CNN —

As severe drought persists in the Southwest, cities are making tough decisions about their traditional firework shows. Some cities have decided to cancel their pyrotechnic displays, while others have chosen to continue them.

Dry vegetation and a lack of rainfall have led to a megadrought for more than 75% of the West and parts of the Central US, including Colorado. Now first responders and other officials are warning the public about the risk of Fourth of July fireworks.

“Specific areas that are particularly vulnerable are all the way from Oregon to Mexico. All of California is vulnerable,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief John Heggie said, given the ongoing drought and warm temperatures.

An estimated 19,500 fires were started by fireworks in 2018, according to the National Fire Protection Association. And nearly 30% of the fires caused by fireworks are ignited on the Fourth of July, based on 2014 to 2018 annual averages.

In addition, a CNN analysis of National Interagency Fire Center data, shows a large spike in new wildfires over the last eight years surrounding the Fourth of July holiday.

Fire prevention patrols will be out in force to seize of illegal fireworks, and there will be zero tolerance, Heggie added.

A city in Colorado will continue its show

While some areas are canceling their shows, a city in Colorado is choosing to keep with tradition.

Louisville, Colorado, a city northwest of Denver, is hoping to continue its firework show in an effort to prevent wildfires. The city’s website pointed out it is hoping to “reduce the number of illegal private shows” with their display, which is actively monitored by the fire department.

Six months ago, the Marshall fire devastated parts of Boulder County, including Louisville. Burning more than 6,000 acres, the fire reached the golf course where the city will host its firework show Monday.

“We have actually scaled back the firework display this year in order to focus on the community experience leading up to the fireworks,” the city of Louisville’s website noted. “The intent of the celebration is to be inclusive and welcoming to the entire community as we heal from the Marshall fire together.”

The Marshall wildfire started just a few miles away from where it destroyed more than 1,000 homes in December, 2021. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

On the south side of Denver, another town has chosen to cancel its fireworks show because of the current wildfire danger. Castle Rock, Colorado, has been under Stage 1 fire restrictions since April. Norris Croom, a fire chief in Castle Rock, said the show was not worth the risk.

“We did not want to jeopardize the safety of our community due to an errant firework or debris fallout,” Croom emphasized.

More than half of Colorado is experiencing drought, making the environment very sensitive to wildfires. Only professional, permitted firework displays are allowed in the state, and all other fireworks are considered illegal.

California officials warn about the dangers of fireworks

Another town affected by recent wildfires is opting to do something radically different.

North Lake Tahoe, which went through the Caldor Fire in 2021, will skip fireworks in favor of a drone light display.

“The decision was made in consideration of fire and environmental risks posed by a pyrotechnic fireworks display, shifting a long-standing tradition with an innovative new approach,” a release from the city announced.

However, a traditional fireworks display will go on as planned in South Lake Tahoe, an area evacuated in August because of the Caldor Fire.

Claremont, California, a far eastern suburb of Los Angeles, is replacing its firework show with a free community concert. The city explained in a news release water restrictions due to the ongoing drought played a large role in their decision to cancel.

A caution sign is posted at the Castaic Lake reservoir in Los Angeles County on May 3, 2022. A water shortage emergency has been declared in Southern California with water restrictions beginning June 1st for 6 million residents amid drought conditions. Mario Tama/Getty Images

“Preparation for the fireworks show requires extensive watering in the days leading to the show, accounting for approximately 650,000 gallons of water,” the news release stated.

With a hot and dry holiday weekend ahead, officials in California are reminding residents of the state’s vulnerability to wildfires, given the ongoing drought.

“The reality is that every year we have wildfires started by legal and illegal fireworks,” Heggie acknowledged.

Heggie’s biggest concern is small explosives like bottle rockets and roman candles, and people using “safe and sane” fireworks in areas where they are illegal.

He warned, “Please understand that your good intentions may have devastating effects.”

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is also asking customers to “put safety first” and to follow local rules and regulations regarding fireworks.

New Mexico governor signs an executive order to ban fireworks

The governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed an executive order in late April urging counties, cities, and local governments to consider banning certain fireworks due to “severe drought and fire conditions” across the state.

And as the largest wildfire in New Mexico history continues to burn, cities like Albuquerque are hoping to prevent further devastation.

