
'Unlicensed' practitioner who injected Kim Kardashian lookalike faces charges
Kim Kardashian lookalike, Christina Ashten Gourkani, sadly died last month a day after receiving a cosmetic procedure. Now, the alleged "unlicensed" practitioner could face charges. The 34-year-old OnlyFans model suffered a cardiac arrest on April 20. According to San Mateo County District, it came a day after she was believed to have received "several injections" of silicone in her buttocks. The practitioner allegedly did not have a licence to practice medicine. According to The Daily Post, the woman was arrested at Fort Lauderdale Airport and will allegedly be extradited to Redwood City. The outlet claims the practitioner will be charged with involuntary manslaughter and practising medicine without a license resulting in great bodily injury. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Last month, Gourkani's family set up a GoFundMe page for the model to raise funds for the funeral. "After arriving at the hospital shortly after the phone call our family continued living a nightmare as we were informed that her health and wellbeing had continued to decline in a downward spiral for the worse after suffering from a cardiac arrest," the post read. It continued: "Her sudden and tragic passing is currently being investigated as a homicide related to a medical procedure that took a turn for the worse. For the privacy of Christina Ashten, our family and the investigation no other details will be shared at this time." Since the news of her death, people flooded Gourkani's Instagram posts with heartbroken comments. "RIP My Angel. I still can't believe it. I have no words. We will always miss you," one person wrote while another added: "OMG NO WAYYYYY YOU WERE SUCH A SWEAT SOUL.. IM LOST FOR WORDS RIGHT NOW." A third penned: "My sweet angel baby!!!!!! RIP. My heart is broken." Indy100 reached out to Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00

The fascinating mystery of Finland’s 'floating' pines
It looks like something straight out of a René Magritte gallery, but a black and white photo showing lines of trees floating over a dirt track is no surrealist masterpiece. Indeed, it’s not an optical illusion at all, but evidence of a carefully constructed war tactic. The picture was taken in 1941 by a Finnish photographer called Osvald Hedenström, as his nation tried to shield itself from the might of neighbouring Stalinist Russia during World War II. A year earlier, Finland had reluctantly agreed to fight alongside Nazi Germany in a bid to protect itself from Soviet invasion, and Hedenström was fighting under German command when he found himself beneath the mysterious levitating pines. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “The Finns didn’t have funds to buy artificial camouflage such as nets in vast quantities,” military historian Colonel Petteri Jouko told Atals Obscura, “So they used trees, leaves, and foliage to confuse the enemy.” Of course, camouflage is nothing new, and military fatigues are designed to mimic the colour and patterns of surrounding landscapes. But why are the trees suspended in thin air? And how on earth did they get them up there? According to Hedenström’s caption to the photo: “The Finns have camouflaged the road to Raate, about 10 km from Russia, with pines hanging in the air, because right on the border there is an observation tower erected by the Russians.” The trees were strategically placed to ensure that they wouldn’t block the road from a plane flying overhead, but could obscure the view from the nearby enemy tower. In fact, the pines were hung from wires which were connected to a series of poles (which, if you look carefully you can see), on the right-hand side of the road. Because of the angle of Hedenström’s snap, the cables on the first row of trees are hidden, which gives the impression that they’re being held up by sheer magic. The image is now part of the Finnish Defence Force’s photographic Archive, which contains some 160,000 photos captured between 1939 and 1945, when Finland fought two separate wars against the Soviet Union. It features other examples of clever concealment – thanks to Mother Nature – including a battleship which almost melts into surrounding forest land, and other examples of floating trees. In the end, Finland’s mastery of camouflage was among the key defences which helped it inflict humiliating losses on the Red Army and, ultimately, preserve its freedom. So, Vladimir Putin, take note: these guys know a thing or two about fighting off invasions. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00

Meghan Markle's latest career move has people thinking she's joined WWE
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has got people doing a double take with her latest career move, with many mistakenly thinking she has joined WWE. In a report from Variety, Meghan has signed up for representation with the Hollywood talent agency WME, in what will be seen as a lucrative acquisition for the company, which already boasts clients such as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and tennis great Serena Williams. Meghan's team at WME will include Endeavor CEO Ari Emmanuel as well as top agents Jill Smoller and Brad Slater. While she does have experience as an actor a return to that field is not thought to be on the agenda. Film and television and brand partnerships are more likely to be explored. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter While this is obviously intriguing news from a Meghan and Harry perspective, the news has sideswiped a few people who have mistakenly read WME as 'WWE' aka World Wrestling Entertainment leading to some very puzzled reactions. Just for the record, Meghan Markle has not signed with WWE although we do think she'd have great promo skills and would love to see her work a program with Dominik Mysterio. You never know, maybe her new colleague The Rock could give her some tips. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00

