Whiskey fungus infests town — Jack Daniel’s plants targeted in lawsuit

By Erin Keller March 6, 2023

A whiskey fungus is causing problems in Lincoln County, Tennessee.

TNS/Shutterstock

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Tennessee residents who live close to Jack Daniels distilleries are trying to stop the company from building more facilities as a whiskey fungus overtakes surrounding towns.

The fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis, grows on liquor that evaporates during the aging process, also known as “the angels’ share.”

It appears to stick to just about anything, including houses, cars, road signs, trees and patio furniture.

The centuries-old black, sticky substance is nothing new for those who live around bourbon, rum and whiskey makers.

But Jack Daniel’s, owned by Brown-Forman, now has six warehouses — called barrelhouses — in Tennessee’s Lincoln County and wants to build more than a dozen in the future.

A stop sign near a Jim Beam production and bottling facility in Frankfort, Kentucky, is covered in the fungus, named Baudoinia compniacensis, in a 2014 photo.

AFP via Getty Images

A Tennessee woman sued her local zoning office in January, trying to prevent the building of 14 more distilleries unless ventilation systems are installed, as she claimed the hard-to-remove fungus has harmed her nearby property, which includes a party and wedding venue.

On March 1, the court ordered Jack Daniel’s to temporality halt construction.

Residents of Kentucky and even Ontario, Canada, have dealt with similar fungi that they worry pose harmful health and environmental risks.

The fungus grows on alcohol vapor that comes off of aging barrels.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

A spokesperson for Jack Daniel’s issued a lengthy statement to The Post, which read:

“During the siting and building process, we worked closely with Lincoln County and provided all information asked of us by local officials, as well as adhered to regulatory requirements, strict industry guidelines, and rigorous internal standards that we follow in building warehouses.

“Anyone who has visited the Jack Daniel Distillery or any other distillery with maturing spirits has likely noticed the presence of microflora.

“Microflora grows on trees, buildings, and other structures around distilleries and warehouses.

“Ethanol released from barrels during maturation, also called “the angels’ share,” is just one of microflora’s many food sources.

“More common in warm and humid environments, it is also found in and around areas unrelated to distilling, such as food processing companies and bakeries, and dams adjacent to bodies of water,” the company continued.

“While we are accustomed to microflora, we appreciate that some may not like how it looks and the inconvenience it may present.

“Based on the information available, we believe it is not harmful to individuals or their property.”

Whiskey fungus grows on a sign in Lawrenceburg near the Wild Turkey distillery and bourbon warehouses.

TNS

The statement from Jack Daniel’s also addressed the viability of tweaking ventilation.

“As for air filtration technology that has been offered up by some as a solution, it is easy to say but not possible to do.

“Barrelhouses require ventilation – and are designed to do so naturally – to allow for the movement of whiskey in and out of new charred oak barrels during the aging process.

“Existing independent and government research shows that there is no reasonably available control technology to prevent ethanol emissions without significantly adversely affecting the taste and quality of Jack Daniel’s or any other aged whiskey,” the statement concluded.

Famous mountain lion laid to rest in the mountains where he roamed

Stefanie Dazio 

Mar 07 2023

P-22, photographed in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles.

Tribal leaders, scientists and conservation advocates have buried Southern California's most famous mountain lion in the mountains where the big cat once roamed.

After making his home in the urban Griffith Park, Los Angeles – home of the Hollywood Sign – for the past decade, P-22 became a symbol for California's endangered mountain lions and their decreasing genetic diversity. The mountain lion's name comes from being the 22nd puma in a National Park Service study.

The death of the cougar late last year set off a debate between the tribes in the Los Angeles area and wildlife officials over whether scientists could keep samples of the mountain lion's remains for future testing and research.

Some representatives of the Chumash, Tataviam and Gabrielino (Tongva) peoples argued that samples taken during the necropsy should be buried with the rest of his body in the ancestral lands where he spent his life. Some tribal elders said keeping the specimens for scientific testing would be disrespectful to their traditions. Mountain lions are regarded as relatives and considered teachers in LA's tribal communities.
Tribal representatives, wildlife officials and others discussed a potential compromise in recent weeks, but it was not immediately clear what conclusion the group reached before P-22 was buried in an unspecified location in the Santa Monica Mountains on Saturday (local time).

