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☆ Israel's Netanyahu taken to hospital for a heart procedure and placed under sedation as hundreds of thousands march in protest of his plans to overhaul the judiciary
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Sunday he was going to the hospital for an emergency procedure to receive a pacemaker, but vowed to press ahead with his controversial judicial overhaul plan. Netanyahu's office made the announcement as Israel faces widespread street protests over Netanyahu's contentious judicial overhaul plan. Levin is the mastermind of the overhaul plan. The signatories included Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister, and Moshe Yaalon, a former army chief and defense minister. In a speech Thursday, Netanyahu doubled down on the overhaul and dismissed as absurd the accusations that the plan would destroy Israel's democratic foundations.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Yariv Levin, Levin, throngs, Monday's, Joe Biden, Ehud Barak, Moshe Yaalon, Israel Katz, Yoav Gallant Organizations: Israeli, National Institutes of Health, Likud, Channel, West Bank Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Jerusalem, Israel's, Beersheba, Haifa, Netanya

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin was just winging it with his armed revolt and making things up as he went along, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin shocked the world when he called on his Wagner Group fighters to invade Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns said this week that Prigozhin was likely improvising during the armed rebellion. Prigozhin was "making some of this up as he went along," Burns told the Aspen Security Forum. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Within hours, the Wagner Group had captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don without meeting any resistance.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Prigozhin, Burns, Wagner, Joe Biden, I'm, William Burns, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, he'd, Alexander Lukashenko, Reuters Prigozhin, he'll, Russia —, Vladimir Putin, they've, Putin's misjudgment, Russian Wagner, Mark Milley, Milley Organizations: Wagner Group, CIA, Aspen Security, Service, Russian Defense, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus —, Wagner, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Russian, Voronezh, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Osipovichi, Kyiv

July 20 (Reuters) - FTX Trading on Thursday sued founder Sam Bankman-Fried and other former executives of the cryptocurrency exchange, seeking to recoup more than $1 billion they allegedly misappropriated before FTX went bankrupt. FTX is now led by John Ray, who helped manage Enron after the energy trader's 2001 bankruptcy. FTX said Bankman-Fried and Wang also misappropriated $546 million to buy shares of Robinhood Markets (HOOD.O), while Ellison used $28.8 million to pay herself bonuses. The case is FTX Trading Ltd et al v Bankman-Fried et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, No. The main bankruptcy case is In re FTX Trading Ltd et al in the same court, No.

Persons: Sam Bankman, FTX, Caroline Ellison, Gary, Wang, Nishad Singh, Fried, John Ray, Ellison, Singh, Jonathan Stempel, Mike Scarcella, Leslie Adler Organizations: Alameda Research, Enron, U.S, Robinhood, Bankruptcy, District of, FTX, bk, Thomson Locations: Delaware, Alameda, U.S, District, District of Delaware, New York

☆ Ukraine's spymaster comes out of the shadows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

For an intelligence chief running Ukraine's spy operations during war with Russia, Kyrylo Budanov, 37, has built up an unusually public profile that he has used to get his message out and to menace Russia from afar. These days, a spy boss cannot stay in the shadows, he says. "It's not possible without this, not anymore," the head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) told Reuters in an interview at his heavily defended headquarters in the capital. The prospect of a spy agency sending assassins to hunt down Ukraine's enemies has drawn comparisons with Israel's Mossad. Budanov began his military career as a special forces operative and served in the east after Russia illegally annexed Crimea and its proxies took over Ukraine's eastern fringes.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kyrylo Budanov, GUR, Budanov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, haven't, Tom Balmforth, Sergiy, Mike Collett, White, Peter Graff Organizations: Kyiv, Ukraine's Main Intelligence, Reuters, Russian Interior Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, RUSSIA, Russian, Crimea, Rybalskyi