Trees scorched by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire amid exceptional drought conditions in the area on June 2, 2022 near Mora, New Mexico. Mario Tama/Getty Images

“Albuquerque has a unique wildland urban interface with open space areas that are in constant threat of fires,” the city fireworks ordinance noted. “These fires would endanger the lives of those who live nearby and many species of wildlife.”

The city has prohibited fireworks in open spaces but has allowed fireworks purchased from retail stores and stands within city limits.

“Read the Warning Label. If it reads ‘WARNING’, it is illegal. If it reads ‘CAUTION’, it is legal.” the fireworks ordinance reads.

Let's have a fun & safe Independence Day! Enjoy legal fireworks used safely. Remember, we're already in a dangerous fire season. Help protect our Bosque by reporting illegal fireworks:

🎇ABQ311 App: https://t.co/r8DCpxLmLv

🎇Online: https://t.co/neBSEl6hO8#OneAlbuquerque pic.twitter.com/76cu5u740t — City of Albuquerque (@cabq) June 30, 2022

Albuquerque has already begun patrolling throughout the city ahead of the holiday. The city warns “those who are caught will be cited and will have a mandatory court appearance.”

Albuquerque will continue its free Freedom Fourth show on the Fourth of July, which includes professional fireworks.

Laser lights in lieu of fireworks

Replacing its traditional firework show, Salt Lake City, Utah, is hosting a Laser Light Night twice in July.

Lynze Twede, an event manager for Salt Lake City Public Lands, said the city council voted to shift the funding from a firework display to an “alternative event” earlier this year.

“[The city council] wanted to make a change and try to be an example to improve our air quality and not contribute to the already high fire danger,” Twede stressed.

Salt Lake City hopes to captivate its audience and entertain people of all ages with the transition to a laser light display hosted on July 2 and July 23.

“People can still come and expect to see an awe-inspiring show. But with this new and innovative way, we’re just lighting up our skies a little differently this year,” Twede added.

Much of western Utah, including Salt Lake City, is under a red flag warning Saturday through Monday “for wind and low relative humidity,” according to the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City.

Strong, southerly winds of 20 to 30 mph are forecast with wind gusts up to 45 mph possible Sunday and Monday afternoon and evening. Winds are expected to decrease through the overnight hours.

⚠ Red Flag Warnings in effect

🗺 western Utah

🧭Saturday through Monday

❓ Gusty southerly winds combined with very low humidity will create critical fire weather conditions.

Many fires are human caused. Follow local fire and firework restrictions! #utwx pic.twitter.com/tsuRD7hmhl — NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) July 1, 2022

And across Arizona, the Pipeline Fire recently forced hundreds of Flagstaffs residents to evacuate. The fire is mostly contained, but Flagstaff’s burn risk remains.

To continue its city’s annual celebration, Flagstaff is hoping to have a safe event utilizing a new laser light show in its historic downtown.

“The shift from traditional fireworks to a laser light show was the responsible action to take due to extreme fire risk with the dry and hot conditions in the Northland,” said Flagstaff City Manager Greg Clifton. “It is extremely important to have a safe celebration and be fire aware.”

The United States Forest Service cautioned fire restrictions can vary from place to place, so it is important to look into local burn bans.

The Arizona-New Mexico border can expect scattered thunderstorms throughout the holiday weekend due to the southwest monsoon, which has improved drought conditions slightly across the two states, but the summer outlook across the West continues to look hot and dry.

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Payton Major
Haley Brink


CNN —

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut won his record-extending 15th Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, devouring an astounding 63 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes on Monday.

Chestnut has won the long-running Independence Day contest seven consecutive times and 15 of the last 16 years.

He put away 15 and a half more hot dogs than his closest competitor, Geoffrey Esper, but came up well short of his own personal record of 76 set last year.

Chestnut was eating through injury after arriving on crutches with his right foot in a cast, though he told CNN affiliate WCBS on Friday he felt better than he looked.

Joey Chestnut reacts after scarfing more hot dogs than anyone else Monday. Julia Nikhinson/AP

In the women’s contest, Miki Sudo won her eighth championship, slamming 40 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Sudo has now won eight of the last nine women’s titles after missing last year’s competition while pregnant.

The 2022 edition made a return to the Nathan’s Famous location on Surf Avenue on Coney Island, New York, for the first time since 2019. Covid-19 concerns led to the competition being relocated the past two years.

According to Nathan’s, legend has it that the first contest of its kind was held July 4, 1916, as four immigrants competed to show how patriotic they were.


