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Tag: LEGAL

  • Marilyn Manson Sexual Assault Lawsuit Dismissed

    Marilyn Manson Sexual Assault Lawsuit Dismissed

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    Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault and sexual battery.

    A California court has dismissed without prejudice a 2021 lawsuit accusing Brian Warner—also known as Marilyn Manson—of sexual assault, as the Los Angeles Times reports and Pitchfork can confirm. Model and entertainer Ashley Morgan Smithline sued the musician for sexual assault, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unlawful imprisonment, and more. Warner has denied the allegations. 

    In October, Jay Ellwanger withdrew as Smithline’s attorney; she did not meet a deadline by December to acquire new representation or represent herself, leading to the court’s most recent decision. Smithline is able to re-file the case with new representation.

    “We thank and commend Ashley Smithline for dismissing her claims against Brian Warner without seeking or receiving anything in return,” Howard King, Warner’s attorney, wrote in a statement provided to Pitchfork. “Ms. Smithline has refused to be manipulated by others who are trying to pursue their own agendas against Mr. Warner. We wish her well and will continue to work to assure  that a significant price will be paid by those who have tried to abuse our legal system.”

    Manson is currently facing a federal lawsuit from actress Esmé Bianco, who accused the musician of sexual assault and sexual battery. Manson is also suing Evan Rachel Wood for defamation, a reaction to her publicly naming him as her abuser in early 2021 and detailing her experiences in the documentary Phoenix Rising. In May, the Los Angeles Superior Court dismissed another lawsuit filed by a woman who had worked as Warner’s assistant, accusing him of sexual assault, battery, and harassment. Judge Michael Stern ruled that the claim could not proceed because alleged incidents happened beyond the state’s two-year statute of limitations.

    Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau spent 19 months investigating sexual assault allegations against Warner, and they submitted the case to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office for review and complaint filing consideration in September.

    If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:

    RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
    http://www.rainn.org
    1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

    Crisis Text Line
    SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741

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    Eric Torres

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  • U.S. FDA allows abortion pills to be sold at retail pharmacies

    U.S. FDA allows abortion pills to be sold at retail pharmacies

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    WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills in the United States for the first time, the agency said on Tuesday, even as more states seek to ban medication abortion.

    The regulatory change will potentially expand abortion access as President Joe Biden’s administration wrestles with how best to protect abortion rights after they were sharply curtailed by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling and the state bans that followed.

    Pharmacies can start applying for certification to distribute abortion pill mifepristone with one of the two companies that make it, and if successful they will be able to dispense it directly to patients upon receiving a prescription from a certified prescriber.

    The FDA had first said it would be making those changes in December 2021 when it announced it would relax some risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, or REMS, on the pill, that had been in place since the agency approved it in 2000 and were lifted temporarily in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The changes included permanently removing restrictions on mail order shipping of the pills and their prescription through telehealth.

    The agency finalized the changes on Tuesday after reviewing supplemental applications from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, the two companies that make the drug in the United States.

    “Under the Mifepristone REMS Program, as modified, Mifeprex and its approved generic can be dispensed by certified pharmacies or by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber,” the agency said on its website on Tuesday.

    Mifeprex is the brand name version of mifepristone which, in combination with a second drug called misoprostol that has various uses including miscarriage management, induces an abortion up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy in a process known as medication abortion.

    Abortion rights activists say the pill has a long track record of being safe and effective, with no risk of overdose or addiction. In several countries, including India and Mexico, women can buy them without a prescription to induce abortion.

    “Today’s news is a step in the right direction for health equity,” Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement.

    “Being able to access your prescribed medication abortion through the mail or to pick it up in person from a pharmacy like any other prescription is a game changer for people trying to access basic health care,” Johnson added.

    NO EQUAL ACCESS

    The regulatory change will, however, not provide equal access to all people, GenBioPro, which makes the generic version of mifepristone, said in a statement.

    Abortion bans, some targeting mifepristone, have gone into effect in more than a dozen states since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to terminating pregnancies when it scrapped the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling last year.

    Women in those states could potentially travel to other states to obtain medication abortion.

    The president of anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said the latest FDA move endangers women’s safety and the lives of unborn children.

    “State lawmakers and Congress must stand as a bulwark against the Biden administration’s pro-abortion extremism,” she said in a statement.

    FDA records show a small mortality case number associated with mifepristone. As of June 2021, there were reports of 26 deaths linked with the pill out of 4.9 million people estimated to have taken it since it was approved in September 2000.

    Retail pharmacies will have to weigh whether or not to offer the pill given the political controversy surrounding abortion, and determine where they can do so.

    A spokesperson for CVS Health (CVS.N) said the drugstore chain owner was reviewing the updated REMS “drug safety program certification requirements for mifepristone to determine the requirements to dispense in states that do not restrict the dispensing of medications prescribed for elective termination of pregnancy.”

