PARADIGM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIVE WITH INDATABy ERIC TUCKER WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China’s hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals.” Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number” were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are “primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.circus song 。

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Jaland Lowe scored 19 of his career-high 22 points in the second half and collected eight rebounds and six assists in leading Pittsburgh to a 74-63 win over LSU at the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Friday. Pitt (6-0) will play the Wisconsin-UCF winner on Sunday for the tournament title. The Tigers (4-1) will take on the loser. This is Pitt's best start since 2018-19. Lowe made four 3-pointers while Ishmael Leggett added 21 points, six rebounds and five steals. Cameron Corhen scored 14 points and Zack Austin 10. The Panthers shot 64% in the second half after a 31% showing in the first. Jalen Reed had 14 points and seven rebounds, Vyctorius Miller came off the bench to score 14 points and Cam Carter added 11 for the Tigers, who shot 37%. LSU, which had trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, got within four on a four-point play by Miller with six minutes left but Lowe scored eight points, found Corhen for a pair of dunks and Leggett added seven points to help the Panthers pull away. Pitt stumbled at the end of the first half in surrendering the lead but came out in the second hot, hitting its first five shots and scoring the first 13 points. The Tigers missed their first 12 shots before finally getting a bucket and their first points from Carter nearly seven minutes into the second half. LSU had its only lead after Lowe was called for a technical foul with 4.9 seconds remaining in the first half and Carter hit a free throw to finish an 8-2 run to send the Tigers into the break ahead 28-27. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college basketball: andJimmy Carter, in his own words: Memorable quotes from the former president

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two-time defending champion Barcelona clinched the last quarterfinal spot in the Women’s Champions League by beating Hammarby 3-0 in Stockholm on Thursday. Ewa Pajor fired Barcelona ahead with two first-half goals from close range and Aitana Bonmatí finished it off 10 minutes before the final whistle. Following a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the opening group stage game, Barcelona scored 23 goals in the following four games and conceded one. Man City defeated St. Pölten 2-0 to keep a perfect record and lead Group D with 15 points. Barcelona is three points behind and will host City next Wednesday in the final group game. In Group C, Alessia Russo scored twice and Arsenal beat last-place Vålerenga 3-1 to keep pressure on group leader Bayern Munich. Arsenal produced another dominant display under interim coach Renée Slegers. Frida Maanum also scored for Arsenal and set up Russo's opener. Vålerenga, which retained its domestic league title and just claimed the Norwegian Cup to complete a double, got a consolation goal from substitute Tilde Lindwall. Bayern routed Juventus 4-0 to lead the group with 13 points, one ahead of Arsenal. The two will clash over the top spot in London next week. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerWorld reaches $300 bn climate finance deal at COP29

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here fans are seemingly certain about who will be the first to depart from the jungle. Drama unfolded on tonight's episode when a quarrel ignited between Alan Halsall and Dean McCullough concerning the camp chores. Observing Jane embark solo on a firewood collection mission, Alan decided it was time to rouse Dean since they were meant to tackle the task as a pair. Dean, groggy from his sleep, was none too pleased about the wake-up call, with Alan querying, "You don't fancy it? No?" Despite initial resistance, both Dean and Alan made their way to assist Jane, which led to an escalated verbal confrontation. Retorting to Alan's assistance, Dean said: "You can go back now," to which the Coronation Street actor maintained he was trying to keep things amicable. An irritated Dean shot bacK: "Listen to me. If you're gonna wake me up, you need to give me a minute, alright? It takes a couple of minutes for my contact lenses to get back working again, alright, so you don't need to turn around to me and say 'do you not fancy it? ' ok? And then turn around and walk away." Alan attempted to explain, stating "I've listened to you, Jane was halfway down here, that's why I went..." only to be cut off by Dean asserting, "Ok, I get that, but you need to give me a minute, mate." The argument did not settle well with viewers, with many expressing their displeasure and calling for Dean to be the first voted out. Viewers voiced their ire on social media, with one commenting: "I'm sorry, but who does Dean think he is? ! he's actually so rude. #ImACeleb," and another showing their support for Alan, as they shared: "100% respect for @alanhalsall tonight on #imaceleb. What a fantastic example he's setting for his daughter, didn't rise to Dean being in his face, apologised even though he wasn't in the wrong and walked away. Dean needs to get a grip, he knew what he was signing up for!" As it emerged that Dean had been nominated for the subsequent trial alongside Coleen Rooney, calls from fans rang out for his removal from the programme. One fan expressed: "The ONLY time anyone should be voting for Dean is when we're voting for people to leave. #imaceleb,", while another questioned: "When can we start voting for Dean to leave asking for a friend #ImACeleb." Further criticism came as someone posted: "Can Dean leave already #ImACeleb," and another fan stated firmly: "When can we vote out because dean needs to leave #imaceleb." Adding to the discontent, a viewer remarked: "Urgh! #dean has to be the 1st to go. Such a diva. Oh and -Leave Tyrone alone! #ImACeleb."