Hasbulla arrested in Russia for 'unbridled wedding fun'
Social media personality Hasbulla Magomedov has been arrested in Russia for driving offences committed after a wedding celebration. 20-year-old Hasbulla is from Russia and was arrested in his native Dagestan, a Republic of Russia, in an incident involving a group of his friends celebrating a wedding. According to reports, Hasbulla and friends blocked a main road in order to do doughnuts. Since his arrest, Hasbulla apologised for the incident on social media and confirmed it wasn’t him driving. He tweeted: “That won't happen again, people we apologise. We had to answer for it a little bit. I wasn't driving either.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter According to Dagestan’s Internal Affairs Ministry, the act of blocking a road to burn rubber is a common form of celebration after a wedding and added that wedding emotions got the better of those arrested. The statement read: “Unbridled wedding fun in Dagestan is known to many and far beyond the borders of the republic.” It continued: “In the absence of other ways of entertainment, such a primitive option is still extremely popular - blocking roads for other road users, burning rubber, smashing cars against each other and many other features that, in fact, have nothing to do with the celebration.” Footage of the incident was shared online and showed the social media star in a car blocking the road, while another vehicle from his party did donuts in the road in front. The statement from Dagestan’s Internal Affairs Ministry continued, explaining: “All participants of 'wedding emotions', as they themselves call it, were taken to the police, and in relation to them, employees of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan drew up administrative protocols for all violations.” It’s not the first time in recent months that Hasbulla’s actions have caused a stir. A few months ago the star came under fire after a clip appeared to show him abusing a cat. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00

People are obsessing over the man with the mullet and moustache at the coronation
Eagle-eyed social media spectators of King Charles III's coronation couldn't take their eyes off one guest, leaving them wondering who it was. The grey-haired man was sporting a mullet and moustache while sitting alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber. His look was completed with a pair of tinted sunglasses. Almost immediately, viewers turned to Twitter, asking who the mysterious "cool" man was, with one joking: "Meghan, you’re not fooling us…" Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Sadly it wasn't her as earlier this month, the palace said in a statement: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet." The man is, of course, Sir Karl Jenkins, composer and instrumentalist. The 79-year-old composed a piece for Charles' coronation titled 'Tros y Garreg', translating to 'Crossing the Stone'. "I am very honoured. It obviously sums up Welsh culture - the harp - and he [the King] has always supported Welsh music," he told the BBC ahead of the event. "I don't know whether he chose it, but he was happy to have it there. I know he likes it otherwise he wouldn't have asked me." He spoke about the late Queen's 1953 coronation, saying: "We had one of the first TV screens in the street, in the village I guess...12in (30cm) screen, two rows of friends and neighbours watching." He added: "I am very honoured. It obviously sums up Welsh culture - the harp - and he [the King] has always supported Welsh music," said Sir Karl. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00

China’s Economic Recovery Worries Mount as Data Disappoints
China’s consumer spending and industrial activity grew at a slower pace than expected in April, adding to signs
1970-01-01 08:00

Buffett Exits TSMC While Hedge Funds Coatue, Tiger Global Buy
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. drew mixed bets from top investors in the first quarter, as Warren Buffett closed
1970-01-01 08:00

Michael Burry Doubles Alibaba Stake in Big Bet on China Tech
Michael Burry, the money manager made famous in The Big Short, now has a Big Long when it
1970-01-01 08:00

Japan’s Banks Resist Buybacks After Predicting Bumper Profit
Japan’s biggest banks are predicting their highest profits in years, though a cautious outlook is holding them back
1970-01-01 08:00

Delays Won’t Hurt Japan’s First Casino, Osaka Governor Says
Years of delay to plans for Japan’s first casino resort won’t have an adverse effect on the project
1970-01-01 08:00

Foreign buying of US Treasuries in March hits largest since June 2021 -data
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK Foreign buying of U.S. Treasuries in March rose to its highest level in
1970-01-01 08:00

‘Bangkok Spring’ Sets Up Showdown Over Role of Thai Monarchy
An upstart Thai political party delivered a shocking blow to a royalist establishment that has suppressed democracy over
1970-01-01 08:00