Overnight Shooting in Ohio Street Kills One and Wounds 24, Police Say

AKRON, Ohio — An early morning shooting on a street in Ohio killed one person and injured 24 others, some critically, police said.

Police said shots were reported early Sunday just after midnight in the city of Akron, where multiple victims struck by gunfire were reported. Local hospitals told emergency dispatchers soon afterward that people were arriving in their emergency departments with gunshot wounds.

Capt. Michael Miller, an Akron police public information officer, said Sunday morning that there were 25 total victims, including one person who died. Miller said Sunday afternoon that at least two wounded victims remained in critical condition; others had injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

No arrests were immediately reported. Police said the investigation is in its preliminary stages and asked anyone with information to call detectives.

WEWS-TV reported that a street party was happening in the area before the gunfire broke out, and an unnamed witness at the scene told the station that hundreds of people were enjoying themselves with everyone in white T-shirts and “women on top of vehicles dancing.”

The station reported that officers found dozens of bullet casings and one gun.

source https://time.com/6984838/ohio-shooting-death-toll-injuries-police-report/

Ticketmaster Data Breach May Affect More Than 500 Million Customers. What to Know

Live Nation confirmed in a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday that its subsidiary Ticketmaster has suffered a data breach.

The filing stated that on May 20, the company noticed “unauthorized activity” within a database that contained “Company data” and subsequently “launched an investigation with industry-leading forensic investigators to understand what happened.” The filing went on to describe that on May 27, a “criminal threat actor” offered to sell, what it alleged to be, Ticketmaster data on “the dark web.”

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What do we know about the Ticketmaster data breach and the force behind it?

Hackread reported on May 28 that the hacking group named ShinyHunters had claimed responsibility for the cyber-attack on the online forum BreachForums, a hacking website used to facilitate data breaches and the sharing of said data. In the post, the hacking group reportedly states it is seeking $500,000 for the 1.3TB database of compromised customer data, which it claims includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details of 560 million users.

Live Nation’s regulatory filing does not state how many of its Ticketmaster users’ data has been compromised by the hack, nor does it confirm if ShinyHunters is the culprit. 

TIME has reached out to Live Nation and Ticketmaster for comment and further information.

In the filing, Live Nation stated it was “working to mitigate risk to [their] users” and was  cooperating with law enforcement officials. They went on to say that in their investigation, the breach was unlikely to make “a material impact on our overall business operations or on our financial condition or results of operations.”

What can Ticketmaster customers do to protect themselves?

In the aftermath of this breach, Ticketmaster users can protect themselves by staying vigilant against phishing attempts, monitor accounts and credit cards, and change passwords, using strong and unique alternatives.

Live Nation and Ticketmaster have yet to release a public statement addressing the breach, but on Ticketmaster’s website blog in April, ahead of the data hack, they provided general advice on how to protect information and tickets. They advised users to make sure to get contact information only from Ticketmaster’s official website and to be aware of fake customer service phone numbers that could appear in search engines.

Ticketmaster’s data breach comes at a trying time

Ticketmaster specifically dominates the market for live events in the United States—so much so that on May 23, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster, accusing them of running an “illegal monopoly” over live events in America—destroying competition and driving up prices for fans.

Per the complaint, in 2022 “Ticketmaster accounted for at least 70% of the total face value associated with all tickets sold at large arenas and amphitheaters.” In stark contrast, “no other rival ticketed more than 14%.”

In the DOJ lawsuit, Live Nation is accused of multiple tactics, including using long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rival ticketers, blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers, and threatening venues that they could lose money and fans if they didn’t choose Ticketmaster.

What do we know about ShinyHunters?

The hacking group claiming responsibility, ShinyHunters, is well known for its data hacking of multiple companies in 2020 and 2021, including the Indonesian e-commerce site Tokopedia, the Indian education platform Unacademy, Wattpad, AT&T Wireless, and Microsoft. In January, one member of the ShinyHunters hacking group—a French citizen named Sebastien Raoult—was arrested and sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison.

