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It was like a game of telephone, only with no cell phone service.

Theories about Thursday massive disruption swirled on social media, with blame for the widespread outage leveled at US foes Russia and China, as well as aliens, solar flares and even Netflix — which some suggested created the havoc to promote an apocalyptic film with an eerily similar tech blackout.

No official reason has yet surfaced for why there more than 74,000 AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon users reported that they lost cell service Thursday morning. Countless others didn’t lodge a report even though they were impacted by the outage.

Some police departments stopped receiving 911 calls during the ongoing outage, while similar issues were reported at smaller carriers like Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular and Straight Talk Wireless.

The most credible-sounding scenario focused on the sun, which emitted two solar flares on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) warned the “strong flare event” could include “temporary degradation or complete loss of [high frequency radio] signal on much of the sunlit side of the Earth.”

The government agency, however, quickly shot down the theory that flares caused the loss of cell service.

“Bottom line: this outage appears to be a coincidence not connected to the X class solar flares,” an NOAA told The Post.

A separate statement prepared by the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center read: “Based on the intensity of the eruption and associated phenomena, it is highly unlikely that these flares contributed to the widely reported cellular network outages.”

Users on X pointing to more terrestrial threats like Russia, whose leader Vladimir Putin has been apparently been looking into nuking US satellites, as The Post previously reported.

“Russia out here shutting down our cell phone service!” one user declared.

“I really dont want to jump the gun here and point a finger at Russia but this cell phone outage thing is screaming it,” another said.

The outage came one week after Russias alleged satellite-killing and nuclear ambitions in space sent some members of Congress into full-blown panic mode.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that the uproar on Capitol Hill was indeed over an anti-satellite capability that Russia is developing” that the US believes could fundamentally cripple the military and the American way of life.

The names of other US enemies were also floated by mainstream politicians.

“Todays cell phone outage should serve as a stark reminder of the cyber security threat that America faces every day,” Michigan’s Mike Rogers, who is running for a Senate seat, wrote on X:

Im no conspiracy theorist, but if I were, I would put the cell phone outage on China doing a test run

“We must be prepared in the event that China, Russia, Iran, or any of their proxies launch an attack on our critical infrastructure and harden our defenses to protect Americans,” Rogers added.

Another user shared to X: “Im no conspiracy theorist, but if I were, I would put the cell phone outage on China doing a test run.”

Others, however, guessed that it could be aliens.

“Complete Lockdown, Phone Outage Nationwide. If Aliens ever were to Attack, now would be the perfect time…just saying,” one X user posted.

Another far-out theory suggested that Netflix was behind the blackout as part of an elaborate marketing scheme to promote its horror film starring Julia Roberts, “Leave the World Behind” — where satellites go offline in an apparent cyberattack, leaving all communications offline as characters panic about a societal breakdown.

Well played #Netflix .. if you wanted us to watch #leavetheworldbehind then all you had to do was say that… This whole taking down #att network is a bit much.. but the marketing strategy is working. #sosonly #attoutage pic.twitter.com/HOrn6Oo5qq

“Leave the World Behind” has been at the center of other conspiracy theories after counting former president Barack Obama as one of its producers.

This time, amid a nationwide outage eerily similar to the one featured in the movie, viewers said: “Well played #Netflix .. if you wanted us to watch #leavetheworldbehind then all you had to do was say thatThis whole taking down #att network is a bit much.. but the marketing strategy is working. #sosonly #attoutage.”

The movie, however, isn’t new. It debuted in select theaters last November, and premiered on Netflix the following month.

Still, another wrote, “WHAT IN THE LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND IS GOING ON,” while a third chimed in: “Obama told us in that Netflix movie we was gone start having outages.”

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Eight arrests in connection with two separate terrorism investigations

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Eight arrests in connection with two separate terrorism investigations

Eight men have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police in two unconnected terrorism investigations.

In one operation on Saturday, counter-terror officers arrested five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals. All are in police custody.

The Met said the arrests related to a “suspected plot to target a specific premises”.

In an update shortly after midnight, the force said: “Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time.”

It added officers were carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with the investigation.

It said those detained were:

• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Swindon area
• A 46-year-old man arrested in west London
• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Stockport area
• A 40-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area
• A man whose age was not confirmed arrested in the Manchester area.

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Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.

“We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.

“We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we have made arrests today and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”

Terror arrests in separate investigation

Police also arrested three further Iranian nationals in London on Saturday as part of another, unrelated counter terror investigation.

The suspects were detained under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023, which allows police to arrest those suspected of being “involved in foreign power threat activity”.

