Billionaire Elon Musk, his electric car firm Tesla and space company SpaceX are being sued for $258 billion by a cryptocurrency investor who claims that the CEO ran a pyramid scheme to support the price of Dogecoin.

Plaintiff Keith Johnson accuses Musk "of racketeering for touting" Dogecoin, once an unknown cryptocurrency, and blames him for inflating its price up exponentially, before allowing it to decline, and causing investors billions of dollars in losses during the process.

"Musk used his pedestal as World's Richest man to operate and manipulate the Dogecoin Pyramid Scheme for profit, exposure and amusement," said the complaint that was filed in a federal court in Manhattan on Thursday. "Defendants were aware since 2019 that Dogecoin had no value yet promoted Dogecoin to profit from its trading.

"Defendants falsely and deceptively claim that Dogecoin is a legitimate investment when it has no value at all. Since Defendant Musk and his corporations SpaceX and Tesla, Inc began purchasing, developing, promoting, supporting and operating Dogecoin in 2019, Plaintiff and the class have lost approximately $86 billion in this Crypto Pyramid Scheme," it added.

The complaint noted that Dogecoin's price began to plummet around the day Musk hosted the popular NBC show Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2021.

Johnson is asking triple the damages of $86 billion stemming from Dogecoin's price decline since that day -- an amount he argues that has been lost by Dogecoin investors since Musk first began promoting it.

He also requests the judge to prevent Musk and his firms from promoting Dogecoin, and asks the court that Dogecoin trading to be declared as gambling under federal and New York state law.

Musk started promoting Dogecoin on his personal Twitter account in December 2020 through many "dog-themed memes," which paved the way for its price skyrocket by 4,000% to its all-time high of $0.74 in May that year, making it a top-10 cryptocurrency.

The plaintiff uses Musk's memes and tweets, in which he refers to himself as "Dogefather", as evidence, and argues that the CEO has been controlling the price of the cryptocurrency.

With the recent price collapse in Bitcoin and other cryptos, Dogecoin's price plummeted to $0.05 this week -- a 93% decline from its record high level.

Musk also announced earlier this year that Tesla would accept Dogecoin as a means of payment for customers who wish to buy the company's merchandise.

Dogecoin is considered by many as the first "meme coin" and its name stem from the face of the Shiba Inu dog it features as a logo.

It was created by two software engineers in 2013 as a joke in order to make fun of Bitcoin and the widespread speculation surrounding cryptocurrencies during that time./aa

Türkiye has prevented an annual 100 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions with the improvements it has made in the field of energy, the country's president said on Friday.

"Türkiye is the 12th in the world and fifth in Europe in terms of its installed capacity in renewables. We rank first in Europe in geothermal installed capacity and second in Europe in hydroelectric installed capacity," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) via video link.

In this way, 54% of the country's installed electrical power is made up of renewables, while 97% of the power plants it built last year with a capacity of 3.5 gigawatts are powered by renewable sources Erdogan said.

"With the improvements we've made in the field of energy, 100 million tons of additional greenhouse gas emissions per year have been avoided," he said, underlining the role of renewables in fighting climate change.

Erdogan stressed that fighting climate change, which is one of Türkiye's "top priorities," and environmental problems are a worldwide issue that needs to be resolved through global solidarity.

"With this understanding, we ratified the Paris Agreement and declared our net-zero emissions target for 2053, as well as our Green Development Revolution," he said.

Türkiye ratified the Paris Agreement in October 2021 and announced its ambition to achieve net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2053.

The country has been updating its nationally determined contributions under the 2016 agreement and will announce its long-term climate strategy and action plan at the end of this year.

Erdogan said that under its Green Action Plan, Türkiye was making its ports more environmentally friendly and expanding forests and protected areas, adding that the country was also one of the world's leaders in combating desertification and erosion.

Highlighting Türkiye's efforts on reducing emissions in transportation, Erdogan said that its indigenous Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG) would be rolling out its first electric car by the end of the year.

"We're making sustainable and climate-friendly modes of transportation more widespread," he said, stressing the importance of technology and "groundbreaking research and development."

The Turkish president also noted the progress made through the "zero waste" initiative in environmental protection, recycling, and emission reduction.