London CNN —

Boris Johnson’s turbulent tenure as Britain’s Prime Minister came to an end Thursday after a historic party revolt over a series of ethics scandals forced him to step down.

It took the resignation of nearly 60 members of his government – almost half the payroll – for Johnson to finally abandon his attempts to cling on to power. Even then, the Prime Minister insisted that he would continue as caretaker leader while the Conservative Party launches the process of choosing a successor.

Some senior figures in his party say even that will be unsustainable, given the dwindling number of people willing to work for him.

Others are already lining up to replace him. Party officials say they will announce the timetable for a leadership election by Monday.

Speaking in front of the famous 10 Downing Street door, the same place where many of his predecessors delivered their own resignation address, Johnson announced that he would be stepping down – without actually saying the words out loud.

“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore, a new prime minister,” Johnson said.

“The process of choosing that new leader should begin now,” he added, saying the time line will be announced next week.

In a sign that he is planning to stay in the office for as long as he can, Johnson announced he had appointed a new cabinet “to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.” Appointing new cabinet ministers means that the government can continue to function as he prepares to depart.

Johnson spoke of his attempts to stay on as leader and how “painful” it is for him to step down, but made no mention of the scandals that have proved his political downfall.

“In the last few days, I’ve tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much… and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally,” Johnson said.

“I regret not to have been successful in those arguments, and of course, it’s painful, not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself,” he said, adding that he’s proud of “getting Brexit done” and “leading the West in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.”

Johnson went on to address voters directly, expressing sadness at stepping down after nearly three years.

“To you, the British public: I know that there will be many people who are relieved and, perhaps, quite a few will also be disappointed,” he said. “And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.”

Johnson has in recent months been engulfed in a series of scandals that forced even his most stalwart supporters to abandon him. The latest was Downing Street’s botched handling of the resignation by Johnson’s former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher, who was accused of groping two men last week.

Johnson initially attempted to ride out the crisis – despite an unprecedented flight of middle-ranking ministers from the government, a battering at Prime Minister’s Questions and a bruising appearance before a committee of senior lawmakers in Parliament. On Wednesday, he still insisted he wasn’t going to resign.

He finally gave in Thursday after some of his most loyal allies told him that the game was up.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Johnson had made the “right decision” to resign. “We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found,” she added.

Greg Clark, newly appointed UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said that he had a “duty to ensure that the country has a functioning government.”

The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said it was “good news for the country” that Johnson had decided to resign, adding that “it should have happened long ago.”

“He was always unfit for office. He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale,” said Starmer on Twitter.

The opposition leader also had scathing words for the Conservatives. “They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound. Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public services. Twelve years of empty promises,” Starmer said.

“Enough is enough. We don’t need to change the Tory at the top – we need a proper change of government. We need a fresh start for Britain.”

‘Needless damage’

Conventionally, when a Conservative leader resigns, he or she gives the party time to hold a thorough leadership contest, in which Conservative lawmakers and then party members nationwide vote.

But some said Johnson should leave office more quickly.

“We now need a new Leader as soon as practicable,” Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Twitter. “Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country, and set out a new, sensible and consistent economic approach to help families,” he added.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for the leadership question to be settled.

“There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?” Sturgeon said in a series of tweets.

Conservative MP Steve Baker told CNN that the party needs “to move swiftly to a leadership contest.”

Baker said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab should be caretaker prime minister, but that Johnson could also continue in office. Raab has deputized for Johnson in the past: When the PM was in intensive care with Covid-19 in April 2020 and then again briefly last month when Johnson underwent “routine” operation and was put under general anesthetic.

Raab said he would not stand as next Conservative party leader, according to Britain’s PA news agency, which would make him a candidate for a caretaker PM if Johnson was to step down early.

“I am absolutely determined that we should not prolong this crisis. If it’s agreed within government that Boris Johnson should continue as caretaker, then that’s fine with me,” Baker told CNN. “Because we need to just end the crisis, get into a leadership contest, and start fresh in September.”

Former British Prime Minister John Major said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable” for Johnson to remain in the office of prime minister for long while a new Conservative leader is chosen. He too suggested Raab could serve as the acting prime minister.

Hours after Johnson’s announcement, Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat launched his campaign for the top job with an editorial in UK newspaper the Telegraph.

Barrage of criticism

Johnson’s departure will mark a remarkable downfall for a prime minister who was once seen as having political superpowers, with an appeal that transcended traditional party lines.

