Technology CantSt0pPoppin • 11 months ago • 100%

XMPP (Jabber) instant messaging protocol encrypted TLS connection wiretapping (Man-in-the-Middle attack) of jabber.ru (aka xmpp.ru) service’s servers on Hetzner and Linode hosting providers in Germany. The attacker has issued several new TLS certificates using Let’s Encrypt service which were used to hijack encrypted STARTTLS connections on port 5222 using transparent MiTM proxy. The attack was discovered due to expiration of one of the MiTM certificates, which haven’t been reissued.

World Politics CantSt0pPoppin • 11 months ago • 80%

In a fiery speech to members of the German parliament, Chancellor Scholz championed repatriation deals with third countries as a potential game-changer in addressing the migration challenges faced by EU member states.

World Politics CantSt0pPoppin • 11 months ago • 100%

DR Congo's electoral commission confirmed on Friday a provisional list of 24 candidates who have registered for the presidential elections on December 20.

World Politics CantSt0pPoppin • 11 months ago • 100%

Japan's government has asked a court to revoke the legal status of the Japan branch of the Unification Church, the controversial group founded in South Korea.

World Politics CantSt0pPoppin • 11 months ago • 98%

Brazilian congressional panel on Wednesday accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of instigating the country’s Jan. 8 riots and recommended that he be charged with attempting to stage a coup.

World Politics CantSt0pPoppin • 11 months ago • 80%

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt took control of the nation’s finances a year ago on Saturday, amid political chaos and turmoil in the financial markets caused by former prime minister Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 12 months ago • 94%

Israeli planes bombed the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, even as an Israeli military spokesman encouraged Palestinians to use the border post to flee to safety. Independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, citing an employee at the border checkpoint, reported that Egypt had closed the crossing gate after a warning that Israel would bomb it. Israeli planes bombed the crossing Monday evening and again on Tuesday after the damage was repaired, Mada Masr and Palestinian media reported. An estimated 700 Palestinians have been killed in reprisal bombings in Gaza after Hamas gunmen launched a stunning attack on Israel on Saturday, massacring an estimated 900 Israelis. More than 127,000 Palestinians have been displaced by the ongoing bombing, the U.N. said. Earlier on Tuesday, Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, suggested that Palestinians seeking refuge from the bombing could "get out" of Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Hecht’s office later issued a statement: "Clarification: The Rafah crossing was open yesterday, but now it is closed." The clarification didn’t mention a bombing. Gaza’s Hamas-controlled interior ministry said in a statement that Egypt had warned staff on the Gaza side of the border crossing to evacuate due to an imminent bombing. Two Palestinian employees were injured, the ministry said. The U.N. and humanitarian organizations are working to establish a humanitarian corridor through the Rafah crossing to bring medical supplies to Gaza. Israel on Monday declared a "total siege" of the territory.

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 84%

Reports now indicate the August 8 wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui in Hawaii are the deadliest in the United States in more than a century. More than 100 people are confirmed dead, but only a few have been positively identified. Because of the intensity of the flames, some of the victims' bodies were burned so severely they were difficult to identify. Sadly, many now fear that children account for a large number of the fatalities. Schools in Lahaina were closed because of the fires, and many children were left home while their parents went to work. Families across the island continue to hope and pray they will be reunited with their loved ones, but the situation is becoming more grim as the days go by. More from CafeMom: Teen Found Burned to Death in Bonfire During Arizona Graduation Trip The school was supposed to be in session the day the wildfires began. The Wall Street Journal reported that Lahaina schools were set to open August 8, but a power outage canceled classes. This left parents with few choices for child care. The area is mainly working class, and many did not have the option to skip work. "Our parents work one, two, three jobs just to get by and they can't afford to take a day off," Jessica Sill, a kindergarten teacher at Lahaina's King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was destroyed by flames, told the Wall Street Journal. "Without school, there was nowhere for [kids] to go that day." Sill expressed concern for all of her students moving forward. "We are so worried for them and we will do whatever we need to support them through this catastrophe," she said. Experts fear the death toll will continue to rise. Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN that officials are asking family members of the missing to provide DNA samples to help identify bodies. "We're asking all of our loved friends and family in the area who have any concern to go get swabbed at the family support center so that we can match people genetically," the governor said. Police have only searched one-third of Lahaina with cadaver-sniffing dogs, leaving a large part of the town untouched, the Wall Street Journal reported. "We are prepared for many tragic stories," Green told CBS News. Green said crews will continue their search in Lahaina homes. CNN reported the majority of human remains were found on a seaside road. Green said crews now plan to search homes in Lahaina. "Now that we go into the houses, we're not sure what we'll see. We're hopeful and praying that it's not large, large numbers," he said, according to CNN. https://cafemom.com/news/unidentified-victims-of-maui-wildfires-children/experts-fear-the-death-toll-will-continue-to-rise

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 97%

 TRENTON, N.J. -- State labor officials have temporarily shut down more than two dozen Boston Market restaurants in New Jersey after finding multiple violations of workers’ rights, including more than $600,000 in back wages owed to 314 employees. A stop-work order was issued Tuesday by the Department of Labor against 27 restaurants across New Jersey. The state also imposed nearly $2.6 million in penalties against the firm. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment to Boston Market’s corporate office in Golden, Colorado, on Thursday. There are 31 Boston Market restaurants in New Jersey and 310 nationwide, according to its website. The company has requested a hearing challenging the state's findings, labor officials said, but a hearing date has not yet been scheduled. State officials say the investigation began in November, when a worker at a restaurant in Mercer County filed a complaint with the labor department. Since then, nearly three dozen additional complaints have been received naming several Boston Market locations in New Jersey. The labor department's initial findings included citations for unpaid or late payment of wages, hindering the investigation, failure to pay minimum wage, records violations and failure to pay earned sick leave. 

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 100%

Restaurant asks not to work with Dallas cops who laughed about disabled vet denied toilet Story by Kelli Smith, The Dallas Morning News • 20h ADallas restaurant asked to no longer work with two police officers caught on video laughing about a disabled veteran who urinated on himself after he was denied restroom access. A spokesperson for Serious Pizza, which is owned by the restaurant company Milkshake Concepts, released a statement Thursday saying the establishment was “disappointed by the conduct of the officers involved” and was not aware of the extent of the incident until body-camera footage was released this week. “We have requested that the contracted off-duty officers who were on duty that night not be assigned to our restaurant moving forward, as their actions were not representative of how we treat our guests and the general public,” the company’s statement said. The Dallas Morning News first reported the veteran’s story Wednesday after he addressed the Community Police Oversight Board at its monthly meeting earlier this month. Dynell Lane, who said he was wounded while deployed with the Army, told the board he was denied access to the restroom while a customer at Serious Pizza in Deep Ellum on June 10, a Saturday. Lane appealed to two off-duty uniformed officers working security there, who he said refused to review his medical documents. He called 911 for help, but before the on-duty officers arrived, he said he had a urine and bowel leak issue and left the restaurant. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/restaurant-asks-not-to-work-with-dallas-cops-who-laughed-about-disabled-vet-denied-toilet/ar-AA1fpOOB

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 95%

 Bank error allows customers who have no money in their account to withdraw 1,000 euros at ATMs People queued at cash machines in Dublin as news of the IT blunder spread By Our Foreign Staff 16 August 2023 • 12:27am The bank told customers that it is working to rectify the difficulties as a “high priority” The bank told customers that it is working to rectify the difficulties as a “high priority” CREDIT: REUTERS Bank of Ireland has warned customers that money withdrawn from ATMs will still be debited from their accounts after some people with low balances reported being able to take out 1,000 euros in cash following an IT failure. An Garda Siochana said it was aware of an “unusual volume of activity” at some ATMs across the country following reports of people queuing to withdraw money at Bank of Ireland cash machines. The gardai also said it was aware of issues relating to banking services on Tuesday after the bank’s online and app services were down. Officers were on Tuesday night reported to be guarding some ATMs after videos were posted on social media of huge queues forming in Dublin, Limerick and Dundalk. In a statement to the PA news agency, a Bank of Ireland spokesman said: “We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds - including over their normal limits - this money will be debited from their account. “While we are conscious customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they are likely to become overdrawn.” Police also said they would “remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking”. A spokesman for banking technology firm Revolut said it was “looking into” claims that excess amounts of money had been transferred into customer’s accounts from Bank of Ireland. A fault with the online app allowed people who have no money in their account to transfer up to €500 into a Revolut account, the Irish Independent reported. Earlier, Bank of Ireland said it does not have an estimated time for when its mobile app and web service 365Online will be restored. Upon opening the app, users are informed they are unable to connect while the website is also unavailable. The bank has told customers that its technical team is working to rectify the difficulties as a “high priority”. Customers reported having no access to their accounts for hours and being unable to transfer money for “important payments”. Apologising to users, Bank of Ireland said: “We are aware that customers using our mobile app and 365Online are currently experiencing difficulties. “We are working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.” The bank also acknowledged that some customers were having difficulties withdrawing cash from ATMs. Shortly before 10pm on Tuesday, the bank added that it did not “have an ETA” for the restoration of services. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/08/16/bank-of-ireland-atm-1000-euros-gardai/