In a statement following the arrest, the Justice Department said that between April 2020 and July 2021, ShinyHunters posted sales of hacked data from more than 60 companies, and that they stole hundreds of millions of customer records and caused loss to victim companies that is estimated to exceed $6 million.

source https://time.com/6984811/ticketmaster-data-breach-customers-livenation-everything-to-know/

Boeing’s First Astronaut Flight Called Off at the Last Minute in Latest Setback

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A last-minute problem nixed Saturday’s launch attempt for Boeing’s first astronaut flight, the latest in a string of delays over the years.

Two NASA astronauts were strapped in the company’s Starliner capsule when the countdown automatically was halted at 3 minutes and 50 seconds by the computer system that controls the final minutes before liftoff.

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With only a split second to take off, there was no time to work the latest trouble and everything was called off. It was not immediately clear why the computers aborted the countdown.

Launch controllers were evaluating the data, said United Launch Alliance’s Dillon Rice. But it’s possible the team could try again as soon as Sunday, depending on what went wrong.

Technicians raced to the pad to help astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams out of the capsule atop the fully fueled Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Within an hour of the launch abort, the hatch was reopened.

It was the second launch attempt. The first try on May 6 was delayed for leak checks and rocket repairs.

NASA wants a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts since 2020.

Boeing should have launched its first crew around the same time as SpaceX, but its first test flight with no one on board in 2019 was plagued by severe software issues and never made it to the space station.

A redo in 2022 fared better, but parachute problems and flammable later caused more delays. A small helium leak in the capsule’s propulsion system last month came on top of a rocket valve issue.

More valve trouble cropped up two hours before Saturday’s planned liftoff, but the team used a backup circuit to get the ground-equipment valves working to top off the fuel for the rocket’s upper stage. Launch controllers were relieved to keep pushing ahead, but the computer system known as the ground launch sequencer ended the effort.

“Of course, this is emotionally disappointing,” NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, the backup pilot, said from neighboring Kennedy Space Center.

But he said delays are part of spaceflight. “We’re going to have a great launch in our future.”

source https://time.com/6984764/boeing-first-astronaut-flight-called-off-latest-setback/

Thousands Celebrate Pride in Bangkok With Historic Marriage Equality Law on the Horizon

Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Saturday to mark Pride Month, the first to be celebrated with a sense that legal marriage equality for same-sex couples in the country is near, as lawmakers inch closer toward the expected passage of a bill that would codify marriage as between two individuals rather than a man and a woman.

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The parade, with the theme “Celebration of Love” covered some 1.5 km of roads in the city’s commercial district. The Governor of Bangkok, multinational companies, and advocacy groups were among those to participate, though the rally sprung to life from concerts on trucks, strutting drag queens, and the occasional band of drummers. Some marchers carried a poster of a marriage certificate that read, “This marriage certificate shows that all genders can marry.” Others hoisted a giant rainbow flag while coursing through Bangkok’s busy roads.

Bangkok resident and parade attendee Karin Chai, 47, said this year’s event feels more serious than its previous iterations. “We have been cooperating with the Bangkok community,” Karin said. “The government sector realized that the LGBT community is also one of the communities that we should be understanding.”

Naruemit Pride—who has organized the celebrations since 2022—earlier told TIME that the focus of the event was on the passage of marriage equality, as the movement in Thailand has been ongoing for more than a decade.

Waddao Ann Chumaporn, president and founder of Naruemit Pride, said in a press release shared ahead of the event that this year is important for the LGBTQ+ community specifically because of the bill’s looming passage. “Naruemit Pride therefore organized the Bangkok Pride Festival 2024 as an event to celebrate this success too, and as a countdown to the official implementation of the equal marriage law,” she said.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin led the march, wearing a rainbow-colored shirt. He was joined by Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Srettha is the first Thai premier to join the Bangkok Pride Parade. Since taking office in August 2023, Srettha has made marriage equality a priority issue for the administration to resolve.

“Thailand will continue to support gender diversity after successfully passing the marriage equality bill,” Srettha said at the start of the parade. “We are looking forward to pushing for gender recognition and sex worker laws.”

A 23-year-old investment banker, who wished to identify as “Maew Chol,” said she is excited about the expected passage of the marriage equality bill. “Now it’ll officially state that Thailand, Thai people, and Thai legality support true love,” Maew tells TIME.

The Bangkok Pride parade was held months after the lower house of Thailand’s parliament overwhelmingly voted to amend the country’s Civil and Commercial Code and effectively allow same-sex marriage. The Senate is currently deliberating on the amending bill, and if they approve it, the bill will be sent over to the King for royal endorsement.