"We're also pursuing our studies on green hydrogen with determination," Erdogan said. Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen fuel produced through renewable power, as opposed to natural gas.

The war in Ukraine has once again revealed the importance of energy security, he said, underlining that energy efficiency, the transition to clean energy, and energy transformation were inseparable parts of this./aa

No gas, water, or electricity, along with relentless Russian fighter jets bombing and cold weather, has been the everyday reality for Ukrainians taking refuge in the Lysychansk city of eastern Luhansk Oblast or administrative division since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24.

People who took refuge for months in shelters in Lysychansk city, Severodonetsk region, told Anadolu Agency about the war horrors they witnessed.

Hundreds of civilians have taken refuge in various city shelters, their only hope of survival amid the intense fighting, heavy bombing, and artillery attacks on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Life in a shelter, mostly in school buildings, continues despite harsh conditions thanks to the efforts of Ukrainian security forces and volunteers who have dared to enter the region where intense air strikes take place on a regular basis.

Ala Velelyuk, 80, who has been in the shelter since the beginning of March due to a lack of a safe place to stay, told Anadolu Agency that she lived in Severodonetsk, very close to Lysychansk, and now a scene of street fighting.

Velelyuk said her daughter and son-in-law in Severodonetsk refused to leave their home, and took shelter at the building depot.

"My daughter and son-in-law stayed there. I have no idea how they are. I can't reach them. There is no phone network. They don't know anything about me either," she said.

The gas and electricity supplies in Severodonetsk have been cut off since March 1, she said, adding that she stayed in the shelter there for a while before being evacuated to Lysychansk about three months ago because the humanitarian aid had barely reached the city.

Velelyuk also said she normally spends all her time in the shelter and that she has nothing to do there except for sitting all day.

"There are constant blasts outside, but when the situation calms down, we step outdoors for fresh air. We often hear explosions, and today, there are more intense explosions," she added.

She added that what has transpired on the streets felt lighter in the shelter, noting: "We, too, sense danger here. We have no idea what will happen in the future."

The elderly Ukrainian woman said she lost her husband at an early age and that she could not go to safer areas due to her age and lack of resources.

"There are about 40 people in our room alone. There are civilians in other rooms as well. It is cold here. … There are children (as well). I hope the war will end soon," she said.

Difficult conditions

Lyuba, 70, a woman who has been living in the shelter since the end of February and refused to provide her full name, told Anadolu Agency that the rest of her family is in another district of Luhansk, but she could not find the time to go there.

"I used to get up from the shelter and go home to cook while there was still electricity, gas, and water at home. A hot meal could be prepared at least once a day. I used to bring the food here," she said.

Now the city has been without gas, water, and electricity for more than a month, she said, adding: "We are always here now. Volunteers help us out here."

Lyuba explained that life in the shelter goes on under difficult conditions.

"The situation is critical here. People are, of course, in a difficult situation because the majority of them are old and sick. Some people ask us why we don't go to safer places. I stayed because I couldn't afford to leave.

"My only source of income is a retirement pension," she added.

She emphasized that most of those in the shelter have been there since the beginning of the war.

"Some of them left, and others arrived to take their place. Many people arrived here after their homes were damaged by artillery attacks. There are also people from other districts of the city," she said.

The building above the shelter was also damaged as a result of the intense air attack in the region, she said, underlining the danger to her and others who live there.

"They also dropped a bomb here. Fragments of the bomb that exploded in the courtyard damaged the building. The windows were shattered," she explained.

She said her daughter is currently living in Russia. She could not talk to her family members for a long time because there is no phone network available in the shelter, she added./aa

US electric carmaker Tesla has begun 10% staff cuts, as layoffs paced up with recession fears in the American economy, with many companies either trimming their workforce or slowing down and freezing hiring.

The workforce cut in Tesla started last week, according to the laid-off employees' posts on LinkedIn.

"Tesla and I have parted ways, after 10 long years and many cherished experiences, it is over. Yes, I too was part of the 10% layoff and was blindsided by the event," a maintenance technician wrote on Thursday.

"I am deeply saddened to announce that I was one of the 10% let go during the #tesla #layoffs due to being both salaried and a remote worker," an instruction designer said.

