
Instacart targets up to $7.7 billion valuation for much-awaited US IPO
(Reuters) -Instacart on Monday set a target of up to $7.73 billion valuation in its hotly anticipated U.S. initial public
2023-09-11 21:29

Liverpool scout Goncalo Inacio during Portugal's October internationals
Liverpool sent scouts to watch defender Goncalo Inacio during Portugal's thumping 5-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, 90min understands.
2023-10-17 19:58

Isaiah Rodgers admits to ‘mistakes’ amid NFL gambling investigation
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers released a statement regarding reports that he was the subject of an NFL investigation for gambling.On Monday, SportsHandle.com reported that a player on the Indianapolis Colts was the subject of an investigation from the league for "pervasive be...
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College football AP Top 25 Poll: Winners and losers from the latest draw
These are the biggest winners and losers from the latest AP Top 25 poll, released Sunday afternoon.
2023-09-11 03:28

Women’s World Cup 2023 LIVE: Ireland face Canada as Katie McCabe scores from corner
The Women’s World Cup continues as the Republic of Ireland fight to keep their hopes alive against Olympic champions Canada in a pivotal Group B clash. Defeat would put Ireland on the brink of elimination following their opening loss to co-hosts Australia, while Canada are looking to bounce back from their draw against Nigeria. Elsewhere today, both Spain and Japan qualified for the last-16 with a match to spare as they continued their impressive early form in Group C. Japan cruised to a 2-0 win against Costa Rica before Spain thrashed Zambia 5-0, with both teams moving to six points to advance to the knockout stages. Monday’s meeting between Spain and Japan will decide who goes through as group winners, while Zambia and Costa Rica are already out with a match left to play. On Tuesday, co-hosts New Zealand were stunned by debutants Philippines, who claimed their first ever victory at the tournament with a 1-0 win in Wellington. The result blew Group A wide open and all four teams are still able to advance after Norway were held to a goalless draw by Switzerland in the day’s late kick-off. Follow the latest World Cup scores, updates and news in today’s live blog Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? When do England women play next? World Cup fixtures and route to the final
2023-07-26 20:24

Ex-Vice President Pence does not rule out being witness for Trump's prosecution
By Tim Reid Former Republican Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday did not rule out being a prosecution
2023-08-06 18:25

Hurricane Lidia slams Mexico's coast leaving widespread damage
Rescue workers on Wednesday were scrambling to clean up the mess left by Hurricane Lidia, which slammed into
2023-10-11 16:48

The Crooked House was Britain's wonkiest pub. Then it burned down
As the name suggests, The Crooked House, a historic pub in England's West Midlands, has had a distinctive feature.
2023-08-13 17:57

Fukushima's water release: what we know
Japan has announced plans to release wastewater from the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant into the...
2023-08-22 11:49

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? The Wagner mercenary chief urging a ‘civil war’ against Putin
Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia’s war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his country’s military leadership. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war by calling Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Prigozhin’s arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhin’s threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Putin, urged Russians to join his “march to justice.” ‘PUTIN’S CHEF’ Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison — 10 years by his own admission — although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. “Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I don’t mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests,” Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhin’s factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years — earning him the nickname “Putin’s chef” — and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhin’s companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. MILITARY CONNECTION Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putin’s projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. U.S. officials say Russia may also be using Wagner’s work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhin’s mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russia’s prisons. RAGING AGAINST RUSSIA’S GENERALS As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russia’s military brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russia’s regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. “These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin said then. “The scum that doesn’t give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.” A ‘BAD ACTOR’ IN THE US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the U.S., when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: “Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. I’m not at all upset that I’m on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him.” The Biden White House in that episode called him “a known bad actor,” and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhin’s “bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin.” AVOIDING CHALLENGES TO PUTIN As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russia’s conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putin’s generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhin’s influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. “He’s not one of Putin’s close figures or a confidant,” said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast “In Moscow’s Shadows.” “Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But that’s the thing — he is part of the staff rather than part of the family,” Galeotti said. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Who is the head of the mercenary group calling for an armed rebellion in Russia? Who are Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group Russia opens criminal case against Wagner chief over ‘call for armed mutiny’
2023-06-24 14:59

Alabama gets new congressional map that could yield Democrats a second seat in the state
A federal court on Thursday approved a new congressional map in Alabama that significantly boosts the Black population of a second district and could represent a pickup opportunity for Democrats in next year's elections.
2023-10-05 23:48

Exclusive-China scrutinises quant strategies as market weakness stokes public anger - sources
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -As China's stock market struggles to recover, regulators have started to probe some hedge funds and brokerages on
2023-09-21 18:30
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