The traditional tribal burial included songs, prayers and sage smoke cleansing’s, according to Alan Salazar, a tribal member of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and a descendent of the Chumash tribe.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where the cougar's remains had been kept in a freezer before the burial, called the burial a “historically significant ceremony”.

“The death of P-22 has affected all of us and he will forever be a revered icon and ambassador for wildlife conservation,” the museum said in a statement.

Tribal leaders, scientists and conservation advocates buried Southern California's most famous mountain lion in the mountains where the big cat once roamed.

Salazar, who attended the ceremony, said he believes P-22's legacy will help wildlife officials and scientists realise the importance of being respectful to animals going forward.

Beth Pratt, the California executive director for the National Wildlife Federation who also attended the ceremony, wrote on Facebook that the burial “helped me achieve some measure of peace” as she grieves the animal's death.

“I can also imagine P-22 at peace now, with such a powerful and caring send-off to the next place,” she wrote. “As we laid him to rest, a red-tailed hawk flew overhead and called loudly, perhaps there to help him on his journey.”

Los Angeles and Mumbai are the world’s only major cities where large cats have been a regular presence for years – mountain lions in one, leopards in the other – though pumas began roaming the streets of Santiago, Chile, during pandemic lockdowns.

JOHN ANTCZAK/AP
The mountain area where P-22 lived.

Wildlife officials believe P-22 was born about 12 years ago in the western Santa Monica Mountains, but left because of his father's aggression and his own struggle to find a mate amid a dwindling population. That drove the cougar to cross two heavily travelled freeways and migrate east to Griffith Park, where a wildlife biologist captured him on a trail camera in 2012.

His journey over the freeways inspired a wildlife crossing over a Los Angeles-area highway that will allow big cats and other animals safe passage between the mountains and lands to the north. The bridge broke ground in April 2022.

P-22 was captured last December in a residential backyard following dog attacks. Examinations revealed a skull fracture – the result of being hit by a car – and chronic illnesses including a skin infection and diseases of the kidneys and liver. The city’s cherished big cat was euthanised five days later.

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Los Angeles celebrated his life last month at the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park in a star-studded memorial that featured musical performances, tribal blessings, speeches about the importance of P-22’s life and wildlife conservation, and a video message from Governor Gavin Newsom.

To honour the place where the animal made his home among the city's urban sprawl, a boulder from Griffith Park was brought to the grave site in the Santa Monica Mountains and placed near P-22's grave, Salazar said.

Turkiye’s fractured opposition unites against Erdogan

Agencies Published March 7, 2023 


Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu addresses his supporters during a rally. — Reuters/File

ANKARA: Turkiye’s bickering opposition leaders ended months of fierce debate on Monday and agreed to name the head of the main secular party as their joint candidate against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May 14 polls.

A last-ditch deal aimed at averting a split of the opposition vote will see CHP chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu name the other five opposition leaders as vice presidents should he end Erdogan’s two-decade rule.

“We would have been eliminated had we split up,” Kilicdaroglu told huge crowds of cheering supporters after emerging from hours of tense talks.

Kilicdaroglu, 74, head of the country’s second-biggest party, aims to emerge from Erdogan’s shadow and oust the president after a two-decade reign that has transformed the Nato member country and major emerging market economy. “Our table is the table of peace. Our only goal is to take the country to days of prosperity, peace and joy,” said Kilicdaroglu.


Polls suggest that the presidential and parliamentary votes in two months will be tight, with the opposition bloc running slightly ahead of the governing alliance.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2023

Dreams of ‘normal life’ fuel Hong Kong trans activist’s fight

By AFP
Published March 6, 2023

Trans activist Henry Tse waged an arduous legal battle to have his real gender recognised - Copyright AFP Peter PARKS

Identified as “female” on his Hong Kong ID, trans activist Henry Tse waged an arduous legal battle to have his real gender recognised.

