Happy Fall Break, Panthers! Our students have a four-day weekend because of Columbus Day, and if you did not know, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” While you are enjoying your break, check out this week’s KICs. This week we have a fire lit upon a mosque in the UK, a judge postponed the replacement of a district attorney, and a spying spree linked to China.
World – Fire lit upon mosque in the UK
On Saturday night, a mosque was set on fire. Two people in Peacehaven, England, poured gasoline on the steps into the mosque.
The two people attempted to open the doors into the mosque but after failed attempts gasoline was poured onto the steps. Emergency teams arrived just before 10 p.m. British local time. Two people were inside, and neither was harmed.
Police are treating the suspected arson attack as a hate crime. Additional police have been seen patrolling the area for extra caution.
State – Judge postpones replacement of district attorney
In Fulton County, Judge Scott McAfee extended the deadline for replacing District Attorney Fani Willis. The judge extended the deadline to November 14 because the group tasked with finding the replacement stated that they needed more time.
Willis and her office were disqualified from the case for impropriety. Willis was in a romantic relationship with lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade. Once Willis left, Judge McAfee gave two weeks to replace her or he would drop the case.
After being told that they must have a replacement in 14 days, Council Executive Director Pete Skandalakis then asked for almost four months extra time. Skandalakis, however, cannot answer any questions because he will not have the physical file for four weeks.
Politics – Spying spree linked to China
Chinese government supported hackers breached computer systems of the US law firm Williams and Connolly. This firm has represented many of America’s most powerful politicians.
Williams and Connolly is most known for its past clientele including Bill and Hillary Clinton, along with tech, health care, and media companies. It was not immediately clear which attorneys were affected by the attack. These hackers have been rampant in the past weeks, also hitting cloud computing firms.
The hackers in this case used an unknown software flaw that is coveted by spies for being anonymous and stealth. Although the Chinese government denies any allegations, the FBI has many on-going investigations into China’s hacking teams.