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☆ Greek migrant boat tragedy: CNN investigation raises questions about coast guard's account of shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Florence Davey-Attlee Elinda Labropoulou Jomana Karadsheh Gianluca Mezzofiore Katie Polglase | Florence Davey-Attlee | Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

They also call into question the Greek coast guard’s version of events, suggesting more lives could have been saved, and may even point to fault on the part of Greek authorities. The Hellenic Coast Guard has declined to answer CNN’s specific requests for response to the survivor testimonies. The Greek coast guard has maintained that people onboard the trawler had refused rescue and insisted they wanted to continue their journey to Italy. The haunting final words sent from the migrant boat came just minutes before it capsized. Most of all, Mostafa says, he wishes the Greek coast guard had never approached their boat: “If they had left us be, we wouldn’t have drowned.”

Persons: “, Rami, ”, Mostafa, Nikos Alexiou, Byron Smith, ” Rami, Lucky, –, ” Mostafa, Nawal Soufi, …, superyacht, Stringer, Eurokinissi, Vincent Cochetel, Stelios Misinas, Reuters Cochetel, ” Omer Shatz, Mohammad, Fadi, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis Organizations: CNN, Hellenic Coast Guard, Reuters CNN, Cross, UNHCR, European Union, “, Getty, ” Workers, Reuters, Center for Constitutional, Human Locations: Greece, Syria, Greek, Coast, Athens, Tobruk, Libya, Italy, Kalamata, AFP, Berlin, Netherlands, Sunday’s, Europe

☆ A Superyacht Can Cost Tens of Millions to Operate. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How Jerome Powell Became the U.S.’s Most Powerful Economic VoiceJerome Powell, as the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, appears to hold the country’s economic health in his hands. It’s a coveted role that has earned him both praise and criticism. Here’s how balancing aggressive and conservative policy got him to the top. Illustration: John McColgan for The Wall Street Journal

Persons: Jerome Powell, It’s, John McColgan Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, Wall Street

☆ A Superyacht Gave a Lifeline to 100 Migrants Thrown Into the Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The superyacht Mayan Queen IV was sailing smoothly in clear weather through the dark and calm Mediterranean in the early hours of June 14 when it received a call about a migrant ship in distress four nautical miles away. About 20 minutes later, shortly before 3 a.m., the towering $175-million yacht, owned by the family of a Mexican silver magnate, arrived at the scene. All the four-person crew could see were the lights of a Greek Coast Guard vessel scanning the water’s inky surface. “Horrible,” said the Mayan Queen’s captain, Richard Kirkby, who described the sea as “pitch black” on that nearly moonless night. As many as 650 men, women and children drowned.

Persons: IV, ”, Richard Kirkby Organizations: Greek Coast Guard Locations: Mexican, Monaco, Italy

☆ Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt paid $67 million for a superyacht abandoned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Max Adams | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt paid $67.6 million at auction for a 267-foot superyacht. The boat was left moored in Antigua Bay by Andrey Guryev, a sanctioned Russian oligarch. Billionaire and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt won an auction Friday for the 267-foot Alfa Nero, paying $67.6 million for the superyacht that had been "abandoned" in Antigua Bay by a sanctioned Russian oligarch. Schmidt was the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, and stepped down as chairman of Google parent Alphabet in 2018. Representatives for Schmidt didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Eric Schmidt, Andrey Guryev, Nero, Sir Ronald Sanders, Schmidt, Guryev, Vladimir Putin, Guryev's, Mr Guryev, Alfa Nero, Beck Diefenbach, Schmidt didn't Organizations: Google, Russian oligarch, Bloomberg, Morning, Barbuda Port Authority, Boat, US Treasury Department, Guryev, Alfa, Reuters Officials, International . Locations: Antigua Bay, Russian, Antigua, Barbuda, Ukraine, Falmouth Harbor

☆ Since Three Arrows Capital collapsed, the crypto fund's founders have reportedly been meditating in Bali, learning to surf, and taking shrooms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

When hedge fund Three Arrows Capital collapsed last year, it left the crypto world reeling. But the firm's founders, Kyle Davies and Su Zhu, have reportedly had it pretty good ever since. Just because your crypto firm collapsed, doesn't mean you are going to end up on house arrest at your parents' pad. As the liquidation process began for their crypto firm, both founders flew to Bali — Indonesia notably doesn't have an extradition treaty with the United States — the Times reported. According to the Times, Zhu started to hang out with surfers and UFC fighters.

