Teacher, 25, jailed for sex with teen boy student ‘who considered mutilating his genitals to ward off her advances’
Fay Mcrobbie began sexually grooming the boy who would go on to consider genital mutilation when she was a 25-year-old teacher at a school in Berkshire, England.
During the teacher’s sex-abuse trial, the Reading Crown Court learned how Mcrobbie methodically mutilated the boy’s innocence. First she forced him to join her martial arts class, where she kissed him. Next she went all in on his genitals and robbed him of his virginity at the house of a friend.
So distraught and helpless was the boy in the face the teacher’s demands, he went so far as to consider genital mutilation so that he would be less sexually desirable to her.
via: https://knewz.com/teacher-sex-genital-mutilation/?utm_source=nypost
Photo Credit: knewz.com
CDC suggests Americans have Thanksgiving outside
The Center for Disease Control suggested Americans who are hosting Thanksgiving dinners have their meals outside to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The public health agency gave a number of other suggestions about how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely in updated guidance about the holiday.
In addition to an outdoor meal, the CDC said hosts should limit the number of guests they invite, talk to guests before they arrive about how they plan to celebrate and to limit the number of people in food preparation areas.
“If sharing food, have one person serve food and use single-use options, like plastic utensils,” the guidelines state.
The guidance also suggests other typical recommendations to stop the spread of the virus, such as wearing a mask and checking travel restrictions if you plan to travel over the holiday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said on MSNBC last week that Americans will need to make a “risk assessment” when celebrating Thanksgiving.
“You really need to make a decision,” Fauci said.
“Do I want to put that person at an increased risk by having people coming in from all parts of the country, usually in a crowded airport, without necessarily knowing if they’re infected, without having time to get tested or time to do quarantine?” he added.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/10/cdc-suggests-americans-have-thanksgiving-outside/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
New coronavirus lockdown in Greece requires people to text authorities before leaving home
Under a second nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Greece, people will need to text authorities if they want to leave their homes.
The lockdown will start at daybreak Saturday and last until the end of the month. With infections surging across the country, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he acted before patients overwhelm hospitals.
“We must stop this wave,” Mitsotakis said Thursday. “I chose once again to take drastic measures sooner rather than later.”
As part of the lockdown, all retail stores except those selling essential items such as food, medication and fuel will be closed.
Travel inside the country will be severely restricted.
People will only be allowed to leave their homes for work, physical exercise or medical reasons and only after sending a text message to authorities.
Travel inside the country will be severely restricted.
People will only be allowed to leave their homes for work, physical exercise or medical reasons and only after sending a text message to authorities.
In the texts to the five-digit number, people will have to provide their name, address and the reason why they need to leave their home.
Permissible reasons also include taking children to school, taking a pet for a walk and visiting people who need assistance, according to Sky News.
When people venture out, they will be required to carry identification and a form detailing their reason for leaving home if they aren’t able to text.
During the new lockdown, kindergartens, primary schools and all grades in special education schools will stay open. High schools will operate via remote learning.
The country’s borders will be open, but anyone arriving from abroad must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test, Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias said.
Health authorities in Greece recorded 2,556 new coronavirus cases and a record 34 deaths on Saturday.
During the pandemic, the country has had 54,809 confirmed cases and 749 deaths.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/new-coronavirus-lockdown-in-greece-requires-people-to-text-authorities-before-leaving-home/
Photo Credit: EPA
TikTok star Zoe Laverne apologizes for kissing her 13-year-old fan
Watch the video on https://nypost.com/2020/11/03/tiktok-star-19-apologizes-for-kissing-her-13-year-old-fan/
A 19-year-old TikTok star is facing backlash after a leaked video showed her kissing a 13-year-old fan when they “just ended up catching feelings for each other.”
Zoe Laverne, who has nearly 18 million followers on the app, apologized in a livestream this week for her actions but denied “grooming” the young fan and fellow TikToker, Connor. The Post is withholding his last name due to his age.
“I didn’t groom Connor, I wouldn’t do that. He’s a kid and I’m aware of that. It just happened,” she said in the stream, according to Business Insider. “We both were in a dark place when we first became friends and we both just ended up catching feelings for each other. And friends do that, they catch feelings for each other. That’s not a bad thing. Yes, the age is a bad thing. Yes, it’s wrong. Yes, it’s not good. We both realized that and we stopped.”