    A spokesperson for Walgreens (WBA.O), one of the largest U.S. pharmacies, said the company was also reviewing the FDA’s regulatory change. “We will continue to enable our pharmacists to dispense medications consistent with federal and state law.”

    Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Additional reporting by Eric Beech in Washington, Shivani Tanna, Rahat Sandhu, and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Ahmed Aboulenein

    Thomson Reuters

    Washington-based correspondent covering U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical policy with a focus on the Department of Health and Human Services and the agencies it oversees such as the Food and Drug Administration, previously based in Iraq and Egypt.

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  • Southwest Airlines is sued for not providing refunds after meltdown

    Southwest Airlines is sued for not providing refunds after meltdown

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    NEW YORK, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) has been sued by a passenger who said it failed to provide refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the carrier to cancel more than 15,000 flights late last month.

    In a proposed class action filed on Dec. 30 in New Orleans federal court, Eric Capdeville accused Southwest of breach of contract after a fierce winter storm that swept across the United States shortly before Christmas upended the carrier’s schedule.

    Though Southwest has promised to reimburse passengers for expenses, Capdeville said it offered only a credit to him and his daughter after scrapping their Dec. 27 flight to Portland, Oregon from New Orleans and being unable to book alternative travel.

    Affected passengers “cannot use their airline tickets through no fault of their own and they are not getting the benefit of their bargain with defendant,” the complaint said.

    Capdeville, a Marrero, Louisiana resident, is seeking damages for passengers on Southwest flights canceled since Dec. 24, and who did not receive refunds or expense reimbursements.

    In a statement on Tuesday, Southwest had no comment on the lawsuit, but said it had “several high priority efforts underway to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred as a result of the irregular operations.”

    Capdeville’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.

    The meltdown at Dallas-based Southwest has been blamed on staffing shortages and outdated flight scheduling software.

    Southwest has said it would reimburse affected passengers for reasonable expenses such as last-minute hotel, rental car and dining costs, but it might take several weeks.

    The carrier largely restored normal operations on Dec. 30, several days after other airlines had recovered from the storm.

    In a Dec. 29 letter to Southwest Chief Executive Bob Jordan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the disruptions “unacceptable” and said the law requires refunds when carriers cancel flights unless passengers accept rebooking.

    The case is Capdeville v Southwest Airlines Co, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, No. 22-05590.

    Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • 12 Questions About Facebook That Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know

    12 Questions About Facebook That Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Facebook Ads can be a great way to drive traffic to your website and increase sales conversions, but they can also be expensive and difficult to manage if you’re unfamiliar with the platform. By understanding how Facebook Ads work and what options are available to you, you can create a cost-effective ad campaign that meets your business’s needs.

    In this article, discover the top 12 questions and answers entrepreneurs and small business owners need to know about running Facebook ads for their companies.

    As an online entrepreneur and marketing coach who teaches business owners how to DIY their digital branding and marketing (while saving time, money and energy), Facebook advertising is one of my favorite subjects to consult on. It’s been one of the most cost-effective ways for my companies to reach a large audience of targeted customers while helping my businesses grow brand awareness faster and easier.

    That said, here are 12 common questions I hear from entrepreneurs.

    Related: The Complete Guide to Getting Started With Facebook Ads

    How do I promote my small business on Facebook?

    An effective way to promote your small business on Facebook is through targeted ad campaigns. With targeted campaigns, you can reach the right people with your message and increase the chances of garnering attention for your business. To start, take advantage of Facebook’s Audience Insights feature to gain insight into the demographics of your ideal customers.

    Related: The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising

    Are Facebook Ads worth it in 2023?

    Facebook Ads can be a great way to promote your business over the next year. While there are all types of online advertising tools (such as Google ads, YouTube ads and more), the bottom line is that Facebook advertising is still one of the most cost-effective advertising methods on the internet.

    Unlike other platforms or systems, Facebook advertising allows you to create specific audiences that help narrow down who you are trying to reach. This information will help you create a targeted ad campaign that is more likely to be successful.

    How much does a Facebook ad cost?

    The cost of the ads varies, depending on how many people you want to see the ad, the period you plan to run it for and even other factors like the location and audience type you want to reach. In addition, since it’s a social network where your ads generate organic engagement (such as shares, likes and comments), it enables your content to go viral faster, expanding your ad’s reach without spending more budget toward impressions. You can get started running ads for a small amount, like just $5 per day, which is a great way to test creative content.

    How do I start a Facebook ad?

    A small business owner can start a Facebook ad campaign on the platform by first creating a business page and ad account. Start by defining the campaign objectives (such as brand awareness, traffic, etc.) and select an audience most likely to convert. After that, create an engaging ad with high-quality visuals and compelling copy. Make sure to include a call to action that encourages viewers to take the desired action.

    Related: Your 7-Step Guide to Getting Started With Facebook Ads

    How do Facebook Ads work?