He won a landslide victory in December 2019 on the promise of delivering a Brexit deal and leading the UK to a bright future outside the European Union. But his premiership unraveled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent months the prime minister has faced a barrage of criticism from all sides over his conduct and that of some members of his government, including illegal, Covid-19 lockdown-breaking parties thrown in his Downing Street offices for which he and others were fined.

Numerous other scandals have also hit his standing in the polls. These include accusations of using donor money inappropriately to pay for a refurbishment of his Downing Street home and ordering MPs to vote in such a way that would protect a colleague who had breached lobbying rules.

Last month, he survived a confidence vote among members of his own party, but the final count of his lawmakers who rebelled against him was higher than his supporters expected: 41% of his own parliamentary party refused to back him.

He suffered a further blow late last month when his party lost two parliamentary by-elections in a single night, raising new questions about his leadership.

His reputation was also damaged by the resignation of his second ethics adviser in less than two years.

Jack Guy Luke Mcgee Ivana Kottasová
Jack Guy
Luke Mcgee
Ivana Kottasová

London CNN —

The crisis that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing right now might be the gravest for his leadership so far – but it’s definitely not the first.

Johnson’s government has been plagued by a series of scandals, from accusations of his disregard for rules and revelations of illegal lockdown-breaking parties held in Downing Street, to allegations of impropriety and abuse by Conservative lawmakers.

Here is a look at some of the more notable scandals of his government.

Illegal prorogation of Parliament

Johnson’s critics have often accused the Prime Minister of disrespecting government procedure and bending rules when it suits him – such as when he decided to ask the Queen to prorogue – or shut down – Parliament for five weeks at the height of a political crisis over Brexit.

The monarch rubber-stamped the request in line with her duty to stay out of politics and to act only on the advice of ministers.

But when the Supreme Court found the prorogation was illegal, it raised the uncomfortable question of whether the Queen had broken the law. The ruling led to accusations Johnson’s government deliberately misled the monarch as part of its strategy to secure Brexit.

Johnson was forced to personally apologize for embarrassing the monarch, according to the Sunday Times.

But the botched prorogation was just one example of Johnson’s disregard for parliamentary rules and standards.

He backed Home Secretary Priti Patel after an investigation into allegations that she bullied staff found that she breached the Ministerial Code and did not “treat her civil servants with consideration and respect,” and had committed “behaviour that can be described as bullying.”

Johnson’s ethics adviser Alex Allen resigned over the issue.

The flat refurbishment

One of the first scandals Johnson faced was an allegation of corruption after WhatsApp messages revealed he had asked a Conservative Party donor for funds to refurbish his Downing Street residence. British news outlets reported that the work cost around £200,000 ($280,000).

Political donations and loans are tightly controlled in the United Kingdom, with loans of more than £7,500 ($10,400) logged and publicly revealed by the commission four times a year.

Johnson did not report the donations and as a result, the Conservative Party was fined £17,800 by the Electoral Commission in December last year.

Owen Paterson lobbying scandal

Last year, Johnson attempted to force Conservative MPs to vote in favor of overturning the suspension of a fellow Conservative Member of Parliament.

Owen Paterson, an influential Conservative backbencher and former cabinet minister, had been facing a 30-day suspension after being accused of an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules.

Following a backlash, Johnson U-turned and Paterson ultimately quit as MP.

The Liberal Democrats won Paterson’s seat – one the Conservatives had held for almost 200 years – at the subsequent by-election in December.

Partygate

Johnson has faced months of damaging revelations of parties held at Downing Street in defiance of coronavirus lockdowns, with leaks and images dripping into the media since January.

A report published in May by senior civil servant Sue Gray criticized a culture of rule-breaking events, and revealed new photographs of him at two separate gatherings.

Among the parties: A night of heavy drinking on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral – at a time when strict limits on socializing forced even the Queen to sit alone to say goodbye to her husband of nearly 74 years.

Gray wrote that “the senior leadership at the centre” of Johnson’s administration “must bear responsibility” for a culture that allowed the parties to take place.

Johnson himself was fined by London’s Metropolitan Police for attending a party on government premises, making him the first UK premier in history found to have broken the law in office. Sunak, who resigned on Tuesday, was also fined for attending the same event.

Johnson’s handling of the scandal was particularly misguided, with Downing Street first denying there were any gatherings, then saying he didn’t know about them and then claiming he attended them because he believed they were work events.

