Ebay is facing a fine of nearly $2 billion for allegedly enabling the sale of ‘rolling coal’ devices and other deliberately polluting equipment that violates environmental laws. The US Department of Justice alleges that the online retailer sold more than 343,000 so-called defeat devices in violation of the Clean Air Act, with each sale the subject of a $5,580 fine. Rolling coal has become a form of anti-environmentalism protest in the United States, involving the modification of a diesel engine in order to emit black clouds of sooty exhaust fumes. Online video compilations show drivers of pickup trucks deliberately rolling coal as they pass cyclists and electric vehicles. Until recently, the devices required to perform it were relatively easy to find through online retailers, costing between $200-500. The Justice Department wrote in its complaint, which was filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a federal court in New York, that the rolling coal devices “defeat motor vehicle emission controls” set out in the Clean Air Act. “Aftermarket defeat devices significantly increase pollution emissions – including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and nonmethane hydrocarbons – that harm public health,” the complaint stated. The EPA criminalised the practice, which appears to be mainly confined to the US, in 2014, with some states warning of fines of up to $5,000 for anyone caught doing it. Several companies who sell coal rolling equipment have already been forced to pay fines of up to $1 million for breaking the law. “Our nation’s environmental laws protect public health and the environment by prohibiting the unlawful sales of defeat devices; unregistered, misbranded and restricted use pesticides; and unsafe products containing toxic chemicals,” David Uhlmann from the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance said following the Justice Department’s latest action against eBay. “The complaint filed demonstrates that EPA will hold online retailers responsible for the unlawful sale of products on their websites that can harm consumers and the environment.” Ebay described the lawsuit as “entirely unprecedented”, claiming that sales of such devices were banned and that it was actively policing its site against their sale. “Maintaining a safe and trusted marketplace for our global community of sellers and buyers is a fundamental principle of our business,” the company said. “Indeed, eBay is blocking and removing more than 99.9 per cent of the listings for the products cited by the DOJ, including millions of listings each year.” Read More World’s first solar powered hybrid truck tested on public roads Why is Elon Musk obsessed with the letter X? How Elon Musk’s Twitter became a haven for fake news and misinformation Viral WhatsApp warning of cyberattack targeting Jewish people is fake

By Stephen Nellis Enfabrica, a Silicon Valley chip startup working on networking chips for artificial intelligence data centers,

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Transgender people in El Salvador face violence and discrimination in their deeply religious country

An Idea judge has denied “cult mom” Lori Vallow a new trial after she was convicted of murdering her two youngest children and conspiring to murder her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife. The 49-year-old mother-of-three was last month found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, in Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho. She was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murder of Tammy Daybell, the then-wife of Vallow’s husband Mr Daybell. Her lawyers returned to court on Thursday to argue that she deserved a fresh trial, claiming the jury was confused by misleading instructions, reported KIFI. Her defence team argued that the court should overturn her previous trial and that she be re-tried along with Mr Daybell, who will face a jury next year. They also argued that one juror, who later appeared in media interviews, knew about evidence not presented at trial. Vallow was smiling as she arrived in court wearing an orange and white prison jumpsuit, with her feet shackled together, reported KIFI. District Judge Steven Boyce rejected the claims and she is scheduled to be sentenced on 31 July at the Fremont County Courthouse. Chad Daybell’s trial is scheduled for 1 April, 2024. JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace back in September 2019, with their mother refusing to reveal their whereabouts to both authorities and the children’s desperate family members. One month later, Tammy – an otherwise healthy 49-year-old – also died suddenly. Her death was initially ruled natural causes. This bizarre spate of disappearances and death came just months after Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow was shot dead by Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in Arizona in July 2019. With Vallow’s children and both of their spouses then out of the way, she and Mr Daybell embarked on a new life together – flying to Hawaii to get married in a fairytale wedding on the beach. But, with months passing since the last signs of life of Vallow’s children, concerns continued to grow, prompting authorities to exhume Tammy’s body. A subsequent autopsy revealed that she had died by asphyxiation. In June 2020 – nine months after they were last seen alive – Tylee and JJ’s remains were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho. JJ, who had autism, had been smothered with a plastic bag taped over his face, his little body still dressed in a pair of red pyjamas. Tylee’s cause of death meanwhile has been impossible to establish as the teenager’s dismembered, charred bones and body parts were found scattered in the ground on Mr Daybell’s pet cemetery. Jurors in Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho, took almost seven hours to find Vallow guilty on all charges over the three murders after a gruelling six-week trial where the panel heard harrowing details about the doomsday mom’s path of deadly destruction and were shown graphic images of the murdered children’s remains. Read More Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice What we know about the Lori Vallow Daybell ‘doomsday cult’ murder trial Lori Vallow Daybell: Timeline of ‘doomsday cult mom’s’ mystery case Lori Vallow has been convicted of her children’s murders. What happens next? Idaho mom convicted in deaths of 2 kids and romantic rival faces new Arizona charge