    Facebook Ads target users based on their behaviors, interests and other demographic information. When a user clicks on an ad or interacts with it in any way (such as liking, commenting or sharing), they are adding to the ad’s reach — and driving more conversions. Once an ad is created, it will be displayed in various sections on Facebook, Instagram and affiliated platforms.

    How do Google Ads compare to Facebook Ads?

    Google and Facebook ads are two different ways to advertise your business online.

    With Google ads, you can target people actively searching on Google for keywords related to your business. By contrast, Facebook ads let you target people based on their interests and other demographic information, so visual ads are served to them while they’re spending time on social media.

    The benefit of Facebook (in comparison to Google) is that it enables you to be more selective about the type of person you are trying to reach with your ad. Whereas, with Google ads, it’s all based on the keywords people are searching for, so you might end up paying for clicks from people who aren’t your ideal customer.

    Do Facebook Ads work for small businesses?

    As an entrepreneur starting a business, you must be mindful of how you spend your financial resources. That’s why testing ads online can be a cost-effective way to see how people engage with your content while driving brand awareness for your startup.

    Tap into the power of targeted Facebook Ads to reach your ideal customers faster and easier. You can tailor your ads with precise segmentation to get the right people with relevant messages, helping them make more impactful connections and increase engagement rates! By paying attention to detail when setting up an ad campaign on Facebook, small businesses can maximize their efforts for maximum success.

    How long should I run a Facebook ad?

    You should run a Facebook ad for as long as it is effective. That means you should track how many people click on it, like it or share it. If it is ineffective, you should stop running the ad and try something else.

    In the social media marketing course I created for Inspiring Brands Academy, within a few short hours, I teach my students (who are small business owners and entrepreneurs) step-by-step strategies to create successful ads that drive results. Analyzing the data on which type of creative content is performing best helps you decide how long to run each ad.

    How do I find my target audience through Facebook ads?

    Using the platform’s powerful targeting capabilities, you can find your target audience through Facebook Ads. With the ability to target users based on their behaviors, interests, demographics, location, and more, small business owners can create highly tailored campaigns that reach the right people (which means you’ll spend less advertising budget to reach the customers who’d naturally be interested in your product or service). This allows for more effective engagement and conversion rates since the audience your ad is being delivered to is already interested in what you are offering.

    For example, if you run a beauty ecommerce business that sells anti-aging skincare, then most likely you’d want to target people over age 40, whose interests include beauty and skincare, and who follow pages like Allure and NewBeauty magazine, retailers (such as Sephora and Ulta) and popular skincare brands.

    How do I measure the success of my Facebook Ads?

    The success of your Facebook Ads depends on a variety of factors, including the quality of the creative content and how well they target your desired audience. However, the best way to measure the success of an ad campaign is by tracking its performance with analytics. Through Facebook’s Ads Manager, you can measure metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions and more to determine which ads perform best and generate the most ROI.

    What is a good budget for running Facebook Ads?

    There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question since it largely depends on the size of your business and the goals you want to achieve with your ad campaigns.

    Generally speaking, I recommend that entrepreneurs set aside a budget for testing their ads before allocating more money to successful campaigns generating results. But the good news is that you can start by testing ad content for just $5 per day over seven days to see results. I recommend trying various ad types (video, photos, different copy and CTAs) to see which performs best.

    Related: How to Increase Your Marketing Return On Investment Through Customization and Multiple Personas

    What is the average return on ad spend for a Facebook campaign?

    The average return on ad spend (ROAS) for a Facebook campaign can vary depending on your target audience and how well your ads perform. Generally, you should aim to get a ROAS of at least 1-5x — meaning that you’re earning back the amount you spent to run the campaigns.

    To calculate your ROAS, divide your total profit by the amount you spent on running the ad. For example, if your total profit is $100 and you spent $50 to run the ad, divide 100/50 = 2x ROAS. The higher the ROAS, the better it is for your business.

    As you can see, small business owners and entrepreneurs can benefit from running Facebook ad campaigns because they allow for highly targeted advertising that reaches people who are already interested in what you have to offer. Additionally, through analytics, businesses can measure the success of their ad campaigns and make necessary adjustments to ensure they are getting the most out of their investment. With a good budget and an understanding of targeting your audience, you can see a high return on investment from Facebook ad campaigns.

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    Christina-Lauren Pollack

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  • Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Sued for 1970s Sexual Abuse of a Minor

    Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Sued for 1970s Sexual Abuse of a Minor

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    Steven Tyler is being sued by a woman who alleges that the Aerosmith frontman sexually assaulted and sexually battered her when she was a minor in the 1970s, Rolling Stone reports. The lawsuit, as Rolling Stone notes, could be filed due to California’s Child Victims Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for alleged survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file complaints.

