Judge orders disgraced crypto mogul to forfeit $11bn in assets and says he showed no remorse for his crimes
Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced cryptocurrency mogul who perpetrated one of the largest financial frauds in history, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $11bn in assets. His lawyer reiterated a pledge to appeal the sentence the same day.
The judge, Lewis Kaplan, issued the penalty in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday. Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy to launder money late last year.
Continue reading...aWe donat know if they were warned before the impact,a says wife of one of eight construction workers who was on the bridge
The construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday were on break in their cars, according to the wife of one of the construction workers who survived.
Speaking to NBC on Thursday, the wife of Julio Cervantes, one of the eight construction workers who was on the bridge when it collapsed, said: aAll of the men were on a break in their cars when the boat hit. We donat know if they were warned before the impact.a
Continue reading...Shasta countyas Kevin Crye fought off recall effort, but a far-right official who pushed election conspiracies lost the race for his seat
Shasta county voters returned a mixed verdict on the ultra-conservative politics the rural enclave in northern California has become known for, ousting one far-right local official and offering another a political lifeline.
County residents on 5 March resoundingly declined to re-elect Patrick Jones to the board of supervisors, the countyas governing body. Jones, a leader of the local far-right movement, had repeatedly, and baselessly, argued that county and US elections are being rigged. Jonesas opponent, Matt Plummer, won the race for the seat with nearly 60% of the vote.
Continue reading...Americans of Middle Eastern descent used to have to identify as white on government forms a new categories will change that
For the first time in 27 years, the US government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage.
The revisions to the minimum categories on race and ethnicity, announced Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget, are the latest effort to label and define the people of the United States. This evolving process often reflects changes in social attitudes and immigration, as well as a wish for people in an increasingly diverse society to see themselves in the numbers produced by the federal government.
Continue reading...Judges issue unanimous decision and say Palestinians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to allow unimpeded access of food aid into Gaza, where sections of the population are facing imminent starvation, in a significant legal rebuke to Israelas claim it is not blocking aid deliveries.
A panel of judges at the UNas top court, which is already considering a complaint from South Africa that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, issued the ruling after an emergency measure in January obliging Israel to admit emergency aid.
Continue reading...Only survivor after vehicle falls and catches fire is eight-year-old taken to hospital with serious injuries
An eight-year-old child was the sole survivor after a bus carrying 46 people fell from a bridge in South Africa into a ravine and caught fire.
The child, who has not been named, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the transport ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.
Continue reading...Afghan regimeas return to public stoning and flogging is because there is ano one to hold them accountablea for abuses, say activists
The Talibanas announcement that it is resuming publicly stoning women to death has been enabled by the international communityas silence, human rights groups have said.
Safia Arefi, a lawyer and head of the Afghan human rights organisation Womenas Window of Hope, said the announcement had condemned Afghan women to return to the darkest days of Taliban rule in the 1990s.
Continue reading...Photos of French presidentas three-day trip to Brazil to reaffirm countriesa partnership delight internet observers
If the official photos are anything to go by, Emmanuel Macronas three-day trip to Brazil has been more romantic getaway than international diplomacy.
The French president, who ended his tour of the South American country on Thursday with a state visit to the capital, BrasAlia, prompted online hilarity after the publication of photos showing him being particularly chummy with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz InA!cio Lula da Silva.
Continue reading...National security spokesperson says US passed on warnings and dismissed Russian allegations Ukraine was involved as anonsensea
The US repeatedly alerted Russia that extremists were planning to attack large gatherings in Moscow ahead of last weekas concert hall attack that claimed more than 140 lives, the White House has said.
The national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said on Thursday that US officials passed on warnings a including one in writing a and dismissed Russian allegations that Ukraine was involved as anonsensea.
Continue reading...Republican senator, who flew to Mexico as Texas faced deadly cold snap, complains of aserious security threatsa to lawmakers
The Texas Republican senator Ted Cruz, who achieved viral infamy in 2021 when he was seen at Houston airport for a flight to CancAon even as his state faced a historic and deadly spell of cold weather, this week moved a step closer to securing police escorts for lawmakers at airports.
Under an amendment to the Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization bill introduced by Cruz, members of Congress and other prominent officials, and some family and staff members, will be offered security escorts if they are deemed acurrently a| or previously a| the subject of a threat, as determined by such applicable federal protective agencya.