Six years later, he won the case to change his gender marker to “male” at the city’s top court — a victory he hopes will help make life easier for Hong Kong’s trans community as a whole.

“I had no choice,” Tse told AFP of his lawsuit, which he fought alongside another trans man identified as Q by the court.

“(My) ID card says ‘female’, which is clearly different from my real gender identity, it’s wrong. Carrying such a card, even if all other information on it is correct… people won’t believe it is me.”

Frequently facing rejection and humiliation when trying to complete simple tasks like checking into a hotel or going to the gym, all he wanted was a “normal life”.

Tse knew his fight for recognition would be tough, but he never imagined it would be so long.

Q told AFP the win felt like “accomplishing mission impossible”.

“We just want the same rights that everyone else has, and to fight for our dignity,” he said.


– ‘Limited in scope’ –


Until now, trans adults in Hong Kong could only change their IDs by proving they had had an operation to alter their genitalia.

In its February 6 verdict, the Court of Final Appeal found requiring transgender people to undergo surgery to change their IDs unconstitutional, saying it imposed “an unacceptably harsh burden” on Tse and Q.

Following Tse and Q’s victory, the government’s Security Bureau said it would “seek legal advice on follow-up actions”.

Hong Kong does not have any overall legislation on gender identity, and a government task force set up in 2017 has yet to issue an update.

Human Rights Watch said the recent ruling was “limited in scope”.

Still, the verdict sends “a strong message” to the authorities to “reform Hong Kong’s outdated criteria for legally recognising trans people”.

Dozens of countries have adopted laws around gender identity, with some — including Argentina, Denmark and Spain — allowing legal recognition of transitions without a psychological or medical assessment.

In Taiwan, a trans woman took her ID card battle to court and won in 2021.

But her victory has yet to translate into a policy change applicable to other trans people.

In mainland China, transgender people can change their legal gender after undergoing surgery, though many limitations apply — including that the person must be over 18, unmarried and produce proof they have informed their families.

In Hong Kong, some fear Beijing’s crackdown on the opposition endangers further progress towards LGBTQ equality.

Many of the city’s most prominent rights campaigners, and its only openly gay lawmaker, have been arrested, leaving few advocates in the halls of power.

– ‘Can’t live a normal life’ –

In 2021, a Chinese University of Hong Kong survey found alarming levels of social marginalisation among transgender respondents in the city, with half reporting discrimination and 77 percent saying they had contemplated suicide.

Growing up, Tse attended a Christian girls’ school that required students to wear traditional cheongsam dresses, advised them to grow their hair long and described anything other than heterosexuality as “unnatural”.

His family “felt that my gender non-conformance is a disease”.

While studying at Britain’s University of Warwick, Tse was able to explore his identity.

When he returned to Hong Kong in 2017, he began experiencing routine problems because his ID card identified him as female.

“I’m outed every time I show my identity card,” he said.

At a gym, he was prevented from using the changing rooms, while a gender-segregated hostel turned him away.

“Clearly I should be in the space for men, but they were afraid of something happening, but actually nothing would happen,” he said.

“When (my ID) causes so many day-to-day problems and unequal treatment, I can’t live a normal life in Hong Kong like everyone else,” he added.

– ‘Best years of my youth’ –

In 2017, Tse went to court to demand his gender be stated on his ID card.

For nearly six years, he attended hearings and staged rallies while judges, lawyers and newspapers dissected the most intimate details of his life and biology.

“I was mentally prepared to fight to the end, but I never expected it to take so long,” he said.

“It cost me time, effort, money, the best years of my youth.”

His struggle inspired him to launch an NGO in 2020 to campaign for trans rights in Hong Kong.

Tse has vowed to continue building public awareness and fighting social stigma.

Everyone needs to know “we are normal people”, he said.

“We are your friends and colleagues. We just want to live, work and get married in Hong Kong.”

