Russia is trying to reclaim a former deep-cover spy, Sergey Cherkasov, from a Brazilian jail by accusing him of being a hardened criminal on the run from Russian justice. However, Bellingcat has revealed that the Russian indictment documents provided to the Brazilians are full of inconsistencies and contradict travel data which shows that Cherkasov was not in Russia during the period of his alleged criminal activity. This is not the first time Russia has attempted to use bogus criminal charges to reclaim its agents abroad, and Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court is now set to decide whether to approve Cherkasov’s extradition. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
