Amanda Knox is defending her new stand-up comedy show against pushback from the sister of her murdered former roommate, who says the performance &#8220;normalizes and trivializes violence against women.&#8221; 
Meredith Kercher’s sister, Stephanie, told the BBC that Knox is “naturally free to continue with her life as she wishes,” but added that “the problem with this particular project is that it is comedy.”
“It’s not about whether people think she’s guilty or innocent, if someone else was doing the show specifically against Meredith, I would still feel the same, it is obviously an added wound that it’s coming from her at the same time, but I do feel very strongly that it should be something that’s not given a platform,” she said.
An online petition calling for its cancellation claims the show “mocks the horrific events surrounding Meredith’s murder and aims to somehow turn this tragedy into entertainment.”
Knox defended the show’s existence, saying she thinks it’s empowering for women and adding that she hopes Kercher’s family comes to see it.
The show is called “Cartwheel,” which references media reports that Knox did cartwheels in the police station following the discovery of the body. Per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/amanda-knox-kercher-edinburgh-show-petition-2f3976a72c2b77b16bd27dff6f7fa863">Associated Press</a>, the show is marketed as being about a woman “approaching forty, juggling motherhood and finally getting around to being furious about the whole wrongful-imprisonment thing. Especially when half the world is telling her to get over it, while the other half still thinks she’s guilty.”
It will run for 11 days at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. 
Knox, who is now 39, made headlines almost two decades ago following the murder of her British roommate in Italy. Kercher was found stabbed to death at the apartment she shared with Knox and two other roommates. 
Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were initially convicted of Kercher&#8217;s murder, and Knox spent nearly four years in prison before an appeals court freed her in 2011. Italy&#8217;s highest court ultimately acquitted them both in 2015.
Rudy Hermann Guede, whose DNA was found at the crime scene, was convicted of murdering Kercher in 2008. He was initially sentenced to 30 years in prison, which was reduced on appeal to 16 years, and was released in 2021 after serving most of the sentence. 
Knox has become an advocate for the wrongfully convicted, the AP noted, and has launched a podcast, written two books, and done speaking engagements to share her story. This is her first comedy show on the topic.

Amanda Knox

Amanda Knox’s New Comedy Show Isn’t Sitting Well With Murdered Roommate’s Family

amanda knox

edinburgh festival fringe

italy

meredith kercher

murder trial

Since 1953, an Italian bank has accepted wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano as collateral for loans — but the heatwave sweeping across the region is causing the bank to second-guess its decision.
About $350 million in cheese is sitting in two warehouses operated by Credito Emiliano, where a European heatwave is quickly threatening profitability.
“This is the Fort Knox of Cheese. Instead of gold bars, you have gold wheels. Every wheel is 700 euros,” a spokesperson for the bank <a href="https://x.com/CBSNews/status/2086617056254775392">told</a> CBS News. “Outside the temperature is very high and so we need a lot of energy to maintain humidity and temperature for the cheese.”
The bank has had to improve cooling systems and boilers, upgrade building insulation, and increase renewable energy production in order to keep the cheese stored at proper temperatures.
&#8220;If extreme events become longer-lasting and more intense, they will certainly have an impact on both the quantity and quality of milk, but above all they will lead to higher costs,&#8221; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/extreme-heat-threatens-italys-parmesan-heartland-2026-07-13/">added</a> Paolo Ganzerli, the international sales director at food group GranTerre.
As a whole, the Parmigiano Reggiano industry generates $5.15 billion in revenue a year, with exports of the cheese in 2025 accounting for more than 50% of Parmigiano Reggiano’s global sales. But rising temperatures don’t just affect the bank’s profitability margin as energy costs take a large share of operating costs. They also impact the amount of cheese available in the first place.
High temperatures cause cows to spend more time lying down — and therefore eating less — causing them to produce 10% less milk, which is one of Parmigiano’s key ingredients alongside salt and rennet. “The cow has less milk, and the quality of the wheel cheese [is] different. So it’s an important question for farmers, the producers, and also us to maintain an excellent level of conservation of cheese,” explained a spokesperson for the bank.
Italy is one of the European countries to reverse course on its closure of coal-fired power plants amid rising energy costs. Former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni pledged coal-fired plants would be permanently closed by <a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/04/09/italy-pushes-coal-exit-back-after-gas-prices-rise/">2025</a> as the country shifted to renewable energy sources.
The permanent closure has since been shifted to 2038, giving Italy more time to secure alternative energy sources before taking coal-fired plants offline — a reversal that reflects a broader debate over whether Europe’s transition to renewable energy has moved faster than its energy infrastructure can accommodate.
Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, has <a href="https://www.wral.com/archive/19907542/">argued</a> that the continent moved too quickly. “In Europe there has been a very fast rush to the energy transition. I would argue too fast,” <a href="https://www.wral.com/archive/19907542/">said</a> Mike Sommers.
Not everyone in Europe agrees. European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera argued that accelerating the transition to clean energy, rather than slowing it down, is the answer to Europe’s energy challenges. “The real risk is not moving too fast on clean energy, but too slowly,” Ribera <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-what-does-the-iran-war-mean-for-the-energy-transition-and-climate-action">said</a> earlier this year.