Video Ad Feedback Damning report reveals Downing Street's party culture 02:54 - Source: CNN

Pincher misconduct allegations

This week’s cascade of resignations was sparked by revelations that Johnson appointed Chris Pincher into his government despite knowing of past allegations of sexual misconduct.

Pincher, the Conservatives’ deputy chief whip, resigned last week after allegations that he groped two guests at a private dinner. Pincher did not admit the allegations directly, but told Johnson in a letter that “last night I drank far too much,” and “embarrassed myself and other people.”

Downing Street had struggled to explain why Pincher was in government in the first place, amid a wave of revelations about his previous alleged conduct, denying Johnson knew anything specific about the allegations.

On Tuesday, it emerged that a complaint had been made against Pincher in the Foreign Office about three years ago and that Johnson was briefed on what happened. Downing Street then said he had forgotten.

Johnson acknowledged it “was a mistake” to appoint Pincher to his government on Tuesday, but the damage had already been done. The wave of government resignations started just minutes after he apologized for the decision, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid handing in their notices. Over the next 24 hours, dozens followed.

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Ivana Kottasová
Tara Subramaniam


Colombo, Sri Lanka CNN —

Sri Lanka is “bankrupt,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Tuesday, as the country suffers its worst financial crisis in decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine and fuel.

Wickremesinghe told lawmakers that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive the country’s “collapsed” economy are “difficult,” because the South Asian nation of 22 million has entered the talks as a bankrupt country, rather than a developing one.

“We are now participating in the negotiations as a bankrupt country. Therefore, we have to face a more difficult and complicated situation than previous negotiations,” Wickremesinghe said in parliament.

“Due to the state of bankruptcy our country is in, we have to submit a plan on our debt sustainability to (the IMF) separately,” he added. “Only when they are satisfied with that plan can we reach an agreement at the staff level. This is not a straightforward process.”

Sri Lanka is in the midst of its worst financial crisis in seven decades, after its foreign exchange reserves plummeted to record lows, with dollars running out to pay for essential imports including food, medicine and fuel.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tweeted Wednesday that he had sought assistance from Russian President Vladimir Putin and requested “an offer of credit support to import fuel.”

Video Ad Feedback 'Years of economic mismanagement': Why Sri Lanka has a fuel crisis 05:11 - Source: CNNI

In several major cities, including Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo, hundreds continue to queue for hours to buy fuel, sometimes clashing with police and the military as they wait. Schools have been suspended and fuel has been limited to essential services.

On Sunday Sri Lanka’s energy minister, Kanchana Wijesekera, said the country had less than a day’s worth of fuel left.

“In terms of fuel and food, our country was going to have to face this crisis at some point in time. Fuel was scarce. Food prices went up,” he said, adding international crises like Russia’s war in Ukraine have made things worse.

“Due to the recent global crises, this situation has become more acute and we who were in the frying pan fell into the oven,” Wijesekera said.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said he hoped that a report on debt restructuring and sustainability would be submitted to the IMF by August. Once there is an agreement, a comprehensive loan assistance program would be prepared for a period of four years, Wickremesinghe said.

His speech in parliament was interrupted by opposition lawmakers chanting cries of “Gota go Home” – a reference to the president, who was in attendance. Rajapaksa was seen leaving the building amid exclamations.

For months, large numbers of Sri Lankans have been calling for Rajapaksa to resign over accusations of economic mismanagement.

Wickremesinghe said that by the end of this year, inflation will rise to 60%.

“This will be a difficult and bitter journey,” Wickremesinghe said. “But we can get relief at the end of this journey. Progress can be made.”

The British government said on Tuesday it is now advising against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka due to the impact of the economic crisis.

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New York CNN Business —

Subway is launching a new menu, and it’s the most extensive makeover in the company’s nearly 60-year history.

The main appeal of the sandwich chain is that people can make their own custom sandwiches. Yet the seemingly limitless combinations slowed down the speed of the lines at its restaurants.

Subway’s new menu is aimed at streamlining those choices. Beginning Tuesday, customers will be greeted with a refreshed menu board in its roughly 21,000 US restaurants featuring 12 sandwiches in what it’s calling the “Subway Series” menu.

