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☆ Trump's co-defendants in the Georgia election interference indictment include Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Kanye West's former publicist
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Lloyd Lee | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump was indicted again Monday in connection to his efforts to overturn Georgia's election results. Fulton County DA Fani Willis charged the former president with 13 crimes including racketeering. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. In February, the foreperson for the Fulton County grand jury, who heard months worth of witness testimony told CNN, that the amount of recommended indictments was "not a short list." More than 75 witnesses were called before the grand jury throughout the probe, per CNN.

Persons: Trump, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Joe Biden's, David Shafer, Cathleen Latham, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, Mark Meadows, Michael Roman, Robert Cheeley, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee Harrison Floyd, Sydney Powell, Sydney Powell Scott Hall, Misty Hampton, — Organizations: Fulton, Trump, Service, CNN, Republican, Georgia Republican, Ray Smith III Former Trump, GOP, Trump Trevian, Kanye West Dallas, Sydney Powell Scott, Fulton County Republican Locations: Fulton County, Wall, Silicon, Georgia, Coffee County, Michael Roman Georgia, Chicago

☆ Rudy Giuliani, who pioneered the use of RICO when he was a US attorney, just got indicted on RICO charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rudy Giuliani made his career using RICO to go after the mob when he was a US Attorney. Now, he's been indicted on RICO charges himself by the Fulton County DA's office. Giuliani was charged in connection to his efforts to help Trump overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. That's Rudy Giuliani, who spearheaded the Manhattan US attorney's office in the 1980s before going on to serve as the mayor of New York City. The former mayor was indicted in connection to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia to help Donald Trump stay in office.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, he's, Giuliani, Trump, That's Rudy Giuliani, Ted Goodman, Donald Trump, Fani Willis Organizations: Service, Manhattan US, Organization, Fulton County Locations: Fulton County, Wall, Silicon, New York City, Georgia, New York, York City

☆ Opinion: Why the Georgia indictment is hugely damaging to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Opinion Jennifer Rodgers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

On Monday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced the fourth indictment against Trump — as well as 18 others — for alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. The indictment is sweeping, invoking Georgia’s version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and 40 other counts. While this Georgia indictment does not provide the easy-to-read narrative that Smith gave us in the federal election interference case, the evidence here was exhaustively collected over more than two years. Since these charges have been brought in Georgia state court — and not federal court — neither Trump, should he win in 2024, nor any another Republican president can issue a pardon. Under Georgia law, a state pardon can only be given by a state pardon board — not the governor — and only afterfive years have passed following completion of the sentence.

Persons: Jennifer Rodgers, CNN —, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Trump, Jack, Smith, Willis, Ruby Freeman, Shaye Moss, —, Willis ’, Alvin Bragg’s Organizations: New York University School of Law, Columbia Law School, CNN, Fulton, Trump —, Department, Electoral, Twitter, Facebook, Trump, Republican, Manhattan Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Coffee County, Washington , DC, Arizona , Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada

☆ What is RICO, the law at the heart of Trump’s Georgia criminal case?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The state law – which is commonly referred to as RICO – is similar to the federal version of the statue that targets so-called criminal enterprises. RELATED: Former President Donald Trump’s fourth indictment, annotated“Federal RICO is a very big deal. Georgia RICO is a different animal. “The point is, it’s used very aggressively there.”For Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the law has been her calling card. Like the others, Giuliani is also charged under the Georgia RICO law.

Persons: Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s, it’s, ”, Kenneth White, Fani Willis, she’s, Young, ” Willis, “, Trump, Willis, Andrew Fleischman, Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani, ” Giuliani, CNN Willis, RICO Willis, Young Thug, Gang, Fulton Organizations: Washington CNN, Peach State, District of Columbia, Prosecutors, Trump, Georgia House, Senate, Southern, of, New York Times, CNN, CNN Willis ’, Atlanta Public School Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, Peach, Fulton County , Georgia, State of Georgia, Arizona , Michigan, Nevada , New Mexico , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, District, Pennsylvania , Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin , Arizona, of New York, Washington

☆ An ex-Mafia hitman says Trump and Giuliani shouldn't face RICO charges because they aren't real criminals like he was
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An ex-mobster called it "disgusting" that Donald Trump is facing a RICO charge like the one he pleaded guilty to. Trump and allies like Rudy Giuliani have been indicted on RICO charges famously used against the mafia. If the former president or his co-defendants are convicted of the RICO charges in Georgia, they could face between five and 20 years behind bars. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File"The reason why I am speaking up for Giuliani and Trump is because they're not me.