gettyimages-2225389028-594×594

A Heatwave Gives ‘Liquid Assets’ A New Meaning For The European Bank Using Cheese As Collateral

credito emiliano

energy policy

heatwave

parmigiano reggiano

world

The charred body of a 53-year-old sports journalist was found on Sunday, sparking an investigation into his death as a suspected homicide.
Investigators believe Luigi &#8220;Luca&#8221; Esposito was shot to death and then set on fire. Firefighters discovered Esposito&#8217;s charred body while extinguishing a brush fire on farmland near Eboli, located in the province of Salerno, Italy. Local reports indicate shell casings were found at the scene.
Investigators are examining both Esposito&#8217;s personal and professional relationships as they work to determine a motive. Italian media have reported that investigators are currently focusing more heavily on his private life than his journalism, though officials have not ruled out a connection to his reporting.
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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) <a href="https://cpj.org/2026/07/sports-journalist-luca-esposito-killed-in-italy">called</a> for a thorough investigation into the matter, specifically any ties to his journalism.
&#8220;We are deeply shocked by the brutal killing of Italian sports journalist Luca Esposito,&#8221; CPJ&#8217;s Europe representative Attila Mong said. &#8220;Italian authorities must act quickly and transparently to establish the full circumstances and determine whether this terrible event is linked to Luca Esposito&#8217;s journalism.&#8221;
Esposito, whose legal first name was Luigi but went by Luca, was editor-in-chief of the local soccer news website TuttoSalernitana.com. He also <a href="https://x.com/lucesp75">contributed</a> to the newspaper La Città di Salerno, appeared as a soccer commentator on regional broadcaster Otto Channel, and wrote for TuttoC.com.
Local reports indicate Esposito was last seen on the evening of July 17, before he stopped answering his phone and missed a planned meeting. According to a Salerno-based site, <a href="https://salerno.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/26_luglio_20/luca-esposito-il-giornalista-ucciso-e-poi-bruciato-una-sola-auto-sul-posto-forse-l-assassino-e-arrivato-con-lui-domani-l-autopsia-816c33c2-4693-438b-a2ec-7273739c8xlk_amp.shtml">analysis</a> of Esposito&#8217;s phone records shows that his last phone call was exchanged on Saturday evening with a colleague, at around 10:30 p.m. A woman named Mary Esposito said in a social media post that he had planned to travel to a property in Agropoli before he disappeared.
Mary, who has been described in the Italian press as a close friend, posted photos to Facebook with the journalist on Sunday and added the caption (translated from Italian), &#8220;These are just a very small number of the photos in our life together. Only those who know us know what I was for you and you were for me. You will always be with me Luca <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t86/2/16/1f494.png" alt="💔" width="16" height="16" />&#8220;
<iframe loading="lazy" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmaria.esposito.14203544%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0HkuG57XwucEcQRADuv5Wn56Ho8Hptj9Jcwg1X5kbRn9ippty6RaumKASLV1rNTBml&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="748" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Luca Esposito