Though the new session of parliament was expected to open in July, advocacy group Fortify Rights announced earlier this week that the Senate is set to hold an ad-hoc session on June 18 to vote on the bill.

If passed, Thailand will be the third country in Asia—and the first among Southeast Asian nations—with marriage equality, following Taiwan in 2019 and Nepal in 2023. The law will recognize marriage registrations of same-sex partners aged 18 and up, as well as their rights to inheritance, tax allowances, and child adoption.

Despite its reputation as a vibrant Asian hub for the LGBT community, Thailand still lacks many legal protections for people of varying sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. The country’s parliament in March rejected a draft law on gender recognition, which would have allowed transgender and non-binary Thais to change their legal gender markers.

But Maew believes the marriage equality bill’s passage is a significant change in Thailand: “We are moving forward. That’s a huge step.”

source https://time.com/6984236/bangkok-pride-parade-marriage-equality-thailand/

Watch Biden React to Trump Blaming Him For Hush-Money Trial Conviction

As President Joe Biden started walking out of the press room on Friday afternoon, after finishing a speech outlining a cease-fire plan for the Israel-Hamas war, a journalist called out, questioning him on former President Donald Trump’s historic hush-money trial conviction.

“Donald Trump refers to himself as a ‘political prisoner’ and blames you [Biden] directly. What’s your response to that, sir?” the person enquired.

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Biden stopped, turned around, and smiled widely, seemingly amused by the question or the topic at hand. The journalists continued to ask for the President’s thoughts.

“Do you think the conviction will have an impact on the campaign?” was another query put forward. But without answering any questions, Biden proceeded to walk out of the room.

The moment is receiving much social media attention, as the public continues to digest Trump’s conviction of 34 charges in a plot to illegally influence the 2016 election by falsifying documents that showed hush-money paid to Stormy Daniels, a former porn actor, who claims the two had sex.

Earlier in the day on Friday, Trump made a statement from Trump Tower in New York, speaking for over 30 minutes, and insisting that the verdict was “rigged” and driven by politics. Throughout his speech, he verbally attacked the judge, the witnesses, and called President Biden “a very big danger to our country.” 

Meanwhile, on Thursday, immediately after leaving court, Trump outwardly blamed the Biden Administration.

“The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people,” he said. “This was done by the Biden Administration in order to wound or hurt a political opponent, and I think it’s just a disgrace.” 

President Biden reacted to the verdict and Trump’s words directly in his own speech, before discussing the Israel-Hamas war cease-fire plan.

He reified that this was a state case, including local representation, rather than a federal case that could be influenced by the Justice Department and those under his presidential purview. Biden also defended the jurors as citizens, not unlike those watching, and said that Trump had every opportunity to defend himself over the five weeks that evidence was shown.

“It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this is ‘rigged’ just because they don’t like the verdict,” Biden said.

On June 27, Biden and Trump are set to meet in their first debate for the 2024 election cycle. Soon after, on July 11, Trump is set to return to court for sentencing, where he could face penalties ranging from heavy fines to prison time.

source https://time.com/6984738/president-biden-reacts-trump-accusation-hush-money-trial-conviction/

Hostage Families Call For Biden-Backed Cease-Fire Deal. Israel Says Conditions Must be Met

TEL AVIV, Israel — Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas called for all parties to immediately accept a proposal detailed by U.S. President Joe Biden to end the nearly 8-month-long war and bring their relatives home, but Israel’s government said conditions for a cease-fire still must be met.

Biden outlined a three-phase deal Friday proposed by Israel to Hamas, saying the militant group is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel. He urged the Israelis and Hamas to come to an agreement to release some 100 remaining hostages, along with the bodies of around 30 more, for an extended cease-fire in Gaza.

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Cease-fire talks ground to a halt last month after a major push by the U.S. and other mediators to secure a deal in hopes of averting a full Israeli invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah. Israel says the Rafah operation is vital to uprooting Hamas fighters responsible for the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war.

Israel on Friday confirmed its troops were operating in central parts of the city. The ground assault has led to an exodus of around 1 million Palestinians out of the city and has thrown U.N. humanitarian operations based in the area into turmoil.