Persons: Donald Trump, Gambino, John Alite, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, turncoat, Alite —, —, Donald Trump Alex Brandon, Giuliani, Alite, Patrick Semansky, they're, They're, he's Organizations: Service, Trump, AP, New York City, Prosecutors, Former New York City, Giuliani Locations: Wall, Silicon, Georgia, Florida, Queens , New York, Trump's Georgia, Brazil, New York

☆ PayPal would slot well in a different wallet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The $70 billion company’s struggles, and the incoming chief’s credentials, set the stage for a transaction of some sort. He also spearheaded its $12 billion purchase of marketing service Mailchimp in 2021, which could augur a deal. And an operation like PayPal’s could help CEO Mark Zuckerberg challenge potential cage-match opponent Elon Musk and his super-app ambitions at X, formerly known as Twitter. Given PayPal’s massive slump, Chriss will be under pressure to restore the luster, or to slot it into another company’s wallet. In 2021, he led the company’s $12 billion acquisition of Mailchimp.

Persons: Alex Chriss, Dan Schulman, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Lina Khan, Fiserv, Frank Bisignano, Peter Thiel, Sexier, Chriss, Schulman, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, PayPal, Intuit, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Facebook, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal Mafia, Mailchimp, Thomson

☆ FBI team joins probe into Ecuador presidential candidate slaying
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view of the rally site where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro/File PhotoQUITO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were meeting with Ecuadorean police and prosecutors on Sunday as part of a joint effort to uncover who was behind last week's assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Villavicencio was one of eight candidates crisscrossing the Andean country for votes ahead of the Aug. 20 election. While ballots for the election had already been printed prior to Villavicencio's assassination, votes for him will automatically transfer to the party's replacement. Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro, Juan Zapata, Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Zurita, Alexandra Valencia, David Alire Garcia, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Villavicencio, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, QUITO, American, Spanish

☆ Ecuador awaits funeral for assassinated presidential candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Supporters of assassinated Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio have been hosting gatherings in his memory and waiting to see whether his family on Friday will give details of plans for his funeral. Villavicencio's body was released to two family representatives, including his lawyer, on Thursday, according to the attorney general's office. Some family members are believed to be outside Ecuador and traveling back for the funeral. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag as he attends a rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. Violence in Ecuador has surged in recent years, especially in cities along drug-trafficking routes like Guayaquil and Esmeraldas where citizens say they live in fear.

Persons: Ecuadorean, Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio's, Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Luisa Gonzalez, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Karen Toro, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Albanian mafia, REUTERS, Albanian, Thomson Locations: QUITO, American, Ecuador, Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Esmeraldas

☆ Fernando Villavicencio assasination: How corruption and gang warfare transformed Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the high-profile assassination on Wednesday of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio could be a turning point for the country that has so far struggled to control the bloodshed. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ran on an anti-corruption platform prior to his death. Floundering authoritiesSecurity and state forces have been badly unprepared for the rise of criminal groups in the country. A a car transports the body of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 10. Last year, the US withdrew visas from high-ranking officers of Ecuadorian state security forces, alleged to be linked to drug trafficking, as well as several judges and lawyers.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, ” Juan Pappier, Watch’s, “, Karen Toro, Laura Lizarazo, ”, ” Lizarazo, Ecuador’s, Guillermo Lasso, Lizarazo, Eric Farnsworth, –, Villavicencio –, El, Nayib Bukele, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Customs, Border Patrol, Ecuadorian, Reuters, Lobos, of, Americas Society, Security Locations: Ecuador, ”, Peru, Colombia, Europe, Washington, Americas