    In the lawsuit, the plaintiff, Julia Holcomb, alleges that she met Tyler in 1973 when she was 16 years old and he was 25. The two apparently had a relationship that lasted three years, and Holcomb now alleges that she “was powerless to resist” the singer’s “power, fame, and substantial financial ability,” and that he “coerced and persuaded Plaintiff into believing this was a ‘romantic love affair.’”

    In addition to sexual assault and sexual battery, Holcomb is suing Tyler for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

    Steven Tyler is not specifically named in the lawsuit, but contemporaneous details align with the singer being the complaint’s defendant. For example, Julia Holcomb is named in Rolling Stone’s 1976 profile of Aerosmith, with journalist Ed McCormack writing, “Well—Julia Holcomb is always nearby, trailing in her wistfully towering way off his arm like a scarf—but Steven Tyler is wedded to his career and image 24 hours a day.” In addition, Tyler apparently wrote about a relationship with an underage girl in his 2011 memoir.

    Holcomb also named Tyler in a statement she released regarding the lawsuit. “I want this action to expose an industry that protects celebrity offenders, to cleanse and hold accountable an industry that both exploited and allowed me to be exploited for years, along with so many other naïve and vulnerable kids and adults,” she wrote. “Because I know that I am not the only one who suffered abuse in the music industry, I feel it is time for me to take this stand and bring this action, to speak up and stand in solidarity with the other survivors. I hope that from this action, we can make the music industry safer, expose the predators in it, and expose those forces in the industry that have both enabled and created a culture of permissiveness and self-protection of themselves and the celebrity offenders among them.”

    Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Steven Tyler for comment and more information.

    If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:

    RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
    http://www.rainn.org
    1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

    Crisis Text Line
    SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741

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    Rob Arcand, Matthew Strauss

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  • Fiji’s New Pro-Bitcoin Prime Minister Ponders Legal Tender Bill: Report

    Fiji’s New Pro-Bitcoin Prime Minister Ponders Legal Tender Bill: Report

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    Pro-Bitcoin politician Sitiveni Rabuka recently took office as the new Prime Minister of the Pacific Islands of Fiji. Now, it seems the new PM is actively considering the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender there.

    While Rabuka himself hasn’t been very public about his opinions on Bitcoin thus far, Lord Fusitu’a, a noble and former member of parliament of neighboring nation Tonga, has reportedly confirmed that the Fijian politician is a bitcoin bull.

    “The new PM is definitely pro-Bitcoin,” Lord Fusitu’a assured Cointelegraph.

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    Namcios

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  • Theophilus London Reported Missing by Family

    Theophilus London Reported Missing by Family

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    Over the last few weeks, friends and family of Theophilus London have been working together to piece together his whereabouts. The last time someone spoke with him reportedly stretches back to July 2022 in Los Angeles.

    On December 27th, family members of Theophilus London traveled to Los Angeles to file a missing persons report with the LAPD. They are now seeking the public’s help with any information as to London’s whereabouts:

    “Theo, your Dad loves you, son. We miss you. And all your friends and relatives are searching for you. Wherever you are send us some signal. No matter what we will come get you son.” – Lary Moses London, father of Theophilus London

    London is 35 years old, Black, 6’2″, 175 pounds, with dark brown eyes. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts or well-being, please reach out to his cousin Mikhail Noel at his instagram account @iamdjkellz, or the LAPD.

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    Rob Arcand

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  • Migrants face freezing Christmas at U.S.-Mexico border

    Migrants face freezing Christmas at U.S.-Mexico border

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    MATAMOROS, Mexico, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Hundreds of migrants prepared to camp in the cold at Mexico’s northern border over Christmas, hoping for a swift reversal in U.S. migration restrictions as they endure the bite of a winter storm ravaging the United States.

    After the U.S. Supreme Court this week ruled that restrictions known as Title 42 could stay in place temporarily, many migrants are facing a Christmas weekend of what Mexico’s weather service called a “mass of arctic air.”

    “I’m staying here, where else can I go?” said Walmix Juin, a 32-year-old Haitian migrant preparing for the weekend in a flimsy tent in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. “I never thought I would spend a Christmas like this.”

    Temperatures in the border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa, where several thousand people are camping outside or in bare-bones shelters, are expected to hover around freezing on Saturday and only slightly improve on Sunday.

    Further west in Ciudad Juarez, where hundreds of migrants have been lining up to seek asylum at the border with El Paso, Texas, temperatures are forecast to drop to minus six degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit). Many have been sleeping in the streets.

    Officials have provided more space in shelters in recent days, but some migrants are wary.

    [1/4] Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, take refuge from the cold on a public transport bus during a night of low temperatures, while another migrant with his son watches them from outside, in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

    Wearing a baseball hat and jacket zipped to the chin, 29-year-old Venezuelan Antony Rodriguez has tried to stay warm in Matamoros by huddling under blankets in a tent with five relatives, he showed in a video shared with Reuters.

