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Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research

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Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research

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World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab allegedly manipulated the organisation’s research to curry favour with governments, according to whistleblower claims that led to his resignation as chair of the organisation over the Easter weekend.

The accusation was one of several contained in a whistleblower letter sent to the WEF board of trustees last week that led the organisation to launch an investigation, and prompted Schwab to criticise former colleagues for reacting to “calumnious” and “unfounded” allegations without giving him a chance to respond.

In a statement circulated on Wednesday, Schwab said he was the victim of a “character assassination” and denied all the claims against him, which also included allegations he misused WEF funds and asked staff to promote him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

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The anonymous whistleblower letter claimed that Schwab undermined the integrity of the WEF by manipulating its “global competitiveness report”, which ranks countries by their productivity and resilience and forms the basis of discussions at its annual Davos meeting for world leaders and chief executives.

Schwab denied claims that he changed the methodology in the report after approaches by governments unhappy with their rankings.

“I developed the methodology for the Competitiveness Report originally in 1979 and remain its intellectual leader,” Schwab wrote on Wednesday. “Over the years I continued to engage with the methodology to improve and maintain the credibility of the report. This generated sometimes intensive conceptual discussions.

“Some governments contacted me offering corrections to take updated data into account or to correct flaws in the analysis. I passed on this information to the teams. To construct this as manipulation is an insult to my academic standing.”

The new whistleblower claims come on top of others made last year alleging Schwab presided over a toxic workplace culture at the WEF, where sexual harassment was not properly investigated and Black and female employees experienced discrimination.

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In March, the WEF reported to sponsors that an investigation “did not find the forum had committed any legal violations” and “did not substantiate” allegations of misconduct against him.

The Financial Times reported earlier this month that Schwab had told the WEF he would begin the process of stepping down as chair of the board of trustees by January 2027, but the new claims blew up that plan.

In a statement on Tuesday, WEF declined to comment in detail on the latest accusations against Schwab until the new investigation is concluded, beyond saying that “while the Forum takes these allegations seriously it emphasises that they remain unproven”.

Schwab denied claims that he and his wife Hilde had misused WEF resources by making personal use of the organisation’s properties, having it fund personal travel and asking junior staff to “withdraw thousands of dollars from ATMs on his behalf”.

He called that a “pure lie” and said he had launched a defamation suit against his anonymous accusers.

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In his statement, Schwab also responded to a claim he used WEF staff to lobby for a Nobel peace prize. “Contrary to what is insinuated here, I have repeatedly asked people who wanted me not to do it,” he said.

Schwab did not respond to a request for comment.

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Man Charged With Posting Bomb Instructions Used in New Orleans Attack

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Man Charged With Posting Bomb Instructions Used in New Orleans Attack

Federal prosecutors have filed charges against a former Army serviceman they accused of distributing instructions on how to build explosives that were used by a man who conducted a deadly attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day last year.

The former serviceman, Jordan A. Derrick, a 40-year-old from Missouri, was charged with one count of engaging in the business of manufacturing explosive materials without a license; one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device; and one count of distributing information relating to manufacturing explosives, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday. The three charges together carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

Starting in September 2023, the authorities said, Mr. Derrick was using various social media sites to share videos of himself making explosive materials, including detonators. His videos provided step-by-step instructions, and he often engaged with viewers in comments, sometimes answering their questions about the chemistry behind the explosives.

The authorities said that Mr. Derrick’s videos were downloaded by Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, who was accused of ramming a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025, in a terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens. Mr. Jabbar was killed in a shootout with the police. Before the attack, Mr. Jabbar had placed two explosives on Bourbon Street, the authorities said, but they did not detonate.

The authorities later recovered two laptops and a USB drive in a house that Mr. Jabbar had rented. The USB drive contained several videos created by Mr. Derrick that provided instructions on making explosives. The authorities said the explosives they recovered were consistent with the ones Mr. Derrick had posted about.

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Mr. Derrick’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Derrick was a combat engineer in the Army, where he provided personnel and vehicle support, the authorities said. He also helped supervise safety personnel during demolitions and various operations. He was honorably discharged in February 2013.

The authorities did not say whether Mr. Derrick had any communication with Mr. Jabbar, or whether the men had known each other. In some of Mr. Derrick’s videos and comments, he indicated that he was aware that his videos could be misused.

“There are a plethora of uh, moral, you know, entanglements with topics, any topic of teaching explosives, right?” he asked in one video, according to the affidavit. “Of course, the wrong people could get it.”

The authorities also said that an explosion occurred at a private residence in Odessa, Mo., on May 4, and the occupant of the residence told investigators that he had manufactured explosives after watching online tutorials from Mr. Derrick.

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Mr. Derrick’s YouTube account had more than 15,000 subscribers and 20 published videos, the affidavit said. He had also posted content on other platforms, including Odysee and Patreon. Some videos were accessible to the public for free, while others required a paid subscription to view.

“My responsibility to my countrymen is to make sure that I serve the function of the Second Amendment to strengthen it,” Mr. Derrick said in one of his videos, according to the affidavit. “This is how I serve my country for real.”

Outside of the income he received through content creation, Mr. Derrick did not have any known employment. He did receive a monthly disability check from Veterans Affairs, the affidavit stated.

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The Girls: “This isn’t ringing alarms to y’all?” : Embedded

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The Girls: “This isn’t ringing alarms to y’all?” : Embedded
Allegations pile up, but Child Protective Services declines to investigate and the school district continues to promote Ronnie Stoner. We include an update at the end of the episode. “The Girls” is a 4-part series from the Louisville Public Media’s investigative podcast, Dig.
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Chud the Builder, Known for Racist Confrontations, Charged With Attempted Murder

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Chud the Builder, Known for Racist Confrontations, Charged With Attempted Murder

A streamer known for hurling racist slurs in public settings under the nickname “Chud the Builder” was charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, the authorities said.

The streamer, Dalton Eatherly, 28, was involved in a confrontation with an unidentified man that escalated to gunfire outside the Montgomery County Court in Clarksville, about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Both men sustained gunshot wounds and were in stable condition, the office said.

In addition to attempted murder, Mr. Eatherly was charged with employing a firearm during dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, the sheriff’s office said.

Mr. Eatherly, who is white, has accumulated an online audience by livestreaming confrontations in which he uses racist language toward Black people in public.

Law enforcement did not provide any details about the second man involved in Wednesday’s shooting. Mr. Eatherly posted an audio recording online of paramedics treating his wounds in which he claims he shot the man in self-defense.

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A video posted by the website Clarksville Now shows Mr. Eatherly on a stretcher with a microphone attached to his lapel.

Mr. Eatherly is being held at the Montgomery County Jail, pending arraignment, the sheriff’s office said.

According to court records, Mr. Eatherly was scheduled to appear for a court hearing on Wednesday morning in an unrelated case brought by Midland Credit Management, a collections agency.

A lawyer listed in court records from a separate harassment case in which Mr. Eatherly was a defendant in November did not respond to a request for comment.

On Sunday, three days before the shooting in Clarksville, Mr. Eatherly was arrested in Nashville. According to a police affidavit, Mr. Eatherly live streamed his meal at a restaurant, Bob’s Steak and Chop House, on Saturday even though the restaurant had asked him ahead of time not to do so.

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When he was confronted, Mr. Eatherly “became disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming and otherwise creating a scene,” according to the affidavit.

He then refused to pay for his $370 meal. Mr. Eatherly was charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was released on $5,000 bond.

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