Mainstream News

Tired German bank employee naps on keyboard, transfers $293 million

"An obviously tired German bank employee fell asleep on his keyboard and accidentally transformed a minor transfer into a 222 million euro ($293 million) order, a court heard. The Hessen labour court heard that the man was supposed to transfer just 62.40 euros from a bank account belonging to a retiree, but instead 'fell asleep for an instant, while pushing onto the number 2 key on the keyboard' — making it a huge 222,222,222.22 euro order. The bank discovered the mistake shortly afterwards and corrected the error. The case was taken to court by the man’s 48-year-old colleague who was fired for letting the mistake slip through when verifying the order." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTired German bank employee naps on keyboard, transfers $293 million

U.S. charges eight hackers over alleged cyber theft of at least $15 million

"Federal prosecutors in New Jersey on Wednesday unveiled criminal charges against eight people accused of trying to steal at least $15 million from U.S. customers in an international cybercrime scheme targeting accounts at 15 financial institutions and government agencies. U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said the conspiring hackers gained unauthorized access to computer networks, diverted customer funds to bank accounts and pre-paid debit cards and used 'cashers' to make ATM withdrawals and fraudulent purchases in Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and elsewhere." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. charges eight hackers over alleged cyber theft of at least $15 million

Welcome to the ‘Glock Block’: Oregonians are no longer calling the police, arm themselves instead

"Frustrated by an increase in petty crime, residents of an Oregon neighborhood have decided to arm themselves instead of calling the police. Residents of a Jennings Lodge neighborhood in Clackamas county, Ore., have put up fliers advertising their new policy, calling themselves the 'Glock Block', according to KOIN News. 'This is a Glock Block,' the fliers read. 'We don't call 911. Along with some of her neighbors, Coy Toloman has put up the fliers and gotten a concealed carry permit with the hopes of deterring criminals. While the increase in neighborhood crime is mostly petty, with incidents of vandalism and stolen law ornaments, Toloman has had enough." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelcome to the ‘Glock Block’: Oregonians are no longer calling the police, arm themselves instead

Termites Feast On Woman’s Life Savings

"A Chinese woman almost lost her life savings recently when termites invaded a wooden drawer in which she kept a plastic bag containing 400,000 yuan: the equivalent of $65,000 U.S. dollars. It was only after the woman decided to redecorate her house in Guandong Province that she noticed the termites had dined on her nest egg. According to the Guangzhou Daily, the money was given to the woman by her children. A local bank generously scanned the remaining cash and was able to identity 340,000 yuan which means the termite's meal ultimately cost the woman roughly $9,786." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTermites Feast On Woman’s Life Savings

Obama Says Bernanke Has Been at Fed ‘Longer Than He Wanted’

"President Barack Obama said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has stayed in his post 'longer than he wanted,' one of the clearest signals the central bank chief will leave when his current term expires next year. 'Ben Bernanke’s done an outstanding job,' Obama said in an interview with Charlie Rose that aired yesterday on PBS, when asked about nominating him for another term subject to Senate approval. 'He’s already stayed a lot longer than he wanted or he was supposed to.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Says Bernanke Has Been at Fed ‘Longer Than He Wanted’

Obama on prosecuting Edward Snowden: I will leave it up to the Department of Justice

"Barack Obama addressed what he described as the public 'ruckus' over the leaked National Security Agency surveillance documents on Monday, indicating that the US authorities would pursue extradition from Hong Kong of the whistleblower Edward Snowden. Obama did not offer any more details about the process in his PBS interview. Instead, he addressed criticism that he has shifted a long way from the liberal positions he championed during his 2008 White House race. Obama said: 'My concern has always been not that we shouldn’t do intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism, but rather are we setting up a system of checks and balances.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama on prosecuting Edward Snowden: I will leave it up to the Department of Justice

Smell of marijuana: Who needs a search warrant when police use their nose?

"The ability to conduct warrantless searches based on the smell of marijuana has faced some challenges. In Florida, recent cases in Sarasota and Pinellas County have cast doubt on some officers' claims they were able to smell the marijuana cited in their probable cause affidavits and search warrant applications. And in Massachusetts, where voters decriminalized small amounts of marijuana in 2008, a state court struck down the ability to smell and search in 2011. Defense attorneys argue that youths and minorities are targeted disproportionately and say that because the search relies solely on an officer's word, it's prone to misconduct." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSmell of marijuana: Who needs a search warrant when police use their nose?

Apple pioneer Steve Wozniak one step closer to becoming Australian

"Steve Jobs's former right hand man and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is one step closer to becoming a permanent Australian resident and citizen. Wozniak, who quit the company in 1987 after 12 years, today told Australian tech blog Gizmodo he was finalising the paperwork for a move down under, a plan he flagged during his visit to Australia in September. 'It is a high priority this month for me to finish some medical and police reports for my residency application,' he said. The former Apple guru also confirmed he was still keen on getting Australian citizenship." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingApple pioneer Steve Wozniak one step closer to becoming Australian

Turks invent new form of ‘standing’ protest to get around ban on gatherings

"A man stood still in Istanbul’s Taksim Square: silent, staring straight ahead, he had not moved for hours. His peaceful action, on the square that police cleared of protesters on Saturday and where the Turkish authorities have banned gatherings, was a new form of protest. He arrived Monday evening as night was falling and took up position in the middle of the square, just a stone’s throw from Gezi Park. Five hours on, the man was still there, hands in his pockets, a bag and some bottles of water at his feet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurks invent new form of ‘standing’ protest to get around ban on gatherings

Diary of WWII German teenager reveals young lives untroubled by Nazi Holocaust in wartime Berlin

"The 15-year-old Berlin schoolgirl, nicknamed 'Gitti', started keeping a diary in December 1942, when the German capital was being bombed nightly and the Nazi Holocaust was killing thousands. As a trainee secretary, she recorded her daily experiences to improve her stenography skills. Now, some 70 years on, her diary has been published for the first time in Germany and is being hailed as remarkable documentary evidence of how millions of Germans relied on collective indifference to endure the horrors of war and ignore the brutality of the Nazi rule." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiary of WWII German teenager reveals young lives untroubled by Nazi Holocaust in wartime Berlin