Continue reading...aWe had no idea,a handlers say, as Pennsylvania groundhog who predicts when winter will end and partner spring surprise
The weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil and his partner Phyllis have sprung a surprise nobody saw coming: welcoming two baby groundhogs into the world.
In a post on Wednesday, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle of Pennsylvania announced the news, saying: aWe have babies!a
Continue reading...There have been no changes since the ex-mogulas conviction as lawmakers fail to pass regulations to protect the public
There is a palpable feeling of relief in the cryptocurrency industry. Evangelists are preaching the good news that the industry has been purged of the Sam Bankman-Frieds, the Alex Mashinskys, the Do Kwons and the Changpeng Zhaos of the world. They proclaim that crypto can finally ascend from its purgatorial, awild westa days to become a respectable sector of the financial world blessed by regulators and speculators alike.
That exultant attitude has contributed to surging cryptocurrency prices, which surpassed previous all-time highs in the weeks leading up to Bankman-Friedas sentencing of 25 years in prison on Thursday.
Continue reading...Experts say the hybrids risk apollutinga the genetic stock, but scientists disagree on how to deal with them. In Piedmont, Italy, the sight of a blond wolfdog signals the risk of another new litter
From the moment the rangers first saw him on their trail cameras, the problem was apparent. The wolf, spotted deep in the woods of Italyas Gran Bosco di Salbertrand park, was not grey like his companion, but an unusual blond. His colouring indicated this was not a wolf at all, but a hybrid wolfdog a the first to be seen so far into Piedmontas alpine region. And where one hybrid is found, more are sure to follow.
aWe thought he would go away,a says Elisa Ramassa, a park ranger in Gran Bosco who has tracked the local wolves for 25 years. aUnfortunately, he found a female who loves blonds.a
Elisa Ramassa and fellow ranger Massimo Rosso search for wolf tracks in Gran Bosco di Salbertrand park; and a wolfdog in the mountains (photographed by Massimo Rosso)
Continue reading...The Republican challenger to Democrat Sherrod Brown for US Senate in Ohio has made dubious claims in his campaign
Bernie Moreno, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Ohio who expected to mount a stern challenge to Sherrod Brown, the incumbent leftwing Democrat, says his family fled socialism when they came to the US from Colombia in 1971, when he was four years old.
Though such statements formed a central part of Morenoas campaign message on his way to securing the Republican nomination with support from Donald Trump, they do not withstand historical scrutiny.
Continue reading...(Parkwood/Columbia)
Straying far beyond its original country concept, the musicianas eighth album straddles the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the blues a and Becky with the Good Hair via Dolly Partonas Jolene
American Requiem, the opening track of BeyoncA(c)as eighth studio album, is many things. It offers a touch of state-of-the-nation address a aCan we stand for something? Now is the time to face the winda a and a sprinkling of the kind of vague but apparently personal lyrics that send social media into a frenzy of decoding: what are her afatheras sinsa that BeyoncA(c) has apparently acleanseda herself of? Who are the afairweather friendsa for whom she claims to be planning aa funerala?
Itas also a loud statement of what you might call BeyoncA(c)as bona fides. She is, she avers, athe grandbaby of a moonshine man [from] Gadsden, Alabamaa who furthermore has roots in Louisiana. aThey used to say I spoke too country,a she protests, adding: aWhat could be more country than that?a
Continue reading...A process called biofortification puts nutrients directly into seeds and could reduce global hunger, but itas not a magic bullet
In 2004, Donald Davis and fellow scientists at the University of Texas made an alarming discovery: 43 foods, mostly vegetables, showed a marked decrease in nutrients between the mid and late 20th century.
According to that research, the calcium in green beans dropped from 65 to 37mg. Vitamin A levels plummeted by almost half in asparagus. Broccoli stalks had less iron.
Continue reading...Thereas a likable, light-hearted zip to the monster mash follow-up but energy dissipates when weare stuck with the humans
It was a strange old time when the creature feature mash-up Godzilla vs Kong was released, the first major blockbuster in cinemas since Covid shuttered them all a year prior. Expectations were low, thanks to how rotten the last two Godzilla films had been, but thirst for something, anything, truly escapist was high and the big screen equivalent of a kid smashing his toys together became an unlikely saviour, both commercially and critically.