The new, more neatly organized menu is divided in to four categories (Cheesesteaks, Italianos, Chicken and Clubs) consisting of three sandwiches each. All 12 sandwiches are new to the menu, with some essentially replacing previous versions with new names and slight tweaks. For example, the Meatball Marinara sandwich is now called The Boss with newly added melted mozzarella cheese.

Subway's new menu is now available. Subway

Subway says people can order the sandwiches by their new names or by their assigned numbers. And the sandwiches can be made with bread, wrap or have its topping placed on a bed of lettuce. Customers, of course, can still choose custom options if they prefer.

“Complementary flavors and an expertly crafted balance of proteins, cheese, sauces and fresh vegetables are designed to maximize taste and crave,” the chain said in a press release, adding that the changes allow customers “to explore new options beyond their beloved build-your-own customization.”

Last year, Subway rolled out an updated menu including 20 new and refreshed ingredients for some of its breads and meats. For example, Subway began slicing its turkey and ham more thinly and brought back past items like rotisserie-style chicken and roast beef. The refreshed menu was part of its “Eat Fresh Refresh” ad campaign, which will be tweaked to promote the new “Subway Series” menu.

Sales at Subway’s US locations have been falling in recent years, according to the research firm Technomic. System-wide sales at Subway’s US locations were $12.3 billion in 2013, which was its best year of the past 15 years. in 2021, sales slumped to $9.4 billion, according to Technomic’s analysis. The number of locations has declined for the fifth year in a row to 20,746 per Subway’s website.

Subway is a privately held company and does not publicly disclose sales figures.


CNN —

A massive online database apparently containing the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens was left unsecured and publicly accessible for more than a year – until an anonymous user in a hacker forum offered to sell the data and brought it to wider attention last week.

The leak could be one of the biggest ever recorded in history, cybersecurity experts say, highlighting the risks of collecting and storing vast amounts of sensitive personal data online – especially in a country where authorities have broad and unchecked access to such data.

The vast trove of Chinese personal data had been publicly accessible via what appeared to be an unsecured backdoor link – a shortcut web address that offers unrestricted access to anyone with knowledge of it – since at least April 2021, according to LeakIX, a site that detects and indexes exposed databases online.

Access to the database, which did not require a password, was shut down after an anonymous user advertised the more than 23 terabytes (TB) of data for sale for 10 bitcoin – roughly $200,000 – in a post on a hacker forum last Thursday.

The user claimed the database was collated by the Shanghai police and contained sensitive information on one billion Chinese nationals, including their names, addresses, mobile numbers, national ID numbers, ages and birthplaces, as well as billions of records of phone calls made to police to report on civil disputes and crimes.

A sample of 750,000 data entries from the three main indexes of the database was included in the seller’s post. CNN verified the authenticity of more than two dozen entries from the sample provided by the seller, but was unable to access the original database.

The Shanghai government and police department did not respond to CNN’s repeated written requests for comment.

The seller also claimed the unsecured database had been hosted by Alibaba Cloud, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. When reached by CNN for comment on Monday, Alibaba said “we are looking into this” and would communicate any updates. On Wednesday, Alibaba said it declined to comment.

But experts CNN spoke with said it was the owner of the data who was at fault, not the company hosting it.

“As it stands today, I believe this would be the largest leak of public information yet – certainly in terms of the breadth of the impact in China, we’re talking about most of the population here,” said Troy Hunt, a Microsoft regional director based in Australia.

China is home to 1.4 billion people, which means the data breach could potentially affect more than 70% of the population.

“It’s a little bit of a case where the genie is not going to be able to go back in the bottle. Once the data is out there in the form it appears to be now, there’s no going back,” said Hunt.

It is unclear how many people have accessed or downloaded the database during the 14 months or more it was left publicly available online. Two Western cybersecurity experts who spoke to CNN were both aware of the existence of the database before it was thrust into the public spotlight last week, suggesting it could be easily discovered by people who knew where to look.

Vinny Troia, a cybersecurity researcher and founder of dark web intelligence firm Shadowbyte, said he first discovered the database “around January” while searching for open databases online.

“The site that I found it on is public, anybody (could) access it, all you have to do is register for an account,” Troia said. “Since it was opened in April 2021, any number of people could have downloaded the data,” he added.

Troia said he downloaded one of the main indexes of the database, which appears to contain information on nearly 970 million Chinese citizens. But it was difficult to judge whether the open access was an oversight from the owners of the database, or if it was an intentional shortcut intended to be shared among a small number of people, he said.