☆ Retailers say organized theft is biting into profits, but internal issues may really be to blame
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In this article TGTFL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThis is part two of a three-part series on organized retail crime. "If there's an occurrence of external theft they would steal let's say 10 bucks worth of merchandise, but if it's internal theft, it'd be 40 bucks." Internal theft also happens at warehouses and in aisles where online orders are prepared, one of the people said. However, he thinks internal theft is now "second place" to external theft. Shrink references reach a 'fever pitch'Retailers started to blame organized theft for lower profits as the industry's performance started to suffer.

Persons: Daniel Acker, they're, Neil Saunders, GlobalData, it's, Saunders, Patrick Tormey, it'd, Sonia Lapinsky, AlixPartners, David Johnston, Janine Stichter, Fonrouge, Foot Locker, You've, Mary Dillon, Locker, Michael Nagle Organizations: Target Corp, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Lehman College School of Business, National Retail Federation, Retailers, Walgreens Locations: Chicago , Illinois, drugstores, America, GlobalData, New York, U.S

Police officers work outside the rally site where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen ToroQUITO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The murder of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has made some voters more wary of going to the polls on Aug. 20, making an unsettled election even harder to forecast. Voters said they were afraid of more bloodshed, with some weighing whether to comply with mandatory voting rules. "I am scared and I'm thinking about whether to go vote," said Quito manicurist Margarita Alvarado, 45. "The assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio complicates what is already an atypical and complex political crisis in Ecuador," said Verisk Maplecroft chief analyst Jimena Blanco and lead Americas analyst Eileen Gavin in a note.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro QUITO, Margarita Alvarado, couldn't, Alvarado, pollster Cedatos, Verisk, Jimena Blanco, Eileen Gavin, Villavicencio's, Villavicencio, Luisa Gonzalez, Teneo, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Paulina Recalde, Perfiles, Recalde, Fernando, Santiago Avilez, Alexandra Valencia, Tito Correa, Julia Symmes Cobb, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Voters, Twitter, Albanian mafia, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Americas

☆ Assassination of presidential candidate shocks Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shocked the South American country, where rising drug-related violence is a major concern for voters, leading some of his rivals to suspend campaigning. Nine people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers, were injured, it added. "Ecuador has become a failed state," Correa, who now lives in Belgium, said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. [1/4]Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez and law-and-order hopeful Jan Topic both suspended their campaigns, while businessman Otto Sonnenholzner begged the government to take action.

Persons: Ecuadorean, Fernando Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Rafael Correa, Villavicencio, Correa, Karen Toro, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Construye, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Albanian, Manta, Thomson Locations: QUITO, American, Quito, Ecuador, Peru, Belgium

☆ Ecuador presidential candidate Villavicencio assassinated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

QUITO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed on Wednesday evening during a campaign event in northern Quito, authorities said. The violence injured nine other people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers. [1/5]Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. This vile act will not go unpunished!," presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who is running for Correa's party, said on X.Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez said he had decided to suspend his presidential campaign and demanded the violence stop in a video posted after the incident. May God have him in his glory," presidential hopeful Jan Topic said on X, before also suspending his campaign.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Construye, Karen Toro Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Correa, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, God, Jan, Alexandra Valencia, Valentine Hilaire, Isabel Woodford, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lincoln Organizations: Local, Interior Ministry, Albanian, Manta, REUTERS, Lasso, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Ecuador, Quito, Andean, Chimborazo, Alausi, Peru, Belgium, Carolina

☆ Who is Fernando Villavicencio, the anti-corruption candidate shot dead in Ecuador?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, shot dead on the campaign trail on Wednesday, was known as a tireless anti-corruption campaigner and investigative journalist. Villavicencio’s campaign promised a crackdown on crime and corruption amid a deadly escalation of violence that has gripped Ecuador in recent years. Villavicencio was shot as he left the campaign event pictured here. Correa filed a defamation lawsuit against Villavicencio, and he was later convicted to 18 months in prison as a result. Villavicencio went on the run to avoid detention, and gave an interview to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2014.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, CNN En, Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Correa, “, ”, ” Villavicencio Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorian, National Assembly, CNN En Español, Prensa, Workers Press, Villavicencio, Protect Journalists, TV Locations: Ecuador, Peru, Peruvian, TV Peru