    After an arduous trek across Central America and Mexico, Rodriguez said he turned down the offer of a shelter because he feared authorities would bus them south.

    “We feel they’ll send us back,” he said.

    Another Venezuelan in Matamoros, Giovanny Castellanos, said he was camping out in a tent on the border, wrapped up in blankets, to keep abreast of developments.

    “If you go to shelter you’re further from here where the real information is,” the 32-year-old said.

    Title 42 allows the United States to return migrants to Mexico or certain countries without a chance to request asylum. It had been due to end on Dec. 21 before the court ruling. Without clarity on when it will finish, some officials worry their cities could be overwhelmed if more migrants turn up.

    “U.S. migration policy has a big impact here on the border,” Reynosa Mayor Carlos Pena Ortiz said on Friday.

    Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Daniel Becerril; Additional reporting by Jackie Botts, Jose Luis Gonzalez and Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Leslie Adler
    Editing by Dave Graham

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Argentina president rejects Supreme Court ruling, sparking backlash

    Argentina president rejects Supreme Court ruling, sparking backlash

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    BUENOS AIRES, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Argentina’s leftist President Alberto Fernandez has sparked a battle with the country’s top court and something of a legal crisis after he said he would reject a ruling it made to give a larger proportion of state funds to the city of Buenos Aires.

    The South American country has a system to regulate how state funds are distribute between the country’s regions, including the capital city area, which is controlled by a conservative mayor and had been pushing for a larger slice.

    In a ruling on Wednesday the Supreme Court said the level should be raised from 1.4% of the total pool of funds to 2.95% after it was cut by government decree during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The city is the wealthiest and most populous area of the country.

    Fernandez, in a statement late on Thursday, said the ruling was unjustified and pledged to ignore it.

    “It is an unprecedented, incongruous, and impossible-to-enforce ruling,” he said, calling the decision politically motivated ahead of general elections next year and adding that it would hurt the other provinces.

    Fernandez, who has seen his popularity slide and whose ruling coalition was badly defeated in midterm congressional elections last year, said that the state would “challenge the members of the Supreme Court” and seek to have the ruling revoked.

    His remarks sparked off a backlash on both sides, some agreeing with the president that the ruling was unjustified and others saying the rejection of a Supreme Court decision set a dangerous precedent and undermined the justice system.

    “The president decided to break the constitutional order, completely violate the rule of law and attack democracy,” said Buenos Aires city mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, who is seen as a potential 2023 presidential candidate.

    Various industry groups criticized the move as dangerous to the rule of law, while a number of regional governors sided with the president.

    “This measure is, under current conditions, impossible to comply with,” said Buenos Aires province Governor Axel Kicillof.

    “There are already 18 governors who denounce the partisan decision of the Supreme Court to benefit the head of the city government against all the provinces.”

    Reporting by Adam Jourdan and Marta Lopez
    Editing by Frances Kerry

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Kurdish protest over Paris shooting turns violent

    Kurdish protest over Paris shooting turns violent

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    PARIS, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Clashes broke out for a second day in Paris on Saturday between police and Kurdish protestors angry at the killing of three members of their community by a gunman.

    Cars were overturned, at least one vehicle was burned, shop windows were damaged and small fires set alight near Republic Square, a traditional venue for demonstrations where Kurds earlier held a peaceful protest.

    Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said there had been a sudden violent turn in the protest but it was not yet clear why.

    Speaking on news channel BFM TV, Nunez said a few dozen protestors were responsible for the violence, adding there had been 11 arrests and around 30 minor injuries.

    As some demonstrators left the square they threw projectiles at police who responded with tear gas. Skirmishes continued for around two hours before the protestors dispersed.

    A gunman carried out the killings at a Kurdish cultural centre and nearby cafe on Friday in a busy part of Paris’ 10th district, stunning a community preparing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the unresolved murder of three activists.

    Police arrested a 69-year-old man who the authorities said had recently been freed from detention while awaiting trial for a sabre attack on a migrant camp in Paris a year ago.

    Following questioning of the suspect, investigators had added a suspected racist motive to initial accusations of murder and violence with weapons, the prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.

    [1/8] Smoke billows from a fire, as members of the Kurdish community attend a demonstration, following a shooting, in Paris, France December 24, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

    However, the questioning was later halted on medical grounds and the man transferred to a psychiatric unit, the prosecutor’s office said in an update.

    The suspect will be presented to an investigating magistrate when his health permits, it added.

    After a gathering on Friday afternoon that had also led to clashes with police, the Kurdish democratic council in France (CDK-F) organised the demonstration at Republic Square on Saturday.

    Hundreds of Kurdish protestors, joined by politicians including the mayor of Paris’ 10th district, waved flags and listened to tributes to the victims.

    “We are not being protected at all. In 10 years, six Kurdish activists have been killed in the heart of Paris in broad daylight,” Berivan Firat, a spokesperson for the CDK-F, told BFM TV at the demonstration.