☆ China blasts US for forcing it to accept South China Sea ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Filipino activists gather outside the Chinese consular office to commemorate the anniversary of the Philippines' victory against China in the UN arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 12, 2023. The ruling, handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague seven years ago, concluded that Beijing's claim to almost the entire South China Sea was groundless. China, whose actions in the South China Sea have been the subject of hundreds of diplomatic protests filed by the Philippines, also maintained that it does not accept any claim or action based on the ruling. "We firmly reject attempts to deliberately diminish or undermine the Award's definitive legal effects in international law," Philippines Foreign Ministry undersecretary Theresa Lazaro told a forum on the South China Sea. About $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass through the South China Sea every year.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, Wang Wenbing, Matthew Miller, Theresa Lazaro, Karen Lema, Bernard Orr, Raissa Kasolowsky, Mark Porter Organizations: China, UN, REUTERS, Foreign Ministry, U.S . State Department, Wednesday, Beijing, Philippines Foreign, Thomson Locations: Philippines, China, Makati City, Metro Manila, Eloisa Lopez BEIJING, United States, South China, Washington, Beijing, The Hague, U.S, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Manila

☆ A Chinese woman had no idea her husband was a famous critic of China's government until police stormed into their apartment and dragged him out
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Chinese woman believes her imprisoned husband, Ruan Xiaohuan, is the legendary dissident blogger behind ProgramThink. She told The New York Times that she had no idea about her husband until police dragged him away. She spent months fighting to overturn his conviction before she went silent in June, the times reported. At the time, Bei had no idea what was going on as Chinese police spent 12 hours ransacking her apartment, according to the Times. And the same month that Bei's husband was taken away, the blog went dark, the Times reported.

Persons: Ruan Xiaohuan, —, Bei Zhenying, Bei, Ruan Organizations: New York Times, Service, Times, Twitter Locations: Shanghai

☆ Uganda: Twenty people arrested on suspicion of collaborating in Uganda school massacre
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Twenty people accused of helping an ISIS-linked rebel group suspected of killing dozens, mostly students at a school in western Uganda, have been arrested, Ugandan police told CNN. A spokesperson for the Uganda Police Force, Fred Enanga, told CNN on Monday that 20 suspected ADF collaborators had been arrested, but no actual members of the militia group. The arrests follow authorities’ earlier disclosure that the ADF may have spent days planning the attack with the help of local residents in town. The Lhubirira school is located in the town of Kasese, which sits along the country’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, with students aged between 13 and 18. The ISIS-linked ADF was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2021 and was sanctioned by the United Nations in 2014.

Persons: Fred Enanga, Yoweri Museveni, ” Museveni Organizations: CNN, Allied Democratic Forces, Lhubirira Secondary, Uganda Police Force, ADF, Democratic, UBC Television, United Nations Locations: Uganda, Mpondwe, Kasese, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda’s, Congo, Congo Government, North Kivu, United States

☆ Opinion | Before Trump, There Was Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Mattia Ferraresi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

ROME — The tycoon-turned-politician spent his career mixing entertainment and power, escaping sex scandals and remodeling his party in his own plasticized image. But it’s actually Silvio Berlusconi, who died on Monday at the age of 86. Four times Italy’s prime minister, Mr. Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for three decades and fundamentally reshaped its landscape and imagination. In leveraging his fame and celebrity to gain power — and managing against all odds to retain it — Mr. Berlusconi provided a template for Mr. Trump’s own political career. Long before Mr. Trump cried “witch hunt” and labeled the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a “psychopath,” Mr. Berlusconi was denouncing a Communist plot brought by judges in “red robes” who were out to destroy him.

Persons: ROME, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, it’s, Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Mr, Trump’s, strongmen, Long, Trump, Alvin Bragg, ” Mr Organizations: First, Mr Locations: Italian, Milan, First Republic, Manhattan

☆ Tim Cook bets his legacy on augmented reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

David Paul Morris/Getty Images Cook speaks in front of an image of an iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in 2011. Yui Mok/PA Images/Getty Images Tim Cook puts on a Boston Red Sox jersey before a baseball game between the Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers in June 2017. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Tim Cook signs the box of a new iPhone X at an Apple Store in Palo Alto in November 2017. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images Cook speaks via video conference at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on online platforms and market power in July 2020. In pictures: Apple CEO Tim Cook Prev NextFollowers of the company are divided on what the headset could ultimately mean for Cook.