Connor, who goes by @cxnnorjoyce on the app and has over 350,000 followers, frequently collaborates with Laverne in her videos. However, Laverne says they have since ended their friendship.
A few weeks ago, messages between a former friend of Laverne’s and her ex-boyfriend leaked, in which her former pal called Laverne’s interactions with Connor “pedophilia.” Later, videos leaked on social media that appeared to show the two kissing.
In a statement posted to Instagram stories, Connor said Laverne “did not rape” him.
Laverne said she told Connor’s mother about the kiss after it happened, according to screenshots that appear to be taken from her private Instagram account. “She wasn’t happy obviously but she understood that we are both teenagers and that feelings can be caught.”
The TikTok star’s own mother has defended her daughter’s actions. “Anybody can reach over and kiss somebody. They’re best friends,” she said in a livestream.
Both Laverne and Connor have subtly addressed the scandal in TikTok videos. A few days ago, Connor posted a video of him strutting with the text “me coming back to social media acting like nothing happened.”
Laverne posted a similar clip, titled, “me coming back to TikTok after I get canceled for the 100th time.”@zoelaverne
Burger King wants you to order from McDonald’s
Fast food chain Burger King has taken a rather unusual step: calling on customers to order from archrival McDonald’s, as well as a number of other competing restaurants.The company’s UK arm tweeted a statement Monday asking consumers to support their local fast food outlets during the coronavirus pandemic, whether they are Burger King or not.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1323246831686606851&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2020%2F11%2F02%2Fbusiness%2Fburger-king-order-mcdonalds-scli-intl-gbr%2Findex.html&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
We know, we never thought we’d be saying this either. pic.twitter.com/cVRMSLSDq6— Burger King (@BurgerKingUK) November 2, 2020
“We never thought we’d be asking you to do this, but restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment,” read the tweet, which names KFC, Subway and Domino’s Pizza, as well as other chains.”So, if you want to help, keep treating yourself to tasty meals through home delivery, takeaway or drive thru.”Pizza Hut, Five Guys, Greggs, Taco Bell, Papa John and Leon also get a mention, as do independent food outlets.
“Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing,” reads the message.The UK hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, and new restrictions set to come into force in England on Thursday are likely to make things worse, with all restaurants closed except for takeout or delivery.While Burger King UK is appealing to a sense of solidarity with the wider food industry, the company’s North America operation has taken a more confrontational approach to promotion.
The burger chain offered a free Whopper to customers who drive by one of the “the scariest places on earth” — five shuttered restaurants once operated by rivals McDonald’s (MCD), Wendy’s, Sonic or Jack in the Box.As part of a Halloween-themed promotion, customers within 300 feet of one of the listed abandoned locations could confirm their location on the Burger King app to receive a coupon for a free Whopper.
Article via CNN
Indiana mom sentenced to prison for smuggling $30K to support ISIS
An Indiana mom was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for helping her husband and brother-in-law join ISIS by providing $30,000 in gold and cash to the terrorist organization.
Samantha Elhassani, 35, smuggled the cash, as well as gold that she melted down to look like jewelry, over three trips to Hong Kong between November 2014 and April 2015 — knowing the funds would be used to support the extremist group, the Justice Department said.
At that time, “she knew that her husband and brother-in-law had expressed an interest in joining ISIS and that they intended to use these resources to support ISIS,” federal prosecutors said.
Shortly after the trips, Elhassani moved her family, including her 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, from Elkhart, Indiana, to Syria.
For the next two years, the family lived in Raqqa, where Elhassani had two more children — including one who appeared in an ISIS propaganda video threatening to attack the West, the BBC reported in March 2018.
Elhassani had claimed that her husband Moussa, a Moroccan national, tricked her into traveling to the Islamic State.
He was killed in an airstrike while fighting with the terror group.
When the Islamic State collapsed, Elhassani fled Syria with her children, and was captured by Kurdish forces, before being handed over to US law enforcement authorities in July 2018.
“We repatriated Elhassani from Syria because every nation is responsible for holding its citizens accountable and addressing the future threat they may pose,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said in a statement.