    She said the event had soured after some protestors were provoked by people making pro-Turkish gestures in a passing vehicle.

    Friday’s murders came ahead of the anniversary of the killings of three Kurdish women in Paris in January 2013.

    An investigation was dropped after the main suspect died shortly before coming to trial, before being re-opened in 2019.

    Kurdish representatives, who met on Saturday with Nunez as well as French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, reiterated their call for Friday’s shooting to be considered a terror attack.

    Reporting by Manuel Ausloos, Antony Paone, Gus Trompiz, Kate Entringer and Caroline Pailliez; Editing by David Holmes and Mark Potter

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Tory Lanez Found Guilty in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

    Tory Lanez Found Guilty in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

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    Tory Lanez has been found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, The New York Times and Rolling Stone report. He faces more than 20 years in prison for felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a concealed gun in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm in a negligent manner.

    A sentencing hearing for the case is set for January 27, with Lanez facing a maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months in prison. He’s also facing deportation due to his status as a Canadian citizen.

    The trial of Tory Lanez, who had pleaded not guilty, began in December. In the opening arguments, Los Angeles County’s deputy district attorney Alexander Bott claimed that the rapper and singer shot Megan Thee Stallion, and that Kelsey Harris, her former friend and assistant, witnessed the shooting from its lead-up through its immediate aftermath. Bott shared an apologetic text message and a voicemail from Lanez as evidence of his culpability. Lanez’s defense attorney, George G. Mgdesyan, maintained that the conflict was purely between Harris and Megan.

    On December 14, Harris took the witness stand, and prosecutors played snippets of a recorded interview that she gave in September, according to Rolling Stone. In the interview, Harris claimed that Lanez threatened to shoot her inside a vehicle before he allegedly opened fire on Megan. During her appearance, Harris said that she did not want to be in court and referred to the proceeding as a “triggering situation.” Though she confirmed that she gave the recorded statement in September, she claimed that the details were “not accurate” and that she was “not truthful” that day to protect herself.

    Harris invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Rolling Stone points out. She reportedly said that the night of the alleged incident “was a blur,” and that she and others “were under the influence.” At one point, prosecutor Kathy Ta asked Harris about her previous statement that Lanez was “aiming the gun straight but always in a downward direction toward Megan.” Harris claimed not to have witnessed the shooting, but did admit to sending texts that read “Help / Tory shot meg / 911” to Megan’s bodyguard. She said those messages were based on “assumptions.”

    In her own testimony, Megan Thee Stallion reiterated her version of events: She and Lanez had an argument in an SUV after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house; when it escalated, she left the vehicle, and Lanez shot her feet. She added that Lanez offered her $1 million to stay quiet.

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    Jazz Monroe, Allison Hussey, Rob Arcand

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  • Russia Close To Legalizing International Trade In Bitcoin, Crypto: Head Of Finance Committee

    Russia Close To Legalizing International Trade In Bitcoin, Crypto: Head Of Finance Committee

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    Russia’s Congressional finance committee chairman, Anatoly Aksakov, said the country is moving to greenlight international trade in cryptocurrency within the next month, according to a report by national news agency TASS.

    “In January, we want to legalize cryptocurrencies to ensure foreign trade activities,” Aksakov said, per a translated version of the report.

    The chairman highlighted that although Russia is taking steps to allow bitcoin and cryptocurrency payments for imports, there are no plans to encourage similar usage of the burgeoning assets within the boundaries of the nation’s territory.

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    Namcios

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  • Taylor Swift Fans File Second Lawsuit Against Ticketmaster Over Eras Tour Debacle

    Taylor Swift Fans File Second Lawsuit Against Ticketmaster Over Eras Tour Debacle

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    Another group of Taylor Swift fans is suing Ticketmaster in the aftermath of the recent Eras Tour ticketing debacle, Rolling Stone reports and Pitchfork can confirm.

    Earlier this month, fans filed a lawsuit alleging that the ticketing company engaged in “fraud, price-fixing, and antitrust violations,” and, now, a second lawsuit (obtained by Pitchfork) has been filed. In the latter federal class action lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday (December 20), the group alleges that Ticketmaster violated antitrust laws and participated in anticompetitive and misleading conduct.

    “Ticketmaster intentionally and purposefully misled millions of fans into believing it would prevent bots and scalpers from participating in the presales,” the lawsuit says. “However, millions of fans were unable to purchase tickets during the TaylorSwiftTix Presale and the Capital One Presale, due in large part to unprecedented website traffic caused by Ticketmaster allowing 14 million unverified Ticketmaster users and a ‘staggering’ number of bots to participate in the presales.”

    In addition to the antitrust violations, the 26 plaintiffs also allege that Ticketmaster (and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.) engaged in fraud, price fixing, false advertising, and “intentional misrepresentation,” among other allegations.

