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☆ Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in Fugees rapper's lobbying trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DiCaprio is one of several prominent figures linked to Low, who is suspected of embezzling $4.5 billion from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. Michel faces 11 criminal counts for trying to influence the administrations of Obama and former President Donald Trump. Prosecutors said Michel agreed to funnel money into Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and hide the source of the funds. Prosecutors said Michel later waged an illegal influence campaign to persuade the Trump administration to stop investigating Low. Michel and other co-conspirators are also accused of lobbying the Trump administration at China's behest to return Guo to China.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in conspiracy and fraud trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in a high-profile trial of Fugees member Pras Michel. Low helped finance the 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street" that DiCaprio starred in. Federal prosecutors claim Michel funneled money from Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low to illegally contribute to President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection. "Wow, that's a lot of money," DiCaprio recalled telling Low at the time. Michel faces several charges, including conspiring to make and conceal foreign campaign contributions and witness tampering.

☆ The 30 years of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a 75-minute period, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded 22 bombs across Belfast, killing nine people and wounding around 130. Nov. 21, 1974 - IRA bombs exploded in two pubs in Birmingham, central England, killing 21 people. Hours later, two IRA remotely detonated bombs killed 18 British soldiers on the shores of Carlingford Lough at Warrenpoint, County Down. July 20, 1982 - Two remote-controlled IRA bombs killed 11 members of the British Army in attacks on military ceremonies at Hyde Park and Regent's Park in central London. Nov. 8, 1987 - 11 people, including a police officer, were killed in an IRA bomb attack during a Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

☆ Saudi money is flowing to US media and entertainment, from Live Nation to LIV Golf, 5 years after Jamal Khashoggi's murder: 'The ice has thawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment. Insider identified some key people connecting Middle East investors with American companies. Saudi Arabia is trying to pitch itself to the world as a cultural and economic reformer and spur tourism. Vince McMahon's WWE has a long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a major live WWE event there slated for May. Vince McMahon's WWE was one of the first US companies to create unique events in Saudi Arabia.

☆ Fugees rapper Pras Michel was 'willing to break any laws necessary to get paid' in alleged international fraud scheme, prosecutor said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The conspiracy and fraud trial of American rapper Pras Michel kicked off on Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that Michel was involved in an international scheme to influence the US government. Michel is accused of working with Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low. "Low had money to burn and the defendant was willing to cash in at any turn," Lockhart said. McMaster, casino mogul Steve Wynn, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the 2013 film "The Wolf Of Wall Street" that Low helped fund.

[1/5] Grammy award-winning Fugees rapper Prakazrel (Pras) Michel, who is facing criminal charges in an alleged illegal lobbying campaign, arrives for opening arguments in his trial at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., March 30, 2023. "This is a case about foreign money, influence and concealment," Lockhart said during her opening statement in Washington on Thursday. "Through this scheme, the defendant duped the Obama campaign," Lockhart told the jury. For his work on these two lobbying campaigns on behalf of Low and China, prosecutors said Michel was paid $70 million. Low remains a fugitive in the Michel case.

☆ Cubans head to the polls, all eyes on voter turnout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cuba´s government, saddled by shortages, inflation and growing social unrest, has encouraged unity in Sunday´s vote, calling on citizens to vote together in a broad show of support for the communist leadership. Ana Lydia Velazquez, a 78-year old retired Havana resident, told Reuters that message resonated with her. "I believe all Cubans should go to vote, to help our country improve, and advance," she said. Anti-government forces, primarily off-island in a country that restricts dissident political speech, have encouraged the opposite, calling on Cubans to abstain and labeling the election a "farce." The winning 470 candidates, who serve for five years, will choose the next president of Cuba from among their ranks, further raising the stakes of Sunday's vote.

☆ Rwanda is releasing dissident Paul Rusesabagina from prison, the government says. The hero whose story inspired 'Hotel Rwanda' saved over 1,000 people from being massacred in the 1990s.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rwanda announced Friday that it is commuting the 25-year sentence of dissident Paul Rusesabagina. Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the Hollywood movie "Hotel Rwanda," saved over 1,000 people from being killed during the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s. Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana at an event in West Hollywood in 2005. The Hotel des Mille Collines, known as "Hotel Rwanda," where Rusesabagina sheltered Tutsis. Paul Rusesabagina (left) and actor Don Cheadle (right) at a 2005 press conference for "Hotel Rwanda."

☆ Factbox: Who has run Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BAGHDAD, March 16 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was designed to pave the way for a thriving democracy but the mostly ineffective governments elected since 2003 have left many Iraqis disappointed. Sadr led an armed insurgency against the U.S. occupation of Iraq after American and international troops toppled Saddam. But the tables turned in 2003 with the U.S.-led invasion that ushered in Shi’ite dominance leaving Sunnis, vulnerable. Sunnis have been divided by clan and ideological rivalries since 2003, which Sunni voters complain makes them weak against Shi'ite rivals. Halbousi, an engineer from western Iraq, has formed good relations with Shi'ites and Kurds who helped him become speaker.