Persons: Kyle Davies, Su Zhu, Zhu surfed, Davies, Hemingway, Zhu, liquidators Organizations: Arrows Capital, Morning, New York Times, United, Times, Twitter, UFC Locations: Bali, Bali — Indonesia, United States, Bahrain, Singapore

☆ An electric cruise ship with gigantic solar sails is set to launch in 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Adventure cruise company Hurtigruten Norway today revealed plans for a zero-emissions electric cruise ship with retractable sails covered in solar panels, which is due to set sail in 2030. The zero-emissions ship's sails will retract so that the ship can pass under bridges, as shown here in a rendering. This has led to a new wave of designs for eco-friendly sailing vessels, from the transatlantic car carrier Oceanbird and various cargo ships with retractable sails, to Oceanco’s Black Pearl superyacht and Chantiers de Atlanique’s cruise ship with folding solid sails. Hurtigruten Norway has long touted sustainable shipping. In 2019, it launched the world’s first hybrid, battery-supported cruise ship and is currently in the process of converting the rest of its expedition fleet to hybrid battery power.

Persons: Hedda Felin, ”, Gerry Larsson, Fedde, Larsson, Pearl superyacht Organizations: CNN, Hurtigruten, International Maritime Organization, UN Locations: Norway, Norwegian, Oslo, Hurtigruten Norway, “

[1/2] U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, under scrutiny following revelations that he did not disclose luxury trips paid for by a billionaire Dallas businessman, has received an extension to file his mandatory annual financial disclosure, the court said on Wednesday. Some congressional Democrats have proposed imposing new ethics standards on the Supreme Court following reporting on conduct by some of the justices, in particular Thomas. Supreme Court justices are not bound like other federal judges by a code of conduct that includes avoidance even of the "appearance of impropriety." The three conservative justices appointed by former President Donald Trump drew additional income as law professors.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Evelyn Hockstein WASHINGTON, Samuel Alito, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Crow, Frederick Douglass, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor, Sotomayor, John Roberts, Donald Trump, Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, George Mason University's Antonin Scalia, Amy Coney Barrett, Roberts, Andrew Chung, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Conservative U.S, Judicial Conference, Politico, Liberal, Vogue, Random, Charter Communications, Texas, University of Notre Dame Law School, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Dallas, Crow, Colorado, New York, Washington

☆ Secrets of a superyacht and private jet chef
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

She loves cooking, traveling and adventure, so she’s working her dream job. So captains or crew would recommend me, clients would recommend me to their friends.” Grace Dvornik, private chef“I was hired as a chef right away on a 64-foot sailing yacht,” says Dvornik. “In my personal experience, I haven’t had many celebrities.”As well as accommodating a range of clients, Dvornik has also acclimatized to a revolving door of colleagues-slash-roommates. While yacht crew are usually confined below deck, Dvornik says there are opportunities to enjoy the perks of living on a superyacht. But working in private aviation, Dvornik gets to spend a bit more time exploring.

Persons: Grace Dvornik, Dvornik didn’t, Dvornik, Dvornik’s, “, ”, “ It’s, Dvornik “, she’d, ” Grace Dvornik, ” Dvornik, She’s, she’s, “ I’ve, she’ll, there’s, ’, haven’t, I’m, deckhands, –, It’s, ” Dvornik’s, they’ve, ” “ I’ve, Grace Dvornik Dvornik, it’s, ” She’ll, ” She’s, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Ashburton Chefs Academy, George Brown College Chef School, J, Bravo, ” Yacht Locations: Caribbean, Bahamas, superyachts, Clearwater , Florida, Toronto, Canada, Wyoming, “, ”, Italy

☆ Wall Street's succession summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But first, it's the summer of succession — and no, we're not talking about the TV show. Wall Street CEOs pretend that succession planning is another chore, like hashing out the annual budget or organizing an earnings call. But behind the boring press announcing their succession plans is often a story of intrigue and drama. And then, of course, there's Jamie Dimon, Wall Street's longest-serving CEO. Earlier this week, Insider highlighted 17 young analysts poised to shine.

☆ Take a look at this sleek $3.7 million yacht that has 3 bedrooms and is perfect for Ibiza parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Yachting has long been a favorite pursuit of the rich and famous. Take a look inside the Princess Yachts S62, one of the vessels that was on display. From top business leaders and royals, to sports stars and Hollywood celebrities, yachting has long been a favorite pastime of the rich and famous. Whether it's Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' $500 million megayacht or Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie's $300 million aquarium-equipped superyacht, the boats are bigger and flashier than ever. Take a look inside one of the yachts that was on display.

