Thursday 31 August 2017

7-year-old boy gets stuck in washing machine after playing hide and seek with sister


A young boy learned the hard way that a washing machine was not a toy after getting stuck in one for several hours, according to police in Ukraine. Kharkiv police said that they were called to the 7-year-old boy's home after being unable to free himself from the washing machine. The boy told police that he was playing hide and seek with his sister when he decided the washing machine would be the perfect place to hide. The boy was right as his sister couldn't figure out where her brother was hiding. When it came time to get out, the boy realized that he was stuck.

Landslides wreak havoc in China, kills 30


Two landslides in rural areas of China have killed 30 people with at least another 12 missing, according to state media reports on Wednesday. The death toll from a large landslide that struck a town in southwestern Guizhou province on Monday rose to 23 while a second landslide on Wednesday killed seven people in the northwest of the country. More than 600,000 cubic metres of rock and mud had fallen in the town of Zhangjiawan in Guizhou, and rescue efforts were continuing to find 12 people still missing, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Sosoliso plane crash survivor, Kechi Okwuchi, moves to the Semi Finals at AGT competition


After a beautiful rendition of Katy Perry's "By The Grace of God" on the live show, Kechi has been voted into the semi finals in the 2017 America's Got Talent Competition.
Congrats!

11-year-old boy calls police and reports mother for driving drunk


Police in Oregon, are praising a young boy for reporting his other who was driving drunk. The Washington County Sheriff's Office wrote: "Doing the right thing sometimes is not easy, especially when you're 11 years old. We're really glad he did."
The woman was arrested for driving under the influence on Saturday, at around 9:30 p.m., after she was reported by her own 11-year-old son riding in the car with her. A breathalyzer test revealed her blood alcohol content level was nearly twice the legal limit.

Why you should never turn off the air conditioning above your seat during a flight


The next time you go to turn off the ventilation above your seat on an airplane,you might want to reconsider. Using that tiny vent can actually work to your advantage, as it can help you avoid contact with certain microorganisms that can get you sick during a flight. Travel + Leisure spoke to Dr. Mark Gendreau an expert on the spread of infectious diseases associated with air travel He said Airborne viruses like tuberculosis and measles, are transmitted by tiny droplet nuclei that can hang in the air for up to five hours. He says these droplets can't in fact reach you if the air con is on, because a barrier has been formed around you which prevents this.

Wednesday 30 August 2017

Harvey storm death toll reaches 33


Authorities said on Wednesday that 33 people are believed to have died directly or indirectly as a result of the punishing winds and heavy rain unleashed by Harvey on the Texas coast. Ten people have been confirmed dead in several counties in Southeast Texas, with "23 additional deaths potentially Harvey-related", according to Tricia Bentley of the Harris County Medical Examiner's office.
Officials fear the death toll could rise further as floodwaters recede in the city of Houston and surrounding communities, which were inundated with record-breaking rainfall - as much as 132cm in one location.
"I'm fearful that more will be found," said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, after the bodies of six family members - including four children under age 16 - were removed on Wednesday from a van swept away by floodwaters.

Kenya's Supreme Court ends election challenge hearing

                                                                  (C)AFP

Kenya's Supreme Court judges completed on Tuesday their hearing of an opposition challenge to the August 8 poll and said a ruling will be delivered on Friday. Opposition leader Raila Odinga argued the presidential poll was rigged and took his case to the court, challenging the election commission's declaration of President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election with 54% of the vote. After hearing closing arguments from lawyers representing the National Super Alliance (NASA) opposition coalition, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and Kenyatta, Chief Justice David Maraga said, "That brings us to the end of the hearing. We will deliver judgement on Friday."
Odinga alleges that hacking and fraud delivered victory to Kenyatta and believes it is the third time in a row that he has been cheated of a rightful win. The disputed election in 2007 led to politically-motivated ethnic violence in which over 1 100 people died. In 2013 Odinga took his dispute to the courts, and lost.

Thousands pelt each other in Spain’s messy 'Tomatina' battle


More than 20,000 people have been drenched in red pulp after hurling tons of ripe tomatoes at each other in the annual “Tomatina” street battle in eastern Spain. Extra security measures were taken at the fiesta in Bunol this year following the vehicle attacks in and near Barcelona this month, with some 700 agents deployed.
The party saw 160 tons of tomatoes offloaded from trucks into crowds jamming the town’s streets for the hour-long battle Wednesday.
More pictures after the cut

Update: Head of Indian Medical College and his wife charged in oxygen shortage


The chief of the Indian medical college where dozens of sick children died earlier this month after the oxygen supply ran out (You can read the story here) has been arrested on charges of culpable homicide, the Indian authorities have said. Dr. Rajiv Mishra, who had been chief of Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur until he was recently suspended, was arrested Tuesday along with his wife. On Wednesday, Indian officials disclosed that 386 children had died this month at that hospital, slightly above average.