☆ EU calls for UN to probe Iran schoolgirl poisonings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - European lawmakers called on the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday to conduct an independent investigation into a wave of poisonings that have hit schoolgirls in Iran. 13,000 pupils, mostly girls, have fallen ill after "suspected poisonings" according to state media and officials in Iran, with some politicians blaming religious groups opposed to girls’ education. In a resolution, the European Parliament condemned "in the strongest terms, this atrocious attempt to silence women and girls in Iran". It also urged EU member states to facilitate the issuance of visas, asylum and emergency grants to those who need to leave Iran, "particularly women and girls". Iran has arrested several people it said were linked to the wave of poisonings and accused some of connections to "foreign-based dissident media" .

☆ Saudi money is pouring into Hollywood and media, 5 years after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Here's who's cashing in and how.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment. Saudi Arabia is trying to pitch itself to the world as a cultural and economic reformer and spur tourism. Even those media players that are comfortable with invetment from the Middle East may not find funds flowing, one Hollywood veteran said. A major live WWE event in Saudi Arabia is slated for May. Of the growing ties between US entertainment and media and Middle East investors, this person added, "Presumably media organizations got into this to help society make better decisions."

☆ Colombia prosecutor suspends warrant for FARC dissidents in step toward talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Estado Mayor Central armed group was founded by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who did not join that group's demobilization and conversion to a legal political party. The suspension will allow discussions to take place between the dissidents and government officials, Petro said on Twitter - a first step to beginning formal talks. The government is already in peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels and the two sides have said they are progressing toward a bilateral ceasefire deal. The country's top peace official told Reuters last month the government expects talks with the Estado Mayor and Segunda Marquetalia, another FARC dissident group, within weeks. The attorney general said in January he would not drop extradition warrants for drug-trafficking bosses, with whom Petro wants to agree surrender deals.

☆ Iran upholds death sentence of Swedish-Iranian Arab dissident
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Chaab was sentenced to death after several court sessions with the presence of his lawyer ... The Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence," Iran's judiciary's Mizan news agency reported. He was sentenced to death for being "corrupt on earth", a capital offence under Iran’s strict form of Islamic law, Iranian state media said. Arabs and other minorities have long said they face discrimination in Iran, a charge the Islamic Republic denies. Iran has rejected former Iranian official Hamid Noury's sentence as "baseless, distorted and fabricated".

☆ Nobel winner Bialiatski jailed in Belarus for a decade, sparking outcry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Footage from the cramped Minsk court showed Bialiatski, who co-founded the Viasna (Spring) human rights group, looking sombre, his hands cuffed behind his back, as he and his co-defendants watched proceedings from a courtroom cage. Bialiatski, who was arrested in 2021, and three co-defendants were charged with financing protests and smuggling money. Belarusian state news agency Belta confirmed the court had handed down long jail sentences to all the men, including a decade in prison for Bialiatski. That, she said, placed human rights defenders at risk of criminal prosecution for their legitimate activities. Viasna, the organisation he co-founded, took a leading role in providing legal and financial assistance to those jailed.

Instead the opposite happened," said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the select committee, in his opening remarks. McMaster said the United States must put a priority on expediting delivery of billions of dollars of weapons and munitions that Taiwan has already purchased. Although the committee is bipartisan, some Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that it could fuel anti-Asian sentiment within the United States. The select committee has 13 Republican and 11 Democratic members. It will not write legislation, but will draw attention to competition between the United States and China on a range of fronts and make policy recommendations.

☆ Reuters reporters' online accounts faked to approach China activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( James Pomfret | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] The Chinese flag is seen across the Victoria Harbour during sunset, in Hong Kong, China October 12, 2022. The impersonator or impersonators were seeking information about a group linked to protests the same month against China's strict COVID-19 controls, according to screenshots and several accounts provided to Reuters. An Australia-based Chinese activist and dissident artist known as Badiucao first disclosed the impersonations on Saturday on Twitter. "Hello everyone," an imposter wrote in a Telegram chatroom, according to screenshots seen by Reuters that were provided by Badiucao. Telegram did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the impersonations of the journalists' accounts on that platform.

☆ Northern Irish police suspect New IRA behind shooting of detective
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The gunmen continued to fire while the detective was on the ground, McEwan said. The primary focus is on violent dissident republicans and within that there is a primary focus as well on New IRA," McEwan told BBC Northern Ireland. While the peace agreement largely ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, police officers are still sporadically targeted by splinter groups of mostly Irish nationalist militants opposed to Britain's rule over the region. The last time a police officer was shot in Northern Ireland was 2017 and the United Kingdom last year lowered its Northern Ireland-related terrorism threat level for the first time in more than a decade. "Unfortunately this is a stark reminder for our colleagues that 25 years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, policing in Northern Ireland is still a very dangerous occupation and carries extreme risk," Kelly said.