☆ Did Jeff Bezos put a sculpture of his girlfriend on the bow of his new $500 million megayacht? You be the judge.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A sculpture on Jeff Bezos' new $500 million megayacht has tongues wagging: Is it his girlfriend? Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, were recently spotted on the yacht for the first time. A sculpture on Jeff Bezos' new megayacht has people wondering whether it's his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. Bezos and Sanchez, who went public with their relationship in 2019, were first spotted on the new $500 million superyacht earlier this week off the coast of Spain. The yacht made its maiden voyage in April when it left Oceanco's facilities to travel to Gibraltar on the way to Bezos.

☆ The crew of a sanctioned super yacht have been playing 'Call of Duty' in the master suite and swimming in the infinity pool
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A sanctioned superyacht is racking up about $112,000 per month in crew costs, Bloomberg reported. The crew have been on the vessel for over a year and have reportedly taken to playing "Call of Duty." Over the past year, Alfa Nero's crew have tried to find ways to pass time while the ship remains stuck. Bloomberg reported that the crew have taken to playing "Call of Duty" and other PlayStation games in the ship's master suite. The crew — which has dwindled from 44 to 6 people — will also sometimes swim in the yacht's infinity pool, Bloomberg said.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: 'I saw a quantum computer,' Gen Zer learns data analytics on YouTube, and Ford's Ranger Raptor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google's AI demonstration showed how Big Tech keeps on winning. Lots of startups are throwing their hat into the generative AI race. But it looks like Big Tech has a leg up on the competition. And it makes competitors even more dependent on Big Tech companies. My colleague Hugh Langley highlights how size and reach, not just quality, will win the AI race and breaks down how Big Tech is set to reap most of the spoils.

The complaint was sent to the US judges' Committee on Financial Disclosure. For now, questions about Thomas's previously undisclosed financial dealings with Harlan Crow, a billionaire Texas real-estate developer, will fall to an obscure committee of sixteen federal judges — the Committee on Financial Disclosure. Koszczuk said the same letterhead was routinely sent to any member of the public who asked for a judge's financial disclosure report. When Ranjan wrote his article, a review of a Thomas biography, the controversies surrounding Thomas had nothing to do with his financial disclosures. Judges' financial disclosures are only updated annually, and until recently, it wasn't easy to get ahold of them.

☆ Take a look inside Tommy Hilfiger's $46 million superyacht that you can charter from $444,000 a week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Luxury real-estate YouTuber Enes Yilmazer and his team spent four days on Tommy Hilfiger's yacht. The vessel's called Flag and is on sale with Burgess for $46 million. Enes YilmazerThe group toured the yacht and interviewed Tommy and Dee Hilfiger while on the trip in the Bahamas last month. The yacht is 62 meters (203 feet) long and 10 meters wide. It was built in 2000 by Feadship and has 7 state bedrooms, 6 state guest rooms, and an owner's suite.

☆ GOP megadonor Harlan Crow paid for Clarence Thomas to send a child in his custody to a $6,000-a-month private boarding school: ProPublica
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sent a child in his custody to a private boarding school. GOP megadonor Harlan Crow paid at least some of the child's $6,000-a-month tuition, per ProPublica. Tuition at the Hidden Lake Academy cost more than $6,000 a month, but ProPublica reported that Thomas did not pay for Martin's education himself. A former administrator at the school, Christopher Grimwood, told ProPublica that Crow covered the costs of Martin's entire education at the school — about a year. If Crow had paid for Martin's education at both schools over a period of four years, he would have spent more than $150,000, ProPublica said.

☆ Check out Nancy Walton Laurie's $300 million superyacht that features a helipad, swimming pool, and aquarium
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie owns a multi-award-winning $300 million superyacht. A superyacht owned by Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie attracted attention recently after being spotted in Miami, Florida. A TikToker posted a video of "Kaos," Walton Laurie's 361-foot luxury yacht, as it was moored outside her "front door." Walton Laurie, worth $7.5 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is the youngest daughter of Walmart co-founder James "Bud" Walton. Walton Laurie reportedly also owns another lavish superyacht called "Secret," according to Robb Report.

☆ A law school named after the late Antonin Scalia is a haven for conservative Supreme Court justices to enjoy lavish treatment, New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Antonin Scalia Law School at the Virginia-based George Mason University was renamed in 2016. The renaming was part of a plan to help its reputation by getting closer to the Supreme Court. Justices were given notable benefits to teach there, emails obtained by The New York Times reveal. This desire to keep Supreme Court leadership on their roster even superseded scandals the judges faced. The Antonin Scalia Law School and a spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Jeff Bezos, accidental style icon, was spotted at Coachella in a butterfly-print button-down shirt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos showed up at Coachella in a butterfly-print button-down shirt. "Looks like a low budget Fast and Furious scene," wrote Redditor RuckOver3 in a post that was upvoted more than 34,000 times as of press time. Bezos was spotted at the festival with his partner Lauren Sanchez, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, and Jenner's partner, Corey Gamble, per TMZ. wrote Redditor BarfJello, in a comment that had been upvoted more than 13,000 times as of press time. "Looks like the average Coachella attendee," wrote Reddit user electricman420.

☆ Sen. Wyden asks billionaire Harlan Crow for list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Monday asked GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for a complete list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and evidence that the billionaire real estate developer complied with federal tax law in connection with the long-undisclosed largesse to Thomas. "This unprecedented arrangement between a wealthy benefactor and a Supreme Court justice raises serious concerns related to federal tax and ethics laws," Wyden, who heads the Senate Finance Committee, wrote in a six-page letter to Crow. Thomas had not disclosed any of the gifts from Crow, or the property purchases by him, until they were revealed by ProPublica. "The secrecy surrounding your dealings with Justice Thomas is simply unacceptable," Wyden wrote in his letter to Crow. "The American public deserves a full accounting of the full extent of your largesse towards Justice Thomas, including whether these gifts complied with all relevant federal tax and ethics laws," he wrote.

☆ AOC says there's an easy solution if Clarence Thomas wants a life of luxury: 'Resign from the court'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in on Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed luxury trips. Public servants who want to live a luxury lifestyle "can resign from the court," she said. Thomas reportedly took undisclosed vacations with a GOP megadonor over the past 20 years. And if they want to live that kind of lifestyle, then they can resign from the court. Host Jordan Klepper asked who she thought would write the opinion if conflicting rulings on the abortion pill mifepristone make it to the Supreme Court.

☆ U.S. imposes fresh sanctions on financial network linked to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions aimed at the financial network linked to Russian billionaire and business tycoon Alisher Usmanov. Last year, German authorities seized the world's largest superyacht following official confirmation that the vessel had links to Usmanov. Read more: World’s largest yacht, linked to Russian billionaire Usmanov, is seized by GermanyUsmanov and his superyacht entered the crosshairs of the U.S. and its allies following coordinated global sanctions on Russian elites with Kremlin ties. Last March, French authorities seized a massive yacht they say is linked to Igor Sechin, a Russian billionaire who is CEO of state oil company Rosneft. The Lady M, known to be the property of Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov, was previously seized in Italy.

☆ Thomas revelation fits a broader pattern of nondisclosure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The recent revelations of lavish gifts and travel that a Republican megadonor showered on Justice Clarence Thomas reflect a larger Supreme Court culture of nondisclosure, little explanation, and no comment. The incident reflects the broader lack of accountability at the high court regarding off-bench behavior. Justices regularly brush aside reporters’ queries for specifics on travel and gifts, book advances and other extracurricular activities. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin made another such plea to Roberts this week as he also urged the chief justice to open an investigation into Thomas’ conduct. Chief justice on the spotRoberts, who became chief justice in 2005, has continually described the high court as beyond the realm of politics and worthy of public trust.

The hearing, they said, would focus on "the need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court's ethical standards." "And if the court does not resolve this issue on its own, the committee will consider legislation to resolve it," they told Roberts. ProPublica reported on Thursday that Thomas accepted expensive trips from Republican donor and real estate magnate Harlan Crow over decades without disclosing them. Thomas defended the trips on Friday, saying he had been advised he was not required to report that type of "personal hospitality." Crow told ProPublica he had "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."

☆ Senate Democrats urge Supreme Court chief justice to investigate Clarence Thomas luxury trips
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. The Senate Judiciary Committee's Democratic majority on Monday called for an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' behavior after a report revealed he had failed to disclose years of luxury trips funded by a Republican megadonor. Chief Justice John Roberts should "immediately open" a probe into "how such conduct could take place" on his watch, read a letter from Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois and the Senate Judiciary panel's 10 other Democratic members. The Democrats also warned they would "consider legislation to resolve" the issue if the high court does not do so on its own. The Senate Judiciary panel's letter to Roberts said Thomas' failure to report the trips is "plainly inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any person in a position of public trust."

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