Last November, Elhassani struck a plea deal in which federal prosecutors agreed to drop more serious conspiracy charges against her, for which she would have faced decades behind bars.
US District Court Judge Philip P. Simon on Monday sentenced Elhassani to the prison term, as well as three years of supervised release.
“Once again, the Justice Department has held accountable an individual who turned her back on her country to support a terrorist organization,” Demers said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/10/indiana-mom-sentenced-to-prison-for-smuggling-30k-to-support-isis/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
The Queen attributed Princess Diana’s failed marriage to bulimia struggles: report
Queen Elizabeth reportedly held some closed-minded thoughts regarding Princess Diana’s struggles with bulimia and even wondered whether they were what caused her relationship with Prince Charles to deteriorate.
The claim came forward in a book by Andrew Morton titled, Diana: Her True Story – in Her Own Words and according to its excerpts, the Queen blamed Princess Diana’s bulimia for ending her marriage.
The book in question was reportedly written in accordance to hidden tapes that the Princess of Wales would send of Mr. Morton during some of her lowest moments.
People magazine picked one of the princess’s reported confessions and explained how the princess’s bulimia initially began as a result of Prince Charles’s snide comments on her figure.
According to the report, “Princess Diana recalls the prince saying, ‘Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?'” before pinking her waist. This was what allegedly ended up “triggered off something in me.”
Even royal author Ingrid Seward admitted, “[Diana] was bulimic” in her documentary titled Fergie Vs Diana: Royal Wives at War. Reportedly, “The queen always said she’s like a nervy racehorse and said treat her with kid gloves. Later on they blamed the failure of Diana’s marriage on her bulimia which wasn’t really the case at all.”
Another royal expert also chimed in during Seward claim and added how Princess Diana “was unsure of herself and she was very emotional. The royal family are not used to people who emote.”
“You don’t do that; you have a stiff upper lip. If you wish to cry you go to your room and do it there but Diana wasn’t that sort of person. She showed her emotions, she couldn’t help it.”
Article via The News
FBI: Hackers stole source code from US government agencies and private companies
FBI blames intrusions on improperly configured SonarQube source code management tools.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has sent out a security alert warning that threat actors are abusing misconfigured SonarQube applications to access and steal source code repositories from US government agencies and private businesses.
Intrusions have taken place since at least April 2020, the FBI said in an alert sent out last month and made public this week on its website.
The alert specifically warns owners of SonarQube, a web-based application that companies integrate into their software build chains to test source code and discover security flaws before rolling out code and applications into production environments.
SonarQube apps are installed on web servers and connected to source code hosting systems like BitBucket, GitHub, or GitLab accounts, or Azure DevOps systems.
But the FBI says that some companies have left these systems unprotected, running on their default configuration (on port 9000) with default admin credentials (admin/admin).
FBI officials say that threat actors have abused these misconfigurations to access SonarQube instances, pivot to the connected source code repositories, and then access and steal proprietary or private/sensitive applications.
Officials provided two examples of past incidents:
“In August 2020, unknown threat actors leaked internal data from two organizations through a public lifecycle repository tool. The stolen data was sourced from SonarQube instances that used default port settings and admin credentials running on the affected organizations’ networks.
“This activity is similar toa previous data leak in July 2020, in which an identified cyber actor exfiltrated proprietary source code from enterprises throughpoorly secured SonarQube instances and published the exfiltrated source codeon a self-hosted public repository.”
Forgot problem resurfaces in 2020
The FBI alert touches on a little known issue among software developers and security researchers.
While the cyber-security industry has often warned about the dangers of leaving MongoDB or Elasticsearch databases exposed online without passwords, SonarQube has slipped through the cracks.
However, some security researchers have been warning about the dangers of leaving SonarQube applications exposed online with default credentials since as far back as May 2018.
At the time, data breach hunter Bob Diachenko warned that about 30% to 40% of all the ~3,000 SonarQube instances available online at the time had no password or authentication mechanism enabled. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=ZDNet&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=996767433007550466&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zdnet.com%2Farticle%2Ffbi-hackers-stole-source-code-from-us-government-agencies-and-private-companies%2F&siteScreenName=ZDNet&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
After @zackwhittaker covered EE leak, I ran a couple of queries on Sonarqube. Shocked to see more than 3K+ instances available, with roughly 30-40% of them set without auth, and almost half of those containing source code with prod data. Big names involved, another area to cover. pic.twitter.com/tKBRLOYzq1— Bob Diachenko (@MayhemDayOne) May 16, 2018
This year, a Swiss security researcher named Till Kottmann has also raised the same issue of misconfigured SonarQube instances. Throughout the year, Kottmann has gathered source code from tens of tech companies in a public portal, and many of these came from SonarQube applications.