☆ The Future of Rap Is Female
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Niela Orr | Photographs Adrienne Raquel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +22 min

The Future of Rap Is Female As their male counterparts turn depressive and paranoid, it’s the women who are having all the fun. In the mid-’80s, the dynamics shifted slightly, when UTFO released “Roxanne, Roxanne,” a comical torch song dissing a woman who rejected the men’s advances. Like good sex, raunchy rap is only fun if all parties are completely enthusiastic, and this music provides necessary female perspectives to match what the men make. In Miami one weekend in late July, Rolling Loud, one of the biggest annual hip-hop festivals, made itself into a microcosm of the rap world. There’s a relentless gender pessimism in the air, too — on the street, on dating apps, in the Supreme Court and, of course, in rap music.

Persons: Sackler, Drake, Foley, Yung Miami, Wu, Da, Tupac Shakur, Nicki Minaj, Cardi, Megan Thee, there’s, ”, There’s Latto, Jung Kook, “, Diana ”, Boy’s, Red’s, Munch, Rodney Dangerfield, munch, ” MAIYA, “ We’re, Lil Baby, Flo Milli, —, ” Flo Milli, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire —, Debbie D, Lisa Lee, Mercedes Ladies, UTFO, Roxanne, Lolita Shanté Gooden, Gooden, ” FLO MILLI, Roxanne Shanté, Clover Hope, M.C, Brian Coleman, Lyte, Ruff Ryders, it’s, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Kash Doll, SKODI LOLA BROOKE, Lil ’ Kim, “ I’m, I’m, ” That’s, Lolita Gooden, Greta Gerwig’s “ Barbie ”, James Harden, P.J, Tucker, KENTHEMAN “, I’ve, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, Grace Jones, Benzino, blowin, ignorin ’, Berry hairdo, Grandmaster Flash, It’s, ” —, ” Leray, VETTE, CHANEL, ” Flo, Cartier, “ Lyte, Flo Organizations: YouTube, Girls, City Girls, Public, Down Productions, Wu -, Digital, City, Memphis, Brooklyn Locations: Miami, Wu - Tang, “, Bronx, Mobile , Ala, y’all

Quito, Ecuador CNN —A candidate in Ecuador’s upcoming presidential election, Fernando Villavicencio, was assassinated at a campaign event Wednesday, President Guillermo Lasso confirmed on social media, vowing the killing will not go unpunished. He was gunned down 10 days before the first round of the presidential election was set to take place on August 20. Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office said the suspected gunman died in police custody following an exchange of fire with security personnel. Seven of the eight presidential candidates, including Villavicencio, were under police protection, Ecuador’s Interior Minister Juan Zapata said earlier this week, local media reported Tuesday. All the candidates in the country’s presidential election have pledged to rein in the escalation of violence.

Persons: Ecuador CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Villavicencio, Cristian Zurita, Rodrigo Figueroa, “, Lasso, ” Lasso, Juan Zapata, paz ”, Agustin Intriago, Ariana Chancay, CNN En, CNN En Español Conclusiones, ” Organizations: Ecuador CNN, Movimiento, CNN, Ecuador’s, General’s, Judicial, Fire Department, Ecuador Police, National, Lasso, paz, Security, CNN En Español Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Villavicencio, Peru, Colombia, South America, North America, Europe, Manta, Darien, United States

☆ Why Televising the Trump Trials Is a Bad Idea - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Nick Akerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

