The world’s most valuable oil producer Saudi Aramco has confirmed to the BBC that company data has leaked from one of its contractors. The files are now reportedly being used in an attempt to extort $50m (£36.5m) from the company. The global oil and gas industry has long been criticised for failing to invest in cyber security. In May, the Colonial Pipeline in the US was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack. In an emailed statement, Aramco told the BBC that it “recently became aware of the indirect release of a limited amount of company data which was held by third-party … Continue reading Hackers reportedly demand $50m from oil giant

A woman stole diamonds worth £4.2m from a jewellers by swapping them with pebbles using “sleight of hand”, a court has heard. Lulu Lakatos, 60, allegedly posed as a gemologist who examined the stones from Boodles in central London. Ms Lakatos valued seven diamonds at the New Bond Street store before placing them into a bag, a jury was told. But when the bag was opened, inside were seven small pebbles, Southwark Crown Court heard. “The diamonds had been stolen by the defendant by sleight of hand,” prosecutor Philip Stott said. “The conspiracy in which she is alleged to have … Continue reading Diamonds swapped for pebbles in London gem heist

A Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences. The 31-year-old man, who has not been named for legal reasons, was detained on Friday by Greater Manchester Police. In a statement, the player’s club confirmed he had been suspended and added it would “continue supporting the authorities with inquiries and would not be commenting further”. The footballer has since been bailed pending further inquiries. This is a developing story…..more details to come Continue reading Premier League footballer held over child sex allegations

Hong Kong customs officials said Thursday they had dismantled a money laundering syndicate that used cryptocurrency to process some HK$1.2 billion ($155 million) in illegal funds, in what they said was the first successful operation of its kind. “It is the first time in Hong Kong that a money-laundering ring involved in using cryptocurrency to wash dirty cash and conceal the source of criminal assets was broken up,” Senior Superintendent Mark Woo Wai-kwan told reporters. Investigators said four men, including the alleged local mastermind of the syndicate had been arrested and bailed while some HK$20 million had been frozen. The … Continue reading Hong Kong customs arrest four in first crypto laundering bust

Hollywood star Jodie Turner-Smith has fallen victim to the curse of Cannes, the jewellery thieves who regularly haunt the world’s biggest film festival.British actress Jodie Turner-Smith in Gucci jewellery on the red carpet at the Cannes film festival for the premiere of “After Yang” The British-born actress wore eye-catching Gucci gold and diamond jewellery to the red carpet premiere of her latest film “After Yang” on Thursday. The next morning her suite at the Marriott hotel in the Riviera resort was broken into while she was having breakfast with her one-year-old daughter. Police told AFP on Monday that they were … Continue reading Gem thieves rob Hollywood star at Cannes film festival

A Singaporean man has been handed a nine-month probation order for sending death threats to Premier League footballer Neal Maupay. Derek Ng De Ren, 19, sent the messages after Maupay’s team Brighton & Hove Albion beat Arsenal last June. He was arrested earlier this year after the messages were traced back to Singapore by the Premier League. Under the order, Ng will avoid prison but serve 40 hours of community service and undergo counselling. Ng, an Arsenal supporter, will also be required to obey a nightly curfew between 22:00 and 06:00. His mother has posted a S$5000 ($3700; £2689) bond … Continue reading Teen gets probation for sending death threats to Premier league footballer

The hacker gang behind an international crime spree that played out over the Fourth of July weekend says it has locked more than a million individual devices and is demanding $70 million in bitcoin to set them all free in one swoop. The gang, the Russia-connected REvil, is best known for previously having hacked JBS, one of the world’s largest meat suppliers, briefly halting its operations across much of North America. But this attack’s potential scope is unprecedented, some cybersecurity experts said. REvil began its spree Friday by compromising Kaseya, a software company that helps companies manage basic software updates. Because many … Continue reading Hackers demand $70 million, say they locked 1 million devices

Two members of a wedding party in India have been arrested after the groom’s 16-year-old cousin was shot dead. Dharmendra Singh died after being struck by a bullet during a wedding function in Khaundali, a town in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to the Times of India. The newspaper reported that Singh’s family claimed the shooting was intentional, prompting police to arrest two people on murder charges. Police are examining CCTV footage to determine if the shooting was deliberate or whether it was the result of a loaded gun being mishandled. According … Continue reading 2 members of wedding party arrested after groom’s cousin, 16, shot dead

The former owner of a seafood company in Cape Cod has been arrested for allegedly killing $10,000 worth of lobsters after cutting off the oxygen supply to the animals. Joseph Vaudo, the former owner of the Superior Lobster & Seafood store in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with felony vandalism and illegal dumping for the incident that allegedly occurred last Thursday. In a statement posted to Facebook on Saturday, the Sandwich Police Department said that Vaudo was filmed on surveillance footage at the market turning off the oxygen supply for the lobsters. “Video surveillance from June 24th at approximately … Continue reading Man arrested for suffocating $10,000 worth of lobsters in restaurant tank

A man who became an overnight millionaire due to a banking error has been sentenced to six years behind bars.Packs of 5,000 ruble banknotes at the Moscow Printing Factory of the Goznak security printing company. Roman Yurkov received 95.2 million rubles ($1.3 million) after a digital technical error while taking money out of his bank account at a bookmaker in Tula, Russia. The 35-year-old car salesman took advantage of an error during a technical update in his bank’s mobile application in June 2020 and withdrew funds from the account through bookmakers, according to the investigation and as reported by Lenta.ru. … Continue reading LOL: Man who became millionaire due to bank error sentenced to prison

Chicago recorded its most violent weekend of the year after more than 70 people were shot over this past weekend. From 6 p.m. on Friday until Monday morning, Chicago police said 74 people were shot in the city, with six dying from their injuries. A third of the victims were injured in four mass shootings where four or more people were wounded. This weekend’s figures break the previous record over the June 4 to June 6 weekend, where 58 people were shot over the 54-hour period. There have been at least 1,842 shootings in Chicago this year, compared to the … Continue reading United States Of Anarchy: Chicago sees most violent weekend of 2021 with more than 70 people shot

A Vermont man allegedly took a $1.2 million yacht for a test drive across Lake Champlain, police said. Robert Morris, 56, took the yacht from the Safe Harbor Gaines Marina in Rouses Point, New York, on Monday morning, police said. The 48-foot Jeanneau Prestige 500 is owned by Ron McCarthy from Montreal. McCarthy keeps his yacht named “Volans” in a slip at the upstate New York harbor. Morris allegedly drove the yacht from New York to St. Albans, Vermont, before being apprehended by the St. Albans Police Department. A U.S. Border Patrol helicopter patrolling the lake spotted the boat on Tuesday. Morris … Continue reading Man who stole $1.2 million yacht told police he was ‘just taking it for a test drive’