Good morning. It's Wednesday, July 14, and we're covering one of the world's most notorious hacker groups, violence in South Africa, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

REvil Goes Offline

Websites and operations associated with REvil, one of the most high-profile hacker collectives, went dark yesterday without notice. The ransomware group has also reportedly ceased the dark web portals through which it negotiated payments from its victims. The disappearance comes days after President Joe Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene (the group is believed to be based in Russia).

The group pioneered the emerging ransomware-as-a-service approach, selling software capable of paralyzing organizations' IT systems until payment is made. Responsible for recent attacks against IT services provider Kaseya and meat processor JBS, REvil also licensed its software and managed the extortion process for malicious third parties. 

Observers say three possibilities are likely—US or Russian security officials accessed and shut down the group's servers, the group wants to avoid the scrutiny of being in the middle of US-Russian relations, or an unknown technical problem occurred.

South Africa Riots

At least 72 people have died and more than 1,200 others arrested amid ongoing violence in South Africa following the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma. A number of the victims are believed to have been killed in stampedes amid chaotic looting as crowds broke into local stores. The unrest has thus far been confined to impoverished areas in the country's Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Zuma, who led the country from 2009 to 2018, has faced a long list of accusations during his political career, ranging from fraud to the rape of a family friend. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison last month after refusing to participate in a corruption probe. Separately, he'll reappear in court next week on charges relating to a 1999 arms deal in which he is alleged to have taken bribes as deputy president. 

Analysts say Zuma's jailing was a catalyst for the airing of broader grievances. The country's unemployment rate sits near 33%, and the nation is grappling with a third coronavirus wave while having fully vaccinated individuals less than 4% of its population. 

COVID-19 Cases Spike

New COVID-19 cases in the US have risen by more than 110% over the past week and a half, with the rolling average currently near 24,000 per day. Hot spots are distributed across the country—California accounted for more than 10% of new cases last week, though Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida saw the biggest case rates relative to population. See a state-by-state breakdown here.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, which typically lag a rise in new cases, have ticked upward by about 10% over the same timeframe. The current average of around 250 deaths per day remains the lowest since the onset of the pandemic last March.

Health officials say the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, combined with loosened restrictions and a boom in summer travel, is fueling the rise. The variant accounted for more than 50% of new cases as of the week ending July 3, the most recent data available. 

Almost 65% of Americans over the age of 12 have received at least one vaccination dose, while nearly 80% of seniors—the demographic most vulnerable to severe illness and death—are fully vaccinated.    

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> "The Crown" and "The Mandalorian" lead all series with 24 nominations each for 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards; HBO and HBO Max combine for network leading 130 nominations (More) | See full list of Emmy nominations (More)

> Team USA to send 613 athletes to Tokyo Olympics, its second-largest contingent ever; team includes a record 329 female athletes (More)

> American League tops National League 5-2 to win MLB All-Star Game; Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. named game MVP (More)

Science & Technology

> Electrify America says it will double the number of its electric vehicle charging stations across the country by 2025, adding 1,800 fast-charging stations (More)

> Sediment analysis reveals the asteroid that ended the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago created a mile-high tsunami wave that swept across the Gulf of Mexico (More)

> The brain processes inanimate objects with face-like qualities in the same manner as real faces, including ascribing emotions to the images, new study suggests (More)

Business & Markets

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> June US consumer prices increase 5.4% over last year, the largest gain since 2008; US stock markets slide (S&P 500 -0.4%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -0.4%) (More)

> JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs kick off earnings season, both report significant earnings increases in Q2 (More) | Apple and Goldman Sachs will launch a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service; shares of BNPL provider Affirm slide 15% (More)

> Melinda French Gates among backers of Female Founders Fund’s $57M venture fund focused on investing in female-led startups (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Senate Democrats reach internal agreement on a $3.5T budget framework covering Biden administration's "human infrastructure" policy proposals; Democrats likely to try and pass the package via budget reconciliation, avoiding a filibuster (More)

> At least 92 people dead after a fire burns through a COVID-19 ward in Nasiriyah, Iraq; a similar fire killed more than 80 people at a Baghdad hospital in April (More)

> Justice Department indicts four Iranian nationals in alleged plot to kidnap New York journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, who has been a vocal critic of the Iranian government (More)

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ETCETERA

Ranking the best US cities to live in 2021.

Why coffee prices are soaring.

Inside Los Angeles' iconic Stahl House.

Italy bus driver saves 25 children from bus fire.

Hawaii holds a goat lottery.

Americans begin snapping up engagement rings.

"Jackass" star gets shark bite during Shark Week.

Paratrooper survives after parachute fails to open.

Clickbait: It's raining fish in Utah.

Historybook: Revolutionaries in France storm the Bastille (1789); Archaeologist and spy Gertrude Bell born (1868); President Gerald Ford born (1913); Howard Hughes crew breaks record with 91-hour flight around the world (1938); NASA's New Horizon probe completes flyby of Pluto (2015).

"There is nothing more difficult to measure than the value of visible emotion."

- Gertrude Bell

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