    “By allowing primary ticket purchasers to resell tickets during the TaylorSwiftTix Presale, Ticketmaster represented that these tickets were being sold according to the face value prices negotiated by Taylor Swift Management when they were not,” the lawsuit reads.

    Plaintiffs are seeking a civil fine of $2,500 per violation, in addition to coverage of the costs of attorneys’ fees and other legal fees.

    Following the previous lawsuit, Ticketmaster took to social media to address the incident. “We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans—especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets,” the company tweeted. “We feel we owe it to everyone to share some information to help explain what happened.” The statement included a link to a page on its website, which explained the circumstances that led to the cancellation.

    The United States Department of Justice has also taken interest in Ticketmaster’s alleged anticompetitive behavior. In November, The New York Times reported that an antitrust investigation had been opened, and “is focused on whether Live Nation Entertainment has abused its power over the multibillion-dollar live music industry.” The decision to open the investigation precedes the Eras Tour presale.

    The Pitchfork Review Podcast Tackles the Best and Worst Pop Music of 2022

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    Rob Arcand

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  • Craig Wright Ordered To Pay Peter McCormack’s Legal Fees, Faces Contempt Of Court Hearing

    Craig Wright Ordered To Pay Peter McCormack’s Legal Fees, Faces Contempt Of Court Hearing

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    A judgment in Peter McCormack’s current case against Craig Wright concluded that Wright must pay the court fees of McCormack on an indemnity basis, amongst other findings.

    The conclusion of the trial also sets up an inquiry into Wright for contempt of court, with Justice Chamberlain of the Royal Courts of Justice writing, “I will issue a summons requiring Dr. Wright to attend a directions hearing before a judge nominated by the Judge in Charge of the Media and Communications List, who will give directions for the conduct of contempt proceedings in respect of breach of the embargo.”

    This in reference to an embargo on a draft judgment which Wright apparently breached, as he shared details of the judgment prior to the embargo date in the MetaNet Slack (MetaNet is a BSV education company). The judgment reads that “The Court of Appeal has signaled that breaches are likely to result in contempt proceedings.”

    While not a particularly good outcome for Wright, McCormack is also being directed to pay approximately $1.1 million (900,000 British pounds) in legal costs, subject to evaluation by a cost judge. He has stated on Twitter that “The stress of the last four years can’t be understated, it has had a significant impact upon me and my family.”

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    Bitcoin Magazine

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  • Rex Orange County Has Sexual Assault Charges Dismissed

    Rex Orange County Has Sexual Assault Charges Dismissed

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    A London court has dismissed six charges of sexual assault filed against Rex Orange County earlier this year, BBC News reports. The British singer-songwriter had denied a woman’s allegations of unwanted touching. In a statement today, he said independent evidence including CCTV footage and a witness account had failed to support the allegations. The Crown Prosecution service told the BBC that the evidence no longer met its test for prosecution.

    “I have never assaulted anyone and I do not condone violence or abusive behaviour of any kind,” Rex Orange County’s statement reads, in part. “It’s been a difficult time for everyone involved and I’d like to thank the people who have helped me through it as well as my family and loved ones for their continued support.”

    Prior to the dismissal, Rex Orange County had been due to stand trial in January.

    If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:

    RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
    http://www.rainn.org
    1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

    Crisis Text Line
    SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741

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    Jazz Monroe

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  • Brazilian President Signs Bill Regulating Use Of Bitcoin As Payment

    Brazilian President Signs Bill Regulating Use Of Bitcoin As Payment

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    Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday morning signed a bill into law that establishes a complete regulatory framework for the trading and use of bitcoin in the country, according to the federal government’s official journal (DOU).

    President Bolsonaro enacted the bill approved by Congress without any modifications. As previously reported, the new rules recognize bitcoin as a digital representation of value that can be used as a means of payment and as an investment asset in the South American nation.

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    Namcios

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  • Giant Bitcoin Miner Core Scientific Files For Bankruptcy

    Giant Bitcoin Miner Core Scientific Files For Bankruptcy

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    • Core Scientific has officially filed for bankruptcy.
    • The filing followed a decline in the firm’s operating performance and liquidity.
    • The giant bitcoin miner said it plans to continue operating as it navigates the restructuring.

    Nasdaq-listed Core Scientific filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. early Wednesday, confirming late Tuesday reports that the miner would seek Chapter 11 protection on the following day.

    The company said in a statement that the decision followed “a comprehensive review of potential alternatives and exhaustive discussions with various company stakeholders.” Core Scientific added that it expects to enter into a restructuring support agreement with the Ad Hoc Noteholder Group, representing more than 50% of the holders of its convertible notes.

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    Namcios

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  • DaBaby Beats $6 Millon Lawsuit

    DaBaby Beats $6 Millon Lawsuit

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    After a five-day trial, a jury has found in favor of DaBaby (Jonathan Kirk), who was facing a $6 million federal lawsuit accusing him of battery, breach of contract, and defamation, according to documents viewed by Pitchfork. In Kirk’s countersuit, plaintiffs Kenneth Carey and Steve Anyadike were found to be liable for invasion of privacy and unauthorized use of name or likeness.