Checkout this Vitiligo barbie


An artist Winona Flammery has created a barbie with Vitiligo.It is obviously inspired by model Winnie Harlow.

Sosoliso plane crash survivor, Kechi Okwuchi, breaks down in tears after an amazing performance on AGT


Sosoliso plane crash survivor, Kechi Okwuchi, who is one of the contestants in America's Got Talent 2017 competition, gave an amazing performance at the live shows last night. She gave a beautiful rendition of Katy Perry's song "By the Grace of God". Kechi broke down in tears after her rendition which got all the judges standing up.
Watch the emotional video from her performance below

Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs and PSG midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak‏ join West Brom


West Brom have completed a double swoop to sign Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs for about £7m and Paris St-Germain midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak‏ on loan. England international Gibbs, 27, has agreed a four-year deal.
Poland international Krychowiak‏ has started just 10 games for the French club since joining from Sevilla for £28m last year. They are the Baggies' fifth and sixth major signings of the summer.

White guy arrested for stabbing himself and lying he was stabbed by black guy


A Colorado man who claimed he was stabbed by a black man because of his 'neo-Nazi haircut' has been arrested for lying about the attack, police say. Joshua Witt, 26, had called police earlier this month to report that he had been stabbed by an anti-fascist in Sheridan. Witt told police he was getting out of his car when a black man came up to him as said: 'Are you one of them neo-Nazis?'
He claimed the man then stabbed him in the hand with a small knife as he tried to defend himself. But following a two week investigation, police arrested Witt last week for false reporting.Police said Witt also admitted to lying about the attack.
He was arrested and released on a summons for false reporting.

Egypt puts more than 350 people on terrorism list


Egypt has put the names of more than 350 people, including prominent Muslim Brotherhood figures, on its terrorism list. The designation, announced over two days this week in the government's official Gazette, bans those on the list from travel, puts them on a watch list and grants authorities the right to freeze their assets. Authorities have launched a severe crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters since former President Mohammed Morsi's ouster in 2013 following mass protests against his divisive, one-year rule. The Sunni Islamist organization was founded in Egypt.
The decision, subject to appeal within 60 days of publication in the Gazette, includes Muslim Brotherhood financier Hassan Malik. Earlier this year, Egypt put some 1,500 others on the list, including Morsi and retired soccer midfielder Mohammed Abu Trika.

Couples that prank together...


‘My wife wanted a family portrait for our Christmas cards. Job Done!’
More pictures after the cut

Mother kills her 7-year-old daughter by flinging her from the terrace of a 4-storey building twice


A 36-year-old mother killed her 7-year-old disabled daughter by throwing her twice from the terrace of a four-storey residential building at Jaraganahalli in JP Nagar on Sunday afternoon. The victim identified as Aishika Sarkar, but popularly called Shreya, survived the initial fall with serious injuries, after which her mother, Swathi Sarkar, rushed down, carried her up, and went back up to their flat only to throw her down again in front of shocked neighbours. She died instantly.

Tuesday 29 August 2017

Most French now dissatisfied with Macron, poll shows


Most French voters are now dissatisfied with Emmanuel Macron's performance, a poll showed on Sunday, marking a dramatic turnaround for a president who basked in a landslide election victory less than four months ago. The poll, conducted by Ifop for newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) showed Macron's dissatisfaction rating at 57 percent, 14 percentage points worse than Ifop's last poll in July.  Forty percent expressed satisfaction with the centrist leader - also down 14 points from July.

Pakistani mob burn effigy of Donald Trump


A furious Pakistani mob burned an effigy of Donald Trump during a rally against the US a week after he slammed Islamabad for harbouring terrorists.
Pictures have emerged of the figure depicting the President engulfed in flames as the cheering crowd hoist Pakistani flags in the air.
Other demonstrators punched the air and held up placards reading, 'US President Donald Trump (is) stupid.'

