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Microsoft: State-sponsored Chinese hackers could be laying groundwork for disruption

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — State-backed Chinese hackers have been targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and could be laying the technical groundwork for the potential disruption of critical communications between the U.S. and Asia during future crises, Microsoft said Wednesday.The targets include sites in Guam, where the U.S. has a major military presence, the company said.Hostile activity in cyberspace — from espionage to the advanced positioning of malware for potential future attacks — has become a hallmark of modern geopolitical rivalry. Microsoft said in a blog post that the state-sponsored group of hackers, which it calls Volt Typhoon, has been active since mid-2021. It said organizations affected by the hacking — which seeks persistent access — are in the communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, information technology and education sectors.Separately, the National Security Agency, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ...

3 ex-officers in Mississippi indicted in death of Black man seen on video being tased repeatedly

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

JACKSON, Mississippi. (AP) — A Mississippi grand jury has indicted two former police officers on murder charges and another ex-officer on a manslaughter charge in the death of a Black man who was pinned to the ground and repeatedly tased during an arrest last December.Officials in Jackson, Mississippi’s capital, released body camera footage Wednesday that showed three officers — Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land — struggling to handcuff Keith Murriel as he was stunned numerous times over a 10-minute span.Authorities said the officers had tackled Murriel while arresting him for allegedly trespassing at a hotel shortly before midnight on Dec. 31, 2022. McCarty and Willis have been charged with second-degree murder, and Land with manslaughter, court records showed. All three were placed on administrative leave after the incident and McCarty was fired in February, then Willis and Land in April.McCarty and Willis are Black, and Land is white, according to Melissa Faith Pay...

Louis Vuitton takes Baroque and botanical cues from Italy’s Isola Bella for Cruise 2024 collection

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

STRESA, Italy (AP) — Incessant rain failed to put a damper on Nicolas Ghesquiere’s ambitions for his Louis Vuitton 2024 Cruise collection, unveiled Wednesday to an A-list crowd including Oprah Winfrey, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Connolly and Emma Stone.Originally envisioned against a golden sunset setting aglow magnificent fountain on the aptly named Isola Bella on northern Italy’s Lago Maggiore, the show was instead moved into the stately public rooms of the Borromeo Palace, construction of which was started in the 17th century and only completed 400 years later, after World War II. The sprawling palace near the Swiss border remains the summer residence of the Borromeo family.Destination cruise shows are among the fashion world’s most ambitious, winging the fashion crowd to some of the planet’s most scenic locations. The internet still buzzes over Ghesquire’s Cruise 2018 show in Kyoto and Cruise 2017 in Rio de Janiero.The Isola Bella show was no less enterprising, imagined amid the i...

Hay River, N.W.T., residents allowed to return Thursday as wildfire burns nearby

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

HAY RIVER, N.W.T. — Residents of the town of Hay River are to be allowed to return to the Northwest Territories community Thursday, even as a wildfire continues to burn on the nearby K’atl’odeeche First Nation reserve.About 3,500 residents from the town and reserve were forced to leave their homes on May 14. A post on the town’s Facebook page Wednesday said the evacuation order would be reduced to an evacuation alert, meaning residents are allowed to return but should  be prepared to leave again if conditions worsen. “Conditions are still not without risk, but the town recognizes the offsetting impact and risks to residents being away from their homes,” the post states. “The mayor and council appreciate residents’ sacrifices during this time. Countless people have relentlessly worked to ensure there has been no damage to your homes or properties and are excited for you to return.”Germaine Michel said she’s looking forward to returning ...

Joliet woman found guilty of threatening, intimidating elderly man out of over $1.6 million

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

CHICAGO -- A Joliet woman admitted in federal court that she used a series of threats and intimidation to exploit an elderly man out of more than $1.6 million.Lee Turner, also known as Ashley Turner, 40, was found guilty Wednesday of using a facility of interstate commerce to promote and carry on unlawful activity, according to the United States Attorney's Office. Millionaire planned to escape Florida jail, fly private jet to French ‘castle’ Turner admitted that from 2018 to 2021 she communicated numerous threat and fraudulent statements to the victim, who was in his seventies and had limited vision. Turner reportedly threatened to expose the victim’s purported criminal activity, even though she had no knowledge of any such activity committed by the victim.Turner took on false personas to convey false statements purportedly from others, including alleged gang members, individuals involved in organized crime, prosecutors, journalists, and corrupt law enforcement officers. 95-year...

