Non-IT News Thread
-
Coronavirus: UK variant 'may be more deadly'
Early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
However, there remains huge uncertainty around the numbers - and vaccines are still expected to work. The data comes from mathematicians comparing death rates in people infected with either the new or the old versions of the virus. The new more infectious variant has already spread widely across the UK. Mr Johnson told a Downing Street briefing: "In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the south east - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality. "It's largely the impact of this new variant that means the NHS is under such intense pressure." -
-
Covid: Dutch curfew riots rage for third night
Riot police in the Netherlands have again clashed with protesters defying a curfew, following a weekend of unrest.
More than 150 people were arrested, local media say. In Rotterdam, the police fired warning shots and tear gas, after an emergency order issued by the mayor failed to move demonstrators. Unrest started over the weekend as protesters kicked back against newly imposed coronavirus restrictions. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has condemned what he called "criminal violence". -
Biden raises election meddling with Putin in first phone call
US President Joe Biden has warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about election meddling in their first call, the White House says.
The conversation included a discussion about the ongoing opposition protests in Russia and an extension of the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms pact. Mr Putin congratulated the new US president on winning the election, according to a Russian statement. Both parties said they agreed to maintain contact moving forward. Former US President Donald Trump was accused by critics of not being forceful enough with Mr Putin. US intelligence officials say Moscow has been involved in several US hacks. Former President Barack Obama - under whom Mr Biden served as vice-president - was also accused of weakness on Russia, and failing to check the Kremlin as it annexed Crimea, invaded eastern Ukraine and muscled in on Syria. -
Biden to sign executive orders on environment
US President Joe Biden will sign a series of executive orders aimed to address climate change, including a new ban on some energy drilling.
The orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030. They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald Trump, who cut environmental protections. Mr Biden will also label climate change a "national security" priority. The series of executive orders that Mr Biden is due to sign on Wednesday will establish a White House office of domestic climate policy and announce a summit of leaders in the movement to tackle climate change to be held in April. Mr Biden will also call upon the US Director of National Intelligence to prepare an intelligence report on the security implications of climate change. -
China warns Taiwan independence 'means war' as US pledges support
China has warned Taiwan that any attempt to seek independence "means war".
The warning comes days after China stepped up its military activities and flew warplanes near the island. It also comes after new US President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to Taiwan, and set out his stance in Asia. The US has called China's latest warning "unfortunate", adding that tensions did not need to lead to "anything like confrontation". China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state, with its own constitution, military, and elected leaders. -
Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi detained as military seizes control
Myanmar's military has seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders.
Troops are patrolling streets in major cities and communications are limited. The top army commander is now in charge and a one-year state of emergency has been declared, army TV announced. The move follows a landslide win by Ms Suu Kyi's party in an election the army claims was marred by fraud. She urged her supporters to "not accept this" and "protest against the coup". In a letter written in preparation for her impending detention, she said the military's actions put the country back under dictatorship. -
Putin critic Navalny jailed in Russia despite protests
A Moscow court has jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny for three-and-a-half years for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence.
He has been in detention since returning to Russia last month. He was treated in Germany for a near-fatal nerve agent attack on him in August. There have been violent scenes in Moscow - video on social media show police beating and arresting protesters who came out to support Mr Navalny. Thousands have rallied across Russia. Mr Navalny's suspended sentence for embezzlement has been converted into a jail term. He has already served a year under house arrest which will be deducted from the total. Mr Navalny greeted the news with a resigned shrug, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow reports. In court he called President Vladimir Putin a "poisoner", blaming him for the attack. His supporters called for an immediate protest, and hundreds gathered in central Moscow and St Petersburg despite a heavy police presence. More than 750 have been detained in Moscow alone, according to monitors. -
Proud Boys: Canada labels far-right group a terrorist entity
Canada has designated the far-right group Proud Boys as a terrorist entity.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the decision was influenced by the group's "pivotal role" in the 6 January riots at the Capitol in Washington, DC. The designation allows the Proud Boys' assets to be frozen, and members of the groups could be charged with terrorist offences if they commit violent acts. The group is all-male and anti-immigrant, and has a history of violent political confrontations. It was founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, the Canadian co-founder of Vice Media. Vice has since worked to distance itself from Mr McInnes and the Proud Boys -
Yemen war: Joe Biden ends support for operations in foreign policy reset
The US is to end its support for offensive operations by its allies in Yemen, which has been devastated by a six-year war in which more than 110,000 people are believed to have died.