Persons: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, Cook, It’s, … it’s, ”, Margaret O’Mara, Andrew Burton, Phil Schiller, Jobs, David Paul Morris, Apple, Tom Williams, Marcio Jose Sanchez, Bono, Justin Sullivan, Tony Avelar, Stephen Lam, George Washington University's, Alex Brandon, Stephen Colbert, Jeffrey R, Pope Francis, Shutterstock Cook, Maddie Ziegler, AirPods, Monica Davey, James Corden, Pharrell, Beck Diefenbach, Reuters Cook, Yui Mok, Billie Weiss, Donald Trump, Jonathan, Oprah Winfrey, Win McNamee, Theresa Goh, Edgar Su, Andrew Harrer, Graeme Jennings, Noah Berger, Sajid Moinuddin, India's, Francis Mascarenhas, Brooks Kraft, it’s, Mike Bailey, “, Tim Bajarin, ’, ” Bajarin, Bajarin, they’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Vision, Apple Watch, University of Washington, Washington Post, Getty, Reuters, Alamy, Homeland Security, Governmental, Flint Center, Performing Arts, Cook, CBS, Serviziofotograficoor, Primary School, Boston Red Sox, Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, American Technology, White House, Steve Jobs Theatre, Carnegie Library, Central Public Library, Bloomberg, Singapore, Apple Worldwide, Conference, Epic Games, Apple Inc, FBB Capital Partners, Jobs Locations: New York, Cupertino , California, Cupertino, Palo Alto , California, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Down, London, Washington , DC, Oakland , California, Mumbai

☆ The Unabomber died by suicide, AP reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ted Kaczynski carried out a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. Kaczynski was suffering from late-stage cancer and was found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday. He died by suicide, four people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. They were not authorized to discuss Kaczynski's death publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Bernie Madoff, the infamous mastermind of the largest-ever Ponzi scheme, died at the facility of natural causes the same year.

Persons: Ted Kaczynski, Kaczynski, —, Jeffrey Epstein, Bernie Madoff, David, Linda Patrik, He's, Daryl Johnson Organizations: Associated Press, Service, Federal Medical Center, AP, Prisons, Harvard, Yale University, The New York Times, Washington Post, FBI, American Airlines, New Lines Institute Locations: Butner , North Carolina, Florence , Colorado, North Carolina, Montana, California, Lincoln , Montana, Chicago

☆ Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, was found dead in his prison cell
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Michael Belsamo | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The infamous Unabomber Ted Kaczynski has died at age 81. "I'm confident that I'm sane," Kaczynski told Time magazine in 1999. David Kaczynski wanted his role kept confidential, but his identity quickly leaked out and Ted Kaczynski vowed never to forgive his younger sibling. Ted Kaczynski was born May 22, 1942, in Chicago, the son of second-generation Polish Catholics — a sausage-maker and a homemaker. His brother fired him and Ted Kaczynski soon returned to the wilderness to continue plotting his vengeful killing spree.

Persons: Ted Kaczynski, David, —, — Theodore, Ted, Kaczynski, Kristie, David's, Linda Patrik, Daniel Boone, Edward Abbey, Henry David Thoreau, Sally Johnson, Hugh Scrutton, Thomas Mosser, Gilbert Murray, Charles Epstein, David Gelernter, Mosser, Susan, Timothy McVeigh, Patrik, Ted Kaczynski's, Susan Swanson, Chicago . Swanson, Clint Van Zandt, David Kaczynski, Swanson, Anthony Bisceglie, Ann Arbor, ___ Balsamo, Derek Rose Organizations: FBI, Service, WASHINGTON, Harvard, of Prisons, Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Times, Industrial Society, Its, American Airlines, Yale University, Oklahoma City, Bennington College, University of Michigan, University of California Locations: Montana, Butner , North Carolina, Florence , Colorado, West Coast, nation's, Lincoln , Montana, California, North Caldwell , New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, America, Ann, Berkeley, Lincoln, Miami

☆ Why Are the Language Police Obsessed With Vice Presidents?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Paul Mcadory | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A vice president makes countless public appearances that will be mostly ignored unless something humiliating happens — something that serves to make him or her look like the hapless lightweight who symbolizes an entire administration’s ineptitude. Bush’s young vice president, Dan Quayle, is remembered for misspelling “potato” on camera. Biden’s time in the office actually helped burnish a goofy charm; he was seen not just as folksy or avuncular but, in some corners, paradoxically cool. This is the woman seen, in some clips, singing “Wheels on the Bus” at a campaign vehicle and then cackling with laughter, or gushing about Venn diagrams. One Twitter user racked up likes by positing that her meandering sentences resemble the dense philosophy of Friedrich Hegel.

