Friday, February 3 top stories
It is Friday, February 3. Ready for today’s news?
Chinese spy balloon over Montana
A Chinese spy balloon was spotted floating at a very high altitude above Montana on Thursday. The U.S. military said it is tracking the balloon and that it is above commercial air traffic and does not present a threat to people on the ground.
ABC News said the balloon is about the same size as three buses, may be carrying high-resolution cameras, and has a technology bay attached to it.
The Chinese government said it is a non-military balloon that is used for meteorological purposes that happened to veer far off its course and said they regret what happened.
There are several members of Congress that are demanding President Biden shoot it down. The U.S. military doesn’t want to shoot it down due to safety concerns for people on the ground.
AP reported that a senior U.S. defense official feels very confident that the balloon is there to collect sensitive information. Montana is home to the Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three U.S. nuclear missile silo fields.
Canada’s military said they have detected a possible second balloon and are tracking its movements.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken already had plans to visit China this weekend, but that trip is now postponed.
Netflix’s guidelines on password sharing
Netflix posted and then deleted several guidelines on what it plans to do to stop subscribers from sharing their account information and passwords with others.
News reports said Netflix posted that it plans to require subscribers to connect their viewing device — a TV, mobile phone, or tablet — to the wifi in their homes, open the Netflix app, and watch something at least once every 31 days. This means if someone is using your Netflix account outside of your household — i.e. a college student or a long-distance partner — they would be booted out if they cannot connect to your home wifi.
Netflix said these rules only apply to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, where it has been testing a way to stop password sharing, and accidentally posted it on their U.S. and U.K. websites.
Netflix has previously said it wants to find a way to stop password sharing because it hurts its ability to invest in new films or shows.
Netflix said it plans to offer a “paid sharing” option, which allows a primary account holder to share their information with others for a fee.
All the hoops have caused some people on social media to say they would rather just cancel their Netflix subscription rather than deal with this.
Family of woman decapitated at Utah park to get $10M
The family of a woman who was decapitated by a gate in a freak incident at Utah’s Arches National park will receive more than $10 million in damages after a federal judge’s ruling.
The woman’s name is Esther Nakajjigo. She was from Uganda and was known as a human rights activist. She had just married an American and was on a camping trip in the summer of 2020 when a long and narrow metal gate that had a sign attached to it swung rapidly due to strong winds and sliced through their car. It killed Esther and narrowly missed the husband. The gate was supposed to be secured with a padlock but it didn’t have one.
Esther’s family filed a wrongful death and personal injury claim against the National Park. The family wanted about $140 million. The government said the appropriate amount is about $3 million. The judge decided on $9.5 million for the husband, $700,000 for Esther’s mother, and $350,000 for Esther’s father.
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U.S. economy adds 517,000 jobs in January
The U.S. economy added 517,000 jobs in January, which far exceeds expectations. The unemployment rate is at 3.4%, the lowest level in over 50 years. Many people have jobs. Analysts said this shows the economy is doing well and the report has relaxed worries of a recession.
World’s oldest dog Bobi
The Guinness World Records declared that a 30-year-old dog named Bobi in Portugal is the world’s oldest living dog and the world’s oldest dog ever.
The dog is a Rafeiro do Alentejo. It is a dog bred for farm settings and protects livestock. This dog has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.
Bobi’s owners live on a farm and said the dog has lived a peaceful life, enjoys socializing with other animals, and eats human food without seasonings.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/china-spy-balloon/
https://www.axios.com/2023/02/03/china-surveillance-balloon-us-airspace-pentag
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/03/economy/january-jobs-report-final/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bobi-breaks-record-worlds-oldest-dog-ever/