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Crypto investor charged with kidnapping and torturing italian man for bitcoin access

A cryptocurrency investor has been charged in New York with kidnapping and torturing an Italian man for nearly three weeks in a luxury Manhattan residence, allegedly to force him to hand over the password to his Bitcoin account.

The suspect, John Woeltz, 37, from Kentucky, was indicted on charges of assault, unlawful imprisonment, and weapons possession, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Woeltz was arrested on Friday, denied bail, and ordered to surrender his passport, according to local media reports.

A second person, Beatrice Folchi, was also arrested Friday and charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, though her connection to Woeltz remains unclear. A third suspect, referred to only as an “unapprehended male,” is also named in the indictment, according to the New York Times.

The alleged victim, a 28-year-old Italian man, escaped on Friday and alerted a traffic officer he encountered on the street. He had reportedly arrived in New York from Italy on May 6 and had gone to a luxury rental property occupied by Woeltz.

Woeltz was reportedly renting the eight-bedroom residence for at least $30,000 per month, according to the Times.

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According to the criminal complaint, Woeltz and the unidentified man allegedly stole the victim’s electronic devices and passport, demanding the password to his Bitcoin wallet. When the victim refused, he was allegedly subjected to weeks of physical abuse, including electric shocks, beatings with a gun, and threats to kill his family.

Police recovered photographs showing the victim tied up and assaulted. Authorities have not disclosed how Woeltz and the victim met or what brought them to New York.

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International

UK prepares court battle to ensure Chelsea sale money supports ukrainian humanitarian aid

The British government has threatened legal action against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to ensure that the £2.5 billion (€2.97 billion) raised from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reaches the Ukrainian victims of Russia’s full-scale war.

“The government is determined that the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club go to humanitarian causes in Ukraine following Russia’s illegal large-scale invasion,” said Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy in a joint statement on Tuesday.

“We are deeply frustrated that so far it has not been possible to reach an agreement with Mr. Abramovich on this matter,” they added. “While the door to negotiations remains open, we are fully prepared to take this to court if necessary, to ensure that the people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these funds as soon as possible.”

Abramovich, who has denied accusations of being a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sanctioned following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The oil and gas magnate sold Chelsea in May 2022 to a consortium led by U.S. investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital after the British government allowed him to relinquish the club on the condition that he would not personally profit from the transaction.

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International

Ukraine’s Security Service Damages Foundations of Crimea Bridge in Underwater Explosion

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Tuesday that it damaged the foundations of the Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia, in a special operation by detonating 1,100 kilograms of explosives placed underwater.

“The operation lasted several months. SBU agents placed mines on the foundations of this illegal structure. And today, with no civilian casualties, at 04:44 local time, the first explosive was detonated,” the SBU said in a statement accompanied by a video and a photograph of the damaged bridge.

The SBU recalled that this is the third Ukrainian attack on the bridge since the war began. The bridge was built by Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

The head of the SBU, Vasil Maliuk, personally supervised the operation. Maliuk stated in the release that “the Crimea Bridge is an absolutely legitimate target,” as it was constructed to connect Russia to occupied Ukrainian territory and serves as a “logistical artery for supplying” the Russian military.

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International

Bob Cai: Latin America can leverage China’s AI network experience to boost ICT infrastructure

Bob Cai, President of Huawei Latin America’s Operators Business Department, emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is driving the transformation of the global industry. He highlighted that governments, regulators, operators, and industry partners in Latin America can collaborate to leverage China’s successful experience in network construction, thereby continuously advancing ICT network infrastructure to face the opportunities and challenges of the AI era.

According to Bob Cai, 2024 was the first year of large-scale AI deployment. By the end of 2024, the number of AI large language models (LLMs) worldwide surpassed 1,300, and the shipments and applications of AI devices increased tenfold in just one year.

As a pioneer in AI development, he said China initially created a relatively complete AI application ecosystem.

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