    In January 2020, Kirk was arrested and questioned by police in Miami about an alleged robbery; he was found to have an outstanding warrant in Texas, spent the night at Miami’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, and was released the next day. A month later, Carey, a concert promoter, filed a lawsuit claiming Kirk breached his contract to perform, and, along with his associates, beat and robbed him. TMZ published a video depicting a portion of the incident. The charges were dropped by police in March. 

    That same month, Kirk was sued for battery after an unrelated incident in Tampa, Florida, in which a woman claimed he struck a woman, injuring her head and face. In June 2021, Kirk was arrested in Beverly Hills and charged with possession of a loaded and concealed firearm. In April 2022, he was charged with felony battery after an incident in December 2020 in which he allegedly hit the owner of a property he had rented to shoot a music video. Both DaBaby and Roddy Ricch were sued earlier this month by a Florida producer who claims the pair ripped off his song for their hit “Rockstar.” 

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    Matthew Ismael Ruiz

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  • Fortnite Developer Epic Games Fined Record $520 Million By FTC

    Fortnite Developer Epic Games Fined Record $520 Million By FTC

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    In two separate settlements, the Federal Trade Commission will fine Epic Games, the developer behind the extremely popular battle royale game Fortnite, a total of $520 million related to issues over children’s privacy and what the agency characterized as “misleading credit card charging practices.”


    Chesnot / Contributor I Getty Images

    Gamer playing Fortnite in 2018 in Paris.

    The record-breaking settlements were announced Monday.

    “No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” Epic wrote in a blog post about the two settlements.

    Since at least 2017, the FTC contends, Epic Games was violating a children’s privacy law used a bevy of digital practices that make it easier for customers, or unwitting kids, to accidentally purchase things in its Epic Games Store or on Fortnite, and difficult to cancel or mitigate the issue, despite complaints.

    Founded in 1998, Epic Games is a Cary, North Carolina-based games developer that introduced Fortnite to the world in 2017. The game was a breakout success, pulling in 200 million players in only a couple of months, per Insider. Epic has also developed games like Gears of War.

    “These enforcement actions make clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these unlawful practices,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan in the agency’s statement.

    The FTC is the enforcer behind laws that are intended to protect customers. The agency contends that Epic Games made it easy for kids (and people, in general) to buy things on Fortnite or the company’s store without parental consent. It called these tactics “dark patterns,” which is also a general term for software that is deceptive to users.

    “Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button,” the agency wrote, adding that the company tested and then added features to make it harder to undo a purchase or get a refund.

    “Epic ignored more than one million user complaints and repeated employee concerns that “huge” numbers of users were being wrongfully charged,” the FTC claimed. Finally, the agency said, if customers disputed charges, their accounts would be banned.

    Epic Games said its new policy would now only disable accounts in the case of fraud. The company said it would now ask for consent to save payment information and had added extra controls to confirm a player’s purchase after the fact, among other mitigating efforts it said in its blog post.

    The FTC’s order will require the company to pay $245 million over this issue to go to certain customers affected by the issue it outlined. At this link, you can sign up to be notified if the website is up, and see if you would qualify.

    The payment complaint was filed in administrative court. The second one was It was referred to the Department of Justice and then filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

    The order fined the company for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which was passed in 1998. The law requires parental consent to collect the personal information of children under the age of 13, which the FTC says Epic was not doing with Fortnite.

    The FTC also said the default setting for minors that allowed them to chat in real-time with text and voice while on Fortnite led younger users to be exposed to “dangerous and psychologically traumatizing issues.”

    The penalty for that is $275 million and will be sent to the U.S. Treasury. Epic is also being asked to delete collected personal information of people under 13 and be audited independently and regularly over this issue. The company discussed its new special accounts for minors in its blog post, called Cabined Accounts.

    “We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players,” the company said in the blog post of the two settlements.

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    Gabrielle Bienasz

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  • Nigeria Looking To Legalize Bitcoin Usage: Report

    Nigeria Looking To Legalize Bitcoin Usage: Report

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    A local Nigerian newspaper has reported that Babangida Ibrahim, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market and Institutions of Nigeria, claimed the country will soon pass a law making the usage of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies legal. The bill would amend the 2007 Investments and Securities Act and would recognize bitcoin as legal capital for investment.

    Back in February of 2021, Nigeria effectively banned the usage of bitcoin with a letter prohibiting regulated financial businesses from “dealing” with cryptocurrencies. In the same year, Bitcoin Magazine reported Nigeria soaring to the largest volume of bitcoin peer-to-peer trading in the world, and Chainanalysis reports showed that Nigeria had greatly accelerated bitcoin adoption.

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    BtcCasey

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