Dua Lipa is the latest artist to be sued for posting a paparazzi photo of herself on her Instagram feed.
Billboard reports that Dua is being sued for copyright infringement for allegedly posting the picture, which is owned by Integral Images, on Insta on February of 2019, without permission. The picture in question shows Dua at an airport while wearing a big hat.
Why is this a big deal? Because, as the company notes, Dua uses her Instagram account to “accumulate followers who are directed to, via link and/or advertisement, consume and purchase [her] content,” which means that “[Dua] profits from these activities.” That’s why Integral Images is seeking $150,000 in damages, or actual damages based on money Dua due to the posting, whichever is a bigger number.
Integral also wants legal and attorney’s fees, as well as an order preventing Dua from “further acts of infringement.”
Other stars who’ve been sued for posting paparazzi photos of themselves on social media include Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez.
(WASHINGTON) — In a nearly one-hour call, President Joe Biden discussed ransomware attacks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying afterward he was “optimistic” about communications between the two countries going forward.
The discussion, their first since meeting in Switzerland last month for a major summit, comes days after another massive ransomware attack affected as many as 1,500 businesses around the world, according to the software vendor that was impacted.
“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his — even though it’s not, not sponsored by the state — we expect him to act if we give him enough information to act on who that is,” Biden told reporters afterward.
He added that there will still be U.S. consequences for such attacks, without providing details.
But weeks after their Geneva summit, the president expressed optimism that the two countries, whose relations have hit a low point in recent years over a mountain of different issues, at least now had clear lines of communication.
“We have set up a means of communication now on a regular basis to be able to communicate to one another when each of us thinks something is happening in the other country that affects the home country — and so, it went well,” Biden said of the call.
The Kremlin said in its own readout that the two presidents “stressed the need for substantive and constructive cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and the continuation of relevant contacts.”
The White House has said there’s no indication the Russian government is responsible for this latest ransomware attack, in which hackers from the cyber criminal group REvil infiltrated IT management companies and their corporate clients through the software vendor Kaseya. The firm said 50 of its customers were directly compromised, but as many as 1,500 businesses that rely on those 50 customers for IT security could be compromised.
REvil is believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe and was responsible for the hack of JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, that took facilities offline and affected meat supplies, including in the U.S. The group demanded a $70 million bitcoin payment from its victims of the Kaseya attack.
While the Russian government may not be involved, it has consistently denied responsibility for its own cyberattacks, from its interference in the 2016 U.S. elections to the massive SolarWinds hack that affected dozens of government ministries, private companies and other entities around the world, including nearly a dozen U.S. agencies.
“Despite the readiness of the Russian side to jointly suppress criminal manifestations in the information space, no appeals on these issues have been received by the competent US agencies over the past month,” the Kremlin said Friday.
That language indicated a continued lack of cooperation from the Russian government on the issue. The White House declined to say whether Biden received any new assurances from Putin, referring ABC News’s questions to the Kremlin.
(WASHINGTON) — Haiti’s government has requested the U.S. send troops to help stabilize the country and secure critical infrastructure like oil reserves and its port and airport in the wake of the assassination of its president earlier this week, Haitian Elections Minister Mathias Pierre told ABC News Friday. The deployment of U.S. forces would mark a major escalation of U.S. involvement, one that it’s unclear President Joe Biden is interested in making.
The U.S. has agreed to send senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to Haiti to assist the government’s investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the White House announced Friday.
The assistance comes after two U.S. citizens were among the 17 men arrested by Haitian authorities for the head of state’s shocking murder, which threatens to plunge Haiti further into chaos amid competing claims to power.
The political and security crises afflicting the Caribbean country are rivaled only by the coronavirus pandemic. Haiti is one of only a handful of countries in the world that has yet to distribute a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that will once again be delayed because of the deep insecurity, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Seventeen suspects have been detained, according to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph’s office, including two Americans and 15 Colombians.
Four other suspects were killed by police in a shootout late Wednesday, according to Haitian officials. Leon Charles, chief of Haiti’s National Police, said Thursday that eight other suspects were on the run, according to The Associated Press.
