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A number of prominent pundits, including former City defender and club ambassador Micah Richards, have questioned why the Belgium international has not been starting games amid the champions’ dramatic slump. City have not won in seven outings in all competitions – their worst run since 2008 – with De Bruyne featuring only as a substitute in the last five of those matches after recovering from a pelvic injury. The latest came with a 12-minute run-out in Sunday’s demoralising 2-0 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool, a result which left City 11 points off the pace and fifth in the table. Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast it appeared “there’s some sort of rift going on” between De Bruyne and Guardiola while former England striker Gary Lineker added: “It seems like all’s not well.” Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said he felt “something isn’t right” and fellow Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, the ex-Manchester United right-back, described the situation as “unusual, bizarre, strange”. Guardiola, speaking at a press conference to preview his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest, responded on Tuesday. The Spaniard said: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play? “The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don’t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together? “He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he’s been five months injured (last season) and two months injured (this year). “He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to have his best.” De Bruyne has not started since being forced off at half-time of City’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan on September 18, having picked up an injury in the previous game. Both the player and manager have spoken since of the pain he was in and the need to ease back into action, but his spell on the bench has been unexpectedly long. The resulting speculation has then been exacerbated because De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract but Guardiola maintains nothing untoward has occurred. He said: “I’d love to have the Kevin in his prime, 26 or 27. He would love it to – but he is not 26 or 27 any more. “He had injuries in the past, important and long ones. He is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy. You think I’m complaining? It’s normal, it’s nature. “He’s played in 10 or 11 seasons a lot of games and I know he is desperate to help us. He gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have. “But, always I said, he himself will not solve our problems, like Erling (Haaland) won’t solve it himself. We attack and defend together. “We want the best players back. Hopefully step by step the confidence will come back and we’ll get the best of all of us.”NFL MVP rankings Week 16: Josh Allen's case takes a hit. But is he still No. 1?
Dismiss Trump taunts, expert says after 'churlish' social media posts about CanadaIn a message to the American people, the King expressed “great sadness” at the news of Mr Carter’s death, describing him as “a committed public servant” who “devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights”. He added: “His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977. “My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time.” Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981 and spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Carter had “lived his values in the service of others to the very end” through “decades of selfless public service”. Praising a “lifelong dedication to peace” that saw him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Sir Keir added: “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad.” Tributes to Mr Carter followed the announcement of his death by his family on Sunday, more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.” Very sorry to hear of President Carter’s passing. I pay tribute to his decades of selfless public service. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. pic.twitter.com/IaKmZcteb1 — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 29, 2024 US President Joe Biden, one of the first elected politicians to endorse Mr Carter’s bid for the presidency in 1976, said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”. He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us.” Speaking to reporters from his family vacation in the US Virgin Islands, Mr Biden said his predecessor represented “the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away” and the world had lost a “remarkable leader”. Asked if there were any lessons President-elect Donald Trump could learn from Mr Carter, he answered: “Decency, decency, decency”. Over six decades, Jill and I had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. pic.twitter.com/irknhZ6CJY — President Biden (@POTUS) December 29, 2024 Vice President Kamala Harris said Mr Carter “reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion”. “His life and legacy continue to inspire me — and will inspire generations to come,” she said. “Our world is a better place because of President Carter.” Other UK politicians also paid tribute to Mr Carter. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was “an inspiration” who “led a truly remarkable life dedicated to public service with a genuine care for people”. Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the former president as “a good, decent, honest man who strove for peace in all that he did”, while Welsh First Minister said he was “a remarkable man” and “a humanitarian and scholar”. Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Mr Carter’s “life was a testament to public service”. He added: “I always had the greatest respect for him, his spirit and his dedication. He fundamentally cared and consistently toiled to help those in need.” Gordon Brown, another former prime minister, said it was a “privilege” to have known Mr Carter, who “will be mourned, not just in America, but in every continent where human rights are valued”. Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington DC before being buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and, finally, the White House, where he took office as 39th president in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked more than four decades leading The Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Under his leadership, the Carter Center virtually eliminated Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service
