, Association Foundation, Secret, Court, Southern District of, Southern District of New York, Army Ranger, Air, Homeland Security, Anadolu Agency, DHS, Secret Service, agency's Uniformed Division, Homeland Security Investigations, Uniformed Division, Business, Employees, TorchStone, Rolex Locations: Washington ,, Southern District, Southern District of New, Eastern, United States, Southern District of New York

☆ F.T.C. Warns Dozens of Funeral Homes to Provide Accurate Costs to Callers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Trade Commission said its first “undercover phone sweep” of funeral homes across the country had found that dozens didn’t accurately disclose costs for services to callers. Of the more than 250 funeral businesses F.T.C. employees called, 38 either didn’t answer questions about prices or supplied inconsistent prices for identical services, the commission said. The 39 funeral homes received warning letters in January that they had failed to comply with a law known as the Funeral Rule. enforces the rule, which outlines protections for consumers shopping for funeral services.

Organizations: Federal Trade Commission

☆ Senator tells Mark Zuckerberg his product is 'killing people' at child safety hearing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg was grilled at a Senate hearing on online child safety on Wednesday. The Meta chief was told by Senator Lindsey Graham: "You have a product that's killing people." AdvertisementMark Zuckerberg was told that Meta's product is "killing people" at a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday. At one point, the Meta CEO was interrogated by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham during a fiery hearing on online child safety before the Senate Judiciary Committee. AdvertisementBig tech leaders from X, TikTok, Snap, and Discord were also called to testify and the child safety hearing.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Lindsey Graham, —, Graham, Mr, Zuckerberg, General Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Meta didn't Organizations: Meta, Service, New, Guardian Locations: Nigeria, New Mexico

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