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 96%

 WEST HARTFORD, CT — State investigators released dramatic footage Friday of when a West Hartford police officer shot and killed a car theft suspect outside of Town Fair Tire on Tuesday. The Connecticut Officer of the Inspector General released five different angles of the incident late Friday morning, the most dramatic being of the officer involved in the shooting. In addition, state investigators also released the identities of the suspect killed and the WHPD officer involved in the incident. The suspect has been identified as Mike Alexander-Garcia, 34, who was described as a Hispanic male, according to a preliminary state report released Friday. State officials identified the WHPD police officer involved in the shooting as being K-9 officer Andrew Teeter. Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch. Your email address Subscribe While the investigation is ongoing, state officials in their report released a detailed chronology of Tuesday afternoon's events at a busy commercial district in town. According to the three-page report, at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, West Hartford police were attempting to stop a stolen Hyundai Elentra traveling east on New Britain Avenue. At the New Britain Avenue/South Street intersection, the stolen Hyundai hit a silver BMW and a blue Honda Pilot, disabling the Hyundai, state officials wrote in the report. According to investigators, the two occupants of the stolen vehicle, Lyle Solsbury, 46, and Alexander-Garcia, exited the Hyundai and fled. Solsbury was immediately apprehended by police, with Alexander-Garcia fleeing east on New Britain Avenue, authorities wrote. In the report, the state alleges Alexander-Garcia unsuccessfully tried to carjack two vehicles, eventually making his way to a Town Fair Tire at 980 New Britain Ave. State authorities said Alexander-Garcia entered the Town Fair Tire garage and then entered the driver's side of a Toyota Rav4 vehicle being serviced there. Shortly after, Teeter and his police dog entered the garage and the passenger side of the vehicle and attempted to subdue Alexander-Garcia, according to state officials. "Despite the K-9 and Officer Teeter being in the vehicle struggling with Alexander-Garcia, he backed out of the garage and drove out of the Town Fair Tire parking lot striking two vehicles. One of those vehicles was the K-9 police vehicle," wrote the state Office of the Inspector General. "As Alexander-Garcia continued to drive, Officer Teeter discharged his weapon multiple times, striking Alexander-Garcia in the torso." The Toyota ended up crashing across the street into a utility pole, near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Shield Street, officials said. Authorities said Teeter sustained a broken rib and multiple head lacerations and was taken to the hospital. The police dog was unharmed. Alexander-Garcia was taken to Hartford Hospital and pronounced dead at 5:53 p.m. that afternoon, reads the report. Authorities said the investigation into the incident is continuing. West Hartford town and police officials weighed in on the situation, expressing hope for a thorough state probe into the matter. “Any loss of life is tragic in such a difficult situation. The videos that have been released are undeniably hard to watch. Thankfully, Connecticut has been a national leader in developing a fair, independent and transparent system for investigating police-involved shootings. I am confident that our police department will work together with state authorities to ensure that a comprehensive and thorough investigation is conducted into this incident,” said Democratic West Hartford Mayor Shari G. Cantor in a statement. The town's top WHPD official said the release of the footage was necessary and the department believes "strongly" in transparency of the facts.

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

Joan Meyer, the 98-year-old co-owner of a small Kansas newspaper, collapsed and died at her home on Saturday, a day after police raided her home and the Marion County Record's office, the newspaper said. Meyer had been "stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief," the Record said, calling the raids illegal. Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody on Saturday defended the raid and said that once all the information is available, "the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated." Police have not shared an update since Meyer's death was announced. Police took Meyer's computer and a router used by an Alexa smart speaker during the raid at her home, according to the paper. Officers at the Record's office seized personal cellphones, computers, the newspaper's file server and other equipment. Cody also allegedly forcibly grabbed reporter Deb Gruver's cellphone, injuring a finger that had previously been dislocated. "Our first priority is to be able to publish next week," publisher Eric Meyer said. "But we also want to make sure no other news organization is ever exposed to the Gestapo tactics we witnessed today. We will be seeking the maximum sanctions possible under law." The federal Privacy Protection Act protects journalists and newsrooms from most searches by law enforcement, requiring police usually to issue subpoenas rather than search warrants. "It is true that in most cases, it requires police to use subpoenas, rather than search warrants, to search the premises of journalists unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search," Cody said. Friday's raid was conducted on the basis of a search warrant. The search warrant, posted online by the Kansas Reflector, indicates police were investigating identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers. It also indicated police were looking for documents and records pertaining to local restauranteur Kari Newell. According to the Record, Newell had accused the newspaper of illegally obtaining drunk driving information about Newell and supplying it to Marion Councilwoman Ruth Herbel. "The Record did not seek out the information," the newspaper wrote. "Rather, it was provided by a source who sent it to the newspaper via social media and also sent it to Herbel." The Record verified the information about Newell through public records but did not plan to publish it, believing that the information had "been intentionally leaked to the newspaper as part of legal sparring between Newell and her estranged husband," the paper wrote. "The victim asks that we do all the law allows to ensure justice is served," Cody said. "The Marion Kansas Police Department will [do] nothing less." The Kansas Bureau of Investigation assisted in the investigation "into allegations of illegal access and dissemination of confidential criminal justice information," the bureau said in a statement. "Director Mattivi believes very strongly that freedom of the press is a vanguard of American democracy... But another principle of our free society is equal application of the law," the bureau said, adding, "No one is above the law, whether a public official or a representative of the media." Police have fallen under scrutiny due to the search, with free speech advocates expressing concern about its implications. Dozens of news organizations, including CBS News, on Sunday condemned the raid in a letter sent by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Cody. "Your department's seizure of this equipment has substantially interfered with the Record's First Amendment-protected newsgathering in this instance, and the department's actions risk chilling the free flow of information in the public interest more broadly, including by dissuading sources from speaking to the Record and other Kansas news media in the future," the letter said. The raid appears to have violated federal law and the First Amendment, according to Seth Stern, advocacy director of Freedom of the Press Foundation. "This looks like the latest example of American law enforcement officers treating the press in a manner previously associated with authoritarian regimes," Stern said Friday. "The anti-press rhetoric that's become so pervasive in this country has become more than just talk and is creating a dangerous environment for journalists trying to do their jobs." PEN America on Saturday said law enforcement should be held accountable for violating the Record's rights. "Journalists rely on confidential sources to report on matters of vital public concern," Shannon Jankowski, PEN America's journalism and disinformation program director, said in a statement. "Law enforcement's sweeping raid on The Marion County Record and confiscation of its equipment almost certainly violates federal law and puts the paper's very ability to publish the news in jeopardy." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-newspaper-police-raid-marion-county-record-joan-meyer-dies/

