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MOSCOW, May 31 (Reuters) - Russia's most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Wednesday that he had asked prosecutors to investigate whether senior Russian defence officials had committed any "crime" before or during the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin's request is his most blatant public challenge to date against President Vladimir Putin's top military brass, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The 61-year-old restaurateur-turned-mercenary has spent months insulting both Shoigu and Gerasimov, who are leading Russia's war effort, for alleged treachery. He says loyalty to Putin is part of his political stance, which he summed up as: "I love my motherland, I serve Putin, Shoigu should be judged and we will fight on." Prigozhin is not directly challenging Putin but rather playing a jester role and acting with the approval of those dismayed by the military's conduct of the war, officials, diplomats and analysts have told Reuters.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, PUTIN'S, Wagner, Putin, Russia's, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Staff, Investigative Committee, Russian Federation, Defence Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Bakhmut

☆ Amazon's Ring will pay $5.8 million to settle FTC lawsuit alleging employees and third-party contractors had unrestricted access to customer videos
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's Ring will pay the FTC $5.8 million to settle a lawsuit claiming privacy violations, according to Wednesday court filings. The FTC alleged Ring employees and third-party contractors had unrestricted access to customers' video recordings. Amazon-owned smart doorbell company Ring agreed to settle a lawsuit filed against the company by the Federal Trade Commission regarding privacy and data security concerns. "Ring promptly addressed these issues on its own years ago, well before the FTC began its inquiry," a Ring spokesperson told Insider. "Only after the supervisor noticed that the male employee was only viewing videos of 'pretty girls' did the supervisor escalate the report of misconduct," the FTC alleged in its complaint, obtained by CNN.

Persons: Brian Huseman Organizations: FTC, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, CNN, CNBC Locations: Ukraine

☆ Scientists expand search for signs of intelligent alien life
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Efforts to detect alien technological signatures previously have focused on a narrowband radio signal type concentrated in a limited frequency range or on single unusual transmissions. The search involves a frequency range covering a bit less than a tenth the width of an average FM radio station. "Aliens may possibly use such beacons for galaxy-wide communications, for which the core of the Milky Way is ideally placed. The scientists in the various monitoring efforts passively scan for signals of alien beings and do not actively send their own signals advertising our presence on Earth. "In my personal opinion, as a relatively young species in the grand cosmic scale, it would be prudent for us to focus on listening and investigating before embarking on deliberate transmissions," Gajjar said.

Persons: Akshay Suresh, Suresh, Vishal Gajjar, Gajjar, BLIPSS, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Cornell University, Cornell, SETI Institute, SETI Institute and University of California, Thomson Locations: Berkeley, West Virginia

☆ North Korea's Kim Yo Jong promises more spy satellite launches -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, June 1 (Reuters) - North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, leader Kim Jong Un's sister, has said her country's military spy satellite will soon enter into orbit and promised Pyongyang will increase military surveillance, state media KCNA reported on Thursday. Her remarks follow the failure of a North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday. In her statement, Kim said the criticisms of Wednesday's test were "self-contradiction" as the U.S. and other countries have already launched "thousands of satellites." In a separate statement carried by KCNA, North Korea's vice foreign minister Kim Son Gyong criticized U.S.-led military drills in the region including a multinational anti-proliferation naval drill. "However, activity at the main launch pad is consistent with post-launch assessment and clean-up efforts."

Persons: Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Antonio Guterres, Kim Son Gyong, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Chris Reese, Grant McCool Organizations: South, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Pyongyang, Korean, South Korean, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, United States, North, U.S

☆ Get Lost in Clay, Even if It’s Just for the Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Ainara Tiefenthäler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Summer clay workshops generally last between four and 12 days, during which participants live on the 420-acre campus, and focus on a range of functional and decorative aspects of pottery. A three-hour drive east, the town of Seagrove, which has one of the highest concentrations of working potters in the country, advertises itself as America’s pottery capital. Among its residents, Seagrove counts eighth- and ninth-generation potters, as well as a growing number of young apprentices and clay artists. Nearly three-quarters of a century after the Bray was founded, the world appears ready for its contemporary take on clay. For those interested in exploring, the Bray offers two-hour experience classes open to the public in July and August.