“Either they forgot about it, or they intentionally left it open because it’s easier for them to access,” he said, referring to the authorities responsible for the database. “I don’t know why they would. It sounds very careless.”

Unsecured personal data – exposed through leaks, breaches, or some form of incompetence – is an increasingly common problem faced by companies and governments around the world, and cybersecurity experts say it is not unusual to find databases that are left open to public access.

In 2018, Trioa discovered that a Florida-based marketing firm exposed close to 2 TB of data that appeared to include personal information on hundreds of millions of American adults on a publicly accessible server, according to Wired.

In 2019, Victor Gevers, a Dutch cybersecurity researcher, found an online database containing names, national ID numbers, birth dates and location data of more than 2.5 million people in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang, which was left unprotected for months by Chinese firm SenseNets Technology, according to Reuters.

But the latest data leak is particularly worrying, cybersecurity researchers say, not only because of its potentially unprecedented volume, but also the sensitive nature of the information contained.

A CNN analysis of the database sample found police records of cases spanning nearly two decades from 2001 to 2019. While the majority of the entries are civil disputes, there are also records of criminal cases ranging from fraud to rape.

In one case, a Shanghai resident was summoned by police in 2018 for using a virtual private network (VPN) to evade China’s firewall and access Twitter, allegedly retweeting “reactionary remarks involving the (Communist) Party, politics and leaders.”

In another record, a mother called the police in 2010, accusing her father-in-law of raping her 3-year-old daughter.

“There could be domestic violence, child abuse, all sorts of things in there, that to me is a lot more worrying,” said Hunt, the Microsoft regional director.

“Might this lead to extortion? We often see extortion of individuals after data leaks, examples where hackers can even try to ransom individuals.”

The Chinese government has recently stepped up efforts to improve protection of online user data privacy. Last year, the country passed its first Personal Information Protection Law, laying out ground rules on how personal data should be collected, used and stored. But experts have raised concerns that while the law can regulate technology companies, it could be challenging to enforce when applied to the Chinese state.

Bob Diachenko, a security researcher based in Ukraine, first came upon the database in April. In mid-June, his company detected that the database was attacked by an unknown malicious actor, who destroyed and copied the data and left a ransom note demanding 10 bitcoin for its recovery, Diachenko said.

It is not clear if this was the work of the same person who advertised the sale of the database information last week.

By July 1, the ransom note had disappeared, according to Diachenko, but only 7 gigabytes (GB) of data was available – instead of the 23 TB originally advertised.

Diachenko said it suggested the ransom had been resolved, but the database owners had continued to use the exposed database for storing, until it was shut down over the weekend.

“Maybe there was some junior developer who noticed it and tried to remove the notes before senior management noticed them,” he said.

Shanghai Police did not respond to CNN’s request for comments on the ransom note.

This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.

Yong Xiong Hannah Ritchie Nectar Gan
Yong Xiong
Hannah Ritchie
Nectar Gan


CNN —

As monkeypox cases continue to rise globally, the World Health Organization plans to reassess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

In late June, WHO’s Emergency Committee determined that the outbreak did not meet the criteria for such a declaration.

But as the virus continues to spread, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wants the committee to take up the issue again, based on the latest data around the epidemiology and evolution of the outbreak.

Tedros said Wednesday that he will convene the committee during the week of July 18, or sooner if needed.

WHO defines a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, as “an extraordinary event” that constitutes a “public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease” and that may “potentially require a coordinated international response.”

“On monkeypox, I continue to be concerned by the scale and spread of the virus. Across the world, there has now been more than 6,000 cases recorded in 58 countries,” Tedros said.

“Testing remains a challenge, and it’s highly probable that there are a significant number of cases not being picked up,” he added. “Europe is the current epicenter of the outbreak, recording more than 80% of cases globally.”

Monkeypox, a viral disease, occurs mostly in central and western Africa, where the virus is endemic – but as part of the latest outbreak, the virus has spread to many regions of the world where it is not typically seen.

Cases are also being reported in African countries that previously were not affected by the virus, and in those places where the virus is endemic, record numbers are being recorded, Tedros said Wednesday. WHO teams are following the data closely, he said.

WHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to coordinate sharing of vaccines for monkeypox, which are scarce. The organization is also working with groups to break the stigma around the virus and spread information to help protect people.

“I want to particularly commend those that are sharing videos online via social media channels, talking about their symptoms and experiences with monkeypox,” he said. “This is a positive way to break down the stigma about a virus that can affect anyone.”

