Focue Provides the Latest and Most Up-to-Date News, What You Focus On is What You Get.
⎯ 《 Focue • Com 》
Police raid on Kansas newspaper appears to have led to a file on the chief, bodycam video shows
Police raid on Kansas newspaper appears to have led to a file on the chief, bodycam video shows
Body camera video from a central Kansas police department’s raid of a weekly newspaper shows that an officer rifled through a desk drawer of a reporter who was investigating its chief
2023-10-03 08:29
Canada Buys Boeing’s Sub-Hunting 737 in Snub to Bombardier
Canada Buys Boeing’s Sub-Hunting 737 in Snub to Bombardier
Canada has finalized a deal to order as many as 16 military surveillance aircraft from Boeing Co. as
2023-12-01 02:19
La Salle coach Fran Dunphy wins 600th career basketball game
La Salle coach Fran Dunphy wins 600th career basketball game
La Salle coach Fran Dunphy won his 600th career game
2023-11-27 05:34
Former teen beauty queen claims she was sex-trafficked and forced into porn
Former teen beauty queen claims she was sex-trafficked and forced into porn
A former beauty pageant queen has made new allegations in a federal lawsuit claiming she was sex trafficked and raped on the orders of an infamous pornography producer. Kirsty Althaus was the runner-up in the Miss Teen Colorado USA Pageant in 2013, but was forced to give up the title when she was found to be in online pornography videos, with her name in the title. A copy of the lawsuit, filed on 8 September, was obtained by The Daily Beast, which said she made allegations against a series of inter-related companies, such as Aylo (formerly known as MindGeek, the parent company of sites like PornHub), and Ethical Capital Partners, a private equity firm that acquired Aylo back in March. She is suing Aylo and Ethical Capital Partners for aiding and abetting sex trafficking, profiting from sex trafficking and advertising a victim of sex trafficking. Ms Althaus is setting her claims against Michael Pratt, the owner of Girls Do Porn, a shut-down company, who was arrested back in December 2022 for allegedly coercing hundreds of women into making sex tapes and then distributing them without their consent, the Daily Beast reports. Girls Do Porn was set up in 2006 by Mr Pratt, from New Zealand, which specialised in producing pornography of only younger women between 18 and 22. Ms Althaus, from Colorado, wanted to have a professional modelling career. She posed for companies such as Kohl’s and Champion, as well as competing and being runner-up in the Miss Teen Colorado pageant in 2012, reports Daily Beast. A year later, she left school at 18, wanting to focus on her modelling career. She saw an advertisement on Craigslist offering a paid modelling opportunity, with expenses paid such as flying her out to San Diego. "Rather than the mere headshots and clothing photoshoot (sic) that she had agreed to fly to San Diego to do, Pratt began demanding that Plaintiff film nude and sexually explicit videos. When Plaintiff refused, Pratt, now 41, and his conspirators immediately pressured her and plied her with booze and pills to soften her reluctance," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit stated she endured “protracted filming”, where Ms Althaus had to endure approximately nine hours of non-consensual sex, to the point she started to bleed. In one shoot, Mr Pratt was so infuriated with Ms Althaus and her pleas to stop that he broke a hotel lamp and got out his gun, according to the lawsuit. Ms Althaus describes in the lawsuit as being harassed over text by Mr Pratt, after she returned to college, to make more videos and threatened to make her original video public if she refused, as screenshots obtained by Fox News show. “You better be here by noon shoot 2tomorrow or your graveyard,” one text included in the lawsuit read. The lawsuit stated that in January 2014 a text from an anonymous number came up on Ms Althaus’ phone while she was sitting in class, it said: “Told you b****.” Ms Atlhuas then saw that all her videos became live on Twitter, PornHub and other pornography websites, Daily Beast reports. In the lawsuit, she said that she started to suffer “severe distress and anxiety;” she found it hard to keep strong relationships, people would recognise her on the street and students at her college would harass her. She goes on to say that she would lose jobs once her employers discovered she had appeared in a pornography