Republican congressman ‘unaware’ he was posing for photo with neo-Nazis

Matt Rosendale of Montana says he unwittingly posed for picture: ‘I absolutely condemn and have zero tolerance for hate groups’

Martin Pengelly in New York

THE GUARDIAN
Mon 6 Mar 2023

A Republican congressman from Montana said a photo of him in front of the US Capitol with two neo-Nazis was a mistake, claiming he unwittingly posed with the men, one of whom appeared to be wearing a trench coat of a style worn by German soldiers in the second world war.

Matt Rosendale told the Billings Gazette: “I absolutely condemn and have zero tolerance for hate groups, hate speech and violence. I did not take a meeting with these individuals.

“I was asked for a photo while walking between hearings, accommodating as I do for all photo requests, and was not aware of the individuals’ identity or affiliation with these hate groups that stand in stark contrast to my personal beliefs.”

Rosendale, 62, was elected to the US House in 2020. A member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, in the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol he was one of 147 Republicans in Congress who voted to overturn election results in Donald Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden.

The picture of Rosendale with the neo-Nazis spread on social media last week.

The Gazette identified two of three men posing with Rosendale as “Ryan Sanchez, formerly of the white supremacist street-fighting gang Rise Above Movement, and Greyson Arnold, a Nazi sympathiser and podcaster present at the January 6 insurrection”.

Sanchez, a former US marine, was wearing the German army-style coat. Arnold is a far-right blogger and commentator who the Gazette said has called Adolf Hitler a “complicated historical figure”.

Rosendale is not the first Republican to have been linked to Arnold.

In November 2021, Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed candidate for governor in Arizona, posed with Arnold and another far-right activist at a campaign event.

In October 2022, meanwhile, Arnold was revealed to have been paid a little more than $800 by the Washington state Republican party.

The picture with Rosendale appeared to have been taken on Wednesday 1 March. Other pictures tweeted by anti-fascist activists that day appeared to show the same men inside the Capitol.

Examination of the congressional schedule for 1 March appeared to cast doubt on Rosendale’s claim to have been walking between hearings when he posed for the picture.

Rosendale sits on the House veterans affairs and natural resources committees. The schedule for 1 March lists one joint House-Senate hearing on veterans affairs and one hearing of the House natural resources subcommittee on Indigenous peoples.

Rosendale sits on the natural resources subcommittees for energy and mineral resources and oversight and investigations.

The House subcommittee hearing was in the Longworth House Office Building at 9am and the joint veterans’ affairs session was in the Dirksen Senate Office Building an hour later.

The Longworth Building is south of the Capitol, Dirksen to the north-east. Lawmakers moving between buildings mostly make use of tunnels and subways connected to the Capitol itself.

Rosendale’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

France braces for pension reform strikes

Published

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

A suburban train at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on Monday evening

By Hugh Schofield and Emily McGarvey

in Paris and London

France is set for disruption to transport and public services, as unions protest against plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.

Most train and metro services are cancelled on Tuesday, and many schools will be closed.

It is the sixth day of strikes and protests since mid-January, and unions say it will be the biggest yet.

More than one million people are expected at demonstrations in Paris and other cities.

With the government showing no sign of backing down on its pension plan, one union leader has said there is talk is of escalation and "bringing the country to its knees".

In the days ahead, there will be calls to extend the strikes in key sectors like power generation and gas terminals.

So far, for all the noise and sporadic disruption, the campaign has caused little damage to the economy, and in the meantime the bill is proceeding through parliament.

Unions and the left know time is running out before the reform becomes a fait accompli - which is all the more reason for them to up the pressure now.

• French plan to raise pension age by two years to 64
• One million join French retirement age protests
• French protests intensify against pension age rise

The majority of French citizens back the ongoing strikes against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, a poll by French survey group Elabe suggests.

According to the opinion poll, 56% of people support rolling strikes and 59% back the call to bring the country to a standstill.

Two-thirds of people support the protest movement against the government's planned pension reforms in general, the poll indicates.

President Macron has called the reform "essential" because of deficits forecast for France's pension system over the next 25 years, according to analysis by the independent Pensions Advisory Council.