Three years later with normality resuming, thereas arguably less audience demand for another instalment, although the industry could definitely do with another monster hit, the strikes leaving the first few months of 2024 a little weakened. Thereas enough easily marketable simplicity to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire that it should become a swift global hit (the film is tracking to make $135m worldwide in its opening weekend) but, especially in the shadow of the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One, there will be predictably diminishing returns for those who venture out. Itas a still fun yet far sloppier outing, a second round thatas less of a win for us and more of a draw.
Continue reading...The star of The First Omen takes your questions on working as a chimney sweep, finessing his perfect sandwich a and hoping to die in a hail of bullets
Thereas an argument that youare the person James Bond matures into: women still want to sleep with you and men want to be you. Whatas your secret? MarcoPoloMint
I have no idea. I donat get out much and I donat identify with whomever theyare talking about. I did used to quip that I could be James Bondas grandfather and Iave always wanted to say: aThe nameas Nighy. Bill Nighy.a Iam very happy to hear, but itas a bit of a stretch for me to grasp.
When you were younger, you travelled to Paris to write a book, but never completed it. Will you ever dust down your great unfinished novel to realise your literary ambitions? VerulamiumParkRanger
I had a very romantic idea a I was a walking cliche in my 20s a of running away to Paris to write the great English short story. The pathetic thing is that I went and stood in the TrocadA(c)ro, outside the Shakespeare and Company bookstore and under the Arc de Triomphe, hoping to catch some vibes. I sat down for an hour in front of a blank page and drew a margin, like at school, for the teacheras remarks, but the doorbell went or the phone rang and that was the end of my literary career.
The league is transforming kickoffs. But there are other tweaks to football that could improve the sport for players and fans
The NFL will look radically different next season. The leagueas owners voted on Tuesday to approve a new kickoff rule originally adopted in the XFL.
It is one of the most groundbreaking changes in league history. After slowly legislating the kickoff out of the sport, the league is embracing a new ahybrida approach that turns the kickoff into something approaching a traditional football play. No longer will kickoffs be passing moments, a chance for broadcasters to cram in a couple of commercial breaks.
Continue reading...Late-night hosts discuss ex-president hawking $60 Bibles while preparing for trial over paying hush money to an adult film star
Late-night hosts spoke about Donald Trumpas ad for a $60 Bible as well as some good news about one of his upcoming trials.
Continue reading...An accurate gut feeling can be hard to distinguish from overreaction, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But thereas probably a good reason you feel this way
My boyfriend and I have been together for five years now, and for the most part things have been really good. But lately Iave been noticing some stuff thatas got me really confused and frustrated. First of all, heas been really distant, like heas always got something on his mind but wonat tell me. And when I try to talk to him about it, he brushes it off like itas nothing. Plus, heas been cancelling plans at the last minute, which is not like him. Itas like heas avoiding spending time with me.
But hereas the real issue: I caught him red-handed flirting with some other girl on social media! I trust him, but this is making me second-guess everything. I donat know whether to confront him about it or just keep quiet and hope it blows over. I just canat decide between wanting to salvage what we have and not wanting to be played for a fool. And to top it all off, Iam scared that if I bring it up, itall just lead to a huge fight and make things worse. So please help, what should I do?
Continue reading...Godas Ghostwriters by Candida Moss aims to shine a light on the contributions to Christianity by imprisoned workers
Enslaved people wrote the Bible, carried the messages of the apostles and spread the word of Jesus around the Roman empire, according to a shocking new book by the theology professor Candida Moss. Godas Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible argues that apostles and early Christians used enslaved scribes, secretaries and messengers to write the New Testament and shape the very foundations of Christianity.
aThe overwhelming literary and archeological evidence shows that this kind of work was done by enslaved or formerly enslaved people,a says Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham. Scholars think only about 5-10% of Romans were literate: the very wealthy a and the people they enslaved.
Continue reading...The Stanford neuroscientist is highly credentialed and endearingly earnest on his popular wellness podcast, but is now facing claims against his credibility
Iam going to divulge something rather embarrassing: earlier this year I got sucked deep into the aHuberspherea, the cult-like following of Andrew Huberman, the controversial neuroscientist and podcaster who is the subject of a viral New York Magazine article that came out this week. Huberman has racked up a massive (and lucrative) following with his data-driven aprotocolsa for a better life. These protocols involve things like taking enormous amounts of expensive supplements, ensuring you view early morning sunlight for 10-30 minutes after waking, carefully timing when you drink coffee and plunging yourself in ice baths.
