Non-IT News Thread
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Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda: Mexico's ex-defence minister arrested in the US
A former Mexican defence minister has been arrested on drugs charges at Los Angeles airport in the US.
Gen Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda was detained on Thursday, Mexico's foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted. Gen Cienfuegos was arrested on a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warrant, the Mexican government confirmed for the BBC. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Friday the general had been accused of drug trafficking. "Hopefully this serves to illustrate that the main problem in Mexico is corruption," the president said, before praising Gen Cienfuegos' successor at the head of the army and his counterpart in the navy. President López Obrador, who was elected on an anti-corruption platform in 2018, has accused his predecessors of running a "narco-government" that allowed corruption. He is seeking to lift the immunity of former leaders from prosecution. -
The Countdown: Early voting, Biden's ads and the Beastie Boys
Just over two weeks to go and while Joe Biden may be having quiet week, he made sure it came after he dropped some ads timed for peak NFL audiences that might just hit a key demographic - one that knows 90s music.
President Donald Trump's campaign has reached a frenetic pace since he left hospital last week. Joe Biden, in contrast, has no public events on his schedule. But anybody who watched TV in the US this weekend, particularly those traditional Sunday afternoon American football matches, probably saw a Joe Biden ad - they may be the only way Americans can see Mr Biden before this Thursday's presidential debate. His campaign is blanketing the airwaves, the result of a record-breaking $383m fundraising haul for September and outspending Donald Trump. This is also about their different debate preparation strategies. The Biden camp wants their candidate rested and focused, even as conservatives accuse him of hiding from the public. -
Epstein: Ghislaine Maxwell denies witnessing 'inappropriate' activities
US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell said she never witnessed "inappropriate underage activities" by him, according to transcripts of a 2016 deposition.
The testimony was made in a now-settled civil defamation lawsuit brought by one of the late financier's accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Ms Maxwell had long fought to keep the testimony secret. She will go on trial in a criminal case next year and has pleaded not guilty. She is accused of helping Epstein traffic and sexually abuse underage girls and of perjury for denying involvement in such a scheme when she gave her deposition under oath. -
The Countdown: Ariana Grande and early voting for astronauts
There are 11 days left and as candidates fly all over the country, they can watch the video to Ariana Grande's new song in which she leads an all-female team at the White House.
About 51.5m votes have been cast so far, according to the US Election Project website, in places like Georgia and Florida - and in Earth's orbit, where astronaut Kate Rubin just cast her vote at the International Space Station. Just like other absentee voters, as this Nasa release explains, an astronaut has to fill in an application to say they intend to vote from space. The clerk at the county election office, most likely in Texas where Nasa is based, has a special password to download the astronaut's vote. -
BBC News - Tanker stowaways: Seven detained off Isle of Wight
Seven suspects have been detained after a suspected hijacking involving stowaways on a tanker off the Isle of Wight.
UK special forces completed the operation in nine minutes, BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale said.
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BBC News - Jubilation as Chile votes to rewrite constitution
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-54687090 -
Covid: Italy brings in sweeping new coronavirus measures
New measures to combat a surge in coronavirus cases have come into force in Italy with gyms, swimming pools, cinemas and theatres closed.
Restaurants, bars and cafes must stop table service at 18:00 and offer only take-away until midnight. Contact sports are prohibited. However, shops and most businesses will remain open. The government has warned that the rise in cases was causing a huge strain on the country's health services. However, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that a full lockdown would be catastrophic for the economy. Italy was among the first European countries to be badly hit by the virus but a national lockdown in March flattened the curve. Since then, the number of daily cases has climbed steadily and Sunday saw a new record of more than 21,200 infections. -
Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to US Supreme Court
The US Senate has confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in a victory for President Donald Trump a week before the general election.
Mr Trump's fellow Republicans voted 52-48 to approve the judge, overcoming the unified opposition of Democrats. The 48-year-old is expected to take the oath of office at the White House on Monday night. Her appointment seals for the foreseeable future a 6-3 conservative majority on the top US judicial body. Only one Republican, Senator Susan Collins, who faces a tough re-election battle in Maine, voted against the president's nominee in Monday evening's vote. Judge Barrett is the third justice appointed by the Republican president, after Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. -
Covid: Antibodies 'fall rapidly after infection'
Levels of protective antibodies in people wane "quite rapidly" after coronavirus infection, say researchers.