video. She claimed she tried to report how she was sex trafficked and raped to MindGeek, where the video was being distributed, but said she was ignored due to their focus on making “millions of dollars” off the content, the lawsuit reads. Although she changed her name, and the video is now ten years old, she is still harassed due to what happened in her past, Ms Althaus said in the lawsuit. “Unidentified men continue to approach Plaintiff’s home at all hours of the day and night,” her lawsuit reads, “As recently as May-June 2023, Plaintiff was assaulted at her home by a self-described PornHub subscriber who confronted her about the recent removal of the subject videos from Defendants’ websites.” Mr Pratt was included on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2022 for three months until he was captured in Spain. Pratt was charged in a 19-count indictment with sex trafficking, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of a minor, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in connection with the operation of the GirlsDoPorn adult website, according to the FBI. He was on the run for years, fleeing in 2019 after 22 women filed a lawsuit in 2017 claiming he and his co-conspirators for conning the women into making pornography videos and then lying about distributing the footage. He said the videos would only be sold to private collectors solely on DVDs and small video stores not located in the US, but the videos ended up on famous pornography websites, sometimes putting their names in the title. Ms Althaus’ lawsuit also names GirlsDoPorn co-conspirators, Michael Isaac Wolfe and Andre Garcia. Garcia is currently serving a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of sex trafficking in November 2020, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Wolfe was sentenced in October 2022 for admitting to coercing prospective models into filming videos for Girls Do Porn, then lying to them saying the videos would not be distributed in the United States, says the Attorney’s Office. According to the Daily Beast, Ms Althaus is now another woman coming forward to relay the alleged abhorrent crimes committed against her. She claims she was deceived into filming nonconsensual sex scenes by Mr Pratt, saying she was raped, drugged, physically abused and blackmailed by both Pratt and his associates. The lawsuit that was brought forward by the 22 women in 2017 included similar harrowing stories, such as being “assaulted”. This previous lawsuit resulted in Girls Do Porn being ordered to pay $12.8m in damages as well as ownership rights to the videos they featured in. Between October and November 2019, six people were charged on counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, with a further two people charged in December with obstruction of sex trafficking enforcement. MindGeek, now Aylo, was also under fire in 2021 when 40 women sued the company for knowingly profiting from Girls Do Porn content. The judge ordered a “discovery into its corporate structure, finances, operations, and ownership to determine which entities and persons should remain in the case,” says law firm Brown Rudnick LLP. In a statement to The Daily Beast, Aylo declined to comment on the lawsuit but said they looked forward to “the facts being fully and fairly aired” in court. “The safety of our community is our number one priority, so we are proud to have instituted Trust and Safety policies that surpass those of any other major user-generated platform on the internet,” Aylo said in a statement. “Our compliance program has helped us set the standard for the tech industry, and we are committed to remaining at the forefront of this important area.” The Independent has contacted both Aylo and Ethical Capital Partners for comment. We have also asked if they have filed a position statement or defences, as it is not clear at this time. Read More Reddit users post pornography and switch forums to ‘NSFW’ in latest protest against site’s management We’re not being taught enough about sex ed and porn in class, say children Rise of the post-truth sex tape: Deepfake pornography is making women’s online lives even more frightening
2023-09-20 20:08
Fall Guys Hits 20 Million Players After Going Free-to-Play
Fall Guys Hits 20 Million Players After Going Free-to-Play
Fall Guys has managed a pretty healthy player count, reaching 20 million players just days after transitioning to free-to-play.