Sounds like your run-of-the-mill scammy wellness influencer, right? Not quite. What makes Huberman different from others in the aGoop for brosa wellness space is that he is highly credentialed and endearingly earnest. The 48-year-old describes himself as a neuroscience professor at Stanford and a lab director at Stanford School of Medicine. He leans heavily on his affiliation with the Ivy League to bolster his credibility and frequently has other Stanford professors on his podcast, which was the third most popular in the world last year, according to Spotify.
Continue reading...After a Trump-backed purge of the RNC this month, promoting the 2020 stolen election lie has become a litmus test for loyalty
If youare seeking employment at the Republican National Committee (RNC), youare likely to be asked in your job interview if you believe the 2020 election was stolen. And if you say no, well, you might as well seek a job with George Santos.
After a Trump-backed purge of the RNC this month, agreeing to the false claim has become a kind of litmus test for gaining employment a no less than itas become a litmus test for running for public office as a Republican.
Continue reading...Donald Tusk is working hard and fast on a great transformation, but travel the country and itas clear what a difficult task that is
My formative journalistic years were spent reporting on the final freeze of the cold war a days of hard times and soft currencies. When I return to those countries now, I test myself on how well I guessed what would follow in the three decades since. On Poland in particular, I would have been hard pressed to predict the giddy zigzag of power still featuring a generation who marched to topple communism, but whose protagonists feud bitterly about how to govern the country in the 21st century.
We talk a lot about places that have recently bought a one-way ticket towards authoritarian politics a Russia and Turkey for the full-fat versions, and Hungaryas democratic backsliding and stifling of independent institutions.
Continue reading...The way musicians are compensated is highly unfair. A new bill in the US Congress could fix that a and itas about time
Many of the younger musicians I know a musicians in the full flush of their career a donat see a path forward toward making a living. These arenat artists failing to connect with a public; on the contrary, they are releasing widely reviewed albums, going on tours and communicating (constantly) with their fans via social media. But this work is not paying them enough to manage without second jobs or side hustles.
Thatas a broken system. Itas not just broken for individual artists, itas broken for our society as a whole. We all benefit from music. And I believe we as a society want that music to come from as wide and deep and rich and varied sources as exist. How could we not?
Continue reading...Although there are significant financial and emotional benefits to returning to the nest, it should be a choice
The 2021 census already confirmed it: more adult children than ever are still living with their parents. But the Financial Times has recently revealed just how drastically the scales have tipped: about 40% of 18- to 34-year-olds now live with their parents, making it the most common domestic arrangement for this age group. Previously, it was living as a couple with children.
Itas not just an epidemic of Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum a Iave moved back home twice since graduating in 2018, and I know plenty of young well-to-do professionals who have felt obliged to do the same, or not moved out at all. There are also plenty of people who are unable to live in their family home due to distance and perhaps wish they could.
Continue reading...Too often cemeteries for enslaved people have been all but erased from history but how we remember matters
For archeologists, what defines people as human is how we bury our dead. Imagine, then, a society that relegates a whole community as legally inhuman, enslaved with no rights. In spite of slavery, African burial grounds are tangible reminders of the enslaved and free a defying oppressive circumstances by reclaiming peopleas humanity through acts of remembrance.
When I first visited the British overseas territory of St Helena in 2018 and saw the burial ground in Rupertas Valley, I was astounded by its size and significance. It unambiguously placed the island at the centre of the Middle Passage a tying the British empire to the institution of slavery in the US, the Caribbean, and globally.
Continue reading...A braid from a formerly enslaved African buried on the island was the catalyst for Annina van Neelas work to preserve and share these histories
At the end of January 2012, I arrived on St Helena after a six-day journey by ship from Cape Town. After being surrounded by water for nearly a week, the sight of land on the midnight-blue horizon was overwhelming. It was as though someone had forgotten their piece of land in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. 47 square miles of volcanic rock, 2,810 miles from the coast of Brazil and 1,610 miles from Angola a an oasis in a desert, an enigma.
I arrived on the island as part of the project team constructing St Helenaas first airport. Previously accessible only by sea, this incredible community, which had been defined by its isolation as an outpost and a place of exile for 500 years, would for the first time be easily reached by the rest of the world.
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