Four members of Moise’s security detail are also wanted for questioning, according to Haitian government commissioner Bed-Ford Claude, including the head of his security detail.
It’s unclear how the assailants were able to access the private presidential residence. The group said they were agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond, a claim that the Haitian and U.S. governments have denied. It may have gotten them past some security, although Edmond told ABC News it’s “obvious” that the group of “international mercenaries,” as he called them, had “some internal help,” too.
One of the detained Americans has been identified as 35-year old James Solanges, according to Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s elections minister, who declined to name the other American.
On a website for his charity, Solanges, a Florida resident, described himself as a “certified diplomatic agent” and said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti — claims that ABC News could not independently verify.
“We are certainly aware of the arrest of the two U.S. citizens who are in Haiti and continue to closely monitor the situation,” State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said Friday, declining to comment further because of “privacy considerations” and referring questions to Haitian authorities leading the investigation.
The White House announced it would deploy senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to assess the situation and provide assistance to Haitian authorities.
The Haitian government had requested assistance from the FBI, saying it “can play a critical role in rendering justice,” and called for sanctions on “all perpetrators who are directly responsible or aided and abetted in the execution of the assassination of the President,” according to a letter from Edmond to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that was obtained by ABC News.
In addition, the government has asked for U.S. troops, according to Pierre, although it’s unclear whether that request has been made through formal channels. The State Department declined to address a question about Pierre’s comments during a press briefing Friday afternoon.
The U.S. is also being called upon to help calm the political turmoil, especially amid competing claims to power and the threat of gang violence erupting again on the streets.
Haiti’s line of succession had already been blurred by its political turmoil. Political opponents argued Moise’s five-year term ended in February, while he said the term ended in February 2022, five years after his 2017 inauguration — a claim backed by the U.S. and United Nations.
But who is in charge is further confused because Moise selected Ariel Henry, a surgeon and former minister, to serve as his new interim prime minister just days before his assassination. While Henry has told some local media outlets that he is the rightful leader, the U.S. is backing Joseph in his claim of legitimacy.
Because “Claude Joseph was the incumbent in the position … we continue to work with Claude Joseph as such,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday, adding that U.S. officials have been in touch with him and Henry and urging calm.
Joseph and Blinken spoke by phone Wednesday night — another boost of support — and the U.S. has backed his messages of stability and his calls for free and fair elections and national dialogue.
The transfer of power to Joseph is not in line with Haiti’s constitution, which says the president should be replaced by the head of the Supreme Court who is “invested temporarily with the duties of the president” by the National Assembly. But the country’s chief justice died from COVID-19 just two weeks ago, and the legislature has been disbanded since January 2020 after the country failed to hold legislative elections in October 2019.
Elections for the National Assembly and president have already been scheduled for late September, but many critics and political opposition leaders have said the country is not in position to hold them freely or fairly. It’s unclear if Joseph will push to move ahead with them, or even be able to, but the State Department said Thursday those elections should go ahead as planned.
One major hurdle to holding those contests is the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to rage in Haiti. Cases last month were as high as they were one year prior, and the country has yet to receive any doses from COVAX, the international program to provide vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.
UNICEF was preparing to ship vaccines to Haiti as soon as this week, but because of the assassination and ensuing turmoil that no longer looks likely, a source familiar with the shipments told ABC News.
“Rising gang criminality and increased insecurity has hindered humanitarian operations in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince,” UNICEF said in a statement Friday, adding it has “stepped up its efforts to use more sophisticated logistics and consider alternative routes to bring assistance more effectively to children in need.”
U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison was able to return to the capital yesterday from Washington, where she was attending previously scheduled meetings — a sign, perhaps, that the embassy has no plans to evacuate American personnel. Price declined to comment on security there, except to say the embassy is “constantly evaluating” the situation and would remain closed to the public through Monday.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky, Victor Ordonez and Kirit Radia contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security will be deployed to Haiti to assist the government’s investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the White House announced Friday.