Government spokesman Olivier Véran told France 2: "We don't want French people to be, quote, unquote, 'victims' of a long-term blockade."

Last week, he warned that the strikes could lead to an "ecological, agricultural and health catastrophe".

More than 260 demonstrations are expected across France on Tuesday, with up to 1.4 million people expected to attend, a police source told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.

Neighbouring European economies have already raised the retirement age to 65 or above to reflect longer life expectancy.

1st Kazakh-Canadian Mining Forum takes place in Toronto

7 March 2023,

 

Фото: invest.gov.kz

ASTANA. KAZINFORM The Kazakh-Canadian Business Forum «New Horizons of Cooperation in Mining» was held in Toronto with the participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Almas Aidarov. The forum discussed new horizons of cooperation in the mining industry, Kazinform learnt from the press service of the KAZAKH INVEST National Company JSC.

The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Canada and KAZAKH INVEST with the support of the Canadian company «Hatch» within the framework of the largest international miners and prospectors conference «PDAC-2023».

The business forum was attended by representatives of government bodies, and business associations, as well as top managers of leading Canadian companies such as Hatch, CAMECO Corporation, B2Gold, Arras Minerals, Nutrien, Teck Resources Limited, Ion Energy, and others. In total, about 150 delegates participated in the forum.

The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Canada in 2022 amounted to 838.6 billion dollars, which is 69.2% higher than for the same period last year. Since 2011, the inflow of direct investments from Canada to the economy of Kazakhstan amounted to about 2.7 billion dollars.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Almas Aidarov noted in his speech that Kazakhstan highly values long-term cooperation with Canada, based on strong bonds of friendship, shared values and mutual support. According to him, Kazakhstan is today the largest trade and investment partner of Canada in Central Asia. He emphasized that this event should become an excellent tool for exchanging experience and developing cooperation in the important mining sector of the economy for both countries.

Senator of the Parliament of Canada Victor Oh and Vice-Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Iran Sharhan, in their welcoming addresses to forum participants, expressed the common desire of both sides to expand investment cooperation.

The President of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Rocco Rossi, noted the great potential for the development of bilateral relations and emphasized that large Canadian companies are showing increasing interest in implementing investment projects in Kazakhstan.

Deputy Chairman of the Board of KAZAKH INVEST National Company Zhandos Temirgali, in his speech, spoke about the investment opportunities provided by Kazakhstan, as well as measures of state support.

«Kazakhstan and Canada have a lot in common, including climate, multicultural society, and, importantly, the structure of the economy. Over the past decade, the inflow of direct investments from Canada to Kazakhstan has amounted to about 2 billion dollars. Currently, the pool of joint projects with the Canadian side consists of 11 projects worth a total of 1.4 billion dollars in such industries as mining and metallurgy, energy, agriculture, engineering, and others. There is a huge potential for expanding cooperation in the development of strategic mineral deposits necessary for the creation of high-tech industries,» said Zhandos Temirgali.

During the forum, the Chairman of the Committee of Geology of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Akbarov, also spoke about promising investment directions in mining and metallurgy.

«Kazakhstan provides a wide field of activity for companies that possess modern technologies and are ready to create mining and processing industries. Government has done a great deal of work to improve legislation, as well as to search for promising deposits in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan» - stated Erlan Akbarov.

The panel sessions of the forum were attended by the Chairman of the Board of Qazaq Geophysics, Bekassyl Aukeshev, the Chairman of the Board of Grey Wolf Management, Kanat Kudaibergen, and the Chairman of the Board of National Mining Company «Tau-Ken Samruk», Bakhyt Chirchikbayev.

Speakers from the Canadian side included Managing Director of Hatch Advisory, Markus Rebmann, Vice President of Cameco, Caroline Gorsalitz, President of Arras Minerals, Darren Klinck, President of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Rocco Rossi, Managing Director of Hatch Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Nico Smit, and Head of the Natural Resources Department of the EBRD, Natalia Lacorzana.

Speaking at the event, Canadian speakers highly appreciated the potential of Kazakhstan's mining industry, noting the country's key importance as an investment partner in the region.