An analyst said: "News of being part of the Tesla layoffs has come as a shock to me. Due to recent change in Remote work policy and 10% reduction in salaried employees, my journey with #tesla has come to an end."

A technical program manager noted that he was let go after five years with the company, adding: "Last Friday I found out I was one of the ones impacted by the 10% layoffs happening at Tesla."

CEO Elon Musk announced on June 3 that he decided to cut Tesla's salaried workforce by 10%, while he said in an earlier email to executives that he has "a super bad feeling" about the US economy, referring to recession fears.

Musk on June 1 also gave an ultimatum to company executives, either to return to work at the office or leave the firm, in an email that quickly circulated on social media.

"Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers," read the email with the subject, “Remote work is no longer acceptable.”

The company's workforce stood at 100,000 by the end of 2021, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.

Many firms slowing down or freezing hiring

Tesla is not the only US company that cuts workforce, as financial markets are in turmoil, inflation is at a record 40-year high, and the US Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary tightening fuels recession worries.

The US-based cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase Global announced Tuesday that it will reduce the size of its workforce by 18% due to turmoil in the crypto market, which lost more than $1 trillion in market cap in just a few weeks.

"We appear to be entering a recession after a 10+ year economic boom. A recession could lead to another crypto winter, and could last for an extended period," Coinbase CEO and Co-founder Brian Armstrong said in a statement.

With the Fed's rate hikes raising borrowing costs, especially in the housing market, mortgage rates jumped from 3.3% in January to 6.3% last week.

Real estate companies Compass and Redfin announced Tuesday that they are trimming their workforce by 10% and 8%, respectively, according to an SEC filing.

The US-based online personal styling service Stitch Fix announced on June 9 it is cutting off 15%, around 330 people, of its salaried workers, adding its estimates to save $40 million to $60 million with the layoffs.

Netflix, the global streaming service and production company, announced in May that it laid off around 150 people, as the firm struggles with subscriber losses and slowing growth.

The company reported in April that it had lost 200,000 subscribers during the first three months of 2022, marking its first quarterly loss in users since October 2011, while it cited account sharing, revenue decline, and rising competition as major issues.

Among major American companies, Meta, formerly Facebook, e-commerce firm Amazon, retail supermarket chain Walmart, mobility provider Uber, tech major Microsoft, and Twitter have either slowed or frozen hiring.

Cloud-based software firm Salesforce and e-commerce furniture and home goods company Wayfair have also slowed down their hiring./aa

US President Joe Biden convened on Friday leaders of major economies to discuss the ongoing challenges of energy security and climate change amid ongoing disruptions to energy markets caused by Russia's war on Ukraine.

The virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) marks the third since Biden assumed office in 2021. The group is responsible for some 80% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and global GDP, according to the White House.

Biden announced several new initiatives, including plans to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors by capturing gas that would otherwise leak during production and bring it to market.

"Each year our existing energy system leaks enough methane to meet the needs of the entire European power sector. We flare enough gas to offset nearly all of the EU's gas imports from Russia," Biden said.

"And so by stopping the leaking and flaring of this super potent greenhouse gas, and capturing this resource for countries who need it, we're addressing two problems at once."

Methane is about 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Other measures announced by Biden include a new global initiative to raise $90 billion for new clean energy projects, and a US pledge to devote $21.5 billion to the effort from funds already allocated by Congress.

Biden also announced plans to get more zero-emmission electric cars on the road, and said the US is co-leading with Denmark and Norway plans to ACHIEVE zero-emmission shipping. If shipping were to be considered a country it would account for the eighth-highest level of emissions worldwide, according to the White House.​​​​​​/aa

A 92-year-old Roman Catholic priest has been charged in connection with a decade-long sexual abuse investigation into a former Indian Residential School, Manitoba police said at a press conference Friday.

Retired father Arthur Masse is accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl at the former Fort Alexander residential school. The incident is alleged to have occurred between 1968 and 1970, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said.

Masse was arrest at his home in Winnipeg, Thursday, police said following an investigation that began in 2011.

The charge of indecent assault came after more than 700 people were contacted by over 80 investigators. They obtained 75 statements from witnesses and victims, which resulted in the charge against Masse.