The assistance comes after two U.S. citizens were among the 17 men arrested by Haitian authorities for the head of state’s shocking murder, which threatens to plunge Haiti further into chaos amid competing claims to power.
The political and security crises afflicting the Caribbean country are rivaled only by the coronavirus pandemic. Haiti is one of only a handful of countries in the world that has yet to distribute a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and that will once again be delayed because of the deep insecurity, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Haitian National Police have requested U.S. assistance, according to the Biden administration, which is deploying senior FBI and DHS officials to assess the situation. But the limits of American power — and interest — in Haiti are clear, as its government grapples to maintain control of several growing challenges.
Seventeen suspects have been detained, according to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph’s office, including two Americans and 15 Colombians.
Four other suspects were killed by police in a shootout late Wednesday, according to Haitian officials. Leon Charles, chief of Haiti’s National Police, said Thursday that eight other suspects were on the run, according to the Associated Press.
Four members of Moise’s security detail are also wanted for questioning, according to Haitian government commissioner Bed-Ford Claude, including the head of his security detail.
It’s unclear how the assailants were able to access the private presidential residence. The group said they were agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond, a claim that the Haitian and U.S. governments have denied. It may have gotten them past some security, although Edmond told ABC News it’s “obvious” that the group of “international mercenaries,” as he called them, had “some internal help,” too.
One of the detained Americans has been identified as 35-year old James Solanges, according to Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s elections minister who declined to name the other American.
On a website for his charity, Solanges, a Florida resident, described himself as a “certified diplomatic agent” and said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian embassy in Haiti — claims that ABC News could not independently verify.
“We are certainly aware of the arrest of the two U.S. citizens who are in Haiti and continue to closely monitor the situation,” State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said Friday, declining to comment further because of “privacy considerations” and referring questions to Haitian authorities leading the investigation.
The White House announced it would deploy senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to assess the situation and provide assistance to Haitian authorities.
The Haitian government had requested assistance from the FBI, saying it “can play a critical role in rendering justice,” and called for sanctions on “all perpetrators who are directly responsible or aided and abetted in the execution of the assassination of the President,” according to a letter from Ambassador Edmond to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and obtained by ABC News.
The U.S. is also being called upon to help calm the political turmoil, especially amid competing claims to power and the threat of gang violence erupting again on the streets.
Haiti’s line of succession had already been blurred by its political turmoil. Political opponents argued Moise’s five-year term ended in February, while he said the term ended in February 2022, five years after his 2017 inauguration — a claim backed by the U.S. and United Nations.
But who is in charge is further confused because Moise selected Ariel Henry, a surgeon and former minister, to serve as his new interim prime minister just days before his assassination. While Henry has told some local media outlets that he is the rightful leader, the U.S. is backing Joseph in his claim of legitimacy.
Because “Claude Joseph was the incumbent in the position… we continue to work with Claude Joseph as such,” Price said Thursday, adding that U.S. officials have been in touch with him and Henry and urging calm.
Joseph and Blinken spoke by phone Wednesday night — another boost of support — and the U.S. has backed his messages of stability and his calls for free and fair elections and national dialogue.
The transfer of power to Joseph is not in line with Haiti’s constitution, which says the president should be replaced by the head of the Supreme Court who is “invested temporarily with the duties of the president” by the National Assembly. But the country’s chief justice died from COVID-19 just two weeks ago, and the legislature has been disbanded since January 2020 after the country failed to hold legislative elections in October 2019.
Elections for the National Assembly and president have already been scheduled for late September, but many critics and political opposition leaders have said the country is not in position to hold them freely or fairly. It’s unclear if Joseph will push to move ahead with them, or even be able to, but the State Department said Thursday those elections should go ahead as planned.
One major hurdle to holding those contests is the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to rage in Haiti. Cases last month were as high as they were one year prior, and the country has yet to receive any doses from COVAX, the international program to provide vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.
UNICEF was preparing to ship vaccines to Haiti as soon as this week but because of the assassination and ensuing turmoil that no longer looks likely, a source familiar with the shipments told ABC News.
“Rising gang criminality and increased insecurity has hindered humanitarian operations in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince,” UNICEF said in a statement Friday, adding it has “stepped up its efforts to use more sophisticated logistics and consider alternative routes to bring assistance more effectively to children in need.”
U.S. ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison was able to return to the capital yesterday from Washington, where she was attending previously scheduled meetings — a sign, perhaps, that the embassy has no plans to evacuate American personnel. Price declined to comment on security there, except to say the embassy is “constantly evaluating” the situation and would remain closed to the public through Monday.
ABC News’s Aicha El Hammar, Sarah Kolinovsky, Victor Ordonez, and Kirit Radia contributed to this report.
Damon Dash says he’s pushing back at previous reality TV portrayals with his own personal docuseries, In Love for a Living.
In a statement to Deadline, Dash says that his new series, which will “focus on his life and that of his fiancée Raquel Horn and their 8-month-old son Dusko” was an opportunity to hit back at previous shows like We Tv’s Growing Up Hip Hop that had negatively portrayed him. “I wanted to just showcase the reality of what it just looks like to be in a great relationship, as opposed to just showcasing the trauma and the dysfunction of our culture,” he noted. In Love for a Living will be available via Damon Dash Studios, Dash’s forthcoming streaming service and production studio.
In other news, Devon Terrell has been tapped to star opposite Aida Osman and Kamillion in Issa Rae‘s HBO Max comedy series Rap Sh*t, Deadline has learned. As previously reported, the series follows two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group. Terrell will play Cliff, Shawna’s “supportive but long-distance boyfriend who currently attends law school in New York.” A release date for Rap Sh*t has yet to be announced.
Finally, BET has announced the launch of a new original weekly show titled Celebrity Stash. Now available on BET Her’s YouTube Channel, the eight-episode series will feature a new celebrity guest every week that “will invite fans into their home to… help decide which treasures to keep and which to donate.” Featured celebrities include LeToya Luckett, Amara La Negra, Bow Wow and Eva Marcille, among others.
(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — Two bronze Confederate statues at the center of yearslong debate in Charlottesville, Virginia, will be removed this weekend, officials announced.
The city will remove statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson on Saturday.
The removal comes more than five years after the first effort to remove the Lee statue. A year later, the monument became a gathering point for white supremacists who decried the proposal at the “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017, which led to rioting and left one woman dead.
Only the statues themselves will be removed Saturday; the stone bases will be left in place temporarily and removed at a later date.
Designated public viewing areas for the removals will be set up in Market Street Park and Court Square Park, where the statues are located, officials said in a news release.
Preparations commenced Friday around Market Street Park with officials setting up protective fencing and posting notices in the area.
The removal comes following a resolution passed by the Charlottesville City Council on June 7, which authorized the city manager to remove the statues for placement in storage.
Lawsuits by the statues’ supporters were filed and halted the removals since the original city council vote in 2017 to remove them. However, in April the Virginia Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that contended state law protected the monuments.
The city council has the sole authority to determine the final disposition of the statues, officials said in the news release.
Both statues will be stored in a secure location on city property until a final decision on their fate is made.
The city has solicited museums, government branches and the military to see if they have interest in the statues. So far, the Charlottesville city manager has received 10 responses — six from out of state and four from in state and they’re all under review.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden signed a wide-ranging executive order Friday afternoon aimed at minimizing the stranglehold of monopolies on certain industries and increasing competition among companies, which the White House believes will benefit consumers by driving down prices.
“For decades, corporate consolidation has been accelerating. In over 75% of U.S. industries, a smaller number of large companies now control more of the business than they did 20 years ago. This is true across health care, financial services, agriculture and more. That lack of competition drives up prices for consumers,” according to a White House fact sheet.
Targeting air travel, labor practices, meat processing and more, the executive order contains 72 initiatives overseen by a dozen different government agencies.
Here is some of what’s in the order:
It will allow owners of iPhones, appliances and other machinery to attempt to perform repairs on their devices themselves or seek out repairs at independent shops without voiding warranty protections.
It requires the FAA to mandate efficient airline refunds for lost bags and dysfunctional WiFi service.
It aims to lower the price of prescription drugs by urging state and local tribes to import cheaper drugs from Canada, a move long supported by Democrats, and former President Donald Trump.
Hearing aids, which can often run consumers thousands of dollars, would be able to be sold over the counter under the order.
The order will encourage the FTC to limit non-compete agreements that prevent workers from seeking out better-paying jobs and affect some 30 to 60 million Americans. It also encourages the FTC to ban unnecessary licensing requirements for jobs like accounting and hairdressing, which differ from state to state and prove burdensome, especially for military families who frequently move.
These items in particular, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, are “fulfilling [Biden’s] campaign promise to promote competition in labor markets in order to raise wages and make it easier for workers to change jobs and to move between states.”
The changes won’t be immediately evident to Americans since the executive order merely kicks off longer rule-making and regulatory processes. Some of the executive actions are only recommendations, especially on those areas governed by the FTC and FCC, which are meant to be independent agencies not obligated to carry out White House directives.
Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent are officially part of one of 2021’s biggest songs.
The Bleachers frontman and the “Los Ageless” rocker are now credited as co-writers on “deja vu,” one of several hit singles from this year’s breakout star, Olivia Rodrigo.
The “deja vu” credits, which can be viewed on Spotify, also list the one and only Taylor Swift, who collaborated with Antonoff and St. Vincent on her 2019 Lover song “Cruel Summer.” Speaking with Rolling Stone, Rodrigo mentioned “Cruel Summer” as an inspiration for the “deja vu” bridge.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo’s music is starting to cross over to the rock world. Her song “brutal,” the opening track off her debut album, SOUR, has started charting on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay ranking.
Kane Brown and his latest out-of-genre collaborator, pop songwriter/producer blackbear, share a word of warning in their new song, “Memory.” The song’s lyrics address the anxiety of living and partying in overdrive, while worrying about when the repercussions will hit.
“I wanna live life fast, I don’t know how to slow down / I wanna get high, I don’t know how to come down / Help me now, I’m running on empty / And I don’t wanna be a memory,” the pair harmonize in the chorus.
Kane and blackbear swap lead vocals throughout the track, with Kane singing, “I know this can’t be healthy / So I’m lookin’ for a way out,” in the first verse.
Per Billboard, “Memory” is headed to pop radio this Friday. The two artists co-wrote the track along with Ernest Smith, Andrew Goldstein and Joe Kirkland. They also premiered the music video for their new song on YouTube Friday afternoon, signing onto the platform for a live chat with fans shortly beforehand.
“Memory” is the latest in a long string of non-country collaborations for Kane, who’s previously shared songs with the likes of Marshmello, Khalid and Swae Lee, Becky G and Camila Cabello.
Meanwhile, Kane is continuing to dominate the country world, too. His duet single with Chris Young, “Famous Friends,” is currently a top-five hit.
Following his breakthrough hit “Astronaut in the Ocean,” Australian rapper Masked Wolf is back with a new track called “Say So.” No, it’s not a cover of that Doja Cat hit — this song is about denying that you might need help.
“Everybody gotta say they ball/Even when their castle’s about to fall,” raps Wolf, born Harry Michael. “You been tryna act like it’s okay/But I can see you trapped in the hallway….problems don’t go away.”
“It’s always important for me to say something with my music, even if the deeper message is hidden inside of what sounds like a fun, upbeat song,” explains Wolf. “In ’Say So,’ I was writing about how, in times of trouble, we often try to act like we’re still okay, even when we really aren’t.”
“No matter how bad the situation is or how close we are to self-destructing, we think that, if we keep telling ourselves we’re O.K., then maybe we will be,” he adds. “We think, ‘If we say so, then we say so,’ but really, we need help.”
Meanwhile, “Astronaut in the Ocean,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, has racked up over a billion streams and 180 million video views. In recent months, Wolf has appeared on The Voice, The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