Following Biden’s speech, hostage families said Saturday time was running out with the onus on both Israel and Hamas to accept the deal.

“We want to see people coming back from Gaza alive and soon,” Gili Roman told The Associated Press. His sister, Yarden Roman-Gat, was taken hostage and freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November, but Yarden’s sister-in-law, Carmel, is still being held.

“This might be the last chance to save lives. Therefore, the current state must be changed and we expect all to adhere to Biden’s call for accepting the deal on the table, immediately. There is no other way towards a better situation for all. Our leadership must not disappoint us. But mostly, all eyes should be on Hamas,” he said.

The proposal came after what hostage families said was an aggressive meeting Thursday with Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, who told them that the government wasn’t ready to sign a deal to bring all of the hostages home and that there was no plan B.

Hanegbi said this week he expects the war to drag on for another seven months, in order to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group.

Netanyahu has promised a “total victory” that would remove Hamas from power, dismantle its military structure and return the hostages, and on Saturday, the government said its conditions for ending the war had not changed. Putting a permanent cease-fire in place before the conditions are fulfilled is a “non-starter,” it said.

Many hostage families blame the government’s lack of will to secure a deal for the deaths of many of the hostages in captivity.

“We know that the government of Israel has done an awful lot to delay reaching a deal and that has cost the lives of many people who survived in captivity for weeks and weeks and months and months. Our hearts are broken by the amount of people we will receive that are no longer alive,” Sharone Lifschitz, told AP. Her mother Yocheved was freed in the November cease-fire, and her father Oded is still in captivity.

The first phase of the deal announced by Biden would would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete cease-fire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war.

Biden acknowledged that keeping the Israeli proposal on track would be difficult, saying there were a number of “details to negotiate” to move from the first phase to the second. Biden said that if Hamas fails to fulfil its commitment under the deal, Israel can resume military operations.

Hamas said in a statement Friday it viewed the proposal presented by Biden “positively” and called on the Israelis to declare explicit commitment to an agreement that includes a permanent cease-fire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoner exchange and other conditions.

While the proposal is similar to previous ones, the main difference is the readiness to stop the war for an undefined period, according to analysts. It still leaves Israel the option the renew the war and diminish Hamas’ ability to govern, but over time, said Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum in Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University.

Still, experts say Biden’s speech was one of the first times in the war that provided hope that it might end and bring the hostages home.

“It was a very good speech … it seems that Biden is trying to force it on the Israeli government, he was clearly speaking directly to the Israeli people,” said Gershon Baskin, director for the Middle East at the International Communities Organization. Israelis must take to the streets to demand that the government of Israel accept it, he said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called it an “urgent hope” for lasting peace. She said Saturday it was up to Hamas to show they want to end the conflict.

Meanwhile fighting continued in Gaza.

On Saturday, Israel’s army said it killed a Hamas fighter responsible for directing attacks in Israel and the West Bank and earlier this week, it said its aircraft killed a Hamas fighter in central Gaza who was head of the technology department for its internal security forces.

Also on Saturday, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News said officials from Egypt, the United States and Israel would meet in Cairo over the weekend for talks about the Rafah crossing, which has been closed since Israel took over the Palestinian side of it in early May. The meeting comes a week after Biden discussed the closure of the crossing in a call with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

The crossing is one of the main ways for aid to enter Gaza. Egypt has refused to open its side of the border, fearing the Israeli hold will remain permanent. Egypt has demanded that Palestinians be put back in charge of the facility. The White House has been pressing Egypt to resume the flow of trucks.

Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. More than 36,170 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s campaign of bombardment and offensives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

source https://time.com/6984723/hostage-families-ceasefire-deal-biden-israel-conditions/

French Security Authorities Foil Plan to Attack Soccer Events During the Paris Olympics

PARIS — The French interior minister said Friday that security authorities have foiled a plan to attack soccer events during the Paris Olympics.

Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that the members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon.

According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in the city of Saint-Etienne that will host several soccer matches during the Summer Games. The planned attack was to target spectators and police forces, the statement said. The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events “to die and become a martyr,” the statement also said.

The Paris Olympics will run from July 26-Aug. 11. Soccer matches will take place in cities across France before the final in Paris’ Stade de France.

source https://time.com/6984314/paris-olympics-soccer-attack-foiled/