US Files First Criminal Charges Over "Panama Papers" Money Laundering Scheme

Image from ICIJ

The Panama Papers, published 18 months ago, exposed a system that enables crime, corruption and wrongdoing, hidden by secretive offshore companies and used by rich and famous from all over the world.
United States authorities have charged four men, including two former Mossack Fonseca employees, with money laundering and fraud, the Department of Justice announced today. There are interesting information emerging from this case, ICIJ reports.

From Department of Justice

Four individuals have been charged in an indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York with wire fraud, tax fraud, money laundering and other offenses in connection with their alleged roles in a decades-long criminal scheme perpetrated by Mossack Fonseca & Co. (“Mossack Fonseca”), a Panamanian-based global law firm, and related entities.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York, Chief Don Fort of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York made the announcement today.

Ramses Owens, 50, a Panamanian citizen; Dirk Brauer, 54, a German citizen; Richard Gaffey, 74, a U.S. citizen, of Medfield, Massachusetts; and Harald Joachim Von Der Goltz, 81, a German citizen, have been charged in an 11-count indictment.  Owens, Gaffey and Von Der Goltz are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion, one count of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.  Owens and Brauer have been charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  Gaffey and Von Der Goltz are additionally charged with four counts of willful failure to file an FBAR.  Von Der Goltz has been additionally charged with two counts of making false statements.

House Judiciary Committee, Seem To Have No Clue, When It Comes To The Search, Internet And Technology

At 1:05:00 Rep. Steve Chabot 

 I listened to the hearing for a while, specially wanted to know what Google has to say about the China syndrome it has recently acquired. After a while I had to give up, I was splaying coffee all over when I was not rolling on the floor.

House Judiciary Committee, showed not only the Americans but the whole world, that they have no idea how the Internet and associated technology worked. Here are two of them and the rest you can find on Mashable, link after the jump.

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert. The Republican Congressman was upset with the fact that Google shows Wikipedia in its search results. No sooner one could calm self and wipe the coffee from the table,  Gohmert proceeded to throw himself under the bus in a bizarre moment where he blamed the free online encyclopedia for removing edits his staff makes to his own Wikipedia page. Remember that this is being said at a hearing on political bias on the internet!

Rep. Steve Chabot brought us one of the most unfortunate self-owns of the hearing while discussing Google search and anti-conservative bias. Bringing up his own personal experience, Chabot questioned Pichai on why Google returned so much negative criticism on Republicans’ bill to repeal and replace Obamacare last year. Unaware of the implication that so many outlets reported on the bill in this way simply because, maybe, it was just bad, Chabot went on to bring up a similar experience with the GOP tax plan.

 How to "   " by Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert

Mash

"When Journalism Succeeds, We All Do Better." GNI, the Google News Intitative Fights Fake News

Google's VP of news Richard Gingras shared the idea in a YouTube video released Tuesday to announce the launch of the Google News Initiative, #GNI.  The project is Google's new effort to fight fake news with technology, in part by providing publishers  with wonderful online tools.

The GNI comes at a time when people doubt and fight about News media services and social media services like Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Trust is a key tool in providing News.
Google has committed $300 million over three years towards various products and initiatives intended to help news publishers and sweeten Google’s relationships with them, as part of #GNI.
The Google News Initiative focuses on promoting quality journalism by decreasing misinformation online, allowing publishers access to subscription tools via Google, and releasing tools for security.

GNI is different from Google's effort in EU, the Google’s Digital News Initiative, which provides t €150 million over three years to “help stimulate innovation in digital journalism” among European publishers.

The GNI "funding will be reviewed against several criteria, including a “sharing component” -  for example by publishing any findings or holding a seminar - so grantees can pass their knowledge on to others in the industry. For more information on eligibility, rules and criteria, sample projects and funding details, head over to GNI website."

Yahoo ABC News Alliance Brings Newsmakers To Yahoo!

Yahoo and ABC just announced a major alliance between two companies to provide better news to the masses. The new, News and Information Alliance will bring more ABC presence in the Yahoo news.
Among the new news, will be the web-first video series that Yahoo news users will be able to experience. These videos will feature ABC anchors and will accompany Yahoo news articles. First of these videos will be a live stream of George Stephanopoulos and President Obama in an interview. It will be online at 2:35PM EST this afternoon.
Yes, there will be monetizing based on advertisements against the premium content.

