Jeffrey Epstein’s death: the end of the scandal?

The key facts behind the sexual offences saga

How did Jeffrey Epstein fall from well-connected financier to disgraced sex offender?

Epstein, 66, grew up in Coney Island in Brooklyn and initially worked as a teacher for private schools in Manhattan, before starting a career in Wall Street. There is some mystery around exactly how he made his money but he became wealthy after forming his own company J Epstein&Co and linking up with powerful businessmen including Leslie Wexner, the founder of the company that owns the Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand.

Continue reading...

‘We live with scars’: accusers demand Epstein’s death not derail investigations

Anger and regret after Epstein was found dead in jail by apparent suicide: ‘He will never face the consequences of his crimes’

Victims of an international sexual trafficking scheme allegedly operated by Jeffrey Epstein reacted to his death with expressions of outrage and regret, and demanded that investigations of the scheme not be derailed.

Epstein, 66, who faced charges of sex trafficking and a related conspiracy charge, was found dead in jail in New York City on Saturday morning.

Continue reading...

FBI and DoJ launch investigations into Jeffrey Epstein’s death

Investigations into Epstein’s death to ask why he was taken off suicide watch as autopsy is carried out

Fallout from the death by apparent suicide of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in a New York City jail cell intensified on Sunday, as authorities in three separate jurisdictions opened investigations into the death and alleged victims expressed outrage at not being able to confront Epstein in court.

Related: Jeffrey Epstein dies in apparent suicide in New York jail

Continue reading...

Why Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ foreign policy yields minimum results

The president is heading into 2020 with no major successes and looming crises – so many expect him to attempt to reverse the trend with dramatic deals

Donald Trump is heading into the 2020 elections with no clear-cut foreign policy successes, some dramatic failures and a string of looming crises around the world that could undermine his bid for re-election.

For that reason, many expect the president to try to reverse the trend with dramatic interventions around the globe with uncertain outcomes – which will make the next 16 months even more volatile than his presidency so far.

Continue reading...

Iranian woman arrested in Australia pleads guilty to conspiracy in US

Plea agreement means Negar Ghodskani, whom Iran offered to swap for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, faces five years’ jail and $369,000 fine

An Iranian mother at the centre of a legal and political tussle between Australia, Britain, the US and Iran has pleaded guilty in a Minneapolis court to being part of a conspiracy to evade US sanctions and “illegally export controlled technology”.

Negar Ghodskani, 40, was pregnant when arrested on a US warrant in Australia in 2017.

Continue reading...

More major US immigration raids likely despite outcry – report

White House ordered Ice agents to identify targets across the US, report says, with focus on workplaces

More major raids aimed at picking up undocumented immigrants are likely soon despite a flood of outrage at a huge operation last week that saw more than 600 Latino workers detained at poultry plants in Mississippi.

Donald Trump’s White House has ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents to identify more targets across the country, according to a report by CNN. The network said the raids would be specifically aimed at workplaces, just like those in Mississippi.

Continue reading...

‘His conduct left an impression that lingered’: the life of Jeffrey Epstein

The wealthy financier, who died by apparent suicide, lived freely for years despite the multitude of sex abuse allegations

When Jeffrey Epstein first appeared in Manhattan federal court to face sex trafficking charges last month, gone were the trappings of a high-flying financier who had once counted the rich and powerful as his associates and for whom the whole world seemed a fantasy playground.

Epstein, whose navy blue jail scrubs and mussed-up hair gave him an air of fatigued dishevelment, pleaded not guilty to allegations that he “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls” between 2002 and 2005 at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida.

Continue reading...

Who were the rich and powerful people in Jeffrey Epstein’s circle?

The wealthy financier was connected to well-known names including Trump, Clinton and Prince Andrew before his July arrest

Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose apparent suicide in jail has stunned the US, courted many rich, powerful and famous people over his lifetime as a mover and shaker on the party circuits of New York and Florida

Related: Jeffrey Epstein: sex abuse allegations against billionaire socialite began in 2005

Continue reading...

Jeffrey Epstein dies in apparent suicide in New York jail

Wealthy financier, 66, had been accused of sex trafficking and was being held without bail after being arrested on 6 July

Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein has killed himself at a New York jail, according to authorities in New York and media reports.

“Saturday, August 10, 2019, at approximately 6.30am, inmate Jeffrey Edward Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell … subsequently pronounced dead by hospital staff,” reads a statement from the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Epstein, 66, had been held without bail since his arrest on 6 July on charges of sex trafficking girls as young as 14.

Continue reading...

Biden in his element in Iowa – is he still the Democrat most likely to beat Trump?

The former vice-president’s folksy charm went down well at the state fair – but critics say the party needs a bolder 2020 candidate

Joe Biden hardly seemed to be sweating.

He was standing on a small wooden stage at the Iowa state fair, a large crowd around him, no shade in sight. He wore a dark polo and his signature aviator sunglasses, and spoke with a vigor that was absent in his first two Democratic debate performances. But while his audience perspired in the oppressive August sun, cooling themselves with paper fans, Biden seemed at ease.