"This arrest is the culmination of a decade of work by the RCMP investigators, who would not have been able to bring this to a conclusion without the incredible bravery of the victims and witnesses who were willing to relive past trauma and speak about what took place," said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

Police also said the alleged victim showed remarkable resilience during the lengthy investigation.

"The victim in this case has endured a lot throughout the investigative process and has stood firm in speaking out about what happened to her," Manaigre said.

The Fort Alexander Indian Residential School under the care of the Roman Catholic Church operated between 1905 and 1970. It was located on the Sagkeeng First Nation territory and had a reputation for abuse, according to testimony from former students to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission was created to listen to residential school survivors and families from across Canada.

Religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church ran about 60 percent of the 139 Indian Residential Schools, the rest by other churches. The first school opened in the 1820s and the last one closed in the 1990s. Indigenous children were often removed from their families and forced to attend as the Canadian government of the time tried to stamp out Indigenous culture.

About 150,000 student attended and it is thought around 4,500 died from disease and malnutrition and a significant number subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse./aa

The Russian Defense Ministry published on Friday the data about the foreign mercenaries fighting on Ukraine's side.

According to the ministry, 6,956 people have arrived in Ukraine since Feb. 24, when the war started, 1,956 died in battles, while 1,779 left the country.

As of Friday, at least 3,221 foreigners are fighting on the Ukrainian side, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

He noted that the ministry traces and notes the arrival of every mercenary in Ukraine.

"Currently, not only mercenaries, directly taking part in hostilities as part of Ukrainian troops, are put in our databases, we also count instructors, arrived to teach, provide assistance in the operation and repair of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine," the spokesman noted.

According to Konashenkov, Poland is "the undisputed leader" among European countries by the number of mercenaries that arrived and died since the beginning of the war. Some 1,831 Polish fighters came to Ukraine, 378 of them lost their lives, and 272 returned home, he noted.

Romania is the second as 504 Romanian mercenaries joined the Ukrainian troops, 102 died, and 98 left Ukraine.

The UK follows with 422 mercenaries that arrived, 101 died, and 95 that have left Ukraine.

Canada is the principal "supplier" of mercenaries from the American continent as 601 of its citizens have entered Ukraine since February, while 162 of them died and 169 left the country.

The US is the second with 530 that have arrived, 214 died, and 227 mercenaries that left Ukraine.

"From the Middle East, South Caucasus, and Asia, the most -- 355 mercenaries -- came from Georgia, of which 120 were killed and 90 left Ukraine.

"This is followed by militants of terrorist formations transferred from the US-controlled areas of the Syrian Euphrates -- 200 people. As of today (Friday), 80 of them have been destroyed and 66 have left Ukraine," Konashenkov said.

The Russian Defense Ministry's list includes 3,221 mercenaries and specialists from 64 countries, the spokesman said.

More than 4,500 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war started in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 7.7 million that have fled to other countries, according to UN figures./aa

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Friday Moderna and Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 shots for children as young as six months of age.

Pfizer's jab had previously been authorized for children as young as five, but Moderna's had been limited to adults only. Both are now approved for anyone over half-a-year old, increasing eligibility for about 18 million people countrywide.

"Many parents, caregivers and clinicians have been waiting for a vaccine for younger children and this action will help protect those down to 6 months of age," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.

"Those trusted with the care of children can have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of these COVID-19 vaccines and can be assured that the agency was thorough in its evaluation of the data,” he added.

Final approval still needs to be granted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an advisory panel is convening on Friday with their final vote expected on Saturday. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will make the final decision./aa

The UN refugee agency on Friday called for urgent support for about 16,000 people in Burkina Faso, mostly women and children, driven out of their homes by a recent insurgent attack that left dozens dead in the country’s Sahel region.

Since June 12, almost 16,000 Burkinabe have arrived in Dori, eastern Burkina Faso, after fleeing the brutal attack, according to a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Some 360 people are reported to have crossed into the Tillaberi region of Niger, adding to the 15,500 Burkinabe nationals already there who have been forced to flee.