1970-01-01 08:00
Colorado State beats Boston College 86-74 to open the Hall of Fame Classic
Colorado State beats Boston College 86-74 to open the Hall of Fame Classic
Isaiah Stevens had 18 points and eight assists, Nique Clifford scored 16 points and Colorado State beat Boston College 86-74 to open the Hall of Fame Classic
2023-11-23 04:50
Suspended Lions WR Jameson Williams says he wasn't aware of NFL rules on gambling he violated
Suspended Lions WR Jameson Williams says he wasn't aware of NFL rules on gambling he violated
Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams, suspended for the first six games of the season, said he was unaware of the NFL gambling policy that he violated
2023-05-26 06:20
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus hopes he has seen the last of knee niggles
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus hopes he has seen the last of knee niggles
Gabriel Jesus wants to kick on and get his rhythm back after the Arsenal striker scored for the first time since overcoming a nagging, frustrating knee issue. The 26-year-old impressed after joining from Manchester City last summer but was laid low in December with an injury sustained in Brazil’s World Cup group game against Cameroon. Jesus did not return to action for Arsenal until mid-March and had to go back under the knife last month due to irritation with the original knee problem. The striker made his second substitute appearance since then on Sunday, when he completed a memorable late 3-1 Premier League comeback win against Manchester United. “I’m feeling good,” Jesus said after the Emirates Stadium triumph. “It’s tough when you just come back from injury. “After a holiday, I started to feel in my knee again. It was unlucky for me. It’s tough. “After pre-season, you go and try but you feel in pain. And then I made the decision to do surgery as quickly as possible to come back stronger. “That was tough, but now I’m getting back. It’s so important to get the rhythm again, so, yeah. I’m back. I feel good and I’m happy.” Jesus says he felt completely fine at the end of last season and only once felt his knee play up at the end of a training session, but even then it felt fine the next day. His right knee continued to feel fine during his post-season holiday and the start of pre-season, only for the issue to flare up again. “When I came back, in the first week, still nothing,” Jesus said. “Then after I started to feel it. And for me, it was (a case of) if I’m not 100 per cent, I won’t be myself. I was trying. “Personally, I’m good with the pain, so I was keeping playing and training. “I was feeling it a little bit, but for me it was nothing. But then we hit a point when I couldn’t run or move, so I decided to do a surgery and that was it.” Asked how mentally tough he found that, Jesus said: “First day is s*** when you just find out. Then the day after you realise you have to keep going, fighting and smile because I have a life. “God has given me a life, God let me wake up every morning, so I have to be grateful, I’m blessed. “I can walk, I can be here, I can smile, so nothing to complain. Just believe in God and keep fighting.” That belief extends to collective success at Arsenal, who head into the international break with 10 points from their first four matches after beating United on Sunday. Marcus Rashford’s opener was immediately cancelled out by Martin Odegaard, before Declan Rice and Jesus struck in stoppage time after Alejandro Garnacho saw a goal ruled out for the visitors. “That’s the Premier League,” the Brazil forward said. “Sometimes the game changes a lot. We conceded, we came back, we had a penalty, didn’t have a penalty. “In my opinion there were some bad decisions from the referee. “Even with their (disallowed) goal, maybe it was a foul on me, but it was offside. “Then, after the game changed again, we scored two and we won the game. That’s it. “When you play a massive game like this against a tough opponent, it’s always like this. “We tried to win but they have quality as well – behind, in the middle, up front. That’s the Premier League, that’s why it’s the toughest league in the world.” Jesus now has a fortnight to recuperate and continue to build fitness, while fellow striker Eddie Nketiah gets his first taste of senior international football. England Under-21s’ all-time top scorer has been named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the first time having scored twice in the opening weeks of the campaign. “First of all, competition is always good – for me and for him,” Jesus said. “In all positions when you have competition it’s a good thing. “From day one, I’m a big fan of Eddie because of the way he works and the way he trains is amazing. It’s not easy to come from the academy at a massive club and fight to play in the first team. “Congrats to him, he’s doing so well and he deserves to be called into the England national team. “For me personally, it’s good competition. It’s always good for the club because for sure he’s making me better and I’m making him better as well.” Arsenal return to action at Everton on September 17, with United back in action the previous day as they look to return to winning ways at home to Brighton. Manager Erik ten Hag said: “We have to improve, definitely. But you see, and also what we have seen last year, we can beat everyone. It was such small margins today, so it could also have been our side.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Brennan Johnson’s potential is ‘quite scary’ – Wales captain Aaron Ramsey Andy Robertson expects Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool despite Saudi interest Police launch investigation following alleged assault on Roy Keane
2023-09-04 19:00
Mauricio Pochettino jokes about why Chelsea owners would kill him following Arsenal draw
Mauricio Pochettino jokes about why Chelsea owners would kill him following Arsenal draw
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has joked that he was left with no choice but to start Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in Saturday's draw with Arsenal despite the pair being tired as he feared the owners would kill him otherwise.