"The war in Yemen must end," President Joe Biden said in his first major foreign policy speech. Under Mr Biden's two predecessors, the US backed a coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The conflict has left millions of Yemenis on the brink of starvation. Fighting began in 2014 between a weak Yemeni government and the Houthi rebel movement. It escalated a year later, when Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab states - backed by the US, the UK and France - began air strikes against the Houthis. Mr Biden announced other changes to US foreign policy, such as a significant increase in the number of refugees accepted by the US, and a reversal of the decision to withdraw American troops from Germany, where they have been stationed since the end of World War Two. -
Marjorie Taylor Greene: US House votes to strip Republican of key posts
The US House of Representatives has voted to expel a Republican congresswoman from two committees over incendiary remarks she made before being elected last November.
Marjorie Taylor Greene had promoted baseless QAnon conspiracy theories and endorsed violence against Democrats. Before the vote, she said she regretted her views, which included claims that school shootings and 9/11 were staged. Eleven Republicans joined the Democrats to pass the motion by 230-199. It means the representative - who was elected in November, representing a district in the southern state of Georgia - cannot take up her place on the education and budget committees. This would limit her ability to shape policy as most legislation goes through a committee before reaching the House floor. Committee positions can determine the influence of individual lawmakers in their party. It is highly unusual for one party to intervene in another party's House committee assignments. -
Kobe Bryant crash: Pilot 'likely disorientated amid fog'
The pilot of the helicopter which crashed killing basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, his young daughter, and seven other people had probably become disorientated amid fog, US safety investigators have said.
The helicopter smashed into a hillside near Calabasas, California, on 26 January 2020. Pilot Ara Zobayan was among the dead. Investigators also said Zobayan may have felt "self-induced pressure" to complete the flight for Bryant. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating the circumstances around the crash, and met on Tuesday to vote on the probable cause. It is an independent federal agency with no enforcement powers. In its official finding, the NTSB said the main cause of the crash was most likely the pilot's decision to keep flying in inclement conditions, "which resulted in the pilot's spatial disorientation and loss of control". -
-
BBC News - US airline set to buy flying electric taxis for airport runs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56020650 -
-
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Further, all computers shared the same password for remote access and appeared to be connected directly to the Internet without any type of firewall protection installed
While this is possible - this seems extremely unlikely. No edge firewall/router/NAT device? Again possible, likely - seems not. Only exception to this I can think of is if each of these computers were on their own internet connection, not not a shared network for the facility.
Now - that said, it's completely likely that the Windows 7 machines didn't have firewalls.
-
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Further, all computers shared the same password for remote access and appeared to be connected directly to the Internet without any type of firewall protection installed
While this is possible - this seems extremely unlikely. No edge firewall/router/NAT device? Again possible, likely - seems not. Only exception to this I can think of is if each of these computers were on their own internet connection, not not a shared network for the facility.
Now - that said, it's completely likely that the Windows 7 machines didn't have firewalls.
Windows 7 has a firewall, and on by default.
Just because it was not some third party thing, does not mean no firewall. I hate news reporting on technical details.
-
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Further, all computers shared the same password for remote access and appeared to be connected directly to the Internet without any type of firewall protection installed
While this is possible - this seems extremely unlikely. No edge firewall/router/NAT device? Again possible, likely - seems not. Only exception to this I can think of is if each of these computers were on their own internet connection, not not a shared network for the facility.
Now - that said, it's completely likely that the Windows 7 machines didn't have firewalls.
Windows 7 has a firewall, and on by default.
Just because it was not some third party thing, does not mean no firewall. I hate news reporting on technical details.
I couldn't remember if Win 7 had one by default...
-
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Further, all computers shared the same password for remote access and appeared to be connected directly to the Internet without any type of firewall protection installed
While this is possible - this seems extremely unlikely. No edge firewall/router/NAT device? Again possible, likely - seems not. Only exception to this I can think of is if each of these computers were on their own internet connection, not not a shared network for the facility.
Now - that said, it's completely likely that the Windows 7 machines didn't have firewalls.
Windows 7 has a firewall, and on by default.
Just because it was not some third party thing, does not mean no firewall. I hate news reporting on technical details.
I couldn't remember if Win 7 had one by default...
How? I don't know of any OS in the past 20 years that doesn't by default. Even XP did.
-
@Obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Further, all computers shared the same password for remote access and appeared to be connected directly to the Internet without any type of firewall protection installed
While this is possible - this seems extremely unlikely. No edge firewall/router/NAT device? Again possible, likely - seems not. Only exception to this I can think of is if each of these computers were on their own internet connection, not not a shared network for the facility.
Now - that said, it's completely likely that the Windows 7 machines didn't have firewalls.
Windows 7 has a firewall, and on by default.
Just because it was not some third party thing, does not mean no firewall. I hate news reporting on technical details.
I couldn't remember if Win 7 had one by default...
How? I don't know of any OS in the past 20 years that doesn't by default. Even XP did.
I was thinking the same thing....