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 91%

 A group of congressional Democrats visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday to tour the recently constructed barriers on the Rio Grande River and look into other controversial border security measures put in place by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). The group, led by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), included fellow Reps. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D), according to a release. The group visited the border along the Eagle Pass portion, which Gutierrez represents. The barriers, installed as part of a Texas anti-illegal immigration effort known as “Operation Lone Star,” have received criticism from both those inside the government and those on the outside. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Texas for the barriers late last month, alleging Abbott “flouted federal law” by installing the measures “without obtaining the required federal authorization.” “Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) led a congressional delegation (CODEL) to Eagle Pass, Texas,” a statement from Castro’s office read. “The purpose of the delegation was for legislators to see the deadly razor wire and buoys that Texas Governor Abbott installed in the Rio Grande as part of Operation Lone Star and to engage with local leaders and community members about the impact of Operation Lone Star on asylum-seekers and federal immigration enforcement.” A few of the lawmakers who visited the border appeared to post reactions from their visit. Garcia posted a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, of what seemed to be the barriers. Related video: Has Texas installed a floating barrier with chainsaws to injure migrants? (Dailymotion) “Appalled by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border,” the caption of her post read. “The situation’s reality is unsettling as these buoys’ true danger and brutality come to light. We must stop this NOW!” Gutierrez, a candidate running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2024 for his seat, called Operation Lone Star a “failure” in posts on X and Facebook tied to his visit. “Standing alongside members of the Texas Congressional delegation today in Eagle Pass to discuss the failure of Operation Lone Star and the humanitarian crisis Greg Abbott and his allies have inflicted on our border,” he said. Jackson Lee posted a video of herself on social media looking out at what appeared to be the floating barriers, calling for more “humane treatment” when it comes to immigration. “We are seeing clearly what Abbott’s Operation Lone Star program is doing to women and children,” the caption on her post read. “The inhumane treatment from this program is not solving our immigration problem but is causing a spectacle at the border.” Castro also posted commentary on social media, sharing wa video of himself in front of the buoys and later showing more of what he said is a “public park.” In the video, he called the floating barriers, razor wire and Abbott’s border operation as a whole “barbaric.” “Everyone needs to see what I saw in Eagle Pass today,” the post’s caption reads. “Clothing stuck on razor wire where families got trapped. Chainsaw devices in the middle of buoys. Land seized from US citizens.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-tour-rio-grande-amid-criticism-of-recently-installed-buoys-razor-wire/ar-AA1f1m2C

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

news.yahoo.com

Two separatist militants were killed Sunday when they attacked a convoy carrying Chinese workers to a Beijing-financed port project in Pakistan's Balochistan province, officials said. A spokesman for China's consulate in Karachi said none of its nationals were killed or wounded in the attack, and urged Chinese citizens to heighten their vigilance. Various Baloch separatist groups have claimed attacks on projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in the past, with thousands of security personnel deployed to counter threats against Beijing's interests. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) said Sunday two of its fighters died in a "self-sacrificing" attack on a convoy going to Gwadar port in Pakistan's southwest. "The operation has concluded with the elimination of two assailants," a senior police official told AFP, adding that three Pakistani soldiers were wounded. China's consulate in Karachi said it had asked Pakistan to "severely punish the perpetrators and take concrete and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects". "A Chinese convoy from the Gwadar port project was hit by roadside bombs and gunfire on its way back to the port area from the Gwadar Airport," it said in a statement. "No Chinese citizens were killed or injured." The BLA, which frequently exaggerates its successes, claimed in a statement that four Chinese workers and nine Pakistani soldiers had died in the attack. - 'No fair share' - The CPEC project is the cornerstone of Beijing's massive Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to link China's western Xinjiang province to Gwadar port in Balochistan -- Pakistan's least populous province but rich in mineral resources. Baloch people have long complained they do not get a fair share of the province's profits, giving rise to more than a dozen separatist groups. Three Chinese academics and their Pakistani driver were killed when a woman suicide bomber detonated her device as they were driving into the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute in April 2022. The BLA claimed responsibility for that attack. A year earlier, five people were killed in an attack claimed by Pakistan's Taliban at a luxury hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in Quetta. Also in 2021, 12 people -- including nine Chinese workers -- were killed by a blast aboard a bus carrying staff to the Dasu dam site. Islamabad blamed that explosion on a gas leak but Beijing insisted it was a bomb attack. Since its initiation, CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars funnelled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was in the Pakistani capital last month to mark the 10th anniversary of the project's start.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 94%

www.bbc.com

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by Iran's so-called morality police has sparked angry protests, with women burning their headscarves in a defiant act of resistance against the Islamic Republic's strict dress code and those enforcing it. The Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrols) are special police units tasked with ensuring the respect of Islamic morals and detaining people who are perceived to be "improperly" dressed. Under Iranian law, which is based on the country's interpretation of Sharia, women are obliged to cover their hair with a hijab (headscarf) and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to disguise their figures. Ms Amini allegedly had some hair visible under her headscarf when she was arrested by morality police in Tehran on 13 September. She fell into a coma shortly after collapsing at a detention centre and died three days later in hospital. The force denied reports that officers beat her head with a baton and banged it against one of their vehicles. "They told us the reason we are working for the morality police units is to protect women," he said. "Because if they do not dress properly, then men could get provoked and harm them." He said they worked in teams of six, comprising four men and two women, and focused on areas with high foot traffic and where crowds gather. "It's weird, because if we are just going to guide people why do we need to pick somewhere busy that potentially means we could arrest more people?" "It's like we are going out for a hunt." The officer added that his commander would tell him off or say he was not working properly if he did not identify enough people violating the dress code, and that he found it particularly difficult when people resisted arrest. "They expect us to force them inside the van. Do you know how many times I was in tears while doing it?" "I want to tell them I am not one of them. Most of us are ordinary soldiers going through our mandatory military service. I feel so bad." Post-revolutionary decree The Iranian authorities' fight against "bad hijab" - wearing a headscarf or other mandatory clothing incorrectly - began soon after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a major aim of which was to make women dress modestly. While many women were doing so at the time, miniskirts and uncovered hair were not uncommon sights on the streets of Tehran before the pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown. His wife Farah, who often wore Western clothing, was held up as an example of a modern woman.

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 85%

Montgomery, Alabama's Riverfront Park offers a calming vista for locals to take in the scenery of the state capital on the banks of the Alabama River. On Aug. 5, however, the park was the scene of a now-viral brawl between several people. Just how did it all start, and how did it get to a point where people were being thrown into the river? What happened at the Harriott II riverboat in Alabama? It all started when a group of boaters refused to move their pontoon boat from a dock at the park normally reserved for the Harriott II riverboat. The confrontation quickly escalated after three white men began attacking a Black security guard who told them they needed to move their vessel. Some bystanders, including tourists aboard the Harriott II, called for someone to help him. A group of men quickly swooped in and began attacking the men who came after the security guard; one even used a folding chair as a weapon. To try to defuse the situation, a Harriott II crew member—now known widely as "Black Aquaman" on social media—jumped in the water and began swimming toward the dock to join in on the action. Who is 'Black Aquaman'? According to Newsweek, the citizen who swam to the rescue has been identified as a 16-year-old boy named Aaren. His identity was seemingly confirmed by a statement from Makina Lashea, a woman who claimed to be the family publicist. "In the face of adversity, Aaren selflessly came to the rescue of a fellow colleague, showcasing courage beyond his years," Lashea said. "We are immensely proud of his actions and the values he exemplifies, standing as an inspiration to us all." Besides Black Aquaman, Aaren has been dubbed several other names including Michael B. Phelps, Tyrone Lochte, and Shaquille O'Gills. Are the people involved in the Alabama riverboat fight facing charges? Police eventually intervened to detain those involved in the melee, including the boat owners who originally attacked the security guard. On Aug. 6, Mayor Steven Reed addressed the incident that had since been seen worldwide. "Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been signed and justice will be served," Reed said on social media. "This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred," the statement continued. "As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violence will be held accountable by our criminal justice system." As of Aug. 7, there are four active warrants for arrest, according to USA Today. The police department told the publication that more may be coming after they review more videos of the incident. https://www.mensjournal.com/news/black-aquaman-alabama-boat-fight-video