'She's a warrior': Woman shoved into moving NYC subway train paralyzed

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WPIX) - A 35-year-old woman who was shoved into a moving subway train on Sunday is paralyzed from the neck down and could die from her injuries, prosecutors said Wednesday. The victim, Emine, was on her way to work when Kamal Semrade, 39, allegedly came up from behind and grabbed her with both hands before shoving her head into a departing E train at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station, authorities said. The woman hit the train with her face and head before landing on the platform, leaving her instantly paralyzed, prosecutors said. She suffered a spinal fracture, ruptured blood vessels, and broken fingers, and remained hospitalized in critical condition, officials said. 2 NYPD officers struck by hit-and-run driver during traffic stop in Manhattan: police “She is still recovering from her surgery from the day of the incident. She’s hanging in there. We are doing our best to keep her spirits high," Emine's husband, Ferdi Ozsoy, told Nexsta...

Iconic 'Brady Bunch' house heads to market after major renovations

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

(KTLA) - The famous home of Mike, Carol, Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Greg, Peter, Bobby, Alice the housekeeper, and Tiger the dog is headed to market. Yes, the original home from the "Brady Bunch" can be yours, and it will look just like you remember it.The home, which is located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, was originally just used for exterior shots in the original 1970s classic television series. But in 2019, HGTV, the popular real estate and home improvement reality channel, began renovating the property to revamp the interior to be series-accurate. The Studio City home featured in the "The Brady Bunch" is officially headed to market following renovations by HGTV. (Photo courtesy: Anthony Barcelo)The project was chronicled in HGTV's "A Very Brady Renovation," hosted by Drew and Jonathan Scott, aka the Property Brothers, who worked on the renovations alongside the actors who portrayed the six Brady kids in the original series.HGTV purchased the home back in 2018 to the...

Teen dies during apparent social media stunt on bridge, Los Angeles police say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 17-year-old boy fell to his death this weekend while climbing a Los Angeles bridge in an apparent social media stunt, police said.Police were sent to the 6th Street Viaduct around 2 a.m. Saturday and found the boy, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. His name wasn't immediately released.The teen slipped and fell “when climbing upon one of the arches, in order to post, apparently, a social media broadcast,” Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday during a meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission.The bridge opened last July. The $588-million span, which replaced an 84-year-old Art Deco span, runs 3,500 feet (1,066.80 meters) over the concrete-lined Los Angeles River and connects downtown to the historic Eastside. Frontier Airlines confirms gate agent ‘incentive’ for baggage fees after viral TikToks The bridge, which has thousands of LED lights and views of LA's skyline, is the largest and most expensive span ever built in the city. It was designed to becom...

Biden, Obama mark passing of music icon Tina Turner

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

A sitting President and one former marked the passing of iconic singer Tina Turner, who died on Wednesday following a long illness. Dubbed the 'Queen of Rock 'n' Roll,' Turner was 83. In a White House statement, President Joe Biden called Turner a "once-in-a-generation talent that changed American music forever." Iconic rock and soul singer Tina Turner dies "Tina’s personal strength was remarkable," Biden added. "Overcoming adversity, and even abuse, she built a career for the ages and a life and legacy that were entirely hers."Former President Barack Obama took to Twitter to share his condolences, saying, "Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself—speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy."  PHOTOS: Remembering Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ The 83-year-old singer died at her home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland, after a “long illness,” according to Bernard Doherty of London’s LD ...

Houston man arrested in Fayette County after road rage incident

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Monday, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office reported a Houston man was arrested on multiple charges after a road rage incident Sunday on Interstate 10.Deputies responded to a call involving a vehicle reportedly shooting a handgun out the window. The vehicle was found and pulled over, according to the sheriff’s office.“The occupants, two males and a woman traveling with a small child, at first denied any involvement in any shooting or weapons being in the vehicle,” FCSO said.Deputies found a 9mm handgun in the backseat of the vehicle, according to FCSO, as well as marijuana.“When confronted with the findings, the driver admitted to firing the handgun out the window after being cut off by a couple of motorists,” FCSO said.The driver was identified as 35-year-old Charlie Ray Sheppard Jr., of Houston.According to the sheriff’s office, the driver was found to be prohibited from possessing a firearm due to being a convicted felon.FCSO said the driver was arrested and ch...