Sports Journalist Found Shot, Burned In Brutal Killing

Sports Journalist Turns Up Dead In Brutal Execution Scene 

journalist

soccer

President Donald Trump arrived in France on Monday for the Group of Seven (G7) summit, where he is expected to hold a series of high-profile meetings against the backdrop of a newly announced agreement with Iran, an Ebola outbreak, ongoing fighting in Ukraine, and renewed disputes with several European allies.
Shortly before his first meeting, Trump signaled tensions with some members, posting a sharp critique of some European countries’ immigration policies. 
&#8220;Sadly, if you import people from Third World Countries, you quickly become a Third World Country — And there&#8217;s not a thing you can do about it. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116754288530173924">wrote</a>.
Trump has frequently criticized several European governments over mass migration and border security, including G7 members France and the United Kingdom. 
Trump&#8217;s first major bilateral meeting will be with French President Emmanuel Macron Monday before joining fellow G7 leaders for the summit&#8217;s opening events in Evian-les-Bains, a resort spa town on the shores of Lake Geneva near the Swiss border.
Over the next three days, Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Macron, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
Trump will also join fellow G7 leaders and invited guests, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for a series of working sessions focused on Ukraine, the Middle East, economic development, and global trade before concluding the trip on Wednesday.
The summit comes at a pivotal moment for the international community, with Trump announcing that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran has been reached and Vice President JD Vance announcing he will attend a signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday. In a phone interview with Fox News, Vance said President Trump may also make an appearance, pending logistical planning.
&#8220;I certainly plan to be there. It&#8217;s possible the president himself could be there,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;We got a lot of work to do, but a very big win for the American people tonight.&#8221;
On Sunday evening, Trump announced that negotiators had finalized a long-sought agreement with Iran that would allow for the immediate reopening of the critical shipping lane.
&#8220;The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The precise terms of the agreement remain unclear, particularly regarding Iran&#8217;s nuclear program. According to The New York Times, Trump suggested in an interview on Sunday that he could accept a deal under which Iran suspends uranium enrichment for 15 years.
Such a provision would mark a significant shift from the administration&#8217;s previously stated position. As recently as April 8, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116368825638596650">declared</a> on Truth Social that there would be &#8220;no enrichment of Uranium.”
The fallout from the Iran conflict and the newly announced agreement with Tehran is likely to loom large over discussions at the G7, particularly after tensions flared between Trump and several member states that declined his calls to participate in efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz and instead criticized the U.S. military operation.
Trump publicly expressed frustration with the United Kingdom for its reluctance to become involved, blasted France after officials criticized the strikes, said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lacked courage, and lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the German leader suggested Iran had “humiliated” the United States.
“The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Trump wrote on Truth <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116483733181582907">Social</a>.
Following the dispute, Trump announced the withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops from Germany, though part of that move was later offset by deployments to Poland.
France, which holds the current G7 presidency, is seeking areas of cooperation to cool tensions. According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/14/trump-g7-iran-ukraine-ebola-00960717?utm_content=politico/magazine/Politics&amp;utm_source=flipboard">Politico</a>, Macron plans to pursue consensus on critical mineral supply chains, cancer research, child online safety, international development, social impact investing, and efforts to reduce investment risks in developing nations.
The war in Ukraine will also be a central focus of the summit. Zelensky is expected to attend as Kyiv is making notable territorial gains against Russia, but is seeking more U.S. missiles.
Here&#8217;s a look at Trump&#8217;s public schedule for the three-day summit:
(Times listed in Eastern Time)
Monday, June 15
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">11:30 a.m. — Bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">1:00 p.m. — Official greeting with G7 leaders</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">1:30 p.m. — G7 leaders&#8217; working dinner</li>
</ul>
Tuesday, June 16
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">3:00 a.m. — Working session with G7 leaders and Ukraine</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">4:30 a.m. — Bilateral meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">5:15 a.m. — Bilateral meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">6:00 a.m. — Working lunch with G7 leaders and the Middle East</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">9:00 a.m. — Working session with G7 leaders and developing countries</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">1:15 p.m. — Cultural performance and concert</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">2:15 p.m. — G7 leaders&#8217; social dinner</li>
</ul>
Wednesday, June 17
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">3:30 a.m. — Working session with G7 leaders and developing countries</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">5:30 a.m. — Bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">6:30 a.m. — Working lunch with G7 leaders, developing countries, and global technology CEOs</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">8:45 a.m. — Bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">9:30 a.m. — Press conference</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">1:00 p.m. — Bilateral dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">TBD — Departure from France for Washington, D.C.</li>
</ul>
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<div>Trump arrived in Europe accompanied by a large delegation of senior administration officials and advisers. According to the White House, those traveling aboard Air Force One included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Counselor to the President Alina Habba, and several other top aides involved in foreign policy, trade, and economic negotiations.</div>
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TOPSHOT-FRANCE-G7-SUMMIT