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 100%

In a video seen and shared by millions, a retired Royal Marine suffering from advanced physical symptoms of Parkinson’s is asked by a neurologist to touch his own nose and then touch her finger. As someone who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in August 2017, this is a common test that I’m asked to do each time I see my neurologist. My family, friends and colleagues are hyper-aware of all things Parkinson’s. Many of them highlighted this video for me to watch. It is amazing, but do you know what you’re watching? In the video, the man’s hand wags uncontrollably in front of his face unable to will it to do much of anything. He flinches as he flicks his own nose harder than he’d like to have. He’s asked to pick up a plastic water cup. He takes a deep breath and silently commands his body to do so. He crushes the cup in a vice grip and flails it about. Had it been filled with water, it would have all spilled about. A retired Royal Marine suffering from the degenerative Parkinson’s Disease. Watch the moment his world was changed forever after undergoing a life-changing therapy for Parkinson’s using Technology pic.twitter.com/amODSeE8IJ — Kevin W (@kwilli1046) October 11, 2018 His family painfully watches it all — you see how they are physically distraught by the extreme tremors. Fifty seconds into the video, the neurologist switches on the electric stimulation deep in his brain. You can see the change immediately. It’s as if he’s awakened. Suddenly he’s alert, his eyes flash with surprise, and a smile creeps across his face. The neurologist asks, “does that feel better?” “That feels great,” he says. His family, amazed at the transformation, exhale in laughter and are visibly relieved. The neurologist repeats the tests from earlier and the tremors have all but disappeared. The retired Royal Marine once again has command of his body. But, now he’s lost control of his emotions. Tears well up in his eyes. He uses a tissue to catch the happiness streaming down his face. At the end, he looks around the room at his family and says, “that deserves a round of applause.” Indeed it does. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is life-changing for some people in the Parkinson’s community. It’s a late-stage option for people with Parkinson’s who no longer see results from Levadopa-Carbidopa medication which creates synthetic dopamine. In cases that qualify for DBS, fine wires are inserted into parts of the brain and are electrically stimulated. Usually, the wires connect to a battery that is implanted. It is important to note, this is not a cure for Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is a movement disorder, but it’s more than a shake, a tremor, or a halted gate. In fact, some people with Parkinson’s never develop a tremor. It’s not just a physical disease. Parkinson’s is a collection of symptoms which, in addition to everything you see, includes many non-physical symptoms like loss of smell, bladder issues, depression, anxiety, sleeping issues and more. And there is no cure. (You can find more on the symptoms on the parkinson.ca website.) However, for approximately one per cent of Parkinson’s patients worldwide who experienced extreme physical symptoms and received the treatment, Deep Brain Stimulation is miracle-like. DBS can improve tremor, rigidity, slow movement and walking problems. A friend of mine in the U.K., David Sangster, is hoping to get DBS and has been documenting his journey on YouTube. https://globalnews.ca/news/4550082/larry-gifford-parkinson-podcast/

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 89%

An Orange County Superior Court judge was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of murdering his wife at their Anaheim Hills home, leaving the county’s legal community reeling in disbelief. After spending the night in jail, Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was released Friday afternoon on $1 million bail, as neighbors talked of seeing the 72-year-old judge previously being taken into custody by a swarm of heavily armed police outside his house in the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive. Anaheim officers had been called around 8 p.m. Thursday and found Sheryl Ferguson, 65, fatally shot inside the two-story home, Sgt. Jon McClintock said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Their college-age son was home at the time, multiple sources said, and made the 911 call. Ferguson’s murder arrest, a rarity in the legal world, created some thorny issues for the local justice system, such as whether the state or the county would handle the prosecution. Where would the case be tried? Also, since Ferguson had not been formally charged as of Friday afternoon, prosecutors did not have a chance prior to his release to ask a judge to order Ferguson held without bail, or perhaps to increase the amount of his bail. The felony bail schedule in OC Superior Court automatically sets $1 million for most murder cases. The exception is murder cases with special circumstances, such as lying in wait, which default to no bail. Investigators remove firearms from a house in the 8500 block of E. Canyon Vista Dr. in Anaheim, CA on Friday, August 4, 2023. Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was arrested late Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 after police received reports of a shooting in an Anaheim home and found the judge’s wife, Sheryl Ferguson, inside with at least one fatal gunshot wound, Anaheim Police said. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG) Detectives late Friday were not disclosing any additional details because the investigation is ongoing, McClintock said. Also see: Judge admonished for Facebook comment, friendships with defense attorneys Investigators continued searching the couple’s home Friday and brought out more than a dozen guns as well as other boxes, including some with ammunition, and bags of evidence. McClintock said investigators found the gun believed to have been used in the shooting. “I didn’t know what was about to happen,” he said. But I remember him saying, like, shouting loudly that he was unarmed.” Ventura said police continued to shout commands, telling Ferguson to get down on his knees, but the judge refused to comply. “He was like, “No, I’m not gonna get on my knees but I’m unarmed’.” The thought that Ferguson could have criminally killed his wife conflicted with his reputation in some circles as a compassionate judge concerned with the welfare of defendants in alcohol and drug abuse cases. Attorney Lloyd Freeberg said he worked with Ferguson in helping substance abusers get clean and sober — Freeberg from the defense chair and Ferguson from the bench at the courthouse in Fullerton. The two had become so close that Freeberg cried all night after hearing of Ferguson’s arrest and the death of his wife. “This is a great loss. I’ve shed an awful lot of tears on this one,” Freeberg said. “He saved a hell of a lot of people by getting them clean and sober and making them play by the rules.” Freeberg’s former clients as well as legal professionals were shocked by the news. “This morning I went to North Court and had to turn around and leave, it was so emotional,” Freeberg said. “It was pretty devastating, a lot of people were stunned. They’re pretty troubled by it.” Defense attorney James Crawford added, “I think everybody is shocked. There’s no reason to believe that something like this could happen involving Jeff. There’s no signs.” “I’m really sad about Jeff.” Crawford said he once had a drug case against Ferguson, who was a prosecutor at the time.”I thought he was fair and easy to deal with,” Crawford said. “He was straightforward and wouldn’t try to jam you if you weren’t ready to proceed.” Joel Garson, a veteran Orange County attorney, met Sheryl Ferguson when their sons were in the same Boy Scout troop. Garson was the scout leader; Sheryl’s son rose to the level of Eagle Scout. Sheryl Ferguson was an especially active parent in the troop, Garson said, always volunteering and helping organize functions. “She always had a smile on her face, always volunteered, never had a mean thing to say about anybody,” Garson said. “She was concerned about not only her son but also other boys in the troop.” Even after her son left for college, Sheryl Ferguson continued to occasionally show up to troop functions, Garson said, including a recent event honoring one of the Boy Scout leaders. “Everyone I know is shocked this happened,” Garson said. Retired Buena Park Police Chief Corey Sianez and his wife Genieve Sianez, who are neighbors and friends of the Fergusons, placed flowers outside of the family’s home pn Friday afternoon. Sianez, who worked for the Buena Park Police Department for 42 years, including a dozen years as chief before retiring in 2022, said he has known Jeffrey Ferguson for years, first as a deputy district attorney and later as a judge. He said the Fergusons attended a Neighborhood Watch meeting he sponsored about two months ago. There didn’t appear to be any noticeable friction between the couple, he added. Ferguson was always calm and funny, while Sheryl Ferguson seemed supportive of her husband, Sianez said. “It’s pretty shocking,” he said. ” Why did he (Ferguson) do this? He had a good life.” Hours before the shooting, the judge re-posted a 2013 photo of his wife on his Facebook page. Before rising to the bench in 2015, Ferguson was an Orange County deputy district attorney for 31 years, joining the office in 1983, according to his campaign biography. As a prosecutor, he worked his way up from the juvenile court to being named senior deputy district attorney, assigned to the Major Narcotics Enforcement Team. He also led the Probation Offender Search and Seizure Enforcement task force, comprised of 30 separate state and local police agencies. As a judge, Ferguson was publicly admonished in 2017 by the state Commission on Judicial Performance for making an inappropriate comment about a judicial candidate on Facebook and remaining Facebook “friends” with attorneys appearing before him in court. The panel found that Ferguson violated the code of judicial ethics by posting a comment “with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth of the statement.” In his campaign biography, Ferguson said his wife previously worked for both the Santa Barbara and Orange County probation departments and then for American Funds Service Company for almost 20 years. Where he will make his first court appearance, if he is charged with a crime, is unclear. Orange County’s presiding judge can decide to transfer the case outside of the county if that jurist decides a conflict of interest exists. It was also unclear who would likely prosecute the case. On Friday, Orange County prosecutors were coordinating with the State Attorney General’s Office to determine who would take the potential case against Ferguson. “Our thoughts go to the family,” Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge Maria Hernandez said in a statement. “We all pray for their comfort during this trying time. “Although no case has been filed with our court, when appropriate we will take all necessary steps to ensure full compliance with our legal and ethical obligations,” she said. Attorney Freeberg said Jeff and Sheryl Ferguson appeared to be a “match,” with her often accompanying him at professional and social events. “I think there is a lot to the story we don’t know.” https://www.ocregister.com/2023/08/03/orange-county-judge-taken-into-custody-at-his-anaheim-home-after-shooting-death-sources-say/