Persons: —, Harris’s, Harris, George H.W, Bush’s, Dan Quayle, Joe Biden’s, Barack Obama, Mike Pence, Donald Trump, abasing lackey, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Dick Cheney, jean, Brandon, Biden, Friedrich Hegel Organizations: Central Locations: V.P.s

☆ PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf in a deal that would see the competitors squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise. With LIV Golf in the midst of its second, groundbreaking season, the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and PIF will work together to best feature and grow team golf going forward. PIF will initially be the exclusive investor in the new entity, alongside the PGA TOUR, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour. Separately, PGA TOUR Inc. will remain in place as a 501(c)(6) tax exempt organization and retains administrative oversight of events for those assets contributed by the PGA TOUR, including the sanctioning of events, the administration of the competition and rules, as well as all other "inside the ropes" responsibilities, with Jay Monahan as Commissioner and Ed Herlihy as PGA TOUR Policy Board Chairman. The DP World Tour and LIV Golf will retain similar administrative oversight of events on their respective Tours.

Persons: LIV, LIV didn't, Yasir Al, Rumayyan, Jay Monahan, PIF, CNBC'S David Faber, LIV Golf, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Monahan, Team Captain Brooks Koepka, Ricky Elliott, Osama Bin Laden, Donald Trump, nobody's, Trump, CNBC's David Faber, Jessica Golden, Kevin Durant, James Pitaro, LIV –, we've, Jay, Keith, Ed Herlihy, Herlihy, Jimmy Dunne, Keith Pelley Organizations: Nexstar, Nexstar Media Group, CW Network, CW, Wrestling, Endeavor Group, PGA Tour, CNBC, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, PGA, European PGA, U.S, Team, Royal Greens, & Country Club, King Abdullah Economic, Saudi, CBS Sports, LIV, ESPN, Public Investment Fund, Al, Rumayyan, Strategic Alliance Locations: U.S, Saudi, Jeddah, King Abdullah, King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, Los Angeles, RIYADH, PONTE, BEACH , Florida

☆ Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira: Brazil names two more suspects in deaths of British journalist and indigenous expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Sahar Akbarzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two more suspects have been named in the alleged murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, including the alleged mastermind of the crime, Brazilian police say. Phillips and Pereira were shot dead a year ago while they were returning from a reporting trip in the Amazon. Fisherman Janio Freitas de Souza has also been named as a suspect and has links to the illegal fishing criminal organization, the statement added. Both men have been imprisoned since July 2022, along with three other suspects and are awaiting trial, police told CNN. The deaths of Phillips and Pereira has drawn global attention to the perils often faced by journalists and environmental activists in Brazil.

Persons: Dom Phillips, Bruno Pereira, Phillips, Pereira, Ruben Villar, ”, Janio Freitas de Souza Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Brazil’s Federal Police, Indigenous Organization, Human Rights, Commission, Catholic Church Locations: British, Colombia, Javari, Brazil

☆ The Fictional Spy Thriller With New Details on the Real Killing of a Terrorist Mastermind
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Dov Lieber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ghosts-of-beirut-tv-showtime-d7cc9e10

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: beirut

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

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

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

☆ German tax fraud mastermind handed further 8-year jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berger had already been sentenced to eight years in jail in December after a similar trial. The public prosecutor had demanded a prison sentence of 10 and a half years and the confiscation of assets. Berger's sentences follow nearly a decade of investigations that government officials say span around 1,500 suspects and 100 banks on four continents. Authorities have raided the German branches of companies including Barclays (BARC.L), Bank of America (BAC.N), JP Morgan (JPM.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) in their investigations. In September, Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK.N), Germany's Warburg Group and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) said they would pay a combined 60 million euros to tax authorities over the scandal.