Yahoo press release;

Yahoo! and ABC News Launch Premier News and Information Alliance

Powerful combination leverages Yahoo!'s massive reach, content breadth, and technology with ABC News' leading brands, trusted anchors, and global news gathering operation

Debut of GoodMorningAmerica.com on Yahoo! offers audience new ways to continue the conversation before, during and after the broadcast 24/7

Yahoo!'s and ABC News' new exclusive slate of original online video programming kicks off today when ABC News anchorGeorge Stephanopoulos interviews President Obama live from the White House

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company, and ABC News today announced a strategic alliance that will enhance and transform the delivery of news and information across the digital landscape. This multifaceted relationship blends Yahoo! News' unmatched audience, as well as its depth and breadth of content, with ABC News' global newsgathering operation and unrivaled lineup of trusted anchors and reporters. Yahoo! News and ABC News reach a combined audience of more than 100 million people in the U.S. each month on PCs, mobile devices and tablets.

This unmatched alliance creates a powerful news experience that provides people greater access to compelling news and information, including more original news video online than ever before. It launches today with the debut of GoodMorningAmerica.com on Yahoo! and three new, online-first video series with ABC News' award-winning and trusted anchors and correspondents. "Newsmakers," an original interview series, kicks off today when "Good Morning America" anchor George Stephanopoulos interviews President Obama live at the White House at2:35 p.m. ET. The entire interview will stream live on Yahoo.com and ABCNews.com.

"Yahoo! is committed to building the richest set of premium and personalized content experiences for our users. Our deep collaboration withABC News further strengthens Yahoo! as the No. 1 online news source, greatly enhancing our already robust news content," said Ross Levinsohn, executive vice president of Americas at Yahoo! "ABC News and Ben Sherwood's vision is completely symbiotic with ours; together we can create highly engaging experiences for more than 100 million users a month that will set the standard for the industry."

"This relationship will give ABC News an unrivaled ability to reach across the Web, combining Yahoo!'s vast distribution and cutting-edge technology with our award-winning journalism. For years, we've proudly proclaimed that more Americans get their news from ABC News than any other source," said Ben Sherwood, president of ABC News. "Going forward, we will greatly expand this leadership by building a connection with a whole new online audience."

By bringing together two of the world's leading and most trusted news providers, Yahoo! and ABC News will deliver the latest breaking news, the biggest exclusives, and award-winning investigative journalism from a powerful lineup of journalists — all with the ability to extend across TV and online like never before.

Key elements of the alliance include:

• ABC News will be the premier news provider on Yahoo! News — Greater, even easier access to ABC News material across theYahoo! News network, the No. 1 online news destination in the U.S. ABC News content will be prominently integrated into Yahoo! News, the Yahoo! front page, and other areas across the Yahoo! network.
• GoodMorningAmerica.com launches today on Yahoo! — A co-branded and highly interactive online destination (GMA.yahoo.com) with robust video and information will let the "Good Morning America" audience continue the conversation online before, during and after the broadcast and deepen viewers' relationship with the program 24/7.
• New original Web series will debut from ABC News anchors and correspondents — Yahoo! and ABC News are launching an exclusive slate of original online video programming, starting today with "Newsmakers," "Around the World with Christiane Amanpour" and "This Could Be Big." Additional programs will debut in the months ahead and throughout 2012 (show descriptions follow below).
• ABC News and Yahoo! News editorial teams will work together to develop premium news content — Editorial teams from both organizations will collaborate on branded content that will appear on both the Yahoo! News and ABC News sites. Teams will co-produce coverage for major news events and will have integrated bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Yahoo! editorial staff or content will appear on air.
• Yahoo! and ABC Sales organizations will deliver powerful advertising solutions — The companies will create a suite of premium online video advertising opportunities and a variety of enhanced sponsorships designed to allow advertisers to benefit from the unique strengths of each sales organization. ABC will lead sales during the Upfront selling season and Yahoo! will manage sales throughout the rest of the year.

ABC News will continue to maintain editorial control of their sites, and Yahoo! maintains editorial control of Yahoo! sites. The Yahoo! News network will continue to feature content and perspectives from Yahoo!'s editorial staff and the Yahoo! Contributor Network, as well as content from other industry-leading providers and experts.