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 75%

Hundreds of fans lined up outside of the Shaquille O’Neal-owned Big Chicken location in Valencia Saturday afternoon, thanks to the news that the Lakers icon would be visiting the restaurant. Owned by restaurateur Andy Gitipityapon (Giti) and sports chiropractor Pat Khaziran, the Valencia Big Chicken location was packed to the brim with excited Santa Clarita locals, all hoping for a glimpse of the former NBA star. “We are super excited,” Giti said. “We opened back in October so it’s long-awaited. I feel that the community has been looking forward to having Shaq come in and he’s finally here, so everyone’s super excited.” Also in the audience of basketball fans were children from local non-profit organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of the Santa Clarita Valley, the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, and various high schools. “We love and appreciate the community support and Shaq is here just to say a big thank you for all the support that the community has given. And we want to give back to the schools and communities and organizations.” Nine-year-old Liam Tellez shared his excitement to meet O’Neal, as he had been reading one of the star’s children’s books in preparation for the event. Tellez and his family joined Shaq as one of the Michael Hoefflin Foundation patient families, a Santa Clarita organization that provides support for the families of childhood cancer patients. Cries of joy filled the air as the 7’1” former Lakers center made his grand entrance, taking photos with fans and greeting the Big Chicken staff. O’Neal commented that community outreach and building up the next generation is a part of the core philosophy behind the Big Chicken brand. “That’s what we do. We love the community, we love the kids, we love the people and want to make sure our franchisees have the same vision that we have,” O’Neal said in an interview with KHTS. Shaq shared his usual order at Big Chicken: An MDE sandwich with its usual topping of Shaq sauce and pickles, a side of fries and a large pineapple cream soda. https://www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news/community-news/shaq-visits-valencia-big-chicken-478287

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed the area's first heat-related death. The family of 67-year-old Victor Ramos said they never imagined he would be a victim of the heat and want to raise awareness of the dangers. The video above is from ABC13's Live Streaming Channel. Karla Ramos told ABC13 reporter Lileana Pearson her brother grew up in California and spent his life working in hot warehouses, so she never imagined her brother would die from the heat inside his own home. PREVIOUS REPORT: N. Houston woman found unresponsive in car was Harris Co.'s 1st heat-related death in 2022 That day before Karla Ramos called 911 for her brother, she said he had made a few complaints. "He told me that Friday, the 23rd, 'I'm not feeling good. I'm feeling kind of tired,'" Karla said. She encouraged him to take a cool shower and lie down. "I went back at nine on Saturday morning, and he was gone. I found him with a bunch of saliva on the side, so I knew something was wrong," Karla said. On June 24, Karla called 911, and Victor was taken to the hospital but pronounced dead. The Harris County medical examiner confirmed it was the first heat-related death in the county. RELATED: How extreme heat takes a toll on the mind and body, according to experts "When I found him Saturday morning, it was mind-blowing because I never expected him not to have survived this," Karla said. The medical examiner's office said Victor was in a house without air conditioning. His sister said they knew the AC was out and had been working on it in the days leading up to his death. Karla said she recently lost a sister and her mother and said this blow adds weight to her shoulders as she also cares for her sick father. But she wants people to know a heat-related death can happen to anyone. "If you have family help them out. If you can't help them fix the AC, get some fans. $40 isn't going to make you go broke," Karla said. On Friday, in Richmond, law enforcement confirmed that a 6-year-old boy died after being found unresponsive inside a family vehicle after his family noticed he was missing. SEE REPORT HERE: Richmond police investigate 6-year-old boy's death after he's found inside family vehicle Officials told ABC13 that the vehicle was off and hot when the child was found. https://abc13.com/heat-related-death-excessive-heat-houston-weather-severe-in/13508211/

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

apnews.com

Saudi Arabia will extend its voluntary oil production cut of 1 million barrels per day into September, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Thursday. This is the third month in a row that the kingdom has implemented the cut. The SPA said that the cut will reduce Saudi Arabia's production to approximately 9 million barrels per day in September. The cut can be extended or deepened, the SPA said. The decision to extend the cut comes as global oil prices have been under pressure in recent months. The price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, is currently trading around $105 per barrel. The cut is likely to support oil prices in the short term. However, it could also lead to higher gasoline prices for consumers in the United States and other countries. Background Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter. The kingdom's decision to cut production is a significant move that could have a ripple effect on global oil markets. The cut is part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to support oil prices. The kingdom has been under pressure from the United States and other countries to increase production in order to lower prices. However, Saudi Arabia has resisted these calls, arguing that it needs to protect its market share. Impact The extension of the oil production cut is likely to support oil prices in the short term. However, it could also lead to higher gasoline prices for consumers in the United States and other countries. The cut could also have a negative impact on the global economy. Higher oil prices could lead to slower economic growth and higher inflation. Conclusion Saudi Arabia's decision to extend the oil production cut is a significant move that could have a ripple effect on global oil markets and the global economy. The cut is likely to support oil prices in the short term, but it could also lead to higher gasoline prices and slower economic growth.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

apnews.com

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow promised retaliation Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day. Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday. Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 99%

For the past 18 months, orcas have been attacking boats and yachts in the Mediterranean Sea near the Strait of Gibraltar. A new report of an orca boat attack in the North Sea near Scotland is a surprising development. It's possible that the orcas are displaying “cultural evolution” and other pods are learning behaviors from one another Scientists long assumed that humans were the only animals capable of “cultural evolution”—that is, learned behaviors developed beyond the innate skills gifted to us by genetic evolution. But for a few decades now, the animal kingdom has been providing evidence to the contrary. Monkeys and whales have shown a particular gift for cultural evolution, and other animals outside the class Mammalia have shown simpler forms of collective learning and adaptation. Now, the majestic orca (Orcinus orca) is under scrutiny for the same kind of behavior, as boats in the Mediterranean near the Strait of Gibraltar—and surprisingly, off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea—appear to be specifically targeting boats. Although this behavior was well-known in the Iberian orca population, it’s a shocking development that orcas seemingly unaffiliated with the Mediterranean pod are exhibiting similar behaviors. “I’d be reluctant to say it cannot be learned from [the southern population],” Conor Ryan, a scientist who’s studied orca pods off the Scottish coast, told The Guardian. “It’s possible that this ‘fad’ is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities.” Despite being known as “killer whales,” orcas are actually members of the dolphin family and are highly sociable, using complex vocalizations to communicate with one another. The learn matrilineally, meaning “grandmother” orcas (which can live for 80 years or more) become matriarchs of their pods and pass on vital hunting skills. With three boats sunk and upwards of 100 others damaged in Iberia, scientists think that this behavior may come from one such “grandmother” orca named White Gladis. The thought is that she may have survived a traumatic event earlier in life involving a boat, and has since taught her pod how to attack them. It’s also possible that these attacks are timed with Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) migrations, and the orcas perceive boats as competition for food. Of course, humans are not necessarily innocent victims in these orca hit-and-runs, as boats cause noise pollution and other hazards for the creatures and other marine life. But, regardless, how exactly did an orca in the North Sea learn this seemingly isolated behavior from 2,000 miles away? Some scientists think that highly mobile pods could be capable of teaching these boat-destroying tricks to individuals in other pods. So, will orcas always be on the hunt for boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes? Well, not necessarily. As seemingly easy as it was for the orcas to pick up this hunting trick, it’s possible that this “cultural evolution” will disappear just as rapidly. Similars shifts have happened before. For example, the website Salon reports that, a few years back, bottlenose dolphins were carrying sea sponges on their noses of the coast of Australia. But as quickly as this “fad” appeared, it became scarce, and soon disappeared entirely. Scientists don’t know how long this particular “cultural evolution” will stick around. But considering our bang-up job protecting the planet, it almost feels like there’s a measure of justified cosmic karma at play here.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 86%