The theme for the 2024 Met Gala has finally been revealed. On Wednesday 8 November, Vogue announced that the upcoming theme for the annual fashion fundraiser will be “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”. The Met Gala - held each year in New York City on the first Monday in May - is a star-studded fashion extravaganza that supports the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. According to Vogue, the exhibit will be centred around 50 historically significant pieces, some of which are far too fragile ever to be worn again. These are the “Sleeping Beauties”. Nearly 250 items will also be drawn from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection, featuring designs from Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Givenchy to span 400 years of fashion history. “This innovative show will push the boundaries of our imagination and invite us to experience many facets of a work, to learn more about its history, and, ultimately, to gain a deeper appreciation of its beauty,” said Max Hollein, the Met’s Marina Kellen French director and CEO. One of the most fragile pieces of the collection includes an Elizabethan bodice and a silk satin ball gown from 1877 by the American couturier, Charles Frederick Worth. In fact, these items served as the theme’s original inspiration. Although they’re too old to fulfill their original function, the bodice and satin ball gown will be present throughout the exhibit through display technology. An illusion technique known as Pepper’s ghost will be key to the “Sleeping Beauties” collection, which involves placing a large piece of glass at an angle so that it reflects an object off-stage, making it appear like a ghostly figure on-stage. The Met will also use video animation, light projection, soundscaping, artificial intelligence, and CGI to “weave a contextual fabric of understanding around each piece”. “Fashion is one of the most emotional artistic forms because of its connection to the body,” said Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute. “It is imbued with memory and emotions, and we relate to it very much via our senses. One thing I hope this show will activate is that sensorial appreciation of fashion.” The exhibition will be designed around three main zones: land, sea, and sky. Each “zone” will symbolise the natural materials used within it to create garments. “It is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion,” Bolton added. By emphasising the natural world and how its been used in fashion throughout time, sustainability will remain a key focus throughout the exhibit. The theme for last year’s Met Gala was in honour of the late legendary designer, Karl Lagerfeld. “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” aimed to examine Lagerfeld’s legacy by bringing together 150 creations from his time as creative director of Fendi, Chloe, and Chanel. However, the theme sparked considerable backlash due to Lagerfeld’s controversial history of making fatphobic, homophobic, and derogatory comments towards women. The Met Gala is the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. As a result, the price to attend the event can cost as high as $50,000 per person. While the dress code and co-chairs for the 2024 Met Gala have yet to be announced, one thing is for certain: Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in-chief, will once again serve as co-chair and will have final say over the celebrity guest list. Read More We can’t bash or boast billionaire Kylie Jenner’s brand – yet Former Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld says ‘no one’ wanted to dress Kim Kardashian Why does Philadelphia Eagles player AJ Brown wear pink shoes?

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A Colombian judge on Friday night ordered President Gustavo Petro’s son freed from detention while he is investigated on allegations of illicit enrichment and money laundering. Nicolás Petro was arrested early Saturday, and this week was charged with the two crimes. He agreed to cooperate in the probe, and prosecutors said he acknowledged Thursday that his father’s 2022 election campaign received money of dubious origin. Mario Andrés Burgos, the prosecutor in charge of the case, said Nicolás Petro assured that he would deliver audios and documents to corroborate that part of the money given to him ended up financing his father’s candidacy. The Attorney General’s Office presented evidence that it said shows the younger Petro received money illicitly. But the judge said prosecutors did not substantiate the need to keep the president's son in detention or under house arrest. He was ordered released under the condition that he not leave Colombia or participate in political activities. Nicolás Petro is a legislator for the northern coastal region of Atlántico, but has said he will resign the seat. Burgos has said the younger Petro revealed that unjustified increases detected in his assets came from two individuals being questioned by Colombian authorities. The money went partly into the son's own accounts and partly into the campaign that made his father Colombia's first elected leftist president, the prosecutor said. On Tuesday, when he was charged, prosecutors said the younger Petro took thousands of dollars from drug traffickers and used it to buy luxurious homes and expensive cars. Nicolás Petro, 36, pleaded innocent to the charges, but agreed to cooperate with authorities. The case has come at a time when Colombia’s president is losing popularity and has been exposed to attacks by opposition parties, which have become increasingly reluctant to cooperate with his legislative agenda. The president has said he would not interfere with the investigation, and wrote a message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in which he said he hoped his son would “reflect on his mistakes.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide