A fan said Kate Middleton 'will be remembered for all the right reasons. Priyanka will just be remembered as a mean girl along with her lying pal'

A network of ancient American Indian ceremonial and burial mounds in Ohio noted for their good condition, distinct style and cultural significance has been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites

Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia’s war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his country’s military leadership. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war by calling on Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and demanding Prigozhin’s arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhin’s threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Putin, urged Russians to join his “march to justice”. ‘PUTIN’S CHEF’ Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, now known as St Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison – 10 years by his own admission –although he does not say what it was for. Afterwards, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. “Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I don’t mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests,” Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhin’s factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of pounds in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organised catering for Kremlin events for several years – earning him the nickname “Putin’s chef” – and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhin’s companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for around £300m in defence ministry contracts. MILITARY CONNECTION Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putin’s projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. US officials say Russia may also be using Wagner’s work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhin’s mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles aainst Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The US estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russia’s prisons. RAGING AGAINST RUSSIA’S GENERALS As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russia’s military top brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russia’s regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. “These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin said then. “The scum that doesn’t give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.” A ‘BAD ACTOR’ IN THE US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: “Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. I’m not at all upset that I’m on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him.” The Biden White House called him “a known bad actor,” and state department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhin’s “bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin.” AVOIDING CHALLENGES TO PUTIN As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russia’s conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putin’s generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhin’s influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. “He’s not one of Putin’s close figures or a confidant,” said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast, In Moscow’s Shadows. “Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But that’s the thing – he is part of the staff rather than part of the family,” Galeotti said. Read More Russia-Ukraine war live: Wagner armed rebellion moves closer to Moscow as Putin threatens revenge Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s location and road towards Moscow Furious Putin calls Wagner coup ‘treason’: ‘This is a stab in the back to everyone in Russia’ The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Federal prosecutors interviewed Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in recent months as part of the ongoing criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a source familiar with the matter.

After he was caught using a fake name, an ex-fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos tried a new tactic: spelling it backwards

Chris Pratt has shared why he believes people shouldn’t wait to start a family. The Guardians of the Galaxy star, 43, recently spoke to Men’s Journal about how becoming a father has made him a better actor. Pratt shares son Jack, 10, with ex-wife Anna Faris and daughters Lyla Maria, two, and Eloise Christina, one, with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger. Pratt explained that fatherhood has made him a more versatile actor because he sees being a parent as a “tool” to tap into his “emotional potential” during a scene. “That instinct you have to protect them – those are all things you can try to fake, but it doesn’t really come close to what you have access to when you’ve lived it,” he told the outlet on 8 June. “For me, having kids is what it’s all about, and how it’s benefitted me as an actor is a pleasant byproduct.” The Parks and Recreation alum went on to encourage others to have children as soon as possible because of the joy that it brought to his own life. “People say all the time, ‘Don’t rush to have kids,’” Pratt said. “I personally disagree. Rush. Have them. Of course, make sure you find a great partner, but don’t wait.” He then recalled a conversation he had with actor Adam Sandler, who told him: “Every day you wait is a day they don’t get to have you in their life.” “The younger you have kids, the more time they get to have with you,” Pratt continued. “It’s wild. Having kids is incredible. The things you normally take for granted in life are new.” Chris Pratt has often shared glimpses into his life as a father of three on social media. The Jurassic World star was married to Anna Faris in 2009. They welcomed their son Jack in 2012, but announced their split in August 2017. Pratt and Faris finalised their divorce in October 2018, four months after he began dating his current wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger. He proposed to the 33-year-old author in January 2019 and they were married in June that year. They went on to welcome daughter Lyla Maria in August 2020 and daughter Eloise Christina in May 2022. Chris Pratt previously sparked backlash on social media when he praised his wife for giving him a “gorgeous healthy daughter,” as many people noted that his son Jack was born prematurely. He shared an Instagram post of himself and Schwarzenegger in 2021, encouraging his followers to “find someone” who looks at them the way his wife does. “We met in church. She’s given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter, she chews so loudly that sometimes I put in my earbuds to drown it out, but that’s love!” the actor wrote in the Instagram caption. “She helps me with everything. In return, periodically, I open a jar of pickles. That’s the trade. Her heart is pure and it belongs to me.” However, many fans accused the actor of being “passive aggressive” towards Faris, who has been open about their son’s health issues in the past. In June 2022, he addressed the backlash towards his social media post by calling out critics. “I said something like, ‘Find someone who looks at you the way my wife looks at me.’ And then I gave her some sh*t in the thing and said, ‘But I love you. I’m so thankful for my wife – she gave me a beautiful, healthy daughter,’” he told Men’s Health at the time. “And then a bunch of articles came out and said, ‘That’s so cringeworthy. I can’t believe Chris Pratt would thank her for a healthy daughter when his first child was born premature. That’s such a dig at his ex-wife,’” he recalled. “And I’m like, That is f**ked up. My son’s gonna read that one day. He’s nine. And it’s etched in digital stone. It really f**king bothered me, dude. I cried about it,” he said. “I was like, I hate that these blessings in my life are – to the people close to me – a real burden.” His wife – Katherine Schwarzenegger – has since revealed that she tries to ignore online criticism, though she’s aware of the negative comments often centred around her husband. “Growing up, hearing people say certain things about my parents, my siblings, my extended family was difficult,” Schwarzenegger told the New York Times, referencing her famous parents Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I see what people say,” she said. “But I just know that it’s so far from the reality.” Most recently, Chris Pratt sparked a debate by posting a Mother’s Day tribute in May that didn’t include mention of his ex Anna Faris. Read More Chris Pratt posts Mother’s Day tribute with no mention of co-parent Anna Faris Katherine Schwarzenegger addresses public backlash to Chris Pratt relationship Anna Faris says she’s ‘getting closer’ to ex-husband Chris Pratt and his new wife Katherine Schwarzenegger Chris Pratt says people should ‘rush’ to have children: ‘Don’t wait’ Jamie Foxx’s rep addresses conspiracy Covid vaccine left actor ‘paralyzed and blind’ Mother sparks debate over parent who wouldn’t give daughter cake

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A lawyer for the estate of Michael Jackson argued at a court hearing that employees of corporations owned by the pop star could not be legally obligated to protect children from him

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'Came back to the place where it all happened. Happy anniversary to my love angel face. I love life with you,' wrote Katherine Schwarzenegger