Original video programming

ABC News and Yahoo! have created a slate of original video programming with ABC News' award-winning and trusted anchors and correspondents featured across various Yahoo! and ABC News sites. With 10 of the top 10 original video programs online, Yahoo! knows how to create and distribute engaging and compelling video content. Jointly produced video programs debut this fall and continue to roll out throughout 2012, starting with:

• "Newsmakers" — Everyone from politicians to global leaders to celebrities will engage in exclusive, online-first video conversations with Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, George Stephanopoulos, Katie Couric, Christiane Amanpour, Robin Roberts, and others. Consumers will be able to join the discussion and submit questions in a truly innovative, interactive, social platform.http://news.yahoo.com/newsmakers/
• "Around the World with Christiane Amanpour" — The first global program produced entirely online leverages Yahoo!'s enormous reach and Amanpour's unmatched international relationships. The world's top international journalist will bring explanations, context and analysis to the biggest international stories of the day. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-world-according-to/
• "This Could Be Big" — The invisible plane, a car that gets 200 mpg, a building that generates its own electricity, an eye implant that allow the blind to see … these are just a few of the glimpses into the future of innovation that "Nightline" anchor Bill Weir will explore each week. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big/

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) is the premier digital media company, creating deeply personal digital experiences that keep more than half a billion people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the globe. And Yahoo!'s unique combination of Science + Art + Scale connects advertisers to the consumers who build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.com).

Yahoo! is home to the No. 1 sites for finance, sports, news, entertainment news, and more.

Yahoo! and Yahoo! News are the trademarks and/or registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owner.

About ABC News

ABC News delivers a big picture understanding of the world to empower and inspire viewers to make confident decisions for themselves and their families. More people get their news from ABC News than from any other source. ABC News is responsible for all of the ABC Television Network's news programming on a variety of platforms: television, radio, and the Internet. With an average television and radio audience of 180 million people in a given month, ABC News surpasses the competition. More than 2,400 affiliate stations broadcast ABC News Radio's global news coverage. In addition, ABC News NOW is a 24-hour news and information network currently available to 44 million users across cable, broadband, and mobile platforms. NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, provides live and packaged news, sports, and weather reports, as well as footage of news events, to 200 ABC affiliates and more than 30 domestic and international clients.http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/press-release/

Yahoo! Inc.
Cory Pforzheimer, 1-408-349-2686
coryp@yahoo-inc.com
or
ABC News
Jeffrey Schneider, 1-212-456-3587
jeffrey.w.schneider@abc.com
Julie Townsend, 1-212-456-4934
julie.townsend@abc.com
Michelle Levi, 1-212-456-6872
michelle.m.levi@abc.com

Source: Yahoo! Inc.

News Provided by Acquire Media

Reddit Passes One Billion Pageviews. (oh a Month!)

Reddit is telling us that their Google Analytic page has three commas for pageviews number and like anyone and everyone else they are pretty happy, and the song below has become the favorite song of the Conde Nast site.
Reddit  Via Mashable (just following Mashable new habbit of hiding the source)

Bloglines Gone To Deadpool

Bloglines, the venerable RSS feed read of the yesteryear, is going the way of yesterday on October 1st. Bloglines will cease it's operations and if you are Bloglines user, ask.com is providing tools to export your feeds to another reader.
A $10 million product in 2005 for ASK.COM, Bloglines quickly lost it's ground to Google Reader and who ever were left, have lately defected to real time news sources like twitter.

That said, plenty of people are still RSS aggregator-faithful, and Bloglines was lucky enough to be the news aggregator of choice for many of them. I want to thank these users for their support through the years. We are posting notification today, providing a three -week period to export feeds to another service – more detail and instructions can be found on the Bloglines website.

Techcrunch has added Bloglines to it's Deadpool.

Official Google Reader Blog: Reading gets personal with Popular items and Personalized ranking

Google Reader is bringing in some changes that will aid you in locating more interesting content than you already have discovered. When Google launched the Personalized Search in 2005, we were skeptical because we were worried about personal information. But we came to realize that it helped us in our searches.
Now the same search feature is helping you with your reading habits, that you do with your Google Reader.
The Explore section helps you find new content, with the two new features Popular items and recommended sources, which uses your Reader Trends and Web History (if you're opted into Web History) to generate a list of feeds we think you might like.
Personalized Ranking will help you with sorting your articles, using "Sort by Magic" under the Feed Settings menu in your reader. The traditioanl sort options are still there but better because it is based on your reading and sharing habits. If you try these out, please let the them know about how you feel about them on Reader help group, Twitter or the Reader section of Get Satisfaction, a third party support community.
Reading gets personal with Popular items and Personalized ranking
Reading gets personal with Popular items and Personalized ranking