As part of the forum, a number of bilateral documents were also signed, including memorandums signed by LLP «Corporation Kazakhmys» with First Quantum for joint implementation of geological exploration projects in Kazakhstan, and with Bureau Veritas for the creation of an international geochemical laboratory in Kazakhstan, among others.

No production or accumulation of high enriched uranium in Iran: IAEA chief
CGTN

No "production" or "accumulation" of high enriched uranium has been found by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) inspectors in Iran, said Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, on Monday.

Grossi made the statement on the sidelines of an IAEA Board of Governors meeting, following a report by Bloomberg on February 19 claiming that the IAEA inspectors in Iran had detected particles of uranium enriched to levels "just below that needed for a nuclear weapon."

Iranian authorities have rejected such reports in the past few days, underlining the peaceful goals of its nuclear program.

Addressing the IAEA Board of Governors earlier on Monday, Grossi confirmed that particles of uranium "well beyond the enrichment level declared by Iran" had been found at the Fordow plant in January. The agency and Iran have now initiated technical discussions to clarify this issue, he added.

Nevertheless, Grossi said at the press conference that "it is true that certain oscillations are possible in this type of cascade, so you may have readings higher than the expected levels from the operator."

The IAEA chief visited Tehran on Friday and Saturday, and met with high-level Iranian officials including President Ebrahim Raisi.

According to a joint statement released after Grossi's visit, Iran has agreed to allow the United Nations nuclear watchdog to "implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities," and the two sides have pledged to enhance cooperation to resolve the outstanding safeguards issues.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

 

European experts question unusual silence over Nord Stream blasts

Xinhua, March 7, 2023

Despite their own heavy losses, European countries -- especially Germany -- have unanimously kept silent over the blasts that destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last September and subsequent investigations.

Since veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh exposed the U.S. Navy's involvement in the explosions on the U.S. portal Substack last month, more and more experts have questioned Europe's atypical, collective silence.

According to Hersh, a U.S. Pulitzer Prize winner, the U.S. Navy divers last June planted the remotely triggered explosives that destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines months later.

Europe's largest economy, Germany, has been particularly affected by the energy crisis due to the end of gas supplies from Russia. However, the country's government, like its allies, has refrained from talking about the explosions in public.

A German government spokesperson refused to comment on Hersh's article at Xinhua's request at a press conference last month. At the same time, German media have widely moved to discredit Hersh's article.

Once proven that the pipelines were indeed blasted by the United States, it would overturn the European public's recognition of the current narratives by the West, which claimed that European infrastructure was "under the threat of Russia," said Li Xing, professor of development and international relations at Denmark's Aalborg University.

That the U.S. Navy was involved in the Nord Stream pipelines explosions last year, as discovered by Hersh, was an "economic war" against its submissive allies in Europe, Jan Oberg, a Swedish expert, told Xinhua in an interview.

"One must wonder when the Europeans will wake up and finally understand that they no longer share interests with the U.S.," stressed Oberg, director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research.

Croatian security expert Mirko Vukobratovic told Xinhua that the alleged involvement of the U.S. Navy in the September 2022 Nord Stream explosions was "not impossible."

The United States has the most to gain from the destruction of the pipelines, Josep Puigsech, a Spanish political expert at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, told Xinhua.

"I increasingly believe that the incident that led to the breaking of the gas pipeline was the result of an action by the United States," Puigsech said.

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Fugees star to stand trial for trying to help China extradite dissident from US

Pras Michel, who may call Obama and Trump as witnesses, is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government

By Roland Oliphant, 

SENIOR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

6 March 2023 • 

Pras Michel is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government CREDIT: Johnny Nunez/WireImage

A singer in one of the most famous hip-hop groups of the 1990s will stand trial for allegedly attempting to get a Chinese dissident deported from America in return for millions of dollars.

Pras Michel, a double Grammy award-winning singer with the Fugees, has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.