“The UN refugee agency is alarmed at the recent escalation of violence against civilians by armed groups in Burkina Faso that has forced thousands to flee, placing humanitarian resources under strain as insecurity continues to plague the Central Sahel,” UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said.

The latest attack in Seytenga commune, a town 15 kilometers (27 miles) from the border with Niger, occurred on the night of June 11-12.

At least 86 people were killed in the attack, the deadliest single incident in Burkina Faso since more than 130 people were massacred in nearby Solhan in June 2021.

After visiting the scene of the tragedy on Wednesday, junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba vowed action against the attackers.

Burkina Faso’s displacement crisis is one of the world’s fastest-growing problem, with the number of internally displaced people reaching 1.9 million at the end of April, according to official data.

The West African country has been battling an insurgency that has spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade.

Other countries in the Sahel – Chad, Mali and Niger – also face a combination of violence, poverty and the effects of climate change.

More than 2.5 million people have fled their homes in the Sahel region over the past decade, according to UN figures.

The UN refugee agency said the most urgent needs include shelter and essential items, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services, and psychosocial support.

UNHCR’s country budget requirements of $109.9 million for 2022 are only 20% funded, it said, calling on the international community for greater solidarity and support for Burkina Faso./aa

The British Home Office's decision to extradite Julian Assange to the US is "not the end of the road," the WikiLeaks co-founder's legal team and wife said on Friday.

In a press conference shortly after the extradition decision was announced, Assange's wife Stella Moris vowed to fight the decision.

Morris said she spoke with Assange after the decision and that this was how he found out.

“We're not at the end of the road here," Morris said. "We're going to use every appeal avenue and we're going to fight."

"I'm going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian, until he's free, until justice is served," she pledged.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel signed an order to extradite WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange to the US earlier on Friday.

Grave threat

"This is the outcome that we have been concerned about for the last decade," said Jennifer Robinson, one of Assange's lawyers.

She underlined that the extradition decision was "a grave threat to freedom of speech, not just for Julian but for every journalist and editor, and media worker in this country."

"He faces 175 years in prison for publishing information, which he's won journalism awards the world over and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize."

Robinson said they would "use every appeal mechanism available" to prevent the extradition.

"We continue to call upon the Biden administration to drop this case because of the grave threat it poses to free speech everywhere and across the United States. And we continue to call on the Australian government to take action and to protect this Australian citizen who is at risk."

Threat to free speech

Tim Dawson, from the International Federation of Journalists, said Assange's prosecution in the US, would be a clear threat to "any journalist" who received information revealing criminal activity by states.

"We'd all hoped that this home secretary would exercise both humanity and a respect for free speech and for the democracy that supports and she has chosen not to, which is a matter of great regret."

"We can only hope that the remaining legal routes will provide some means by which this extradition and prosecution can be prevented."

Appeal

Robinson added that they would be appealing this decision.

"We also have our cross-appeal. So basically, we have the ability to enliven our cross-appeal points."

"We still have our outstanding cross-appeal points, which include, for example, the free speech arguments, the fact of his inability to get a fair trial in the United States, the political nature of the case, and the offense for which he has been sought.

"The abusive process in this case, including spying on Julian and us as his legal team, and a range of other points that will be raised."

Robinson confirmed that they have 14 days to file an appeal.

"There's some potential longer extension of time after that point, but we will appeal this all the way through the British courts and if necessary to the European Court of Human Rights," she added.

Threats to Assange

Moris said the extradition order "rests on a decision to reverse the initial outcome of a decision by the High Court to accept assurances that are severely flawed that the Amnesty International calls that decision a travesty."

She said: "We're going to raise points that have come up since the original extradition hearing back in 2020.

"And especially one of the most important developments is the revelation that the CIA plotted to assassinate Julian while he was in the Ecuadorian Embassy and kidnap him and rendition him and was exploring poisoning him.

"This is known to the Home Secretary but she signed it off anyway. But, we will be raising it on appeal," she underlined.

Assange's extradition order was passed to the secretary by the UK courts last month, confirming that the US assurances on how Assange would be treated were sufficient for extradition.

The order said the UK courts found that the extradition would not be "incompatible with his human rights," adding that he would be "treated appropriately" in the US./aa