News

Agence France-Presse report: Ecuador said on Monday it has suffered 40 million cyber attacks on the webpages of public institutions since stripping Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of political asylum. Patricio Real, Ecuador’s deputy minister for information and communication technologies, said the attacks, which began on Thursday, had “principally come from the United States, Brazil, Holland, Germany, Romania, France, Austria and …

Birmingham’s ABC affiliate reports: A father has died after last weekend’s accidental shooting in the parking lot of Chuck E. Cheese’s in Vestavia Hills. The Jefferson County Coroner has identified the victim Timothy Roshun Smith Jr. He was 22. Lt. Michael Keller with Vestavia Hills PD confirms Smith and his daughter were shot in the restaurant’s parking lot while Smith …

ABC News reports: The process of moving Assange out of the Ecuadorian Embassy started a year ago, on March 7, 2018, when the Ecuadorians made their first request to the U.K.: a letter asking for written assurances that the U.K. would not extradite Assange to a country where he could face the death penalty, according to the Ecuadorian Interior Minister …

Buzzfeed News reports: Two French billionaires have pledged to donate a total of 300 million euros to help reconstruct the Notre Dame Cathedral after a catastrophic fire tore through the historic structure, collapsing its spire and causing significant damage. Their donations came as Paris firefighters declared Tuesday morning that “the entire fire is out”. “A group of experts are analysing …

The New York Times reports: The Sun Sentinel of South Florida won the Pulitzer Prize for public service on Monday for its coverage of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., a tragedy that unfolded just miles from the paper’s newsroom. Reporters spent months documenting the shooting and its aftermath in their community and its …

The Associated Press reports: The white man suspected in the burnings of three African American churches in Louisiana will remain in jail, denied bond Monday by a judge, as state prosecutors added new charges declaring the arsons a hate crime. Twenty-one-year-old Holden Matthews, the son of a sheriff’s deputy, entered his not guilty plea via video conference from the St. …

The Guardian reports: Julian Assange repeatedly violated his asylum conditions and tried to use the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a “centre for spying”, Ecuador’s president has said in an interview with the Guardian. Moreno’s move against Assange has proved controversial in Ecuador. The previous president, Rafael Correa, has accused his one-time political ally of “a crime humanity will never …

The New York Times reports: Most employers in New York City would no longer be able to force job applicants to take drug tests for marijuana use, under a bill overwhelmingly approved this week by the City Council. If the drug-screening law is enacted, it would put New York in relatively uncharted territory. Several drug policy and employment experts said …

Business Insider reports: Julian Assange’s arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London was carried out in a specific way to prevent him from pressing a mysterious panic button he said could bring dire consequences for Ecuador, its foreign minister said. During this stay, Assange is accused of threatening Jaime Merchan, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, with activating some kind …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Workers who were preparing for a massive cleanup of a fuel storage site near one of the nation’s most notorious reform schools have discovered something far worse than ground pollution: evidence of 27 possible “clandestine” graves. A company hired to evaluate underground storage tanks adjacent to the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna performed a series …

Courthouse News reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rejected a demand Thursday by congressional Democrats to hand over documents relating to the state’s bungled announcement that 95,000 registered voters may not be citizens, telling federal lawmakers they lack jurisdiction in the matter. First Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey C. Mateer wrote the House Committee on Oversight’s March 28 demand does not …

The Associated Press reports: Key figures in Britain’s opposition Labour Party said Friday the government should oppose the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on charges of conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a tweet that the U.S. is trying to extradite Assange because he exposed “evidence of atrocities …

Time Magazine reports: Bill and Hillary Clinton on Thursday night were at the first stop in their new speaking tour, and she spoke about Assange. “I think it’s clear from the indictment that it’s not about punishing journalism,” said Clinton. “It’s about assisting the hacking of the military computer to steal information from the United States government.” “I’ll wait and …

The BBC reports: The first privately funded mission to the Moon has crashed on the lunar surface after the apparent failure of its main engine. The Israeli spacecraft – called Beresheet – attempted a soft landing, but had several technical and communication problems. The aim of the mission was to take pictures and conduct experiments. Only government space agencies from …

CNBC reports: Gregory Craig, who was White House counsel under President Barack Obama, was indicted Thursday on charges of lying and hiding information related to his work for Ukraine. Craig, a 74-year-old lawyer based in Washington, D.C., was charged by the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, unit. Craig faces up to five years in prison for each …

The Week reports: Former FBI Director James Comey is extremely confused about Attorney General William Barr’s spying comments. Comey spoke at a conference in California Thursday, one day after Barr told Congress that he believes spying on President Trump’s 2016 campaign “did occur.” “I don’t know what the heck he’s talking about,” Comey said. He added that Barr’s language was …

The New York Daily News reports: Former Pope Benedict XVI blamed the widespread clerical abuse on the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the “collapse” of theological and societal moral teachings — contradicting Pope Francis in his most extended statement since resigning more than six years ago. “Why did pedophilia reach such proportions?” he writes. “Ultimately, the reason is the …

The New York Times reports: The owners of The National Enquirer are in talks to sell the tabloid to the California billionaire Ronald W. Burkle, according to two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations. An acquisition of The Enquirer by Mr. Burkle, a Democratic donor with close ties to President Bill Clinton, could raise eyebrows in Washington given President …

Reuters reports: Critics of Poland’s right-wing ruling party voiced outrage Thursday after one of its senators said Poland should be “purged” of those “not worthy of belonging to our national community.” They said the language used by Grzegorz Bierecki echoed fascists of the 1930s. He said his comments were misunderstood and refused to apologize. “Horrifying, shameful words evoking Europe’s darkest …

The Associated Press report: Federal prosecutors said Thursday that attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged in a 36-count federal indictment in Southern California. Details of the case were scheduled to be made public at a midmorning news conference by U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna and the Internal Revenue Service, Hanna’s office said in a statement to news outlets. The indictment alleges …