Farmers plot supermarket blockade in New YearFACT FOCUS: Vermont ruling does not say schools can vaccinate children without parental consent
COPPELL, Texas (AP) — COPPELL, Texas (AP) — Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc. (PLAY) on Tuesday reported a loss of $32.7 million in its fiscal third quarter. The Coppell, Texas-based company said it had a loss of 84 cents per share. Losses, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 45 cents per share. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of 42 cents per share. The owner of Dave & Buster's, a chain of restaurants and arcades posted revenue of $453 million in the period, which also missed Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $459.9 million. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PLAY at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PLAYAP Business SummaryBrief at 6:23 p.m. EST
Iconic car maker Jaguar has unveiled a radical relaunch - part of a seismic shake-up across the wider industry. Jaguar’s Type 00 concept car is designed to set the tone for the legendary British marque’s all-electric future. Bosses are desperate to shed its older “Jag-man” image and appeal to younger drivers. A production version is expected to cost more than £100,000. But the model’s ‘Barbie pink’ colour was mocked by some, while others branded a pre-launch advertising campaign - minus any car - “woke”. The reset for Jaguar - famed for its classic E-Type - comes amid a electrification revolution for the whole of the car industry. Pressure to cut carbon emissions - in some countries backed by the threat of fines - has seen manufacturers ramp-up investment in electric vehicles . But the extra outlay for battery electric cars, plus “range anxiety”, has dented demand from buyers. At the same time, Western manufacturers are facing intense competition from cheap Chinese cars, helped by state aid. Financial difficulties at Vauxhall owner Stellantis, and boardroom tension over the switch to electric, saw group boss Carlos Tavares abruptly quit this week. Vauxhall last week announced the closure of its Luton van factory, blamed in part on Tory-triggered electric targets. Meanwhile, workers at Volkswagen factories across Germany have begun strikes after the manufacturer threatened to close plants amid falling demand and a slower-than-expected move to electric vehicles. Automotive industry veteran Andy Palmer predicted buyers could see the price of electric cars come down to those of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, if the government sticks to rules that have been slammed by manufacturers. “The breakthrough, particularly for your readers, will be on charging costs, when they will be much cheaper to run”, said Dr Palmer, a former boss of Aston Martin who, when at Nissan, was responsible for bringing the eco-friendly Leaf to its Sunderland plant, He warned the industry “invest or die”, as he urged manufacturers and their investors to swallow several years of heavy losses in order to bring down the cost of electric cars to a level most people can afford. “We all think big car companies make lots of money, but actually you only make a few hundred quit on every one you sell,” he said. “Most of the money you make is on spares, and servicing and car finance.” Dr Palmer has been critical of the Conservatives for “neglecting” the UK’s car industry over 14 years in power, allowing international competitors to “overtake us.” Writing earlier this year, we welcomed Labour’s promise to back the sector, but is now urging ministers to go further with incentives for buyers to switch to electric. He warned Chinese makers such as BYD and MG - bought by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in 2007 - were now “starting the eat the diner” of Western and Japanese car giants. Their arrival has been compared to that of Japanese car makers in the 1980s. Dr Palmer said Chinese electric cars were now as good as those from the West, adding “it’s not cheap s**t anymore. It’s really good. And in battery technology , they are 10 years ahead of us.” Comment by Graham Hiscott Europe’s car industry - including the UK’s - is at a crossroads. Manufacturers have sunk billions into electric cars but aren’t yet seeing a return on their investment, hammering profits. Meanwhile Chinese makers - with state subsidies - are flooding the market with cheap (and experts say very good) models, much like the Japanese did in the 80s. Holding ordinary buyers back is the price of electric cars, and “range anxiety”. Until costs fall - and they’re starting to thanks to big discounts - going electric will only be those with money to spare. The very real risk the UK - whose car making sector is a shadow of its former shelf - will be overtaken again, especially without battery making gigafactories. That means most reliance on imports and potentially hundreds of thousands of job losses. Q: What’s the UK market for electric cars? A: Almost 300,000 new battery electric vehicles (BEV) were sold in the first 10 months of this year, up 14% on the same time in 2023. But that’s out of 1.65 million cars, with nearly 890,000 petrol. Even then, most EV sales are to companies or through salary sacrifice schemes. Buyers are beginning to get more choice, with over 125 BEV models. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says around one in five are cheaper to buy than the average petrol or diesel car. Q: What are the advantages of going electric? A: Aside from the green credentials - which some critics question - EVs also cost less to service and maintain than petrol cars. Pure electric cars are exempt from vehicle excise duty - road tax - but that will ends next year. Q: So why aren’t sales higher? A: While prices are coming down, electric cars still come with a premium, typicallydue to the cost of the batteries. The average new electric car costs £46,000, with the best-selling Tesla up to £60,000. A typical new car in the UK - including petrol and diesel - is £19,000 to £32,000. Another factor holding back sales is “range anxiety” - the fear of running out of charge. In reality, the average UK journey is just eight miles and range between charges is improving. There are around one million places to charge a car, with the vast majority in homes and business premises. As of July, there were just 65,000 public electric vehicle charging points. Q: What’s in it for car makers to boost electric car sales? A: The UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate requires that 22% of new cars sold in 2024 be zero-emission vehicles this year, rising to 28% in 2025 and then continuing. Manufacturers face fines for missing the targets. The SMMT forecasts 363,000 battery electric cars wil be sold this year, giving a market share of 18.7%. The forecast for vans is just 20,000 - a 5.7% market share against a 2024 target of 10%. The trade body says sales have fallen short despite an estimated £4billion worth of discounts. Missing the ZEV target could, it adds, potentially create a £1.8billion bill, either in fines or buying credits from competitors, most of whom manufacture their EVs abroad. Q: What does the industry want? A: A better charging infrastructure and an end to VAT on public chargers.Trump's Return and the Decline of Legacy Media: 'They Are Overseeing a Sinking Ship' Share This article Donald Trump's win in November caused seismic waves across the country, and it shook up more than just politics. It served as a clear wakeup call to legacy media outlets. "They're doing soul searching, and I think it's going to be reflected in some of the content we see on the air and on websites and in newspapers," says veteran journalist Howard Polskin who now reports on the media. "I think everyone is going to be a lot more measured." MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezinski quickly saw the writing on the wall. "They are overseeing a sinking ship," says Curtis Houck with Newsbusters. "Joe and Mika, you could think of as the captains of the USS Resistance." After being vocal Trump critics, they met with the president-elect at Mar-a Lago and are now starting to play nice as they made clear recently on the broadcast. "Joe and I realize it's time to do something different," Brezinski told viewers. "That starts with not only talking about Donald Trump but also talking with him." The move by Joe and Mika makes sense based on ratings alone. Following the election, MSNBC's total viewership dropped 38% and CNN is down 27%. Houck sees this as desperate times. "Part of that desperation is going to meet with the 'fascist' himself," Houck tells CBN News. "And they've admitted in previous weeks that they want to do the show differently, which I take that to mean, perhaps go back to the Morning Joe that it used to be." But it might be too late to do any good. Trust in the media has been fading for years. Back in 1972, only 6 percent of Americans said they didn't trust the media. By the Clinton years in 1997, that number increased to 15 percent. When Trump first took office, it jumped to 24 percent and now, 8 years later, 36 percent of Americans don't trust the media at all. "That is such an extraordinary number, and it should be a shock wave in newsrooms across this country," says John Solomon, the CEO of Just The News. "Unfortunately, most newsrooms are still in denial...so I fear the pattern of misreporting, of loss of audience, loss of connection with audience, loss of perspective with audience, is going to continue." In this news media landscape, we're already seeing a trend of out with the old and in with the new. Trump took advantage of this and added a new wrinkle in 2024 by reaching out to podcasters, streaming services and social media influencers. "You saw him go after podcast platforms," Houck says. "He talked to his son, Barron, about this. He had a young comms team that thought about, where do young people get their news?" CHECK OUT CBN News on Rumble! Houck believes Trump has changed the way campaigns will communicate in the future: more emphasis on casual connection and far less on what's seen as traditional media. "Candidates venturing into the podcast sphere, new media atmosphere, whatever you want to call it, is this generation's question of yesteryear, of which candidate would I want to get a beer with." This new playing field could pit two media classes against each other with the battle playing out at The White House itself. The legacy media has encamped in the briefing room for decades. John Solomon, though, recounts to CBN News a conversation with Trump in 2020 when talk had already begun about shaking up how business is done. "I would not be surprised if you saw in a few weeks, the announcement of a creation of a new White House Correspondents Association and an alternate correspondence association," Solomon speculates. That could mean a group of more conservative outlets and possibly popular podcasters. "Maybe create a second press room," Solomon says. "Maybe it's in the Old Executive Office Building, which was where the discussions were in August of 2020, and let new media come in and let's see who covers the press conference more accurately, more fairly." Whether that happens or not, it's clear this new media landscape is spreading from print and television to the social media terrain. With the platform X now owned by Trump-supporting Elon Musk, liberals are fleeing in droves, moving to Bluesky, started by Twitter Founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. "The news environment is going to be atomized even more," says veteran journalist Howard Polskin with the website therighting.com . "So now you're going to have social media platforms just for mainstreamers and liberals. You're going to have some just for the near right. Then you're going to have social media for the far right...that's just how the media business is going these days." It's all moving very fast. Just the way Trump likes it. ***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to receive the latest news alerts and updates from a distinctly Christian perspective New Trump DOJ Nominee Harmeet Dhillon Called a 'Huge Win for Life', Would Replace Official Who Targeted Pro-Lifers https://t.co/ArrV2udoqx pic.twitter.com/qs2uDgo2o3 Share This article About The Author