“Most people seem to change absolutely none of the settings, which are actually properly explained in the setup guide from SonarQube,” Kottmann told ZDNet.
“I don’t know the current number of exposed SonarQube instances, but I doubt it changed much. I would guess it’s still far over 1,000 servers (that are indexed by Shodan) which are ‘vulnerable’ by either requiring no auth or leaving default creds,” he said. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=ZDNet&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1295718019814096907&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zdnet.com%2Farticle%2Ffbi-hackers-stole-source-code-from-us-government-agencies-and-private-companies%2F&siteScreenName=ZDNet&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
The source code of @novasolutionsys has been published on a public repo.
Among the contents there are the mobile application source codes of Mexican banks like:
– @Citibanamex
– @BancoSabadellMX
– @BanCoppel
The data was allegedly taken from a misconfigured SonarQube instance. pic.twitter.com/yn48OrtWFI— Bank Security (@Bank_Security) August 18, 2020
To prevent leaks like these, the FBI alert lists a series of steps that companies can take to protect their SonarQube servers, starting with altering the app’s default configuration and credentials and then using firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to the app from unauthorized users.
Anne Hathaway Apologizes for the Portrayal of Limb Differences in ‘The Witches’
Article via YahooNews
Anne Hathaway has apologized for the “pain caused” by The Witches in a statement responding to criticism over the film’s portrayal of limb difference.
The 37-year-old actress plays the Grand High Witch in the latest adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1983 novel of the same title. The film features the witches as having three elongated fingers on each hand, rather than the clawed hands described in the book.
Some felt the visual portrayal was insensitive towards disabled people, prompting the hashtag #NotAWitch to trend on Twitter after the film’s release.
“I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches,” Hathaway said in a statement on Instagram. “As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry.”
She added that she did “not connect limb difference when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened.”
The star concluded, “I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down.”
Anne Hathaway has apologized for the “pain caused” by The Witches in a statement responding to criticism over the film’s portrayal of limb difference.
The 37-year-old actress plays the Grand High Witch in the latest adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1983 novel of the same title. The film features the witches as having three elongated fingers on each hand, rather than the clawed hands described in the book.
Some felt the visual portrayal was insensitive towards disabled people, prompting the hashtag #NotAWitch to trend on Twitter after the film’s release.
“I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches,” Hathaway said in a statement on Instagram. “As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry.”
She added that she did “not connect limb difference when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened.”
The star concluded, “I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down.”https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1323208613553414145&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.harpersbazaar.com%2Fcelebrity%2Flatest%2Fa34606856%2Fanne-hathaway-sorry-the-witches-criticism%2F&siteScreenName=Yahoo&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
@WarnerBrosUK was there much thought given as to how this representation of limb differences would effect the limb difference community?! @ReachCharity @RoaldFull pic.twitter.com/kiTEAuYt7i
— Amy Marren (@amy_marren) November 2, 2020
Along with her message, Hathaway also shared a video from the Lucky Fin Project, an organization supporting those with limb differences.
British Paralympic swimmer Amy Marren explained on Twitter why the film was stigmatizing, as she wrote, “It’s not unusual for surgeons to try and build hands like this for children/adults with certain limb differences and it’s upsetting to [see] something that makes a person different being represented as something scary.”
Marren continued, “My fear is that children will watch this film, unaware that it massively exaggerates the Roald Dahl original and that limbs differences begin to be feared.”
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. also responded to the backlash to say that the company was “deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities” and “regretted any offence caused.”
Supreme Court appears willing to leave Obamacare in place
Article via CNBC
- The Affordable Care Act seems likely to withstand its third challenge at the Supreme Court.
- During arguments in a case seeking to eliminate Obamacare, two of the court’s conservatives on Tuesday signaled they would not strike down the landmark legislation.
- Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that the court may cast aside the individual mandate while leaving the rest standing.
The Affordable Care Act seems likely to withstand its third challenge at the Supreme Court.
During arguments in a case seeking to eliminate Obamacare, two of the court’s conservatives on Tuesday signaled they would not strike down the landmark legislation.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who cast the key vote in 2012 upholding Obamacare, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, an appointee of President Donald Trump, suggested that the court may cast aside a challenged provision of the law, known as the individual mandate, while leaving the rest of it standing.
Such a decision would leave in place the central aspects of the 900-plus page legislation which have transformed American health-care over the past decade, from the expansion of Medicaid in dozens of states to the requirement that insurers cover those with preexisting conditions.
The individual mandate provision, as enacted in 2010, requires most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. The GOP-controlled Congress reduced the penalty to $0 in 2017.
The Supreme Court upheld the mandate in 2012 under Congress’s taxing power, but Texas and other Republican-led states argued that the reduction of the penalty made that justification no longer workable, and as a result the whole Affordable Care Act must be struck down.
The Trump administration, via the Department of Justice, argued in favor of the red states’ challenge.
The court’s six conservatives seemed sympathetic to arguments made by Kyle Hawkins, the Texas solicitor general, and acting Justice Department Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall that the individual mandate became unconstitutional when it was stripped of an accompanying penalty.
But Roberts and Kavanaugh suggested that would not doom the rest of the law.
“I think it’s hard for you to argue that Congress intended the entire act to fall if the mandate was struck down,” Roberts told Hawkins. Roberts was appointed by President George W. Bush.
Roberts acknowledged that some Republican lawmakers may have wanted the Supreme Court to strike down the law, “but that’s not our job.”
Kavanaugh told Donald Verrilli, who was solicitor general under former President Barack Obama, that “I tend to agree with you that this is a very straightforward case” and that under the court’s precedents “we would excise the mandate and leave the rest of the act in place.”
Verrilli was arguing on behalf of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.
Later, Kavanaugh told Hawkins that it “sure seems” like Congress in 2017 wanted to lower the individual mandate penalty without getting rid of the Affordable Care Act’s other provisions, such as its protections for those with preexisting conditions.
The court’s three liberals, Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan are expected to side with California and a coalition of other Democratic-led states that are defending Obamacare. Michael Mongan, the solicitor general of California, argued on behalf of the blue states. It takes five votes to gain a majority on the nine-judge panel.
The Democratic-appointees seemed skeptical of the red states’ argument that the mandate was unconstitutional, and sympathetic to California’s claim that those states lacked even the ability to sue, given their failure to prove that they had been harmed by the law.
“The only thing that changed is something that made the law less coercive,” Kagan said.
Breyer suggested that allowing the red states to bring their claim could open up challenges to all sorts of laws that would be unlawful if they included penalties, such as hypothetical statutes calling for citizens to plant trees, clean up yards or buy war bonds.
Health-care activists warned that if the Supreme Court struck down the Affordable Care Act, more than 20 million people could lose their insurance.
The dispute, which was argued in the shadow of last week’s presidential election, was a central focus of Democrats during the confirmation hearings for Justice Amy Coney Barrett last month. Barrett’s questioning on Tuesday didn’t provide much insight into her thinking about the legal issues.
Two lower courts sided with Texas, including the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals court, that the individual mandate was unlawful. The appeals court did not say whether the rest of the Affordable Care Act would also have to be struck down.
Arguments, which were scheduled to last for 80 minutes, began at 10 a.m. ET and concluded around noon. They were conducted by phone as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and streamed live to the public.
The case became a political flash point in the race between Trump and President-elect Joe Biden, who have sketched out vastly different visions for the future of American health care. Trump pushed to gut the Affordable Care Act, while Biden’s agenda calls for building on the law, which the former vice president played a role in shepherding through Congress in the first place.
The political stakes were amplified by the pandemic, which has killed more than 230,000 in the U.S. and made health care a more salient issue.
Efforts to contain the pandemic also caused a devastating recession, which has resulted in millions losing their health-care coverage. After the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal, died in September, Democrats sought to turn the fight for her replacement, Barrett, into a referendum on the law.
A decision is expected toward the end of June.
The case is known as California v. Texas, No. 19-840