As the indictments against former President Donald Trump multiply, TV and print media commentators as well as members of Congress have called for cameras in the courtroom. As an assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of New York, I tried a number of Mafia and organized crime cases. The Trump trials are no different. “If jurors’ identities [in this case] were disclosed, there would be a strong likelihood of unwanted media attention to the jurors, influence attempts, and/or of harassment or worse of jurors by supporters of Mr. Trump,” Judge Kaplan found on March 23. In reaching that decision, the judge referred to reports of Mr. Trump’s previous “violent rhetoric.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Trump’s, John Lauro, “, ”, Jean Carroll, Lewis Kaplan, ” Judge Kaplan Organizations: United, of, Trump, Mr, ” Locations: United States, Southern, of New York

☆ Inside the secret Google DeepMind mafia of founders working on new stealth AI startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There is an influx of cash and interest into artificial intelligence startups right now. Insider spoke to ex-Google DeepMind staffers who have founded AI startups in stealth. He isn't the only DeepMind alum working on practical applications of artificial intelligence. Last month, Mistral, an AI startup founded by DeepMind alum, secured $113 million in seed funding from Lightspeed just four weeks after it launched. He has since been working on his second AI startup in stealth mode since June 2023, adding that working under the radar was inspired by DeepMind's "own model of working in stealth."

Persons: Mustafa Suleyman, Suleyman, Devang Agrawal, Jonathan Godwin, DeepMind, Godwin, Simon Kohl, Ang Li, isn't, Li, Simon Menashy, Adam Liska, Demis Hassabis, GlyphicAI's Agrawal, Mehdi Ghissassi, OpenAI's, Agrawal, Karl Moritz Hermann, DeepMind's Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Labs, MMC Ventures, DeepMind, Lightspeed Locations: DeepMind, London, California

☆ Ecudor crisis: How gang warfare jumped from Ecuador's prisons to the open street
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Frantic purchases of ammunition, the daylight assassination of a mayor, and a growing body count inside Ecuador’s prisons signal that the country’s roiling security crisis is going from bad to worse. Violence has been most pronounced on Ecuador’s Pacific coast as criminal groups battle to control and distribute narcotics, primarily cocaine. The country has also lost control of its prisons, which are often ruled by the criminal gangs. Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso speaks during a meeting in the Carondelet Palace in Quito on November 10, 2021. The crisis has also affected the security and justice system with allegations of corruption swirling around some in courts and police.

Persons: Agustin Intriago, Ariana Chancay, Agustin Intriago's, Dolores Ochoa, Guillermo Lasso, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Coronel Mario Pazmiño, CRISTINA VEGA RHOR, Lasso, ” Lasso, ”, Fausto Salinas, Luisa Gonzalez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Yaku Perez Organizations: CNN, Manta, Security, Authorities, Reuters, Ecuadorian Army, Getty, Public Security Council, Ecuadorian Locations: Ecuador’s, Guayaquil, Manta, Ecuador, South America, North America, Europe, Peru, Colombia, America, Bolivia, Carondelet, Quito, AFP, Manabi

London CNN —The United Kingdom government has been heavily criticized by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee for underestimating the growth of Russia’s Wagner private mercenary group, despite it posing a major threat to the country’s interests. Wagner “essentially operate like a criminal mafia,” Kearns said in an interview with Sky News Wednesday. Barbara Debout/AFP/Getty Images/FILEIt also criticized the UK government for only beginning to seriously monitor the group after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. “It is deeply regrettable that it was not until early 2022 that the Government began to invest greater resource in understanding the Wagner Network, despite Wagner fighters having already conducted military operations in at least seven countries for almost a decade,” read the report. “The Government has not told us anything specific that it is doing to challenge the network’s influence and impunity outside of Ukraine,” the report said.