Transgender soldiers take Donald Trump to court over military ban


Transgender soldiers are taking Donald Trump to court in a bid to crush his ban on their military service. Trump prompted a backlash around the world last month by announcing on Twitter that he would not "accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity".
Now that decision is being challenged by six trans members of the US military, including the Army, Navy and Air Force.Their bid has been organised by the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the ban was discriminatory and violates the constitution.

Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for the billionaire heir to Red Bull, Vorayuth Yoovidhya


Interpol has issued an international request for the arrest of the billionaire heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune as they step up the hunt for the fugitive wanted in a 2012 hit-and-run incident that left a traffic policeman dead in Bangkok. Thai police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said that his department had been notified by the international police network of the "Red Notice," a worldwide request to find and provisionally arrest an individual, pending extradition.
 Vorayuth Yoovidhya, the 32-year old grandson of the Thai co-founder of the Red Bull brand skipped Thailand at the end of April, just before authorities issued an arrest warrant after he repeatedly failed to meet with prosecutors since the September 2012 crash. He flew to Singapore on one of the family's private jets but his trail has since gone cold. The Red Notice goes out to all 190 Interpol member countries. Among other measures, it alerts border officials, in theory making international travel more likely to result in arrest.

Man sentenced to life for raping 60-year-old woman on a bridge


A serial sex offender who raped and brutally beat a random 60-year-old woman on a bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx in 2015 was sentenced to up to life in prison on Monday. Randy Rivera, 29, already a level-three sex offender at the time of the attack,approached the woman at the 207th St. bridge on Dec. 21, 2015, knocked her to the ground and repeatedly punched her before sexually assaulting her.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office,he then stole her purse and took off, prosecutors said. Rivera later claimed he committed the brutal crime because “something took over me.”
According to tthe New York Daily,he has a past conviction for sexually abusing an 11-year-old and was designated a highest-risk sex offender. He was identified and caught in this case because his DNA was collected in the rape kit when the victim was treated at Harlem Hospital, the DA said.

Mass shooting at a public library in US kills 2, injures 4


Two women have been killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a public library in the US. The incident happened in Clovis, New Mexico, yesterday evening. Armed police surrounded the library while a large number of other emergency services were also on the scene. Vanessa Aguirre told Eastern New Mexico News she was in the library with her son when a man came in and “started to shoot” into the air.
"It all happened so fast," she said. "We took off fast. My purse is still in there.”

Toddler dangles from metal bars of a three-storey high building


Shocking footage has caught the moment a two-year-old is seen hanging from the window bars of a building in China. Terrified neighbours can be seen rushing to try and stretch out blankets and quilts to rescue the young child who fell while playing unsupervised. According to reports, the boy eventually fell from the bars and into the safety of the quilts held by family members. He was unhurt in the incident.

Mark Zuckerberg & wife Priscilla welcome 2nd child

Mark Zuckerberg and wife, Priscilla Chan have welcomed their second child.  Chan gave birth this month and the couple named the baby girl August.
The Facebook CEO shared the news saying he and Priscilla already wrote her a note. He said;
'Priscilla and I are so happy to welcome our daughter August! We wrote her a letter about the world we hope she grows up in, and also hoping she doesn't grow up too fast,' Zuckerberg wrote.
Read the full letter below...

Kenya bans plastic bags, may fine violators up to $38,000


A ban on plastic bags came into force Monday in Kenya and those found violating the new regulation could be receive maximum fines of $38,000 or a four-year jail term. The ban applies to the use, manufacture, and importation of plastic shopping bags and gives a minimum fine of about $19,000 or up to a year imprisonment, according to the government. Exemptions were made for manufacturers producing plastic bags for industrial use. A spot check showed many people and shops in the capital city, Nairobi, still packaging goods in plastic bags. But most supermarkets chains had stopped giving out the bags and were selling cloth bags instead. Vehicles were being stopped at road blocks for bag checks.

Taylor Swift's new video smashes YouTube record


She's breaking records with her new single, Look What You Made Me Do! Taylor Swift's track had racked up 35,519,224 views on YouTube by 3pm on Monday during its first 24 hours of release.
That smashed through the 27 million views set by previous record holder Adele for her Hello during its first day in October 2015.
The full video debuted at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, without the 27-year-old singer present. But that didn't seem to bother her fans who had previously helped Taylor earn the record for most views of a lyric video in 24 hours for the song.