☆ Saudi Arabia's crown prince once bragged Jared Kushner was 'in his pocket'. It's getting harder to convince people otherwise.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's a move that, even if technically legal, appears designed to help obscure Kushner's financial relationship with the Saudis, and fuels longstanding suspicions over Kushner's relationship with the crown prince. During his time as a senior advisor in his father-in-law's administration, Kushner's relationship with the Saudi ruler repeatedly raised alarm among top US officials. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesThe Post report also said Trump benefited financially from ties with the Saudis after leaving office. A report by The Intercept in 2018 claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed boasted about having secured an extraordinary level of influence over Kushner, reportedly remarking that he had Kushner "in his pocket." The report said that Kushner may have even handed US intelligence on internal critics to Crown Prince Mohammed.

☆ Iran marks revolution anniversary, hackers interrupt state TV coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Iranians are seen under a large flag of Iran during the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2023. His live televised speech was interrupted on the internet for about a minute, with a logo appearing on the screen of a group of anti-Iranian government hackers that goes by the name of “Edalat Ali (Justice of Ali). A voice shouted “Death to the Islamic Republic.”Nationwide protests swept Iran following the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police. Government television on Saturday aired live footage of the state rallies around the country. His speech was frequently interrupted by chants of “Death to America” - a trademark slogan at state rallies.

☆ Iran releases emaciated dissident after long hunger strike - judiciary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Iran on Friday released hunger-striking jailed dissident Farhad Meysami, the Iranian judiciary said, a week after supporters had warned that he risked dying for protesting against the compulsory wearing of the hijab. "Following the approval by the leader of the revolution (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) of the recent ...amnesty, Farhad_Meysami was included in this amnesty and was released from prison hours ago," the judiciary said on Twitter. Morality police arrested Amini for flouting the hijab policy, which requires women to dress modestly and wear headscarfs. "Shocking images of Dr. Farhad Meysami, a brave advocate for women's rights who has been on hunger strike in prison,” tweeted Robert Malley, Washington's special envoy for Iran. Amnesty International said: "These images (of Meysami) are a shocking reminder of the Iranian authorities’ contempt for human rights."

☆ The biggest risks in procrastinating on iPhone, Android software updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

watch nowNot all software updates offer an array of new features, but when they do it can feel like you are getting a new phone without added cost. Yet, many users still do whatever they can to put off the 30 minutes that a software update can take. Discomfort often stems from the perception that software updates will require users to relearn how to use certain features on their device and threatens their current habits. When 30 days have passed, the system then prompts the user to install the system update. When a major security update comes out, everyone should act relatively fast.

☆ Violence in Colombia falls in first month of ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Colombia's ceasefire with four armed groups has led to significant reductions in violence during its first month, Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said on Monday, with fewer murders and attacks on armed forces. Homicides in provinces heavily affected by conflict and where one or more of the groups participating in the ceasefire are active fell by up to 68%, he said, without giving absolute figures. The Pacific province of Choco saw the 68% reduction, followed closely by Arauca, on the Venezuelan border, which saw murders fall by 66%. In Cordoba homicides were down 52%, while in Magdalena they fell 37%, Prada said. Prada did not give figures for members of illegal armed groups killed this month, but the country's navy said earlier on Monday at least nine rebels from the ELN died in fighting last weekend close to Buenaventura.

☆ Three Men Charged With Plotting to Kill Iranian Dissident in Brooklyn
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian dissident and human-rights activist said she refused to live in fear and would continue to speak out against Iran’s government. WASHINGTON—Three alleged members of an Eastern European crime syndicate have been charged with what officials described as an Iran-backed plot to kill a journalist living in Brooklyn, the Justice Department said, citing the case as the latest example of the Islamic Republic’s efforts to silence its critics. Masih Alinejad , an Iranian dissident and human-rights activist, has long been the target of Iran after she criticized the government’s human-rights abuses, discrimination against women and use of imprisonment and torture against political opponents.

Potanin is estimated to be Russia's richest or second richest person thanks to his stake in metals giant Nornickel (GMKN.MM). Maksut Shadaev, the head of Russia's ministry of digital affairs, told parliament in December that around 100,000 IT specialists had left Russia in 2022. Other hawkish politicians have advocated hitting remote workers and emigres with higher taxes and stripping them of their passports and Russian assets. Potanin said Moscow badly needs remote workers including computer programmers to help its battered economy recover. "No-one is convinced these measures will work," said the doctor, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez ViloriaCARACAS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group said on Saturday they will resume peace talks in Mexico next month, overcoming a recent impasse after the government recently declared and then called off a bilateral ceasefire. There was a first cycle of talks last year in Caracas to end the guerrillas' part in nearly six decades of war. The about-face on the ceasefire came after ELN said it had not agreed to it. "In said cycle, the issue of society's participation in peace building will be addressed. Colombia and the ELN said they would jointly examine progress in implementing agreements reached during the first cycle of talks and agreed to keep communication channels open even when not at the negotiating table.

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