Early data on the outbreak has suggested that gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of reported cases, leading to concern about stigmatizing the disease and the LGBTQ community.

However, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has the virus can be at risk.

The monkeypox virus can spread from person to person through direct contact with infectious body fluids or with the rash, scabs and sores that the disease can cause. Spread can also happen through indirect contact, such as through clothing or bedding contaminated with the virus.

It can also spread through respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex.

Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash on the skin that can look like pimples or blisters.

The rash goes through different stages, developing into pustules before healing.

About 41,500 courses of vaccine distributed in US

About 41,500 courses of the monkeypox vaccine Jynneos have been distributed to states and other jurisdictions across the United States, according to data published Wednesday by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

A course of Jynneos involves two doses four weeks apart.

The Biden administration announced last week that the strategy for distributing monkeypox vaccines would focus on areas with the highest case rates and overall risk. The District of Columbia has the most reported cases per capita, by far, and has received the most vaccine doses per capita, the new HHS data shows.

Vaccine distribution has also been heavily concentrated in California, Illinois and New York, particularly the three largest US cities: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Massachusetts, Hawaii and Colorado also received a large share of the vaccine distribution to date.

Eleven states have not received any monkeypox vaccine, according to the data; none of them has reported any cases to the CDC.

US monkeypox testing ramps up

Efforts are also underway to ramp up testing for the virus in the US.

The commercial laboratory company Labcorp will begin monkeypox testing Wednesday at its largest facility in the United States, doubling the nation’s capacity to test for the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC announced Wednesday that Labcorp will be able to accept specimens for testing from anywhere in the United States, and the company expects to perform up to 10,000 tests per week.

The outbreak has led to 605 probable or confirmed cases in the US as of Wednesday evening. Cases have been reported in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three of the cases were non-US residents.

“The ability of commercial labs to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. “This will not only increase testing capacity but will make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by using existing provider-to-lab relationships.”

If someone thinks they could have a monkeypox infection, a provider will have to order a test. “The public will not be able to go to a Labcorp lab and submit a specimen,” the CDC said in its statement.

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The CDC’s Laboratory Response Network has been conducting most of the monkeypox-specific testing in the US, but on June 22, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that monkeypox testing would expand to five commercial labs: Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare.

The CDC confirmed Wednesday that it had shipped tests to the labs and that their employees have been trained on how to administer the tests. “CDC anticipates additional commercial laboratories will come online and monkeypox testing capacity will continue to increase throughout the month of July.”


CNN —

“Cheer” star Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Joseph D. Fitzpatrick.

“The sentence is 12 years in prison, to be followed by 8 years of court-supervised release,” Fitzpatrick said to CNN in an email.

Harris, a former star of the Netflix reality docuseries “Cheer,” pleaded guilty in February to one count each of receiving child pornography and engaging in sexual acts with a minor.

In a statement released on Thursday, Todd Pugh, Harris’ attorney, said Harris “is exceedingly grateful” for the judge’s “recognition of his humanity, worthiness, and rehabilitative potential.”

“While Jerry has a difficult road ahead of him, his uncompromising spirit and strength has carried him through challenging times before. He has nothing but empathy and remorse for the people he has harmed and hopes that today’s proceeding provided them some peace,” Pugh said.

Pugh also provided to CNN the statement Harris made to the court, in which Harris apologized for the “trauma” his abuse caused.

“I pray that your suffering comes to an end and that these proceeding provide you with needed closure. I am ashamed as I know that I took advantage of your youth and weakness. I was wrong and selfish. I caused you harm and I do not blame anyone,” Harris said in his statement.

In December 2020, Harris was charged with a seven-count indictment that was filed in U.S. District Court in northern Illinois.

"Cheer" Star Jerry Harris is seen in a sketch during his sentencing hearing on July 6, 2022. Lou Chukman

In a plea agreement with the government, Harris pleaded guilty to two of the charges from that indictment, stating that he received child pornography and engaged in interstate travel to meet a 15-year-old boy with whom he engaged in sexual relations.

“Cheer” follows the cheer team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Harris is one of several students whose stories were spotlighted in the series, which debuted on the streaming service in January 2020.

The second season of “Cheer,” released last year, addressed the allegations made against Harris and featured an interview with two of his accusers.

Sonia Moghe Raja Razek
Sonia Moghe
Raja Razek