Video: Gabon minister disgraced in Paris by Gabonese living there


3.8 million displaced by DR Congo violence: UN


The number of people displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mainly in the volatile Kasai region, has nearly doubled in the past six months to 3.8 million, a United Nations official has said.  George Okoth-Obbo, the number two official at the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR), said that food and clothing was needed for the 1.4 million in Kasai who have fled their homes in violence that has killed more than 3,000 people. "Immediate protection" was required, he told AFP on the last day of a three-day visit to the country, in particular for children "who are sleeping in conditions that are difficult to imagine".
In the southeastern province of Tanganyika, clashes between Bantus and Pygmies have also forced thousands to flee, as has the long-running violence in the Kivu region, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council, an NGO.

Source: AFP

Monday 28 August 2017

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh sentenced to 20 years for rape


A judge in northern India has sentenced the leader of a popular sect to 20 years in prison for raping two of his female followers. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced amid intense security on Monday at a prison in the town of Rohtak, where the 50-year-old guru has been held since his conviction last week.  Singh was given two 10-year jail terms, which will run consecutively, for each offence.

Bride breastfeeds her three month-old baby during her wedding in Brazil


In this viral photograph taken by Monica Carvalho, this 24 year woman Danielly Katsue is captured breastfeedig her 3-month old baby as she exchanged wedding vows with her 26 years old husband, Kale Rios.

Taiwanese sisters and their mother stun the world with their incredibly youthful looks


Lure Hsu, a 41-year-old interior designer and fashion blogger, had already been attracting lots of attention online for her incredibly youthful looks, but people recently discovered that eternal youth runs in her family. Lure’s two sisters, 36-year-old Sharon, and 40-year old FayFay, both look like they are in their early 20s, and their 63-year-old mother looks like their older sister.
More pictures after the cut

Philippines' President Duterte orders police to kill 'idiots' who resist arrest


Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told police on Monday that they could kill "idiots" who violently resist arrest. He made this announcement just wo days after hundreds of people turned the funeral of a slain teenager into a protest against his deadly war on drugs. The killing of schoolboy, 17 year old Kian Loyd delos Santos by anti-drugs officers on Aug 16  sparked a rare public outrage.
More than 1,000 people, including nuns, priests and hundreds of children, joined a funeral procession on Saturday for the teenager, turning the march into one of the biggest protests  against Duterte's anti-drugs campaign.

Alligators invade the streets of Texas following hurricane Harvey

Alligators have turned up outside homes and under cars as a result of Hurricane Harvey . A warning was issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office as Texas was las night slammed with the most powerful storm to strike the US mainland in a decade. Authorities have now warned residents to keep an eye out for confused alligators which will look to move to higher ground because of floods.
More pictures after the cut

Former British athlete, Colin Jackson comes out as Gay , nine years after denying it


Former British athletics star, Colin Jackson, who denied being Gay in 2008, finally opened up about his sexuality during a Swedish TV interview. The track star made the revelation on a programme called Rainbow Heroes on Swedish broadcast, SVT.
Speaking with Swedish LGBT former athletes, high-jumper Kajsa Bergqvist and long-jumper Peter Häggström, Jackson, 50, admitted he remained silent for years because he never wanted the story “sensationalised”.

Donald Trump signs memo banning military from recruiting transgender people

US President Donald Trump has finally signed a memorandum ordering the military never to recruit transgender individuals. This new step is coming a month after he tweets his intentions not allow transgenders serve in the U.S military. CNBC reports that the memo, saw Trump directing the Department of Defense and Department to discontinue the use of government funds for sex-reassignment procedures, unless the procedure is already underway.
The White House official who briefed the press reportedly said:

How to pick a ripe watermelon


1. Pick it up. It should feel heavy, not hollow, as ripe watermelons have more water.

2. Look for a creamy, yellow spot. Watermelons tend to develop a patch where they are placed on the ground to soak up the sun. When you find it, it means that the fruit is ripe. This is called the 'ground spot'. If this spot is white or greenish it means the fruit may have been picked too early.

3. Tap it and hear the sound. A ripe one will have a deep hollow sound while those that are under-ripe or overripe will sound dull.

4. The watermelon should be uniformly shaped and symmetrical, free from bruises and scars. Press against different spots, it should feel firm.

5. Ripe ones are dark green in colour, they tend to be sweeter. The surface colour should be dull. If it is shiny, it may be unripe.

Mexican man tells wife he’s going out to buy cigarettes, flies to Russia for football match!


