US Says North Korean Charged in Sony Hack, Wannacry Attack
A computer programmer accused of working at the behest of the North Korean government has been charged in connection with several high-profile cyberattacks. They include the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack and the WannaCry ransomware virus that affected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide. A criminal complaint says Park Jin Hyok, who’s believed to be in North Korea, conspired with others to conduct a series of attacks that also stole $81 million from a bank in Bangladesh.
Twitter Bans Right-Wing Voice Alex Jones, Infowars Citing Abuse
Twitter is permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his “Infowars” show for abusive behavior. Twitter says Jones won’t be able to create new accounts on Twitter or take over any existing ones. Twitter says Jones posted a video on Wednesday that is in violation of the company’s policy against “abusive behavior.” The video in question shows Jones shouting at and berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes during congressional hearings about social media.
Expert Panel Calls for Sweeping Election Security Measures
An expert panel of the National Academy of Sciences is calling for fundamental reforms to ensure the integrity of U.S. elections, including secure new voting machines and routine audits aimed at spotting problems before election results are certified. The report reflects a consensus of election-security researchers, but many of these ideas have already run into opposition from some states and Republican leaders in Congress.
China Says Retaliation Ready If US Tariffs Go Ahead
China’s government says it is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with plans for another tariff hike on Chinese goods. The Commerce Ministry expressed confidence it can maintain “steady and healthy” economic growth despite their spiraling trade battle. The Trump administration is poised to announce penalties as early as this week on a $200 billion list of Chinese goods in an escalation of the U.S.-Chinese dispute over Beijing’s technology policy.
Major Hotels Giving Panic Buttons to Staff Nationwide
Tens of thousands of U.S. hotel employees will soon carry panic buttons to help protect them from harassment and assault. More than a dozen big hotel chains — including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Wyndham — said Tuesday that they will provide personal safety devices by 2020 to all employees who deal one-on-one with guests.
Ford Recalls 2M Pickup Trucks; Seat Belts Can Cause Fires
Under pressure from U.S. safety regulators, Ford is recalling about 2 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America because the seat belts can spark and cause fires. The recall, which covers trucks from the 2015 through 2018 model years, comes about one month after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating fires in the pickups, which are the top-selling vehicles in the United States.
Amway Founder and Magic Owner Richard Devos Dies at Age 92
Billionaire Richard DeVos, co-founder of direct-selling giant Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic, has died. He was 92. Family spokesman Nick Wasmiller says DeVos died Thursday at his western Michigan home due to complications from an infection. DeVos was born in Grand Rapids, not far from Ada, the community where he later lived and died.
Survey: US Companies Added a Solid 163,000 Jobs in August
U.S. businesses added 163,000 jobs in August, a private survey found, a decent gain that suggests that employers are confident enough about future growth to hire more workers. Payroll processor ADP says the job gains were the fewest since last October.
Intent on Getting a Big Raise? You May Have to Quit Your Job
Despite one of the best job markets in decades, workers across the U.S. economy are struggling with a common frustration: What does it take to finally get a decent raise? It turns out you might have to quit your job. Americans who leave their employers to take a new job are enjoying pay raises that are one-third larger than raises for workers who stay put — a gap that has reached the widest point since the Great Recession.
US Stocks Slip Again as Technology Companies Extend Slump
US stocks slide for the third consecutive day as technology companies take big losses for the second day in a row. Energy companies and banks also fall, but industrial companies and big dividend payers like utilities rise.
The S&P 500 index shed 10.55 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,878.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 20.88 points, or 0.1 percent, to 25,995.87. The Nasdaq composite fell 72.45 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,922.73. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks declined 13.18 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,714.47.
Benchmark U.S. crude shed 1.4 percent to $67.77 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 1 percent to $76.50 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline slid 0.7 percent to $1.95 a gallon. Heating oil slumped 1.1 percent to $2.21 a gallon. Natural gas gave up 0.8 percent to $2.77 per 1,000 cubic feet.
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