HONG KONG—At dawn, officers from Hong Kong’s national-security police burst into the apartment of Derek Yuen and Eunice Yung, the son and daughter-in-law of a high-profile pro-democracy campaigner who criticizes China’s Communist Party from perches abroad. The police seized a laptop and mobile phone in the raid last Monday and took Yuen and Yung, who is a pro-Beijing politician in the city’s legislature, to a police station for hours of questioning about the activities of their dissident relative before releasing them without charges, according to Yung. Elmer Yuen, the 74-year-old U.S.-based activist who is the focus of the authorities’ ire, is one of eight overseas critics of China who are facing arrest warrants in Hong Kong after being accused of national-security crimes. He appeared at a news briefing in Washington last month and another in London on Tuesday, discussing his plans to form an unofficial government in exile. Elmer Yuen, who shares his political commentary in lengthy videos posted online, said the authorities’ actions against his family members were intended to pressure him to speak out less and to halt his political efforts. “Of course I worry about my safety and that of my family, but our work has a goal, and a price must be paid,” he told The Wall Street Journal. He said he wouldn’t be deterred “even if they arrest my entire family.” The family and the widely diverging politics of its members have been the subject of public discussion in Hong Kong in recent years. They appeared in a 2020 documentary aired by the city’s public broadcaster RTHK, and their story has resonated with many Hong Kongers in politically divided homes. Yung is the vice chair of a major pro-Beijing political party. Her husband once joked that their daughters’ crayons at home were missing a yellow one—the color of the city’s pro-democracy movement—because his wife had removed it. After Yung was questioned, she said she was cooperating fully with investigators and hoped her father-in-law and the other dissidents would be arrested soon. “If I know about his whereabouts, I will without a doubt disclose it,” she said. Yung and her husband didn’t respond to requests for comment. Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, has encouraged friends and relatives of the wanted dissidents to share tips and said they were eligible, along with other members of the public, for a reward of about $128,000 for capture of each activist.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 97%

www.bbc.com

1) Deadline is extended One option is for the Ecowas leaders to extend the deadline. This has the danger of being seen as a climbdown, but the heads of state could save face by saying that diplomatic efforts have made progress and they want to give them more time. The problem at the moment is that Ecowas mediation efforts have not borne fruit. A delegation sent to Niger on Thursday returned within a few hours with apparently little to show for it. Meanwhile, the junta stepped up its rhetoric against both the West and Ecowas. It announced that it was cutting diplomatic ties with Nigeria, Togo, the US and France, and said it was cancelling the military agreements with France which allows the former colonial power to base some 1,500 soldiers there. And President Bazoum, who is being held by the military, used stark language in an article in the Washington Post. He described himself as a "hostage" and called on the US and the entire international community to help restore constitutional order. On Friday, the US said it will pause some of its aid to Niger's government, but will continue to provide humanitarian and food assistance. 2) They agree on a timetable for a transition To try and cool things down and find middle ground, the junta and Ecowas could agree on a timetable for a return to democratic rule. This could include the release of President Bazoum, as well as other political detainees, in order to keep talks going and possibly buy more time. This has been a key demand of those who have condemned the coup in Africa and elsewhere. The West African bloc has already approved democratic transitions in Niger's neighbours in the Sahel region, Mali and Burkina Faso, which were both taken over by the military in recent years. But the negotiations were fraught with problems, with deadlines for elections continually pushed back and it is still not guaranteed that the handovers of power will actually happen. Sudan, which created a mixed civilian-military government in 2019 that was supposed to pave the way to democracy after a coup there, provides another model. But the collapse of that country into a bitter conflict between rival military leaders offers a cautionary tale. 3) Military intervention The West African leaders did not say that force would definitely be used if President Bazoum was not reinstated but left it open as a possibility. Nigerian officials have described it as a "last resort". President Tinubu said there could be a military intervention "to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant". Ecowas has used military force to restore constitutional order in the past, for example in The Gambia in 2017 when Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after losing an election. But the calculation about whether to go ahead this time would be far more difficult. Firstly, Niger is geographically the largest country in West Africa, while The Gambia is a tiny sliver of land surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean, so sending troops in would be a whole different prospect. Secondly, regional power Nigeria, which is leading the charge to restore President Bazoum, is facing a host of security challenges at home, so sending a significant portion of the army to Niger would be something of a gamble. Thirdly, both Mali and Burkina Faso have said that military intervention in Niger would be seen as a "declaration of war" and they would go to defend their fellow coup leaders. So it risks snowballing into a full-scale regional war, especially if the Niger population resists foreign intervention. Although it is impossible to know how they would react. Nigeria and Niger share many historical and ethnic ties, with people on both sides speaking the same language so this could make some Nigerian troops reluctant to fight if it came to that. Countries like Algeria, Niger's neighbour to the north, China and Russia have asked for restraint and the continued use of dialogue to douse tension. However, after a three-day meeting in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, Ecowas defence chiefs say they have drawn up a detailed plan for military intervention for the regional leaders to consider. Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Benin have all said they are willing to send troops into Niger if Ecowas decided to do so. Nigeria alone has about 135,000 active troops, according to the Global Fire Power index, while Niger has about 10,000 but that certainly doesn't mean an invasion would be easy. A peaceful solution is no doubt preferable for all sides but Ecowas is keen to show its resolve as it has failed to prevent a spate of coups in the region in the last three years.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 97%

www.bbc.com

The storms were so intense that half-a-metre-high piles of hailstones formed in some places. Intense storms in southern and western Germany saw hailstones pile up to half a metre high. So much hail fell in the village of Weiler, in Bavaria, over such a short period of time that some roads were entirely blocked with ice. Many streets, squares and even gardens were briefly transformed into winter landscapes by the heavy hailstorms. Trees were uprooted and the fire brigade had to go out to pump out flooded cellars during the storms.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

www.bbc.com

The British group of 4,500, the largest in attendance, is moving from a camp site at Saemangeum to Seoul, the Scout Association confirmed. The US and Singaporean teams are also pulling their members out of the event. South Korea's government said it was sending 60 more medics and 700 service workers to maintain the toilets and showers, with many countries staying at the site for the next week. The jamboree, described as the world's largest youth camp, gathers Scouts from around the world every four years, each time in a different country. Most of those attending are aged between 14 and 18, and 155 countries are represented in South Korea. This is the first jamboree since the pandemic and is due to run until 12 August. Coaches of British teenagers have started arriving back in Seoul - about 120 miles (197km) from the campsite - and they will spend the next week in hotels. The UK Scout Association said young people and adult volunteers had begun "settling into their accommodation" and the Jamboree experience would continue in the city before returning to the UK on 13 August as planned. The BBC has been told that some scouts are sharing five to a room, while up to 250 are sleeping in the ballroom of one Seoul hotel due to a lack of available accommodation.

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 83%

Security footage shows the incident taking place. According to 11-year-old Jace Eury, he and his sister Jayla were playing in the apartment complex pool Wednesday when Jennings, who residents say is the property manager, hit her. The brother stepped in to retaliate. "She slapped me and then my brother came and splashed water on her," Jayla Eury said. According to a news release from Greensboro police, officers responded to the complex Thursday around 2:30 p.m. Warrants were obtained and hours later, Jennings was arrested. The parents say they believe if the tables were turned, the response would be different. "What she did to him, if I put one finger on her, I am the one that’s going to be in trouble. And that’s just not cool," mother Jae Eury said. "You hit my child, you hit both of my children. You've been harassing my children all summer long and all they wanted to do was just swim in the heat. Just swim, enjoy themselves as children should." Since the video was posted online, several residents and activist groups have shown support for the family. The post has gone viral and circulated across social media. Still, the Eurys say they want more done for what happened. "The outpouring is great and it makes you feel good that people are behind you but, it's kind of making me angrier, like I'm angry," Jae Eury said. The family, who live nearby the apartment complex, says they want Jennings fired from the apartment complex and plan on filing a lawsuit against both Jennings and the property management company. WXII reached out to Sedgefield Gardens Apartments in person, but received no response. The investigation is ongoing. https://www.wxii12.com/article/greensboro-police-arrest-woman-who-assaulted-two-children-apartment-complex-kids-describe-incident/44739400#:~:text=GREENSBORO%2C%20N.C.%20%E2%80%94&text=Avenue%20in%20Greensboro.-,Sixty%2Dtwo%2Dyear%2Dold%20Kimberly%20Jennings%20was%20arrested%20and,father%20of%20the%20children%2C%20said.