In what many are calling the lie of the century, a die-hard football fan from Puebla, Mexico, told his wife that he was stepping out to buy a pack of cigarettes, but ended up boarding a plane to Germany, and then driving to Russia, to see his national football team play in the Confederations Cup.
Antonio Garcia recently got his five minutes of fame on the internet, after news of his escapade to Mexico’s match against Russia, in Kazan, went viral on social media. The man had reportedly told his wife that he was going out to buy a pack of cigarettes, buy he actually travelled to Monterey, where he got on a plane to Wolfsburg, Germany, where some of his relatives live, and from there he drove to Kazan, Russia, where he joined hundreds of other Mexican fans in supporting the national football team.

Sunday 27 August 2017

Why does this coloring book cost $30,875?


What does it take to create a $30,875 coloring book?
On July 25, luxury website VeryFirstTo.com announced the launch of the world’s most expensive coloring book. Since it’s neither an antique nor is it encrusted with diamonds, the key may very well be you—given there are ten bespoke illustrations tailored entirely on the most important people, places and events in your life. Obviously, every element is exquisite. In addition to selecting the sturdiest and most supple Italian leather, the treasured book is hand stitched by one of the world’s leading craftsmen with 50 years’ experience.

10 Countries with really weird traffic laws


Here are some weird traffic laws from around the world.

1.China
Its illegal for you to stop for pedestrians in Beijing China, so if they are crossing the road and you stop for them you can be arrested.

2.Russia
In this region its completely illegal to have a dirty car,if your car is dirty you gonna be paying a fine or going to jail .

Caster Semenya breaks 600m world record


South Africa’s queen of the track caps off a magnificent 2017 with a dominant performance at the World Challenge in Berlin. Middle-distance runner Caster Semenya shattered the world best in the women’s 600m event on Sunday, taking no prisoners in a runaway victory at the World Challenge meeting in Berlin. The world and Olympic 800m champion charged ahead at the gun and left the rest of the field behind, with even pace setter Ilona Usovich of Belarus unable to keep up, as the South African star stormed home in 1:21.77.
She took 0.86 off the previous global mark which had been held by Cuba’s Ana Quirot for more than 20 years. Semenya, the only SA athlete participating at the meeting, also smashed her own national best of 1:25.56 which she had set in Turku in June 2012.
After another dominant season, which included two medals at the World Championships in London and the successful defence of her Diamond League two-lap crown in Zurich, Semenya was expected to arrive back in the country on Tuesday morning.

Despite UN sanctions, North Korea fires 3 new missiles


The crisis in the Korean Peninsula is far from being resolved as North Korea fired “several projectiles” into sea off its eastern coast on Friday August 25, 2017. According to the South Korean military, the missiles were launched from a site in the North Korean province of Gangwon and flew for about 250km (150 miles). Since firing an intercontinental ballistic weapon last month, Pyongyang has threatened to aim missiles at the United States.

Man accidentally films his death while he was trying to make a video on how to escape quick sand


Footage showing the moment a man sank while trying to record a video showing how to escape quicksand has surfaced. The youngman is reportedly a Youtuber and was hoping he'll get lots of clicks from making the video. The idea had been to show people how to escape if they found themselves sinking in quicksand. Unfortunately, he couldn't escape. You can see the panic in his face when he realised he was sinking.
Some reports have it that he didn't make it out but some people say he's not dead and it's just his way of entertaining his fanbase.
Watch the video after the cut

Mayweather knocks out Conor McGregor in the 10th round making it his 50th undefeated match


Undefeated 40 year old welterweight boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather, on Saturday night defeated 29 year old UFC champion, Conor McGregor in a knock out in Round 10 after the two men squared off in what was billed as the Fight of the Century at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. This is Mayweather's 50th undefeated match.The match was a very interesting one with McGregor taking the first 3 rounds, but at the 4th round, he started to look fatigued. He struggled the rest of the fight and at the 10th round, after a barrage of punches from Mayweather, the referee stopped the fight, because McGregor wasnt defending himself from Mayweather. After winning the match, which was star studded, Mayweather swore it will be his last. 

Man shoots his wife dead in presence of her students


A  primary school teacher was shot dead in full view of pupils in South Africa. The woman, Kate Chiloane, 30, was shot by her husband who later shot himself at their home. Spokesperson for Mpumalanga department of education, Jasper Zwane, told Mail & Guardian that the husband entered her class on Monday morning after lying that he was fetching something from his wife.
 “He then shot her but she managed to get away and tried running to the staff-room but he followed her and shot her again outside where she died,” said Zwane.