Trump To Confront Divided West In G7 Showdown

Trump's G7 Agenda: Iran, Ukraine, And A Divided West

donald trump

france

Germany

iran

united kingdom

A team of scientists in Italy is breaking the mold of a typical sourdough bread recipe … by using yeast from an ancient mummy as the key ingredient.
And apparently it’s “very, very good.”
Ötzi, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40168-026-02417-6?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&amp;_gl=1*1brjdqs*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwof_QBhCgARIsADaMzOc0ICHRdXWr9hJilaFLmkRpI1AbZ7Jjb8jyyxsFOicaU2f2TN1fzgUaAuk-EALw_wcB&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADu685OA3tnOrp_TE4oaWQH-CUvN3&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_source=commission_junction&amp;utm_campaign=CONR_BOOKS_ECOM_GL_PBOK_06YUE_GL_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&amp;utm_content=textlink&amp;utm_term=PID100093539&amp;CJEVENT=7e4029d660e511f1831101cb0a82b82a">the 5,300-year-old Iceman mummy</a>, was found in 1991 on the border of Italy and Austria, where he was likely killed by an arrow to the shoulder. His body was famously preserved in the glacial ice of the Ötztal Alps, becoming Europe&#8217;s oldest natural mummy. 
A new study of the Iceman mummy, published Wednesday in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40168-026-02417-6?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&amp;_gl=1*1brjdqs*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwof_QBhCgARIsADaMzOc0ICHRdXWr9hJilaFLmkRpI1AbZ7Jjb8jyyxsFOicaU2f2TN1fzgUaAuk-EALw_wcB&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADu685OA3tnOrp_TE4oaWQH-CUvN3&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_source=commission_junction&amp;utm_campaign=CONR_BOOKS_ECOM_GL_PBOK_06YUE_GL_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&amp;utm_content=textlink&amp;utm_term=PID100093539&amp;CJEVENT=7e4029d660e511f1831101cb0a82b82a">Microbiome,</a> reveals groundbreaking insights into the surprisingly active gut microbiome of the ancient mummy.
Most notable was the living yeast discovered in the mummy’s guts, skin, and a “brownish” water. So the next step, naturally, was to make bread.
&#8220;What we didn&#8217;t expect to find was yeast,&#8221; the lead author of the study, Mohamed Sarhan, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/04/world-news/scientists-turn-yeast-found-in-gut-of-ancient-mummy-into-very-good-sourdough-bread/">told</a> AFP. “If you tell anyone you have yeast, they immediately ask: Can we use it for bread?”
The task resulted in three months of trial and error, but the researchers eventually created a loaf they called “very, very good.”
&#8220;At first, the yeast hadn’t yet adapted to the flour environment, so nothing happened at all. We then continued over a longer period and refreshed it about every two weeks so that the yeast could slowly adapt. Eventually, we obtained a completely normal dough that rose within 24 hours — basically just like with ordinary yeast,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.eurac.edu/en/magazine/otzi-and-his-microbiome-a-detailed-picture-of-the-microbial-community-associated-with-otzi">said</a> in a statement.
The scientific accomplishment is just the beginning. Sarhan told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/science/scientists-reveal-tzi-icemans-dynamic-microbial-world-2026-06-03/">Reuters</a> the study shows the Iceman mummy as a &#8220;dynamic ecosystem” and there&#8217;s still much left to learn.
&#8220;His body hosts living, metabolically capable organisms that are ⁠actively responding to their environment,&#8221; Sarhan said. &#8220;The cold-adapted yeasts are growing. Certain bacteria have colonized and persisted across his tissues for decades.&#8221;
This isn&#8217;t the end of the borderline-cannibalistic endeavor. Get ready to crack open a cold one because mummy yeast <a href="https://www.eurac.edu/en/magazine/otzi-and-his-microbiome-a-detailed-picture-of-the-microbial-community-associated-with-otzi">beer</a> might be next on the list.

Untitled design

This Sourdough Starter Is 5,300 Years Old — And It Came From A Mummy’s Gut

Mummy

research

Vacationers who choose Costa Cruises for their next adventure could face fines of up to $70 for bringing buffet food back to their cabins under a new onboard policy. 
Going forward, guests on some of these cruises will not be permitted to bring buffet food back to their rooms and will instead be asked to consume all meals in designated areas, per the cruise-focused blog Crew Center. This does not include meals that are delivered by Costa Cruise employees.
A statement regarding the update said, “guest safety and well-being are our top priority.”
“On a limited number of specific sailings, onboard communication was shared as a preventive and deterrent measure, in line with our existing policies, to encourage guests to [have] responsible behavior,” the Costa Cruises spokesperson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/travel/cruise-buffet-guests-face-surprise-charges-taking-food-back-cabins">told</a> Fox News Digital.
“Costa Cruises remains committed to ensuring a high-quality, safe and enjoyable experience for all guests on board.”
The Genoa, Italy-based cruise line, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, operates routes throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and South America.
The policy change sparked an online debate after being highlighted by the Instagram account unrealcruises.
One Instagram user <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYpOf33DZ6y/">mentioned</a> that another cruise line tried something similar and said, “it did not end well for them,” and that they “had to end it.” 
“Let people eat where they want. Collect the dishes. It’s a cost. Bear it and pass it on to the cruiser. But these kinds of policies with policing never end well for the company,” the commenter wrote.
Others complained that eating breakfast or drinking coffee on private balconies is part of the cruise experience.
“We love to take our food and coffee to enjoy on our quiet balcony,” another person complained.
“Zero chance I’d pay that fine. Make breakfast in bed for my wife every morning by [bringing] food back. Who cares where you eat the included food,” echoed a third.
Others supported the measure, saying passengers often leave dirty dishes and half-eaten food scattered throughout hallways and decks.
“Umm, I say good, nothing worse than plates and cups lining the hallways, its not a good look. Never ever in 47 cruises needed to take food to my cabin…,” one supporter chimed in.
“Only the ones that do deck clearance know the struggle. Yall take everything from the buffet and toss the plates full on the hallways. Is it that hard to eat close to other people?” another agreed.