Antibodies are a key part of our immune defences and stop the virus from getting inside the body's cells. The Imperial College London team found the number of people testing positive for antibodies has fallen by 26% between June and September. They say immunity appears to be fading and there is a risk of catching the virus multiple times. The news comes as figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of Covid-19 deaths in the UK rose by 60% in the week of 16 October. The ONS figures suggest there have now been more than 60,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK. More than 350,000 people in England have taken an antibody test -
Florida Gov. DeSantis attempts to vote, discovers someone changed his address
While attempting to vote Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was told his address had been changed in the Florida voter database. The governor contacted FDLE who eventually arrested a 20-year-old Naples man.
DeSantis was attempting to vote Monday at his assigned polling location around 2 p.m. when the poll worker advised him his address had been changed to 2185 Pretty Lane in West Palm Beach. DeSantis said he did not authorize a change in his address, and immediately contacted the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement to investigate. FDLE contacted the supervisor of elections office in Leon County and requested the logs for the date and time the address change request came through for Ron DeSantis.Authorities discovered the request was made using a computer with the IP address of 73.156.214.229, and subscribed to Comcast. They contacted Comcast who gave them the home address to which the IP was assigned. A search warrant was conducted at the home on 19th Avenue SW in Naples where Anthony Steven Guevara was present with two others. -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
he supervisor of elections office in Leon County and requested the logs for the date and time the address change request came through for Ron DeSantis.Authorities discovered the
Sadly, the only reason anyone cared was because it was the governor - if not for that, this would have sat on some sgt's desk for 3 years before being lost.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
he supervisor of elections office in Leon County and requested the logs for the date and time the address change request came through for Ron DeSantis.Authorities discovered the
Sadly, the only reason anyone cared was because it was the governor - if not for that, this would have sat on some sgt's desk for 3 years before being lost.
Right, I mentioned that to Dominica, that had this been any of us, it would have just been successful voter suppression.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
he supervisor of elections office in Leon County and requested the logs for the date and time the address change request came through for Ron DeSantis.Authorities discovered the
Sadly, the only reason anyone cared was because it was the governor - if not for that, this would have sat on some sgt's desk for 3 years before being lost.
Right, I mentioned that to Dominica, that had this been any of us, it would have just been successful voter suppression.
Also, this is why a good vpn is helpful.
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@Grey said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
he supervisor of elections office in Leon County and requested the logs for the date and time the address change request came through for Ron DeSantis.Authorities discovered the
Sadly, the only reason anyone cared was because it was the governor - if not for that, this would have sat on some sgt's desk for 3 years before being lost.
Right, I mentioned that to Dominica, that had this been any of us, it would have just been successful voter suppression.
Also, this is why a good vpn is helpful.
Nothing was hijacked in his case. Or do you mean a good VPN so that they couldn't have tracked him down, jaja.
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Postal worker charged after absentee ballots found in dumpster
A United States Postal Service employee has been charged for willfully obstructing the passage of mail after more than 100 absentee ballots and other mail was found in a construction dumpster.
30-year-old DeShawn Bojgere of Louisville, Ky. was charged with the delay or destruction of mail, which is a federal crime. Bojgere admitted to special agents with the U.S. Postal Service that he was responsible for discarding the mail in the construction dumpster. He is no longer employed by the postal service. The complaint says the mail found in the dumpster included approximately 111 general election absentee ballots from the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office being mailed to voters to be filled out. The dumped mail also included approximately 69 mixed class pieces of flat rate mail, 320 second-class pieces of mail, and two national election campaign flyers from a political party in Florida. -
Casualties in Vienna 'terrorist' shooting
Several people are injured with several "believed dead" after a shooting in central Vienna, according to the Austrian interior minister.
Karl Nehammer described the incident as a terror attack and said that one attacker had died in the Austrian capital. Another attacker was "on the run", he said. A large-scale security operation is under way. The incident took place near the central Schwedenplatz square. Police have urged people to avoid the area and not to take public transport. Road blocks have been set up around the city centre. Footage posted on social media showed people running as what was reported to be gunshots could be heard. -
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/02/eta-nicaragua-honduras-flooding/
Up to 18 feet of storm surge expected, we have a LOT of staff directly in the way of this one.
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US Election 2020: Americans choose between Trump and Biden
Americans are voting in one of the most divisive presidential polls in decades, pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Joe Biden.
Polls have opened in the east of the country after a long and bitter campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic. More than 100 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting, putting the country on course for its highest turnout in a century. Both rivals spent the final hours of the race rallying in key swing states. National polls give a firm lead to Mr Biden, but it is a closer race in the states that could decide the outcome.