So much so that F1 and Formula One Management could have a decision to grant the General Motors-backed entry a spot as the 11th team on the grid in the coming weeks. Dan Towriss, now the majority owner of the Andretti organization, was at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday scoping his chances of entering the top motorsports series in the world. So was the FBI, allegedly, as part of a Department of Justice investigation into why F1 denied the Andretti organization expansion into the series. F1 currently has 10 teams that field 20 cars and only one — the organization owned by California businessman Gene Haas — is an American team. Las Vegas marks the third race this season in the United States, more than any other country, as F1 has exploded in American popularity over the last five years. Even so, Andretti could not get approval from F1 to enter the series. But, the situation changed in September when Andretti scaled back his role with his namesake organization. Now with Towriss in charge, talks have amplified, even though it is not clear what the name of an Andretti-less F1 team would even be. Cadillac would do the engines — but says it won't be ready until 2028 — which means a 2026 Towriss-led F1 team would be GM branded but with a partner engine supplier. Most of the existing teams have been largely opposed to an 11th team entering F1, citing a dilution in prize money and the massive expenses they've already committed to the series. But, Andretti among others believed the teams' position was personal in that they simply didn't like Andretti, who ran 13 races in the 1993 season. His father, Mario, is the 1978 F1 world champion. The Andretti application had already been approved by the FIA, which is F1's ruling body, but later denied by F1 itself. F1 promised to revisit the issue once General Motors had an engine ready to compete. The existing 10 F1 teams have no actual vote or say in if the grid is expanded, which Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reiterated Thursday when The Associated Press asked why the sudden chance of acceptance in a potential 11th team. "We have an obligation, a statutory obligation as directors, to present the standpoint that is the best for our company and for our employees, and we've done that," Wolff said. "I think if a team can add to the championship, particularly if GM decides to come in as a team owner, that is a different story. "And as long as it is creative, that means we're growing the popularity of the sport, we're growing the revenue of the sport, then no team will be ever against it. So I'm putting my hope in there." Wolff has been eager to hear from Towriss directly on what the plans for the organization are now that Andretti has a smaller role. "No one from Andretti or Andretti Global or whatever the name will be has ever spoken to me a single sentence in presentation of what the creative part is," he said. "But they don't need to because the teams don't decide. It is the commercial rights holder, with the FIA, we have no say. If I want to be invited to a party and go to the party, I'm sitting down at the table and telling who I am and why I'm really good fun and sitting here and everybody will enjoy my presence. "That hasn't happened, but you know, that's now my personal point of view, not a professional, because there's nothing we can do, nothing we can say," Wolff continued. "And I don't know the people. I've obviously spoken to Mario. I didn't speak to his son. I didn't speak to any other people that are behind that. I don't know who they are. So I know GM, GM is great." Fred Vasseur, team principal at Ferrari, said he's not opposed to another team if it adds value to F1. "The discussion is between FIA, the team, and FOM. It's not our choice," he said. "For sure, as Toto said, that if it's good for the sport, good for the show, good for the business, and adds value on the sporting side, that we are all OK."BY MELISSA GOLDIN Social media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. But the ruling by Vermont’s high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents’ wishes. THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella’s suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, the Politella’s son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school’s assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated. Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued. “We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.” The PREP Act , enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct” that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington. Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says. “The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn’t want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’” Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19. Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.” “Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email. Related Articles Nation | Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson, whose rocky relationship fueled the rapper’s lyrics, dies at age 69 Nation | Founder of failed crypto lending platform Celsius Network pleads guilty to fraud charges Nation | Judge weighs whether to order Fani Willis to comply with lawmakers’ subpoenas over Trump case Nation | Are you a former SmileDirectClub customer? You might be eligible for a refund Nation | Justice Department announces sweeping reforms to curb suicides in federal prisons and jails Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn’t say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended. “The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.” Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court’s mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.”