2023-10-23 19:30
‘Exceptional’ Bukayo Saka lauded by Gareth Southgate after England romp
‘Exceptional’ Bukayo Saka lauded by Gareth Southgate after England romp
Gareth Southgate lauded Bukayo Saka after the England star scored a tremendous treble against North Macedonia and enjoyed one of the best nights of his life. Having followed up March’s wins against Italy and Ukraine by beating Malta 4-0 on Friday, the side put on a show on Monday as their Euro 2024 qualification cakewalk continued. Harry Kane’s brace was complemented by Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips efforts at Old Trafford, where Saka was the star of the 7-0 annihilation of North Macedonia. A fierce strike from a tight angle was followed at the start of the second half by a stupendous second, before then quickly wrapping up the first hat-trick of his career. Saka was given a standing ovation after a sparkling performance made all the impressive by the fact Southgate revealed he has been dealing with an Achilles issue. “He’s had it for a few weeks and it’s an injury that just needs managing, but it would have been easy not to appear,” the England boss said. “I think when you then have probably one of the best nights of your life, it’s a reminder to everybody that it’s worth going through those things. “To see the joy on his face, he’s such a popular member of the team and so humble, works incredibly hard and, of course, talented. “He’s been finishing like that all week, so, yeah, it was outstanding performance.” Asked how close Saka is to being at an elite level, Southgate said: “Yeah, I think he’s there. “When he broke into the team at Arsenal, what struck us was that in a team that were having a difficult time he was performing at a really high level. “Then when the team were playing well he was still a key player and performing at a really high level. “So, that says a lot about his mentality, his ability to deal with pressure and that’s the environment that we’re in all the time. He’s exceptional to work with.” Saka’s goals in the final match of this unprecedented season mean it is a matter of when rather than if England wrap up qualification for next summer’s Euros. There were few signs of fatigue at a rocking Old Trafford, where Macedonia suffered their heaviest ever defeat. “The scoreline is outrageous, really,” Southgate said. “That wasn’t really how you were expecting the game to be because there’s no evidence that Macedonia would suffer like that. “There’s no evidence that the game in the end would be as straightforward as it was and certainly in the opening 20 minutes it didn’t look that way, so it’s huge credit to (the group). “I think our senior players have set a brilliant tone all week and Jordan Henderson on the pitch tonight. “He won’t get the headlines but the way he set the tone for winning the ball back and running forward and mixing the game up I think was really important.” I want to apologise to the whole of the Macedonian nation for our performance and what we did tonight Blagoja Milevski Macedonia were blown away at Old Trafford, where they were a far cry from the side that shocked Germany and Italy in recent years. Head coach Blagoja Milevski said: “Before we start the press conference, I want to apologise to the whole of the Macedonian nation for our performance and what we did tonight. “I make decisions for every player who plays and the responsibility is just mine so I have to apologise for the whole of the Macedonian nation. “It happens that these disastrous moments happen and we are all involved in it. I take all the responsibility for today’s game.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Stephen Kenny says ‘nothing is impossible’ ahead of France and Netherlands tests Rob Page insists Wales can still qualify despite Turkey defeat Michael O’Neill feels Northern Ireland did not deserve to lose to Kazakhstan
2023-06-20 06:49
Cole Palmer named as Chelsea substitute one day after signing from Man City
Cole Palmer named as Chelsea substitute one day after signing from Man City
Cole Palmer could make his Chelsea debut on Saturday after being named as a substitute for their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
2023-09-02 21:10
Gabon's Bongo seeks third term in nationwide poll
Gabon's Bongo seeks third term in nationwide poll
Voters in Gabon headed to the polls on Saturday for a triple election in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, scion of a family that has ruled for 55 years, is...
2023-08-26 15:08