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Home secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement: “I want to thank the police and our security services for the action they have taken to keep our country safe.

“Protecting national security is the first duty of government and our police and security services have our strong support in their vital work.”

She added: “These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats.”

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Pro-crypto Democrats pull support for stablecoin bill in last minute

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Pro-crypto Democrats pull support for stablecoin bill in last minute

Pro-crypto Democrats pull support for stablecoin bill in last minute

A group of US Senate Democrats known for supporting the crypto industry have said they would oppose a Republican-led stablecoin bill if it moves forward in its current form.

The move threatens to stall legislation that could establish the first US regulatory framework for stablecoins, according to a May 3 report from Politico.

Per the report, nine Senate Democrats said in a joint statement that the bill “still has numerous issues that must be addressed.” They warned they would not support a procedural vote to advance the legislation unless changes are made.

Among the signatories were Senators Ruben Gallego, Mark Warner, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Andy Kim — all of whom had previously backed the bill when it passed through the Senate Banking Committee in March.

The bill, introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty, is formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.

Related: Fed’s Powell reasserts support for stablecoin legislation

Senate prepares to vote on stablecoin bill

The Senate is expected to begin floor consideration of the bill in the coming days, with the first vote potentially taking place next week.

The bill has been championed by the crypto industry as a landmark step toward regulatory clarity. However, the Democrats’ about-face reflects growing unease within the party.

Although revisions were made to the bill after its committee approval to address Democratic concerns, the lawmakers said the changes fell short. They called for stronger safeguards related to Anti-Money Laundering, national security, foreign issuers, and accountability measures for noncompliant actors.

The statement was also signed by Senators Raphael Warnock, Catherine Cortez Masto, Ben Ray Luján, John Hickenlooper and Adam Schiff.

Pro-crypto Democrats pull support for stablecoin bill in last minute
A copy of the statement. Source: Alex Thorn

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Angela Alsobrooks were absent from the list, who co-sponsored the bill alongside Hagerty.

Despite their objections, the Democratic senators emphasized their commitment to shaping responsible crypto regulation. They reportedly said they “are eager to continue working with our colleagues to address these issues.”

Related: US banks are ‘free to begin supporting Bitcoin’

Crypto needs a stablecoin bill

On April 27, Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, criticized the US Federal Reserve for quietly maintaining a key anti-crypto policy that favors big-bank-issued stablecoins, despite relaxing crypto partnership rules for banks.

Long explained that while the Fed recently rescinded four prior crypto guidelines, a Jan. 27, 2023, statement was left intact in coordination with the Biden administration.

The guidance, according to Long, blocks banks from engaging directly with crypto assets and prohibits them from issuing stablecoins on permissionless blockchains.

However, Long noted that once a federal stablecoin bill becomes law, it could override the Fed’s stance. “Congress should hurry up,” she urged.

Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

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UK

Pictured: Boy killed in Gateshead industrial estate fire – 14 children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter

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Pictured: Boy killed in Gateshead industrial estate fire - 14 children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter

Tributes have been paid to 14-year-old Layton Carr who died in a fire at an industrial estate.

Eleven boys and three girls, aged between 11 and 14 years, have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the incident in Gateshead on Friday. They remain in police custody.

Drone view showing the aftermath of a fire at Fairfield industrial park at Bill Quay, Gateshead
Image:
Police were alerted to a fire at Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area

Firefighters raced to Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area shortly after 8pm, putting out the blaze a short time later.

Police then issued an appeal for a missing boy, Layton Carr, who was believed to be in the area at the time.

In a statement, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.

Layton’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.

Pic: North News and Pictures
Image:
Layton has been described as a ‘beautiful soul’

A fundraising page on GoFundMe has been set up to help Layton’s mother pay for funeral costs.

Organiser Stephanie Simpson said: “The last thing Georgia needs to stress trying to pay for a funeral for her Boy Any donations will help thank you.”

One tribute in a Facebook post read: “Can’t believe I’m writing this my nephew RIP Layton 💔 forever 14 you’ll be a massive miss, thinking of my sister and 2 beautiful nieces right now.”

Another added: “My boy ❤️ my baby cousin, my Layton. Nothing will ever come close to the pain I feel right now. Forever 14. I’ll miss you sausage.”

A third said: “Rest in peace big lad such a beautiful soul taken far to soon my thoughts are with you Gee stay strong girl hear for u always.”

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Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”

She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”.

They are working to establish “the full circumstances surrounding the incident” and officers will be in the area to “offer reassurance to the public”, she added.

A cordon remains in place at the site while police carry out enquiries.

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