Category Archives: World Headlines

Russian hackers invade government cyber security

A breach in cyber security at the White House has led to potentially classified information being attained by foreign hackers.

According to Polly Mosendez, a writer for newsweek.com, Russian hackers were successful

in their attempts to break into White House computer systems where they gained access to supposedly secret information, such as real-time details of President Obama’s schedule. While this information may not be considered “classified,” the breach is a symbol of the capabilities foreign intelligence agencies have to reach government information.

U.S. intelligence agencies, the FBI and the Secret Service are all in the works of investigating the mis- hap in computer security at the White House.

Newsweek.com reports the contents of any other information received by the Russian hackers has yet to be announced, though it appears none should be considered classified but rather just “sensitive” information.

In 2014, Russian spies were successful in complete- ly hacking into the unclassified emails of the State Department, known as the “worst ever” attack on a U.S. federal agency, according to CNN reporter Evan Perez. These attacks are believed to correlate with the recent hacks on the White House as the Russian hackers are thought to have gained access to the White House computer information through the State Department.

Though no classified information was stolen, the United States is on high alert with all information and how it is distributed. Anything labeled as classified can only be passed on through one email address and one phone number. CNN also says all information is being treated as though it could compromise major White House networks.

President Obama has made strides to strengthen cy- ber security in recent months, including national data breach reporting, where companies are to inform their customers when their company has been intruded by Hackers. An extension towards the budget of cyber security is also planned to be extended.

No harm was done by the recent cyber attacks from Russia, but the hacks leave Americans questioning whether government officials are doing enough to protect vital information and keep it out of foreign intelligence hands.

Shootings in Pennsylvania hospitalize three people

By Jurnee Starts  

An incident occurred where three people were shot in Monroeville Mall, Pennsylvania. The shooter, Tarod Thornhill, said to have targeted one of the three victims, Chief  Douglas Cole told ABC News. One man was targeted and the other two were bystanders.

The victims were taken to Forbes Hospital Feb. 8. The hospital was told to be on lock down until Thornhill was found.

Thornhill immediately fled the scene. Detectives traced his location with social media. He had been charged as an adult with aggravated assault, attempted homicide and reckless endangerment, Allegheny County Police told NBC News.

Police found Thornhill at a home, where his 16-year-old girlfriend lives with her mother and siblings.

The target Davon Jones, 20, is in fair condition. Mary Singleton, 47, is also in fair condition. While Thomas Singleton, 53, the husband of Mary, is in critical condition.

Several fights broke loose after the incident, which caused local officials and mall administration to plan to increased security so that a problem like that would not occur again. The mall went on lock down after the shooting.

According to the Pennsylvania code of conduct, any type of weapon is banned from the mall. It reads, “Carrying or displaying weapons of any kind except those carried by certified law enforcement officers in the performance of  their duties.”

This has been the third incident within three years that has occurred in Monroeville Mall.

A robbery occurred at Harbor Freight Tools which is in the mall. A week before, more than 1,000 teenagers  and young adults swarmed into a mob in which multiple fights broke out.

Officials announced a new policy, which will require people under 18 to be accompanied by an adult on weekend evenings.

Thornhill was arrested for a gun violation in October 2011, an exact date was not given. Then, in 2014, he was accused of a second gun violation.

Thornhill’s life may be a cause of his problems since he has been in and out of foster homes when he was young.

Lebanese civil war causes turmoil

When one hears the term “civil war,” they think of that situation as a time of the past. For those in the Middle East this term is all too real.

The media in Lebanon have been using this term to describe a five-day conflict that took place in the first week of August. During this week, more than 20 Lebanese and Internal Security Forces were abducted from Arsal, Syria.

As time went on, the crisis seemed to be worsening. A video popped up throughout social media of two Lebanese soldiers being beheaded by the Islamic state.

Shocking the nation, families began to demand that the government do something to save their loved ones who had been captured by the ISF.

Many were worried that this security problem could potentially lead to more division of the state. They feared that the army could no longer protect their lives there. As the beheadings started to gain more popularity, protests began to break out in many cities in the Middle East.

According to the fairobserver.com, the Arsal crisis started on August 2. The Lebanese soldiers arrested Ahmed Jumaa, a commander of the Syrian rebel group. Many militants from ISF started to attack the town of Arsal.

Many Syrian civilians were harmed and killed with Arsal being a home to thousands of Syrian refugees.

This is the time that the two sides decided on a ceasefire but suddenly took a turn for the worse. Now is the time when militants decided to capture the 20 Lebanese soldiers and keep them captive.

They decided to release five of the abducted people but refused to let anyone else free until their members who were held captive would be set free as well.

Feeling as if they were under attack, the Lebanese people decided to fight back. They attacked Syrian refugees by burning down tent camps. The tensions between the two groups began to grow significantly.

The most recent headline involving the Abduction of Lebanese and ISF was the death of Kayla Muller. She was captured by ISIS and told everyone she would fight for as long as she can.

According to the claims of the IS, Mueller had been killed by a Jordanian air strike. She has just lived to the young age of 26.

As this crisis takes shocking turns, America watches in disbelief, not sure what to expect next.

Cost of Snapchat lasts longer than 10 seconds

As students and many other people of the world discover new applications and smart phone techniques, many become familiar with the app “Snapchat.” This app, with a selfie taken by a male adolescent, may just be a major piece of evidence to a horrific murder mystery.

His mother discovered Ryan Mangan dead on Wed, Feb. 4th.

According to CNN.com, “a couple of days after Mangan’s body was discovered, police received a call from a woman whose son received a Snapchat photo from the suspect. The photo had the suspect’s first name across the top, and it matched the description of the crime scene.”

Mangan was only 16-years-old when he died and was from Pennsylvania.

According to CNN.com, “The woman said her son also received messages from the suspect that said ‘Told you I cleaned up the shells’ and ‘Ryan was not the last one.’”

Many people have different uses for the recent top chart app “Snapchat,” but this incident and person might have taken this app too far. It is known by most, if not all, Snapchat users that once you send a Snapchat photo it can only be seen for up to 10 seconds.

Some users might also get an extra time frame if they use their once daily “replay,” or if they screenshot the picture sent on Snapchat.

According to arstechnica.com, “Police said Morton sent the selfie by using Snapchat, an application for smart phones that allows users to send photo messages that disappear from the recipient’s phone within a few seconds. But the boy who received the photo saved it before the message deleted itself. The recipient’s mother contacted Westmoreland County 911.”

The suspect, Maxwell Morton, also the age of 16, was the only one who allegedly sent the photo on Snapchat with the victim of the crime. Police reports said that the victim, Mangan, was shot in the face, and this was his cause of death.

“I’ve never seen it before, but it was a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant,”     Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck said.

Some social media sites have become more than just somewhere for people to share basic days in their lives, and some people have bad uses for these social media sites. This just gives society all the more reason to reconsider some ways to look at technology.