Cruise ship breakfast

New Cruise Ship Buffet Policy Dubbed A Vacation Buzzkill

business

Carnival

News

Travel

Vacation

A Chinese computer hacker who stole research from the United States on COVID has been arrested, FBI Director Kash Patel has announced.
Patel said in a social media post early Tuesday morning that 34-year-old Chinese national Xu Zewei had been extradited to the United States to face charges for stealing research from American scientists and participating in a hacking campaign targeting thousands of United States organizations.
“The FBI and our great partners have arrested Xu Zewei — a PRC national and state-sponsored hacker — allegedly responsible for a massive cyber intrusion campaign in 2020 and 2021 stealing COVID-19 research from American institutions,” Patel posted on X.
“During 2020 and 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xu and his co-conspirators allegedly targeted and hacked U.S. based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting COVID-19 research &#8211; including key treatment and vaccines — accessing email accounts and more,” Patel added.
One example of the COVID hacking occurred before the United States and most of the rest of the world conducted shutdowns. Reports from American officials have concluded that COVID likely escaped from a Chinese lab.
Xu confirmed on February 19, 2020, to a Chinese intelligence officer that he had compromised the network of a research university in Texas, according to the indictment. On February 22, 2020, he was directed “to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university,” according to the Justice Department.
Other targets of the hacking scheme included another university in Texas, a university in North Carolina, and a law firm with offices in Washington, D.C.
Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, on April 27, according to court documents, years after a bench warrant was first issued for him on November 2, 2023. Patel thanked Italian law enforcement for helping to locate and extradite Xu.
Patel said that Xu was also a contractor for the Hafnium cyber espionage group directed by Chinese officials that has “compromised nearly 13,000” American organizations.
“This case is a historic win for our cybersecurity efforts under President Trump, bringing bad actors who target American infrastructure to justice no matter where they try to hide,” Patel said.
The Justice Department alleges that Xu was directed to conduct the hacking by China’s Ministry of State Security’s Shanghai State Security Bureau.
Dan Cogdell, a lawyer representing Xu, told The Daily Wire that his team was still preparing their case.
&#8220;My team was only recently hired to represent Xu, so of necessity I don&#8217;t have a lot of information to share at this point. Xu entered a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ to all charges and we will return to Magistrate Bennett’s Ct on Thursday for the bond hearing,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Until that time, we will prepare in earnest to try and obtain a bond on our client’s behalf.&#8221;
He added that he wouldn&#8217;t elaborate more on what their defense strategy would be.
&#8220;In terms of the defense of the charges themselves, I tend not to share what our defenses are to the media-or anyone else. I’m no Nick Saban-but as far as I know, he never told the press what his game plans were for an upcoming football game. I think I will follow that lead here,&#8221; he said. 
Xu faces decades in prison after being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, and aggravated identity theft.
The Justice Department said that Zhang Yu, another Chinese national suspected of aiding in the hacking scheme, remains at large. A detention hearing for Xu is set for April 30.

MixCollage-28-Apr-2026-07-11-AM-3970

He Hacked America At Its Weakest Moment, And Now He’s Finally Facing The Consequences

china

chinese communist party

COVID

crime

Cybercrime

hacking

kash patel

U.S.