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 92%

After a Twitch Streamer Caused Chaos In Manhattan, NYPd Responded By Smashing A Complying teen's Head Through A taxicab window.

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 71%

An 87-year-old woman says she offered a young man who entered her Brunswick, Maine, home while she was sleeping a late-night snack to keep him busy until police arrived. Marjorie Perkins told CNN she woke up in the early hours of July 26 to find a man standing “by my bed, no shirt on, and it was dark, and he said, ‘I’m going to cut you.’” Perkins said she jumped out of bed and picked up a chair, which she said she used as a shield. “He kept knocking me against the wall, he put a bruise on my forehead and one on my cheek,” Perkins said. The attack continued, Perkins said, until “he got tired of that,” at which point she said she followed the intruder, who wasn’t wearing shoes, pants, or a shirt, into the kitchen, while telling him to get out. The intruder then told Perkins that he was hungry. “He stopped in the kitchen by the sink and said he was very hungry, and he hadn’t had anything to eat in a long time,” Perkins said. The 87-year-old said she offered him a “box of peanut butter and honey crackers” and two tangerines, along with other snacks, citing her time as a teacher for her quick thinking. “That was to keep him busy, what do you think? I taught school (for) 35 years,” Perkins said. Perkins said she called 911 while he ate. When he finished, the suspect put on his pants and walked out the door but left his shoes, shirt, and knife behind, according to Perkins. The intruder isn’t unknown to Perkins: She says she knows members of his family and that as a boy, he had mowed her lawn for cash. The police in a news release did not identify the suspect or name Perkins, who is described as a resident. It says the suspect didn’t have the knife on him when he entered Perkins’ bedroom at around 2 a.m. on July 26, saying it had been “left with his belongings in another room.” The release also stated that Perkins was unharmed during the incident and the suspect had fled her home on foot, leaving behind a pair of shoes. Brunswick police say they tracked a juvenile matching the resident’s description to a nearby residence, where he was taken into custody and then transferred to a nearby youth development center. He faces charges of burglary, criminal threatening, assault and a civil infraction: minor consuming liquor. A Maine court clerk would not provide any updates on the charges or attorney information because the alleged intruder is a minor. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/us/maine-home-intruder-snacks/index.html

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 20%

Chaos erupts at Manhattan's Union Square during livestreamer Kai Cenat's giveaway Story by Jesse Zanger • 31m NEW YORK - Chaos erupted Friday after a large crowd gathered at Manhattan's Union Square Park for livestreamer Kai Cenat's giveaway. Some of the crowd could be seen tearing down construction barricades and hurling objects, including throwing some objects at responding police officers. Officials are expected to give an update on the situation shortly. You can watch that live on WCBS-TV and on CBS News New York. As one vehicle attempted to leave - which is believed to have been carrying Cenat - the crowd could be seen mobbing it. It moved slowly through throngs of people before eventually speeding off, with people clinging to the sides and back. At least three people could be seen tumbling off the vehicle onto the pavement as it sped away. Cenat was taken into police custody for questioning at around 5 p.m. CBS New York's Marcia Kramer has learned exclusively Cenat did not have a permit for the event. Earlier in the day, he posted on social media that he would be there in person for the giveaway. Cenat has more than 9 million followers on Twitch and other social media platforms. Related: Who is Kai Cenat? Watch Chopper 2 over the scene As the chaos unfolded, Chopper 2 was overhead and spotted people climbing on top of the roof covering the entrance to the Union Square subway station. One person was seen setting off a fire extinguisher, sending huge smoky plumes over the crowd. The crowd was apparently gathered there for Cenat's giveaway - apparently he had planned to give away 300 PlayStations. Authorities estimated some 2,000 people showed up. New York City subways are bypassing Union Square station. While the crowd gathered as early as 1 p.m., the raucous behavior broke out roughly around 3 p.m. or so. The NYPD called for a massive response - a Level 4 mobilization, meaning roughly 1,000 officers - after people began demolishing construction barricades, throwing objects, and standing on top of the Union Square subway entrance. Several people could be seen being placed into custody. Responding officers, however, were not in riot gear, wearing helmets, or carrying shields - a clear difference from how they responded to George Floyd protests. Police could be heard using loudspeakers to tell the crowd that if they disperse, they will not be arrested. Some of the people at Union Square could be seen standing on top of cars and trucks. Much of the crowd was milling about peacefully. By 4:40 p.m., the crowd had thinned out significantly, but there were still plenty of people in the area. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/chaos-erupts-at-manhattans-union-square-during-livestreamer-kai-cenats-giveaway/ar-AA1eO2on

UnSilenced News Video CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 97%

youtu.be

A little more than six months after the racist attack on Jenkins and his friend Eddie Terrell Parker, six former officers pleaded guilty on Thursday. The officers included Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and Joshua Hartfield, a Richland police officer. Their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment. They pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy against rights, obstructions of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The Mississippi attorney general’s office announced Thursday it had filed state charges against the men including assault, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Federal court records detail how they burst into a home without a warrant, handcuffed Jenkins and Parker, assaulted them with a sex toy and beat Parker with wood and a metal sword. They poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces and then forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess. Then one of them put a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and fired. As Jenkins lay bleeding, they didn’t render medical aid. They knew the mission had gone too far and devised a hasty cover-up scheme that included a fictitious narcotics bust, a planted gun and drugs, stolen surveillance footage and threats. The deputies were under the watch of Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who called it the worst episode of police brutality he has seen in his career. Law enforcement misconduct in the U.S. has come under increased scrutiny, largely focused on how Black people are treated by the police. The 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police ignited calls for sweeping criminal justice reforms and a reassessment of American race relations. The January beating death of Tyre Nichols by five Black members of a special police squad in Memphis, Tennessee, led to a probe of similar units nationwide. In Rankin County, the brutality visited upon Jenkins and Parker was not a botched police operation, but an assembly of rogue officers “who tortured them all under the authority of a badge, which they disgraced,” U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca said. The county is just east of the state capital, Jackson, home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. A towering granite-and-marble monument topped by a Confederate soldier stands across the street from the Rankin County sheriff’s office. The officers warned Jenkins and Parker to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” court documents say, referencing an area with higher concentrations of Black residents. Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said the trauma “is magnified because the misconduct was fueled by racial bias and hatred.” She mentioned another dark chapter in Mississippi law enforcement: the 1964 kidnapping and killing of three civil rights workers. The violent police misconduct is a reminder “there is still much to be done,” Clarke said. After Dedmon summoned “The Goon Squad,” the officers crept around the ranch-style home to avoid a surveillance camera. They kicked down the carport door and burst inside without a warrant. Opdyke found a sex toy, which he mounted on a BB gun he also found, and forced into Parker’s mouth. Dedmon tried to sexually assault Jenkins with the toy. The officers repeatedly electrocuted the victims with stun guns to compare whose weapons were more powerful. Elward forced Jenkins to his knees for a “mock execution” by firing without a bullet, but the gun discharged. The bullet lacerated Jenkins’ tongue and broke his jaw before exiting his neck. As Jenkins bled on the floor, the officers devised a cover story for investigators: Elward brought Jenkins into a side room to conduct a staged drug bust over the phone and Jenkins reached for a gun when he was released from handcuffs. Middleton offered to plant an unregistered firearm, but Elward said he would use the BB gun. Dedmon volunteered to plant methamphetamine he had received from an informant. Jenkins was charged with a felony as a result, but the charges were later dropped. Opdyke put one of Elward’s shell casings in a water bottle and threw it into tall grass nearby. Hartfield removed the hard drive from the home’s surveillance system and later tossed it in a creek. Afterward, McAlpin and Middleton made a promise: They would kill any of the officers who told the truth about what happened. They kept quiet for months as pressure mounted from a Justice Department civil rights probe. An investigation by The Associated Press also linked some of the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries. One of the officers came forward in June, Bailey said. Bailey on Thursday said he was lied to and first learned everything that happened to Jenkins and Parker when he read unsealed court documents. Some of the deputies, including McAlpin and Elward, had worked under Bailey for years and been sued several times for alleged misconduct. The sheriff promised to implement a new body camera policy and said he was open to more federal oversight. He also called the officers “criminals,” echoing federal prosecutors. https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-deputies-guilty-pleas-civil-rights-e4937b4cd1d2ed2388b2fd1c3aeefcb9