Persons: —, Archie Bray, Bray, ”, Rebecca Harvey Organizations: Penland, of Craft, North Carolina —, Carolina Pottery, Archie Bray Foundation, Ceramic Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bray Locations: North Carolina, Seagrove, Helena, Mont

[1/6] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what it called a space satellite toward the south, in Seoul, South Korea, May 31, 2023. The launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan, which were then withdrawn with no danger or damage reported. South Korea's military said it was still analysing whether the launch was successful, while media in South Korea and Japan said governments there were examining the possibility that it failed. North Korea had said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities. North Korea has previously attempted five satellite launches, with two satellites placed in orbit, including during its last such launch in 2016.

Persons: Kim Hong, Leif, Eric Easley, Chol, Brian Weeden, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Chang, Ran Kim, David Brunnstrom, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Ji, Ewha University, Ocean, Central Military Commission, Workers ' Party, U.S, U.S . State Department, Korean, United Nations, State Department, Secure, Foundation, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, TOKYO, Japan, Korean, China, Pyongyang, Tokyo, Okinawa, Korea's, U.S, Washington

☆ The man accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee just saw his defense lawyer leave the case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nima Momeni, who has pleaded not guilty in the murder of Bob Lee, has parted ways with his lawyer. Attorneys Saam Zangeneh and Bradford Cohen confirmed to Insider that they're now representing Momeni. Momeni's now-former attorney, Paula Canny, pulled out of the case at a hearing on Tuesday in San Francisco, according to multiple news reports, including by the San Francisco Chronicle. Momeni also has new lawyers now representing him: Saam Zangeneh, a criminal defense attorney in Miami, confirmed to Insider that he is representing Momeni along with Bradford Cohen, a criminal defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Representatives for the San Francisco District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to Insider's emailed inquiries on Tuesday.

Persons: Nima Momeni, Bob Lee, Paula Canny, who'd, Saam Zangeneh, Bradford Cohen, Momeni's, Canny, Momeni, Saam, Cohen, Brooke Jenkins Organizations: Morning, San Francisco Chronicle, San Locations: Momeni, San Francisco, Miami, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, San Francisco District

☆ Russian legislators are targeting transgender people. It's the latest move that copies GOP talking points from the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian legislators are targeting transgender people in a move that mirrors US GOP politics. A new bill in Moscow would ban gender affirming care for any reason other than birth defects. According to state media, the bill would also ban gender changes in public record information. The bill, put forward on Tuesday, would ban gender-affirming surgeries and care, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. Seventy-eight bills targeting transgender care have passed this year, while 373 bills are currently being actively considered, according to Trans Legislation Tracker.

☆ Memorial Day across America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) take part in the annual "Flags In" mission of placing small American flags in front of more than 260,000 graves in less than four hours for Memorial Day, at Arlington National Cemetery in...moreSoldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) take part in the annual "Flags In" mission of placing small American flags in front of more than 260,000 graves in less than four hours for Memorial Day, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, May 25. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueClose

☆ North Korea says it will launch its first military spy satellite in June
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, May 30 (Reuters) - North Korea will launch its first military reconnaissance satellite in June for monitoring U.S. military activities, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. Nuclear-armed North Korea has said it has completed development of its first military spy satellite, and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch. The statement did not specify the exact launch date, but North Korea has notified Japan of the planned launch between May 31 and June 11, prompting Tokyo to put its ballistic missile defences on alert. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Monday any North Korean launch that uses ballistic missile technology, including those used to put a satellite in orbit, would violate multiple United Nations resolutions. Analysts say the satellite will improve North Korea's surveillance capability, enabling it to strike targets more accurately in the event of war.

☆ Uganda confirms casualties among country's soldiers in Somali attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The assailants numbered about 800 and during the attack the Ugandan troops were forced to withdraw to a nearby base, about nine kilometres away, he said. Al Shabaab fighters targeted the base early on Friday in Bulamarer, 130 km (80 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu. Al Shabaab said in a statement at the time that it had carried out suicide bomb attacks and killed 137 soldiers at the base. Al Shabaab tends to give casualty figures in attacks that differ from those issued by the authorities. ATMIS has so far not said how many troops were killed or wounded in the attack.

☆ Bidzina Ivanishvili: Credit Suisse ordered to pay $926 million to Georgia's former prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Credit Suisse was ordered to pay $926 million to Georgia’s former prime minister Friday for losing part of his fortune, in a Singapore court ruling that represents one of the biggest legal awards made against the bank. Credit Suisse (CSGKF) said it would appeal the decision. Billionaire businessman Ivanishvili, who was Georgia’s prime minister in 2012 to 2013, had placed $1.1 billion under the custodianship of Credit Suisse Trust in 2005, the court heard. It should have prevented Patrice Lescaudron, an adviser at Credit Suisse Trust in Singapore who was later convicted of fraud, from having access to them. AppealThe $926 million to be paid by Credit Suisse will be reduced by $79 million it had already paid in December.

☆ Christians caught with a Bible in North Korea have faced death and had their families, including children, thrown in prison for life, a new report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

North Korea offers freedom of religion to its citizens on paper but not in practice. A recently released Department of State report notes that while North Korea constitutionally allows for religious freedom, there is no such thing in practice. One NGO, Open Doors USA, has reported that for Christians in North Korea, life is a "constant cauldron of pressure" and "capture or death is only a mistake away." The North Korea flag flutters next to barbed wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That report found that North Korea "denied the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion" and engaged in "crimes against humanity."

☆ Ukraine wants to work with Western countries to create another 'sea of NATO' on the border with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Doing so would help turn the Black Sea into another "sea of NATO," the foreign minister said. "It's time to turn the Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become, a sea of NATO," Dmytro Kuleba said. "The Black Sea can never be a NATO sea," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to Kuleba's comments. The Black Sea region is "a strategically important area for Euro-Atlantic security," Geoană said in April. At the conference in April, Romania's foreign minister said a strong NATO presence in the Black Sea was a "must."

☆ How to watch SpaceX Axiom 2 launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.CNN —SpaceX is set to launch four passengers — including three paying customers — toward a weeklong stay aboard the International Space Station. The Axiom Ax-2 Prime crew members, from left to right: John Shoffner, Rayyanah Barnawi, Peggy Whitson, and Ali Alqarni, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Axiom brought that business model to the United States, partnering with SpaceX to establish a framework for getting an array of customers to the space station. Axiom is one of several US companies gunning to create a new, privately owned space station. The AX-2 crew will work alongside the professional astronauts on the space station, though they will operate under different schedules.

☆ Evidence of the first recorded romantic kiss dating back 4,500 years has been discovered
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New research into Ancient Mesopotamia suggests people kissed romantically 4,500 years ago. Ancient Mesopotamia is considered to be roughly the land that is now modern-day Iraq and Syria. It was previously believed the earliest evidence of romantic-sexual lip kissing in humans originated in South Asia 3,500 years ago. The new research challenges these theories and suggests kissing was common across many different regions and cultures, starting much earlier. While the exact origins of romantic kissing remain uncertain, the study said, there is some possible evidence that it may have occurred even before the advent of writing.

☆ ICC members 'deeply concerned' by Russia's decision to put prosecutor on wanted list
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, May 20 (Reuters) - The member states of the International Criminal Court on Saturday said they are "deeply concerned" by Russia's decision to place a court prosecutor and several judges on a wanted list. The ICC's British prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been added to the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted list, state-owned news agency TASS reported on Friday, citing the ministry's database. The Hague-based ICC issued a warrant for President Vladimir Putin in March, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting children from Ukraine. It said there were reasonable grounds to believe Putin and Russian child rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova bore individual criminal responsibility. "The International Criminal Court is aware and profoundly concerned about unwarranted and unjustified coercive measures reportedly taken against ICC officials," the ICC said in a separate statement on Saturday.

☆ The Martian Chronicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Alec Nevala-Lee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Instead of astronauts, exploration has been left to robots, which attract passionate fans of their own. As Shindell observes, a trip to Mars “always seems to be two or three decades in the future,” allowing policies in the present to be justified or forgiven indefinitely. To his credit, Shindell persuasively argues that Mars is most instructive when it sheds light on how we see ourselves. Proposals for Martian colonies are often tangled up with the language of capitalism and privilege, treating the planet as an escape hatch that minimizes the need to solve problems on Earth. It fills the same imaginative role today that America once did for Europe, which underlines the danger of exporting old assumptions to an undiscovered country.

☆ Defense personnel alarmed after memos reveal Air Force leadership warned about accused Pentagon leaker but let him continue working
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Haley Britzky Sean Lyngaas Zachary Cohen Natasha Bertrand | Haley Britzky | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Teixeira was arrested on April 14 and has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. His defense lawyers have argued he didn’t expect classified information that he posted on Discord to be further spread around the internet. According to one current US service member who handles classified intelligence, the memos read as if Teixeira’s leadership was building a case for disciplinary action against him. Jobs under the 1N0 and 1N4 job codes would have given him more hands-on responsibilities with intelligence, the current service member and a former enlisted intelligence airman told CNN. But the current service member said it would not be unusual for senior non-commissioned officers to handle disciplinary matters with a junior enlisted airman like Teixeira.

India's antitrust body in October fined Google $275 million in two cases, which involved abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market, and pushing developers to use its in-app payment system. "The ministry has to take action," Chandrasekhar said. India's competition watchdog has begun another inquiry into Google after Tinder owner Match Group (MTCH.O) and many startups alleged that a new service fee system Google uses for in-app payments breaches the competition commission's October decision. Google has previously said the service fee supports investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring it can distribute it for free. About 97% of India's 620 million smartphones run on Android, and the company counts India as a critical growth market.

☆ Hong Kong court rejects challenge by jailed media tycoon Lai over British lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, May 19 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Friday dismissed an attempt by jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai to challenge a decision by security officials to effectively bar his British lawyer from representing him in a landmark national security trial. Lai's legal team filed a judicial review after Hong Kong's National Security Committee (NSC), headed by senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials, ruled that the admission of senior British barrister Timothy Owen could harm national security and advised Hong Kong authorities to reject his visa. Chief High Court judge Jeremy Poon, in dismissing Lai's challenge, said Hong Kong courts essentially had no authority over the National Security Committee. "You cannot have a body which can simply say magic words (on) national security, and be able to be free from any challenge," Pang said. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests.

☆ Mediobanca dips toe into tech M&A shark tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mediobanca (MDBI.MI), the 8.5-billion-euro financial group run by veteran CEO Alberto Nagel, said on Thursday it had agreed to buy London-based Arma Partners, an advisory boutique that specializes in technology deals. With revenue in excess of $100 million, or about 90 million euros, Arma should add more than 10% to Mediobanca’s annual net fees and commission of 850 million euros. The French boutique’s contribution, although a record, stood at 63 million euros in the financial year that ended in June 2022. Buying Arma allows Mediobanca to gain expertise in growing areas like cloud services, software and cybersecurity, which are outside the Italian bank’s core strengths. Star banker Erik Maris left Mediobanca a year after Nagel clinched the purchase of a 66% stake in the boutique.

☆ Cash App founder Bob Lee's accused killer Nima Momeni just pleaded not guilty
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nima Momeni pleaded not guilty to charges that he murdered Cash App founder Bob Lee, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. San Francisco prosecutors had charged Momeni after his arrest last month in Emeryville, California. Tech consultant Nima Momeni pleaded not guilty on Thursday to San Francisco prosecutors' charge of murder in the killing of Cash App founder Bob Lee last month in downtown San Francisco. Momeni entered the plea at an arraignment in San Francisco state court, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle. They alleged at the time that Momeni grilled Lee about Momeni's sister socializing with Lee.

☆ Premarket stocks: Investors shouldn't ignore this recession warning sign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Retail growth held on by the skin of its teeth this month,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. The retailer posted disappointing sales for its first quarter and lowered its outlook for the year as customers slowed their spending. Total sales ticked up 0.5% during its latest quarter from a year ago, the company said Wednesday. The bill, which will take effect in January, specifically names TikTok as its target, prohibiting the app from operating within state lines. Pence said he expects to come to a decision about a presidential run before the end of June.

☆ Pentagon leak suspect was caught stuffing notes he'd taken in a top-secret room inside his pocket, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He was caught taking notes on classified information before his arrest, prosecutors said Wednesday. Superiors had warned Teixeira on multiple occasions, but he didn't listen, they said. The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman has been indicted in connection to a classified information leak that involved hundreds of Pentagon documents. Some of the documents Teixeira is accused of leaking online included details about Russia's spy agencies' activities and details about aid to Ukraine. However, federal prosecutors are arguing that Texeira poses a security risk because he must still be in possession of classified documents.

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