Another devastating blow to the European art world was unveiled after thieves broke into a private Italian museum, making off with three masterpieces in a heist last week that lasted only three minutes, officials said on Monday.
The robbery took place the night of March 22 at the Magnani Rocca Foundation in the Italian countryside near the city of Parma. The three stolen artworks by renowned French artists are worth roughly $10 million: “Les Poissons” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries” by Paul Cézanne, and “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Henri Matisse. A fourth piece was abandoned at the scene, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/world/europe/parma-art-heist-renoir-matisse-cezanne-italy.html#:~:text=Paintings%20Worth%20Millions%20of%20Dollars,to%20the%20Italian%20news%20media.">according</a> to the New York Times.
Four hooded thieves reportedly entered the museum through the front door, where they snagged the art from the French Gallery on the first floor. After they were interrupted by the museum&#8217;s security system, the group then escaped across the gardens and climbed over a fence to freedom.
From start to finish, the entire theft took just three minutes.
“Still Life with Cherries” by Paul Cézanne
<div style="width: 725px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="css-r3fift" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma4/30xp-parma4-articleLarge-v2.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale" sizes=" ((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma4/30xp-parma4-articleLarge-v2.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma4/30xp-parma4-jumbo-v2.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma4/30xp-parma4-superJumbo-v2.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w" alt="A painting of a plate of cherries and a mug on a table. " width="715" height="522" />Magnani Rocca Foundation, via Reuters</div>
“Odalisque on the Terrace” by Henri Matisse
<div style="width: 729px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="css-1m50asq" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma3/30xp-parma-01-jbmt-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale" sizes=" ((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma3/30xp-parma-01-jbmt-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma3/30xp-parma-01-jbmt-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/30/multimedia/30xp-parma3/30xp-parma-01-jbmt-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w" alt="A print of a person lying on a stool and a woman naked from the waist up sitting and holding a violin. " width="719" height="489" />Magnani Rocca Foundation/Reuters</div>
The museum <a href="https://time.com/article/2026/03/30/italy-museum-art-heist-renoir-cezanne-matisse/">believes</a> a &#8220;structured and organized&#8221; gang was responsible, though the heist was “not completed” because of the quick response from local authorities. There have been no arrests in the days since, and the museum has continued operating as usual.
A police spokesman told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/style/magnani-rocca-art-heist-italy-scli-intl">CNN</a> the officials kept the heist a secret in hopes of catching the thieves if they returned.
It has been less than six months since the infamous Louvre heist transpired in Paris, France, where thieves stole $102 million worth of jewels and other items in the middle of the day. A lawyer for the foundation told CNN that the latest theft may have been inspired by the apparent &#8220;ease&#8221; of the previous crime.

“Boccioni 1900-1910 Rome Venice Milan” Exhibition

Three Minutes. Three Masterpieces. How Thieves Pulled Off A $10M Art Grab.

Museum

Robbery

The Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, came to a sensational close on Sunday after the United States men’s hockey team defeated Canada, capturing the twelfth and final gold medal for Team USA.
But it was after America&#8217;s victory in the mixed team aerials freestyle skiing event on Saturday that officially marked the country’s most gold medals in Winter Olympics history. The previous record of ten gold medals was won in the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This year, the U.S. placed second overall with thirty-three medals — twelve gold, twelve silver, and nine bronze. As predicted, Norway reigned with forty-four medals (eighteen gold), and the host country slightly trailed behind the U.S. with thirty total medals (ten gold).
The most notable wins came from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/usa-wins-olympic-hockey-gold-in-ot-thriller-over-canada?author=Andie+Valdes&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=12&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=USA+Wins+Olympic+Hockey+Gold+In+OT+Thriller+Over+Canada">men&#8217;s</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/revenge-served-cold-team-usa-takes-gold-over-canada-in-olympic-sudden-death-overtime?author=Andie+Valdes&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Revenge+Served+Cold%3A+Team+USA+Takes+Gold+Over+Canada+In+Olympic+Sudden-Death+Overtime">women&#8217;s</a> hockey teams, which both secured first place after suspenseful overtime games against rival Canada.
Two gold medals were won in figure skating this season, one in the team event and one by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-figure-skaters-father-narrowly-escaped-china-she-just-won-olympic-gold?author=Andie+Valdes&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Alysa+Liu%E2%80%99s+Father+Escaped+China.+She+Just+Won+Olympic+Gold+For+The+United+States.">Alysa Liu</a>, the twenty-year-old who returned to the sport after a two-year break and became the first American woman to win a medal in figure skating in two decades.
Other significant wins came in alpine skiing with Breezy Johnson in the women’s downhill and Mikaela Shiffrin in women&#8217;s slalom.
In freestyle skiing, Elizabeth Lemley took first in women&#8217;s moguls and Alex Ferreira in the men’s freeski halfpipe. Jordan Stolz won two gold medals in speed skating, as well as a silver. In cross-country skiing, Ben Ogden won silver in the men’s sprint classic.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-elana-meyers-taylor-the-american-bobsledder-who-finally-won-her-first-gold-medal?author=Andie+Valdes&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Meet+Elana+Meyers+Taylor%3A+The+American+Bobsledder+Who+Finally+Won+Her+First+Gold+Medal">Elana Meyers Taylor</a> finally won her first gold medal in the women’s monobob at her fifth Olympic Games, with teammate Kallie Humphries behind her in bronze. The 41-year-old also became the oldest athlete to win an individual event in the Winter Games.
There were some major disappointments, namely <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/olympic-heartbreak-quad-god-ilia-malinin-breaks-under-pressure-fails-to-medal-in-milan?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Olympic+Heartbreak%3A+%E2%80%98Quad+God%E2%80%99+Ilia+Malinin+Breaks+Under+Pressure%2C+Fails+To+Medal+In+Milan">Ilia Malinin</a>, the &#8220;Quad God,&#8221; who delivered a devastating routine in the free skate and finished eighth, despite being heavily favored for gold. Amber Glenn was aiming for the podium as well, but missed a key jump in the short program, which crushed her opportunity for a medal. Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates just slightly missed first in their event, finishing with the silver. Chock, Bates, and Malinin did, however, play a major role in solidifying the gold for the team event.
Snowboarder <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snowboarder-chloe-kim-falls-short-of-historic-gold-medal-threepeat?author=Andie+Valdes&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=American+Snowboarder+Chloe+Kim+Falls+Short+Of+Historic+Gold+Medal+Threepeat">Chloe Kim</a> was also hoping to earn her third consecutive gold medal in the women’s halfpipe, but was edged out by Korea’s 17-year-old Choi Ga-on and finished with the silver.