Continue reading...

North Korea fires two projectiles shortly after Trump dismissed earlier launches

Projectiles fired at dawn on Saturday from area around north-eastern city of Hamhung, South Korea’s military says

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Saturday, South Korea’s military said.

The latest launch comes shortly after the US president, Donald Trump, said he had received a “very beautiful letter” from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Continue reading...

Prince Andrew groped young woman’s breast at Epstein house, court files allege

  • Prince accused of touching young woman’s breast
  • Allegation contained within files in Ghislaine Maxwell case

Prince Andrew was accused in court documents of touching a young woman’s breast at the Manhattan mansion of Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier now facing federal sex trafficking charges in New York.

The allegation was contained within a tranche of just unsealed court papers in a defamation case involving Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and media heiress accused of procuring underage girls for Epstein and his social circle of the rich, famous and powerful.

Continue reading...

Trump: boycott of Equinox and SoulCycle only makes owner Stephen Ross ‘hotter’ – live

President speaks amid protests against two fitness companies over Ross’s involvement with Trump campaign

Walmart has sent a memo to its stores asking them to take “immediate action” to remove signing and displays that “contain violent themes or aggressive behavior.”

“We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week, and this action does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.

Apparently Walmart is telling its employees to take down displays that show violent video games, specifically shooters, as well as movies and hunting videos. pic.twitter.com/2N3t4B86tf

Twitter has unlocked an account connected to Mitch McConnell’s campaign, which was frozen after it tweeted a video of a protest outside the Senate majority leader’s Kentucky home.

Twitter initially said the video violated its rules about violent threats, but the social media giant said in a statement that it has reviewed the case further.

Victory!!!

Thank you to EVERYONE for helping #FreeMitch.

Help us keep winning: https://t.co/u56exRnfKv pic.twitter.com/7Y28QdkrKv

Continue reading...

Kylie Jenner celebrates birthday on £1m-a-week superyacht

Cosmetics billionaire and reality TV star boarded vessel in Italy for 22nd birthday

Kylie Jenner, the Keeping up with the Kardashians reality TV star whose eponymous cosmetics empire has turned her into the world’s youngest billionaire, will this weekend spend more than £1m on a party to celebrate her 22nd birthday onboard a $126m (£104m) superyacht.

Jenner has chartered the 91.5m (300ft) yacht Tranquility, which features a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath, an “experiential shower”, a cinema and helicopter landing pad, to party in the Mediterranean this weekend.

Continue reading...

Jeffrey Epstein: large tranche of files released in Ghislaine Maxwell lawsuit

Files made public in case of British socialite may contain extra details of allegations against Epstein and his political connections

A large tranche of documents released on Friday from a lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell – who allegedly procured girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein – contains both lurid claims and denials of world leaders’ involvement in his alleged sex trafficking.

Virginia Giuffre, who is among Epstein’s many accusers, sued Maxwell in 2015, alleging the British socialite and daughter of the former media tycoon Robert Maxwell defamed her by claiming she was a liar in her accusations against Maxwell and Epstein.

Continue reading...

Anger as grinning Trump gives thumbs-up while Melania holds El Paso orphan

  • Backlash over picture posted on first lady’s Twitter account
  • Two-month-old’s parents shot dead in attack that killed 22

A backlash is building over a picture posted by Melania Trump on Twitter that showed her and Donald Trump smiling broadly while holding a baby who was orphaned in the mass shooting in El Paso.

Related: Ice raids stir fear as Kamala Harris says they demonstrate 'insensitivity' – live

Continue reading...

Chase Bank cancels all credit card debt for Canadian customers

Clients ‘over the moon’ at US lender’s move as it withdraws from market

Chase Bank is forgiving all outstanding debt owed by customers of its two Canadian credit cards as it exits the country’s market.

Customers using the Amazon.ca Rewards Visa and the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa were pleasantly surprised to find the balance on their credit cards had been wiped clean.

Continue reading...

‘We are Texas because of guns’: El Paso carnage unlikely to dent state’s gun culture

Texans can carry handguns openly in most public places and the state tends to respond to shootings by loosening controls

“It’s just a moral disaster, it’s heartbreaking,” said Dan Golvach of the mass shooting that killed 22 people at a Walmart in the Texan border city of El Paso last Saturday.

But the Texas gun enthusiast does not believe the carnage, which has sparked a political crisis in the US, demands tighter firearms laws.

Continue reading...

Trump turns El Paso visit into campaign ad and boasts about rally numbers – video

Donald Trump has been criticised for using a hospital visit in El Paso to boast about crowd numbers at a rally held several months ago. He made the comments while visiting the Texas city after a gunman killed 22 people in a shopping centre. He also hit out at Beto O'Rourke, an El Paso local and Democratic presidential candidate. Trump’s administration then turned the El Paso visit into a campaign video

Continue reading...