☆ Man City celebrate Premier League title with 1-0 win over Chelsea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - May 21, 2023 Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates... Read moreMANCHESTER, England, May 21 (Reuters) - Manchester City celebrated their Premier League title success on Sunday, beating Chelsea 1-0 with an early goal by Julian Alvarez in the team's home finale at a sun-drenched Etihad Stadium. Treble-chasing City, who wrapped up the title when second-placed Arsenal were beaten at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, have won 12 successive games in the top flight. City have 88 points from 36 matches, seven more than Arsenal who have just one match remaining. Haaland had been a late substitute and did not extend his record of 36 goals in a single Premier League season. "I feel a special connection with the fans... 36 goals, Premier League trophy, debut season, two finals left, not a bad start."

☆ I made $200,000 in revenue from affiliate marketing websites. Here's how I got started after years of struggling with my SEO business.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Bruce Paulson is a freelance SEO specialist who creates affiliate marketing websites. Paulson said his business started to grow once he put himself in the customer's shoes. In 2022, I made almost $203,000 in revenue from affiliate marketing alone. Affiliate marketing is the strategy that helped to move the needle for my income. When building affiliate websites I need some interest in the topic like water sports, finance, or digital marketing.

☆ 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.

☆ Appeals Court Overturns Fraud and Conspiracy Convictions in Varsity Blues Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Anemona Hartocollis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a stunning reversal, a federal appeals court overturned the fraud and conspiracy convictions on Wednesday of two parents found guilty of participating in a far-reaching bribery scheme, known as Operation Varsity Blues, which ensnared dozens of wealthy parents who falsified their children’s credentials to gain admission to prestigious universities across the country. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Massachusetts found that the lower court had made crucial missteps in the trial of Gamal Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and John Wilson, a private equity financier. The court, however, upheld Mr. Wilson’s conviction on tax fraud. The appeals court made its decision largely on two technical legal grounds. First, it ruled that the lower court judge wrongly instructed the jury that admissions slots constituted property.

Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of private equity executive John Wilson and former casino executive Gamal Aziz, the first two people to face trial of the dozens charged in the sprawling "Operation Varsity Blues" probe. All of Aziz's convictions were set aside, and all but one of Wilson's convictions were aside. Wilson and Aziz were the first to go to trial in 2021. A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the second trial later won a new trial, and another parent was acquitted in the third trial. Aziz and Wilson were sentenced in February 2022 to 12 months and 15 months in prison, respectively.

☆ Sebastian Steudtner has turned to science as he chases the world’s biggest waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Matt Majendie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Sebastian Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Win, win, win or perform, perform, perform. How boring is it to win and win and win? If I want to catch waves, I don’t think about you because you’re in my way, so you’re naturally competitive.

CNN —Sweden has summoned Iran’s acting ambassador to protest against the execution of Habib Chaab, a dual Swedish-Iranian national who had been convicted of leading an Arab separatist group accused of attacks. “The death penalty is an inhuman and irreversible punishment and Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its use under any circumstances,” the Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday. Chaab was executed on Saturday morning over his alleged involvement with the Harakat al-Nidal separatist group, reported Mizan, an Iranian state-affiliated media outlet. Iran considers Harakat al-Nidal to be a terrorist group. UAE Minister of State For Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the accusations were “baseless” and “official incitement against the UAE in Iran” was “unfortunate.”

☆ Someone needs to tell MTG that Biden can't be both a criminal mastermind and completely senile
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Greene baselessly claimed this week that Biden is the mastermind of a criminal empire. And he is the mastermind of the Biden criminal enterprise," Greene told Guilfoyle on Wednesday. The claims Greene has made about Biden are in line with those often trotted out by her fellow far-right GOP members. Other GOP figures, including Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, have also mocked Biden — who's 80 — for his age. It's also worth noting that Trump — who's 76, and who Greene staunchly supports — has been accused of sexual assault and arrested on 34 felony charges.

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