Closing Ceremony – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day 16

Team USA Breaks American Record For Most Gold Medals Ever At Winter Olympics

General

sports

united states

Winter Olympics

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the gold-medal winning U.S. hockey team — and mocked the &#8220;very concerned media&#8221; — in a social media post acknowledging that he had, in fact, rubbed elbows with the Olympic champions after their dramatic win over Canada.
&#8220;For the very concerned media — yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys,&#8221; Patel posted on X. &#8220;Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.&#8221;
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For the very concerned media &#8211; yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.…
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kash_Patel/status/2025736412125855918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Patel shared another congratulatory post earlier on Sunday, including several photos of the team and of himself celebrating alongside them. &#8220;Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What it takes to be the best in the world. These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you for representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever created. Congrats, boys.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude- what it takes to be the best in the world. These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you for representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever created.… <a href="https://t.co/hBG987pxM2">pic.twitter.com/hBG987pxM2</a>
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kash_Patel/status/2025663993205936176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The game Patel attended was historic in itself, as the American team won in overtime against rival Canada — marking the first time a U.S. men&#8217;s hockey team has won Olympic gold in 46 years. In fact, the Americans haven&#8217;t taken the top of the podium since the game dubbed &#8220;the Miracle on Ice&#8221; — 1980&#8217;s Lake Placid win over the heavily-favored Soviet Union.
Patel&#8217;s trip to Italy — which coincided with the final weekend of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and included a number of visits with various Italian officials — has been the subject of much media speculation.
Some outlets criticized the FBI director over the timing of the trip, claiming that the real purpose was for him to attend the Olympic Games at taxpayer expense. Others were concerned about the number of active investigations in which the FBI was playing a role.
Xochitl Hinojosa, a Democratic strategist, <a href="https://x.com/XochitlHinojosa/status/2025731516236480756">complained</a>, &#8220;There was a threat at the president’s residence at MAL, Americans in Mexico are facing major threats by cartel members, Nancy Guthrie is still missing, and our FBI Director thinks he’s a frat bro?&#8221;

Ice Hockey – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day 16

Kash Patel Owns Partying With USA Hockey Team: ‘Yes, I Love America’

Kash Patel Owns Partying With USA Hockey Team: 'Yes, I Love America'