Mr Michel, who co-founded the Fugees in 1992 with friends Lauren Hill and Wyclef Jean, denies multiple charges related to alleged secret lobbying and channelling illegal foreign donations to electoral campaigns.

The trial is set to shine a light on a bizarre nexus of Hollywood royalty, America's political elite, and high stakes diplomacy.

His defence lawyer, David Kenner, has said he may call Donald Trump and Barack Obama as witnesses.

The government has said it may call Leonardo Dicaprio.

The case centres on Mr Michel’s relationship with Jho Low, a fugitive Malaysian billionaire who in the 2000s cultivated friendships with A-list celebrities including Mr DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, and the supermodel Miranda Kerr.

Mr Low was later investigated by US authorities over the alleged embezzlement of billions from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

Jho Low has been investigated by US authorities over the alleged embezzlement of billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 

CREDIT: Stuart Ramson/AP

Mr Dicaprio, who developed a close relationship with Mr Low after meeting him in a nightclub in 2010, was grilled by the FBI about his ties to Mr Low during the investigation according to details reported by Bloomberg last week. According to a 2018 New York Times report Mr Dicaprio returned gifts he had received from Mr Low to the authorities.

US prosecutors said in a 2018 filing that Mr Low and two associates "conspired to launder" more than $2.7bn from the fund through the US financial system, and used this money to pay bribes and "for the personal benefit of themselves and their relatives".

The scandal triggered investigations in six countries and contributed to the downfall of Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, in 2018.

In 2019, Mr Michel and Jho Low were charged with steering illegal donations to Mr Obama's 2012 presidential election campaign. Mr Obama has not commented on the case.

Mr Low was accused of transferring approximately $21.6 million from foreign entities and accounts to Mr Michel between June and November 2012. It is a crime in the United States for foreign nationals to make political contributions in federal, state or local elections.

But in 2021 a Federal Grand Jury landed fresh charges on the pair, accusing them of orchestrating twin influence campaigns to block the investigation into Mr Low and secure the deportation of Guo Wengui, below, an exiled billionaire, to China.

Pras Michel and Jho Low are accused of of orchestrating twin influence campaigns to block an investigation into Mr Low and secure the deportation of Guo Wengui, pictured, to China 

CREDIT: Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

Investigators say Mr Michel, Nickie Lum Davis, a TV producer, and Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser from California, were paid millions of dollars to pursue the undisclosed campaign.

Unlike the other celebrities, Mr Michel sought to establish a more political career after his time in entertainment, and had begun campaigning on social-justice issues.

Bloomberg Businessweek reported Mr Low initially asked Mr Michel for help finding persuading the newly elected Trump administration to block the 1MDB investigation in 2016.

Mr Low then introduced the trio to Sun Lijun, China’s vice minister of public security, who wanted help persuading the Trump administration to deport Mr Guo, who had angered Beijing by publicly accusing senior officials and tycoons of corruption, Bloomberg reported.

Mr Guo is himself wanted in China on corruption and fraud charges, which he denies. Mr Sun told the three that China was willing to make several concessions, including releasing several US citizens it was holding, in exchange for Mr Guo.

The team accepted the task and attempted but failed to arrange meetings with Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions, then the US attorney general, according to the report.
'Way above my pay grade'

The arrangement made the retired rapper an unusual point man in a high-stake diplomatic game, according to the Bloomberg report.

At one point, it said Mr Michel was summoned to a late-night meeting with Mr Sun at the Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan.

Mr Sun, frustrated that he had failed to secure a high-level meeting with Mr Sessions, asked Mr Michel for advice - and mentioned the Chinese government was prepared to release two US nationals, one pregnant, who were being held against their will, it said.

Mr Michel reportedly replied: “This is way above my pay grade. But if I were you, I would at least send the pregnant woman back as a token of good faith.”

The woman, who has not been named, was reportedly released the following week.

Mr Guo remains in the United States. Mr Low is believed to be living in hiding in China.

Mr Michel is the only one of the three to fight the charges.

Mr Broidy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act in October 2020. He was pardoned by Mr Trump three months later.

Ms Lum Davis pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and was sentenced to two years in prison.