King and PM honour former US president Jimmy Carter after his death aged 100
A disruptive ransomware attack on Blue Yonder, a supply chain management software provider for major retailers, consumer product companies, and manufacturers, highlights the heightened risk organizations face during the busy holiday season. A Nov. 21 attack on Blue Yonder affected infrastructure that the company uses to host a variety of managed services for customers, which include 46 of the top 100 manufacturers, 64 of the top 100 consumer product goods makers, and 76 of the top 100 retailers in the world. Among those reportedly most affected by the attacks are Morrisons and Sainsbury's, two of the UK's largest supermarket chains. British media outlet The Grocer quoted a Morrisons spokesperson as describing the Blue Yonder attack as affecting the smooth delivery of goods to stores in the UK. Availability of some product lines at wholesale and convenience locations could drop to as low as 60% of normal availability, the media outlet reported. In the US, Starbucks reported the Blue Yonder attack affecting a back-end process for employing scheduling and time-tracking . But besides that, there have been no confirmed reports so far of widespread disruptions resulting from the attack. Blue Yonder's US customers include Kimberly-Clark, Anheuser-Busch, Campbell's, Best Buy, Wegmans, and Walgreens. Related: Dark Reading Confidential: Meet the Ransomware Negotiators In its initial disclosure on Nov. 21, Blue Yonder said it experienced disruptions to its managed services hosted environment, which it determined was the result of a ransomware attack. The company said it was actively monitoring its Blue Yonder Azure public cloud environment but had not spotted any suspicious activity. "Since learning of the incident, the Blue Yonder team has been working diligently together with external cybersecurity firms to make progress in their recovery process," a Blue Yonder spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Dark Reading. "We have implemented several defensive and forensic protocols" to mitigate the issue. "We have notified relevant customers and will continue to communicate as appropriate. Additional updated information will be provided on our website as our investigation proceeds," the spokesperson added. The statement did not provide any kind of timeline by which it hopes to completely restore its systems. The fallout from the Blue Yonder attack is similar to that from other major supply chain attacks in recent times, including the ones on Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer software , Kaseya , WordPress , and Polyfill.io . In each instance, the threat actors behind the attacks managed to impact a broad swath of organizations by targeting a single trusted player in the software supply chain. Related: Fancy Bear 'Nearest Neighbor' Attack Uses Nearby Wi-Fi Network The Blue Yonder incident is also typical of the attacks that tend to happen around holidays and during weekends, when IT departments tend to be less than fully staffed. Research that Semperis conducted showed that 86% of ransomware victims over the past year were targeted either on a holiday or on a weekend. More than six in 10 respondents in the survey said they experienced a ransomware attack during a corporate event. Semperis found that while most of the organizations in its survey maintained a round-the-clock security operations capability, some 85% scaled back security operations center (SOC) staffing levels by up to 50% outside normal business hours. "Despite widespread cybersecurity efforts, many organizations are unintentionally opening a door to ransomware by reducing their defenses during weekends and holidays," says Jeff Wichman, director of incident response at Semperis. "Attackers clearly expect this behavior and target these periods — as well as other material corporate events that might signal distracted or reduced defenses — to strike. Related: Yakuza Victim Data Leaked in Japanese Agency Attack Wichman says the Semperis study looked at nearly 1,000 organizations in the US, the UK, France, and Germany. In each country, the vast majority of businesses reduce staffing by up to 50% on holidays and weekends. In Germany, 75% of organizations downsized staff by as much as 50% on holidays and weekends. "In security, you can’t wax or wane, and your defenses need to be constant" and around the clock, he says. Wichman recommends that organizations maintain at least 75% of their regular staffing levels on holidays and weekend to maintain operational resiliency. Nick Tausek, lead security automation architect at Swimlane, says incidents like the attack on Blue Yonder highlight why cyber hygiene is important at all times of the year, but especially so during the holiday season: "User training, frequent, comprehensive backups, and a tested disaster recovery plan are the three biggest protections against cybercriminals and ransomware operators during the busy holiday season." Jai Vijayan is a seasoned technology reporter with over 20 years of experience in IT trade journalism. He was most recently a Senior Editor at Computerworld, where he covered information security and data privacy issues for the publication. Over the course of his 20-year career at Computerworld, Jai also covered a variety of other technology topics, including big data, Hadoop, Internet of Things, e-voting, and data analytics. Prior to Computerworld, Jai covered technology issues for The Economic Times in Bangalore, India. Jai has a Master's degree in Statistics and lives in Naperville, Ill.
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