Category: Western Media
Experts question prosecutors’ strategy against weapons expert in Alec Baldwin case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than a year and a half after Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer while rehearsing a scene on set in New Mexico, prosecutors have yet to solve the biggest mystery in the tragic case: How did live rounds get on the set? Prosecutors said in their latest court filing that they have some evidence to support the theory that weapons expert Hannah Gutierrez-Reed may be responsible for the introduction of the rounds. But they…
The Mississippi police officer who shot an 11-year-old is now suspended without pay
Enlarge this image The Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded the unarmed boy has been suspended without pay during an investigation, a city official said. Here, this December 2022 photo provided by Nakala Murry shows her 11-year-old son Aderrien Murry, who was shot and wounded by an Indianola, Miss., Police Department officer on May 20, 2023, during a domestic disturbance call at the family’s home. AP AP The Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded an 11-year-old boy in…
Sage Therapeutics stock plunges more than 50% after FDA denies wider use of postpartum depression drug
Shares of Sage Therapeutics fell more than 50% Monday after the Food and Drug Administration approved the biotech company’s oral drug zuranolone for postpartum depression, but not for major depressive disorder, a bigger potential market. Shares of Biogen, which jointly developed the treatment with Sage, were up modestly. Who is Sage Therapeutics? Biogen Inc owns more than 10% of Sage Therapeutics, while FMR LLC owns almost 10%. Fidelity Management & Research Co. LLC owns almost 12% and Wellington Management Co….
Shakespeare and penguin book get caught in Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws
ORLANDO, Fla. — Students in a Florida school district will be reading only excerpts from William Shakespeare’s plays for class rather than the full texts under redesigned curriculum guides developed, in part, to take into consideration the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” laws. The changes to the Hillsborough County Public Schools’ curriculum guides were made with Florida’s new laws prohibiting classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in mind. Other reasons included revised state standards and an effort to get…
China Demands Philippines Remove Ship From Disputed Waters
China Tuesday renewed calls for the Philippines to remove an aging ship from a reef which Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands in defiance of Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea. The move comes after the Philippines at the weekend accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannon against boats on a resupply mission to its garrison stationed on the grounded vessel. The BRP Sierra Madre – deliberately grounded in the late…
Colorado Department of Higher Education warns of massive data breach
The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) discloses a massive data breach impacting students, past students, and teachers after suffering a ransomware attack in June. In a ‘Notice of Data Incident’ published on the CDHE website, the Department says they suffered a ransomware attack on June 19th, 2023. “On June 19, 2023, CDHE became aware it was the victim of a cybersecurity ransomware incident that impacted its network systems,” explains the data breach notification. “CDHE took steps to secure the…
RSV prevention shot for babies gets OK from CDC
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all infants under 8 months old receive an injection of nirsevimab, a newly approved monoclonal antibody, as they enter their first RSV season (usually fall through spring). A subset of children up to 19 months at heightened risk of serious RSV disease – including those with chronic lung disease, and American Indian and Alaska Native children – can get a shot in their second RSV season. “RSV is the…
Prosecutors want disgraced crypto mogul Bankman-Fried in jail ahead of trial
Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to put Sam Bankman-Fried in jail ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to start in October. As he considers their request, the judge has imposed a broad, temporary gag order in the case. There were audible gasps in the courtroom on Wednesday when prosecutors told the judge they were seeking Bankman-Fried’s detention. His defense attorney, Mark S. Cohen, said he was only notified of the ask “one minute before court.” Bankman-Fried has been…
A Texas A&M professor was suspended for allegedly criticizing lieutenant governor
A Texas A&M University professor was suspended, investigated and ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing for allegedly criticizing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during a lecture about the opioid crisis. The probe has free speech advocates concerned about political influence over academia in Texas. Joy Alonzo, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy, nearly lost her job for a remark she made while delivering a lecture at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston in March, the Texas Tribune reported….
NATO hacked by SiegedSec hackers
NATO has confirmed that its IT team is investigating claims about an alleged data-theft hack on the Communities of Interest (COI) Cooperation Portal by a hacking group known as SiegedSec. The COI Cooperation Portal (dnbl.ncia.nato.int) is the military alliance’s unclassified information-sharing and collaboration environment, dedicated to supporting NATO organizations and member nations. Yesterday, the hacking group ‘SiegedSec’ posted on Telegram what they claimed to be hundreds of documents stolen from the COI Cooperation Portal. SiegedSec post on Telegram Cybersecurity company CloudSEK analyzed…
Ex-CIA Officer Accused of Disturbing ‘Sex Training’ Has Gone MIA
A former CIA clandestine services officer accused of putting an aspiring operative through a sordid “training” program centered on servicing him sexually is now nowhere to be found, the alleged victim’s lawyers say. Adding additional intrigue to the search for ex-spy Shaun Wiggins, the upstate New York data analytics firm he co-founded has apparently vanished. The attorneys representing Wiggins’ accuser hired a skip tracer in hopes of tracking him down. Still, Wiggins remains frustratingly out of reach, making it all…
Ray-Ban, Oakley accused in lawsuit of inflating prices 1,000%; EssilorLuxottica price-fixing scheme
The French-Italian owner of the Ray-Ban and Oakley eyewear brands was sued for allegedly scheming with competitors to inflate prices by as much as 1,000%. Paris-based EssilorLuxottica SA, the world’s largest eyewear company, is the “instigator and primary enforcer” of the price-fixing scheme in the US market, forming illegal agreements with Frames for America Inc. and For Eyes Optical Co., among others, according to the consumer antitrust complaint filed Friday in San Francisco federal court as a proposed class action….
Protesters try to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone over Quran and flag burning in Denmark
BAGHDAD — Hundreds of protesters attempted to storm Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and the seat of Iraq’s government, early Saturday following reports an ultranationalist group burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. Security forces pushed back protesters, who blocked the Jumhuriya bridge leading to the Green Zone, preventing them from reaching the Danish Embassy. The protest came two days after people angered by the planned burning of the…
U.S. prosecutors accuse FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of witness tampering
U.S. prosecutors have accused FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of witness tampering and asked a federal judge to issue an order that would bar the former billionaire and other parties from making public statements likely to interfere with a fair trial. The prosecutors wrote to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Thursday referencing a New York Times article titled “Inside the Private Writings of Caroline Ellison, Star Witness in the FTX Case.” The article reported excerpts from Ellison’s personal Google documents…
Fincantieri, Leonardo Contracted for Italian Aircraft Carrier, Destroyer Maintenance
Fincantieri and Leonardo have signed a 190-million euro ($211.5 million) contract to maintain the Italian Navy’s Cavour aircraft carrier and the Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio Horizon-class destroyers. Work under the agreement will be conducted until 2028 by the Leonardo and Fincantieri joint venture Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN). The companies will sustain the operational condition of each ship to maintain Italian naval capabilities. Italian Navy’s Horizon-class destroyer ITS Andrea Doria. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dean M. Cates/US Navy…
Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations, Ring subsidiary also facing $5 million fine
The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Amazon has agreed to pay a $25 million fine to settle alleged children’s privacy laws violations related to the company’s Alexa voice assistant service. Amazon has offered Alexa voice-activated products and services targeted at children under 13 years old since May 2018. In May 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges against Amazon, accusing the company of violating children’s privacy laws,…