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PARIS (AP) — Having chopped a finger from their hostage, the kidnappers were preparing to drill one of his knees, France’s interior minister subsequently recounted. Quick work by French police freed the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur from the gruesome ordeal.Although the kidnapping this month ended with a police raid and seven suspects in custody, it and other for-ransom hostage takings are rattling France’s crypto industry. After another attempted crypto kidnapping in the heart of Paris this week, the wave of violence is also blowing up into a political issue for the government of President Emmanuel Macron — particularly…

NEW YORK (AP) — R&B singer Cassie delved into text messages with her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs as she resumed testifying in his sex trafficking trial Friday, saying she told him “I’m not a rag doll. I’m somebody’s child” after he beat her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.Cassie was back on the witness stand for a second day of cross-examination by Combs’ lawyers, after having been forced the day before to read aloud explicit and lurid messages she sent Combs during their tumultuous, nearly 11-year relationship that ended in 2018.The singer is the prosecution’s star witness. Her lawsuit…

CNN  —  Israel and the new Syrian regime have recently held direct talks, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter – an indication of shifting dynamics between the former enemies as Israel expands its military presence in the country. The talks were held in Azerbaijan and were attended by the chief of the Israeli military’s Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, the source said, adding that Basyuk met with Syrian government representatives in the presence of Turkish officials. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces and the Turkish government for comment. Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa…

May 16, 2025, 05:27 AM ETManchester United minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has seen his wealth fall by £6.473 billion ($8.612bn) in the past 12 months, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.The drop represents around a quarter of Ratcliffe’s total wealth, which declined from £23.519bn to £17.046bn.Ratcliffe has been overseeing United’s football operations since he bought a 27.7% stake in the club in February 2024, although it has not been a smooth ride with United suffering their worst-ever Premier League campaign this season.The British billionaire has led significant changes at United that have included hundreds of staff redundancies,…

As U.S. President Donald Trump jetted from one sprawling palace to another, embracing Arab leaders and heralding a new Middle East this week, many in Israel worried that the best partner they’ve ever had in the White House had lost interest.For decades, Israel has leveraged its special relationship with the United States to serve as a gatekeeper to Washington. From the Camp David Treaty with Egypt to the Abraham Accords brokered by Trump in his first term, Arab states seeking U.S. favor usually had to first make nice with Israel. And rarely did their interests prevail if they clashed with…

By The Associated Press (AP) — The Rev. Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, wrote his doctoral thesis on the way local Augustinian superiors exercise authority, the university rector said Friday. It’s an issue that is perhaps newly relevant now that Prevost is the leader of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church.The way religious superiors exercise authority has long been a topic of study for scholars. In recent years it has come under renewed scrutiny in light of cases where such authority has been abused: When a superior takes advantage of his or her authority, and the obedience that is owed…

PARIS (AP) — For powerful men in France’s film industry, this was a week of reckoning. Gérard Depardieu — the country’s most famous male actor — was convicted of sexual assault. Two days later, the Cannes Film Festival barred another actor accused of rape from walking the red carpet.Together, the decisions sent a message that France had long resisted: that artistic brilliance may no longer shield those who abuse their power.For decades, Depardieu was revered as French cinema’s “sacred monster” — a towering talent whose gluttony, volatility and magnetism became part of his myth. With more than 250 films to…

Downtown Beijing on May 2, 2025.Greg Baker | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com reported earnings this week that not only reflected improving Chinese consumer spending, but also the growing benefits of artificial intelligence in advertising.E-commerce giant Alibaba said late Thursday its Taobao and Tmall group sales rose by 9% year on year to 101.37 billion yuan ($13.97 billion) for the three months ended March 31. That’s above the 97.94 billion yuan predicted by a FactSet analyst poll, and the quarterly growth figure was well above the 3% segment increase for the 12-month period ending March 31.”The…

CNN  —  “Excuse me, where are you from? I bet I can guess your language.” When Yuji Beleza strolls through the streets of Vienna, he doesn’t just see crowds. He sees a challenge — and an opportunity to connect. In spontaneous street interviews, the Japanese-Irish polyglot surprises passersby with greetings in their native language — whether it’s Turkish, Swahili, Kurdish, Kazakh or Zulu. With his wide smile and quick-fire linguistic reflexes, Beleza has become a social media sensation, amassing over 2.7 million followers on Instagram, 3.6 million on TikTok and another 388,000 on YouTube. “If you speak at least a…

New York CNN  —  UnitedHealth Group, one of America’s biggest corporations and a member of the exclusive Dow Jones Industrial Average, is suddenly unraveling. The crisis engulfing UnitedHealth hit a crescendo this week when CEO Andrew Witty stepped down abruptly for “personal reasons.” UnitedHealth also swiftly abandoned its financial guidance, blaming skyrocketing medical costs. And then The Wall Street Journal dropped the hammer, revealing that UnitedHealth is under federal criminal investigation for possible Medicare fraud. The developments have stunned investors, triggering a dramatic loss of confidence. UnitedHealth’s (UNH) stock has lost half its value – a staggering $288 billion –…