Hockey

Olympics

politics

In one of the most stunning upsets in Olympic figure skating history, Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin lost his expected spot on the podium Friday night in Milan, finishing eighth after entering the men&#8217;s free skate with a head start and expectations of taking home the gold.
The 21-year-old two-time world champion has been undefeated in major competitions since 2023. But that all changed during the men’s free skate program on Friday when <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/13/nx-s1-5713991/ilia-malinin-mikhail-shaidorov-figure-skating-olympics">he fell twice</a> and downgraded multiple jumps in a performance that shocked the sold out arena and millions of fans watching around the world.
Malinin had been nicknamed the &#8220;Quad God,” and was being lauded by the media, which many claim helped contribute to the loss as the immense pressure took a toll on the first-time Olympic competitor.
His free skate started going downhill after he failed to execute the exceedingly difficult quadruple axel. To date, Malinin is the only skater to successfully land a quad axel during a competition, and so far, it’s never been landed on Olympic ice. The skater failed to rotate and popped the jump into a single axel instead.
Later, he fell while attempting a quadruple Lutz and a double Salchow, which was also meant to be a quad.
Following his devastating skate, Malinin described the mental pressure. &#8220;Before getting into my starting pose, those experiences, memories and thoughts and pressure, it just felt so overwhelming,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/usa-s-ilia-malinin-finishes-in-shocking-eighth-place-at-winter-olympics-2026">said</a>.
Malinin also told NBC News that he &#8220;blew it,&#8221; and mentioned the weight of expectations once again. &#8220;All of this pressure, all of the media, and just being the Olympic gold hopeful was a lot,&#8221; the Team USA skater <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/ilia-malinin-olympic-performance-rcna259058">explained</a>.
Kazakhstan&#8217;s Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold with 291.58 points, earning his country&#8217;s first Winter Games gold medal in over three decades. Malinin is being praised for immediately walking over to Shaidorov to embrace and congratulate him after the results were announced.
Japan&#8217;s Yuma Kagiyama took home silver while Shun Sato, also from Japan, earned the bronze medal. Malinin finished with 264.49 points after being docked 72 points for errors, giving him an eighth-place finish.
Malinin had already secured a team gold medal earlier in the Olympic Games, but had been aggressively seeking an individual gold.

Ilia Malinin

Olympic Heartbreak: ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin Breaks Under Pressure, Fails To Medal In Milan

Team USA

There’s a potential scandal in the world of Olympic ski jumping as some athletes are being accused of injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to achieve greater distances in competition.
“Penisgate” was first reported by the German newspaper Bild and is now being investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The idea behind this method is to increase the surface area of the crotch on competitors, requiring athletes to be given a larger, looser suit, which leads to a reduced descent rate due to a larger surface area, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/05/penis-injection-doping-claims-in-winter-olympics-ski-jumping-investigated-by-wada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a> previously reported.
World Anti-Doping Agency Director General Olivier Niggli said he was unaware of this method before the accusations went viral. 
“I’m not aware of the details of ski jumping — and how this can improve [performance] — but if anything was to come to the surface we would look at anything if it is actually doping related,” Niggli said.
“We don’t do other means of enhancing performance but our list committee would certainly look into whether this would fall into this category. But I hadn’t heard about that until you mentioned.”
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), which oversees ski jumping at the Winter Olympics, initially <a href="https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2025-26/ski-jumping-charges-brought-against-norwegian-officials-and-athletes">investigated</a> &#8220;allegations of illegal equipment manipulation&#8221; by the Norwegian ski jumping team in 2025.
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Everyone is sharing this like it’s self-evident. I think it raises more questions than it answers. <a href="https://t.co/0H5Jg5C1xA">pic.twitter.com/0H5Jg5C1xA</a>
— Joe Bernstein (@Bernstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bernstein/status/2019594899327537312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Two Olympic medalists from Norway, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, faced three-month suspensions after it was discovered that their ski suits were altered in the crotch area at the 2025 World Ski Championships to achieve a similar effect.
Both competitors denied knowledge of the altered suits and will compete in the Olympics. One of Norway’s head coaches and two other staffers were also suspended in connection with the scandal, which was dubbed “Crotchgate.”
A recent study <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1693699/full">found</a> that every 2 centimeters in suit size circumference reduced drag by 4% and increased lift by 5%, resulting in an extra 5.8 meters in jump length.
There are now more stringent inspections being done on ski jumping suits ahead of the competition. Per <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ski-jumping-suit-scandal-norway-crotch-a15ae26420ff0261b72fd8fdf57ac6ec">Associated Press</a>, two FIS controllers and a doctor will use improved 3-D measurements to evaluate the athletes wearing their uniforms. 
The suits must pass this checkpoint before they are given tamper-proof microchips, which would make alterations impossible. These chips will be scanned and remain in place at all times, the outlet noted.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, kick off Friday in Italy.

Marius Lindvik

‘Equipment Manipulation’: Olympic Ski Jumpers Accused Of Injecting Acid Into Penises To Gain Edge

Olympic Ski Jumpers Accused Of Injecting Penises With Acid To Fly Farther

skiing

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