Persons: Russia’s Wagner, Wagner, ”, Alicia Kearns, Wagner “, ” Kearns, “, Barbara Debout Organizations: London CNN, United, Parliament’s Foreign, “, CNN, Sky News, Getty, Government, Wagner Network, European Union Locations: Africa, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Central African Republic, Libya, Mozambique, Mali, Bangui, AFP, “, United States

☆ Putin 'just hid' during Wagner's mutiny, proving he can't guarantee 'security' for Russia, a former Russian colonel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin "just hid" during Wagner's mutiny, a former Russian colonel told The Washington Post. Chaos in Russian leadership left local authorities without direction during Prigozhin's rebellion. Gudkov told the Post that Putin's inaction during Yevgeny Prigozhin's 24-hour rebellion severely damaged his reputation with top Russian officials. That's left Putin appearing weak. One senior Moscow financier connected to Russian intel told the Post: "Russia is a country of mafia rules.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Gennady Gudkov, Gudkov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko, standdown, unsparingly, Prigozhin —, That's Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Russian Defense, Ukraine, Kremlin, Russian intel Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Belarus, Moscow, Russia

☆ Come on, Elon Musk's X logo isn't that bad
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The X logo is pretty nice. Mourn the blue bird for now, but get used to the new X. I know we miss the blue bird, but come on, the new X logo isn't that bad. Lots of people were nervous that the demise of the bird logo and its renaming to "X" would come with another ugly or incomprehensible logo. Goodbye, Twitter bird.

Persons: Elon Musk, Gabby, Mike Lindell's Frank Social, Linda Yaccarino, they'd, could've Organizations: San, Service, PayPal, Twitter Locations: San Francisco, Wall, Silicon, Grimes

☆ The Personal Back Story Driving ‘They Cloned Tyrone’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reggie Ugwu | More About Reggie Ugwu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Where did “Tyrone” start for you? I knew I wanted to do a mystery, like a bootleg Scooby-Doo where the detectives are inadequate but somehow uniquely equipped. He had gotten arrested for something when we were 18 or 19 that ended up changing the course of his life. I started thinking a lot about blame and responsibility and that’s when all the elements of the movie came together. A lot of times it’s a song, or a piece of score and I’ll be trying to recapture how that feels.

Persons: Tyrone ”, Tony, Dion, ”, II ”, Fontaine, I’ll, Bootsy Collins, Mary Jane Girls, Patrice Rushen, Alicia Myers —, Pat, UGK

☆ Another twist in the 40-year-old missing ‘Vatican girl’ case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It gained further international attention with the release last fall of Netflix’s “Vatican Girl” docuseries by filmmaker Mark Lewis. Among the documents was correspondence between Agostino Casaroli, then Vatican secretary of state, and a Colombian priest who had been the spiritual guide and confessor of the Orlandi family. Now the Orlandi family fears that the Vatican dossier does not include investigatory leads they hoped the Rome prosecutor would follow – primarily that the Vatican was somehow involved. The teenager was the daughter of a prominent Vatican employee and lived inside the fortified walls of Vatican City, where her mother still lives. Laura Sgro, the attorney for the Orlandi family, said at the press conference that the authorities had also cleared the uncle.

Persons: Rome, Orlandi, Netflix’s, Mark Lewis, Pietro Orlandi, La7, Agostino Casaroli, Laura Sgro, Mario Meneguzzi, Emanuela’s, ”, ” Pietro Orlandi, Natalina Orlandi, Emanuela, Andreas Solaro, Pope Francis, angelus, “, Natalina, Meneguzzi, Pietro Orlandi’s, Alessandro Diddi, Sgro, Enrico de Pedis Organizations: Rome CNN, Vatican, Catholic, Foreign Press Association, Getty, Dei Catholic, Rome police, Rome, CNN, Pontifical Teutonic College Locations: Rome, Italy, Colombian, AFP, Piazza Navona, Vatican City

☆ An ex-Meta employee said he had so little to do during his first few weeks as a full-time staffer that he went surfing on a work day
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Grace Kay | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former Meta worker said he went surfing on a work day because he didn't have any assignments. A former Meta worker said he had so much free time when he was hired onto the tech company that he once went surfing on a work day. The worker is one of many to point to a culture of "fake work" and "lazy management" in Silicon Valley. Earlier this year, a former Meta employee went viral on TikTok after she said she "had to fight to find work" at the company. The Meta worker said he was eliminated in the company's first round of layoffs.

Persons: Keith Rabois, that's Organizations: Meta, PayPal Mafia, Google Locations: Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Meta's

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