Almost 100 dead and thousands evacuated as violence flares in Myanmar

                                                                 (C)Reuters

The Myanmar government has evacuated at least 4,000 non-Muslim villagers amid ongoing clashes in north-western Rakhine state, the government said, while thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled across the border to Bangladesh. The death toll from the violence that erupted on Friday with coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents has climbed to 98, including 80 insurgents and 12 members of the security forces, the government said. The clashes, the worst since at least October, have prompted the government to evacuate staff and thousands of non-Muslim villagers from the area.  Fighting involving the military and hundreds of Rohingya across north-western Rakhine continued on Saturday with the fiercest clashes taking place on the outskirts of the major town of Maungdaw, according to residents and the government.

First ever postal order sold at auction


The world’s first-ever postal order which was bought for just one shilling 129 years ago was sold at auction for £ 4,485. The perfectly-preserved payment, which has the serial number 000001, was the first of millions produced by the Post Office in Lombard Street, London, in 1881. Only five other 1881 postal orders bearing the same 000001 number are known to have survived but this is the first one ever produced by the main Lombard Street post office. Postal orders were invented by the Victorians as a safe and secure method of sending money through the post.

Survey finds 40% of Australian women diagnosed with depression or anxiety


A survey of more than 10,000 Australian women found 40% have been professionally diagnosed with depression or anxiety. The Jean Hailes Women’s Health survey 2017 released on Sunday, also found 60% did not meet the recommended 2.5 hours of weekly physical activity because for many they were “too tired” or it was too “hard” to find the time. Two out of five women surveyed, aged 18-89, considered themselves slightly overweight, while 20% said they were quite overweight. Only a quarter had been screened for sexually transmitted infections in the last five years. The survey found 95% of women were non-smokers.

Saturday 26 August 2017

French President Macron has spent $30,000 on makeup services in just 3 months


Emmanuel Macron has long been described as a fresh face in French politics. As it turns out, the appellation may be literal as well. The French magazine Le Point revealed Thursday that France’s 39-year-old new president has spent 26,000 euros ($30,000) on makeup services in his first three months in office — that's $10,000 a month, or about $330 a day. All at taxpayers’ expense. In the rest of the French press, the revelations only added to a growing sentiment that Macron — who currently enjoys an approval rating of just 36 percent — has gone too far in cultivating what some see as a kinglike persona.

Hackers are using the promise of Game of Thrones spoilers to spread malware


A report from cybersecurity company Proofpoint says that it’s observed a “targeted email campaign” that is using details of leaked Game of Thrones episodes to try and spread malware to unsuspecting users. The company first came across an e-mail on August 10th with the subject line "Wanna see the Game of Thrones in advance?" The emails contained some general details of upcoming episodes, as well as a Microsoft Word attachment with malware hidden in it. Once downloaded, it would attempt to install a “9002” remote access Trojan (RAT). Proofpoint says that similar attacks in the past have been attributed to groups associated with the Chinese government, and that it’s possible that this attack could be coming from the same actors.  At the end of July, hackers stole 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO, including contact information for the show’s stars, unaired episodes and scripts, while an unrelated accident allowed a pair of episodes to leak to the internet earlier this month.
Proofpoint isn’t saying that HBO’s breaches and these attacks are connected. The hackers behind these phishing attempts are using the leaks as a way to get people to click on and accidentally install their software, relying on natural human curiosity to carry out their attack.

Source: The Verge

Chef slain at Charleston restaurant; suspect shot by police


A fired dishwasher shot and killed a chef and held a person hostage for about three hours before he was shot by police at a crowded restaurant in a tourist-heavy area of downtown Charleston on Thursday, authorities and one of the restaurant's owners said. The hostage was freed unharmed, Mayor John Tecklenburg said. The shooting took place at Virginia's restaurant on the usually crowded King Street, a row of shops and nice dining that caters to both tourists and residents in South Carolina's largest and most historic city.

Apple takes down apps made in Iran because of U.S. sanctions


Apple has been cracking down on Iranian apps over the last few weeks, removing those that offer food delivery, shopping and ride-hailing services, among others from its App Stores. Due to US sanctions on Iran, companies like Apple are limited in the sorts of business they can do in the country, which is why the iPhone isn't legally sold in Iran and why there's no Iranian App Store.