Technology CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 99%

techcrunch.com

The researchers will present their research next week at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas. Christian Werling, one of the three students at Technische Universität Berlin who conducted the research along with another independent researcher, said that their attack requires physical access to the car, but that’s exactly the scenario where their jailbreak would be useful. “We are not the evil outsider, but we’re actually the insider, we own the car,” Werling told TechCrunch in an interview ahead of the conference. “And we don’t want to pay these $300 for the rear heated seats.” The technique they used to jailbreak the Tesla is called voltage glitching. Werling explained that what they did was “fiddle around” with the supply voltage of the AMD processor that runs the infotainment system. “If we do it at the right moment, we can trick the CPU into doing something else. It has a hiccup, skips an instruction and accepts our manipulated code. That’s basically what we do in a nutshell,” he said. With the same technique, the researchers said they were also able to extract the encryption key used to authenticate the car to Tesla’s network. In theory, this would open the door for a series of other attacks, but the researchers said they still have to explore the possibilities in this scenario. The researchers said they were also able to extract personal information from the car such as contacts, recent calendar appointments, call logs, locations the car visited, Wi-Fi passwords and session tokens from email accounts, among others. This is data that could be attractive to people who don’t own that particular car, but still have physical access to it. Mitigating the hardware-based attack that the researchers achieved is not simple. In fact, the researchers said, Tesla would have to replace the hardware in question. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 97%

www.cnn.com

he floating barrier, which is intended to block migrants crossing from Mexico, was installed last month without federal authorization, according to the US Justice Department, which is suing the state of Texas over its use of the buoys. The Mexican government has also decried Abbott’s decision to float the buoys. Last week, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Alicia Bárcena Ibarra said her country had sent its second diplomatic note to the US complaining about the barriers. They not only violate two treaties between the US and Mexico, she said, but a slide that accompanied her remarks claimed that a portion of the 305 meters of deployed buoy is on “Mexican territory.” López Obrador on Thursday warned that the buoys violated Mexico’s “sovereignty and human rights,” adding that “we are already demanding that these buoys be removed.”

World News CantSt0pPoppin • 1 year ago • 98%

www.justice.gov

In two separate cases in the Southern and Central Districts of California, two U.S. Navy servicemembers were arrested for transmitting sensitive military information to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “These individuals stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the PRC government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to counter threats from China and to deter those who aid them in breaking our laws and threatening our national security.” “These arrests are a reminder of the relentless, aggressive efforts of the People’s Republic of China to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it,” said Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The PRC compromised enlisted personnel to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardize U.S. national security. The FBI and our partners remain vigilant in our determination to combat espionage, and encourage past and present government officials to report any suspicious interactions with suspected foreign intelligence officers.” United States v. Jinchao Wei, Southern District of California A U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, aka Patrick Wei, was arrested yesterday on espionage charges as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. He was indicted for conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China. The indictment, unsealed this morning, alleges that Wei, was an active-duty sailor on the amphibious assault ship the U.S.S. Essex stationed at Naval Base San Diego. In his role as a machinist’s mate, Wei held a U.S. security clearance and had access to sensitive national defense information about the ship’s weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. Amphibious assault ships like the Essex resemble small aircraft carriers and allow the U.S. military to project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary strike capabilities. According to the indictment, in February 2022, Wei began communicating with an intelligence officer from the PRC who requested that Wei provide information about the U.S.S. Essex and other Navy ships. Specifically, the Chinese intelligence officer tasked Wei with passing him photos, videos and documents concerning U.S. Navy ships and their systems. The two agreed to hide their communications by deleting records of their conversations and using encrypted methods of communication. At the request of the intelligence officer, between March 2022 and the present, Wei sent photographs and videos of the Essex, disclosed the locations of various Navy ships and described defensive weapons of the Essex. In exchange for this information, the intelligence officer paid Wei thousands of dollars over the course of the conspiracy. The indictment further alleges that in June 2022, Wei sent the intelligence officer approximately 30 technical and mechanical manuals. These manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of multiple systems aboard the Essex and similar ships, including power, steering, aircraft and deck elevators, as well as damage and casualty controls. The intelligence officer confirmed with Wei that at least 10 of those manuals were useful to him. For passage of those materials, the indictment alleges that Wei was paid $5,000. In June 2022, the intelligence officer requested that Wei provide information about the number and training of U.S. Marines during an upcoming international maritime warfare exercise. In response to this request, Wei sent multiple photographs of military equipment to the intelligence officer. In August 2022, Wei sent an additional 26 technical and mechanical manuals related to the power structure and operation of the Essex and similar ships. The manuals contained warnings that this was technical data subject to export controls and that it was deemed “critical technology” by the U.S. Navy. The indictment further alleges that in October 2022, Wei sent a technical manual to the intelligence officer describing the layout and location of certain departments, including berthing quarters and weapons systems. Specifically, Wei sent a weapons control systems manual for the Essex and similar ships. This manual contained export-controlled data that could not be exported without a license from the U.S. government. The indictment alleges that Wei knowingly violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by transmitting this manual to the Chinese intelligence officer without obtaining a required license. The intelligence officer continued to request information in 2023, including information about the overhaul and upgrades to the Essex. Specifically, he requested blueprints, especially those related to modifications to the flight deck. Wei provided information related to the repairs the Essex was undergoing, as well as other mechanical problems with similar vessels. During the alleged conspiracy, the intelligence officer instructed Wei to gather U.S. military information that was not public and admonished him not to discuss their relationship and to destroy any evidence regarding the nature of their relationship and their activities. “We have entrusted members of our military with tremendous responsibility and great faith,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “Our nation’s safety and security are in their hands. When a soldier or sailor chooses cash over country, and hands over national defense information in an ultimate act of betrayal, the United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute.” U.S. Attorney Grossman thanked the prosecution team and investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case. The FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Parmley and Fred Sheppard for the Southern District of California and Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. United States v. Wenheng Zhao, Central District of California A U.S. Navy servicemember, Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, aka Thomas Zhao, 26, of Monterey Park, California, was arrested following an indictment by a federal grand jury, charging him with receiving bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to an individual posing as a maritime economic researcher, but who was actually an intelligence officer from the PRC. The indictment alleges that Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme and held a U.S. security clearance, received bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for violating his official duties as a U.S. sailor by, among other actions, disclosing non-public sensitive U.S. military information. Beginning in August 2021 and continuing through at least May 2023, at the Chinese intelligence officer’s direction, Zhao allegedly violated his official duties to protect sensitive military information by surreptitiously recording, and then transmitting to the intelligence officer, U.S. military information, photographs and videos. According to the indictment, the Chinese intelligence officer told Zhao that the intelligence officer was a maritime economic researcher seeking the information for investment decisions. In exchange for bribes, Zhao allegedly sent the Chinese military officer non-public and controlled operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region, which detailed the specific location and timing of Naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics support. The indictment further alleges that in exchange for bribes, Zhao also photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. The intelligence officer allegedly directed Zhao to conceal their relationship and to destroy evidence of the unlawful and corrupt scheme. In exchange for the sensitive information Zhao provided – information Zhao accessed as a result of his position within the U.S. Navy – the Chinese intelligence officer paid Zhao approximately $14,866, the indictment alleges. “By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country and uphold the Constitution,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Unlike the vast majority of U.S. Navy personnel who serve the nation with honor, distinction and courage, Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his country.” If convicted, Zhao faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division and NCIS investigated the case. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annamartine Salick, Sarah Gerdes, Christine Ro and Kathrynne Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case. Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section is providing substantial assistance. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Updated August 3, 2023