This issue does appear to be confined to a relatively small number of users, and thankfully doesn’t appear to be safety-related. It seems more likely to do with power management — specifically that a small amount of energy needs to remain in the phone to help kickstart charging control. It’s an issue that plagues some other phones as well.

Samsung reps have been advising affected users to get warranty replacements for their Note 8s, but those who don’t want to hand over their phones or aren’t covered by warranty can try something called stack charging. By plugging your charger in and out of your phone for 10 to 15 seconds at a time about 30 seconds apart, you could generate enough energy after about 20 minutes or 100 attempts to get your phone going again.

Of course, that is quite a tiresome task, and its safety and effectiveness isn’t guaranteed, but it could save you a trip to the store. Meanwhile, if you’re a Galaxy Note 8 (or S8 Plus) owner, it’s probably a good idea not to let your phone run out of juice.

According to the Samsung spokesperson, “we are unable to comment further until we obtain more specific information from the phone. Any consumers with questions about their device should contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG so that we can help them.”

First notified in November of a data breach incident, popular clothing retailer Forever 21 has now confirmed that hackers stole credit card information from its stores throughout the country for several months during 2017.

Although the company did not yet specify the total number of its customers affected by the breach, it did confirm that malware was installed on some point of sale (POS) systems in stores across the U.S. at varying times between April 3, 2017, and November 18, 2017.

According to the company’s investigation, which is still ongoing, the malware was designed to search for and likely steal sensitive customer credit card data, including credit card numbers, expiration dates, verification codes and, in some cases, cardholder names.

Forever 21 has been using encryption technology since 2015 to protect its payment processing systems, but during the investigation, the company found that some POS terminals at certain stores had their encryption switched off, which allowed hackers to install the malware.

However, according to the company, not every POS terminal in affected stores was infected with the malware and not every store was impacted during the full-time period (roughly 8 months) of the breach.

In fact, in some cases, payment card data stored in certain system logs before April 3rd were also exposed in the breach.

“Each Forever 21 store has multiple POS devices, and in most instances, only one or a few of the POS devices were involved. Additionally, Forever 21 stores have a device that keeps a log of completed payment card transaction authorizations,” the company said while explaining the incident. 

“When encryption was off, payment card data was being stored in this log. In a group of stores that were involved in this incident, malware was installed on the log devices that was capable of finding payment card data from the logs, so if encryption was off on a POS device prior to April 3, 2017, and that data was still present in the log file at one of these stores, the malware could have found that data.”

The company also assured its online customers that payment cards used on its website (forever21.com) were not affected by the breach.

Since payment processing systems outside of the United States work differently, it should not be impacted by the security breach, but the retailer said it’s still investigating whether non-US stores were affected or not.

Forever 21 advised customers who shopped at its stores to stay vigilant and keep an eye on their credit transactions for any suspicious activity, and immediately notify their banks that issued the card if found any.

The company has promised to continue working with “security firms to enhance” their security measures.

This breach is yet another embarrassing incident disclosed recently, followed by Disqus’ disclosure of a 5-year-old breach of over 17.5 million Disqus users and Yahoo’s revelation that 2013 data breach affected all of its 3 Billion users.

The recent incidents also include Equifax’s revelation of a breach of potentially 145.5 million customers, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure of a data breach that profited hackers, and Deloitte’s disclosure of a cyber attack that led to the theft of its clients’ private emails and documents.

At least 12 people have been killed in Iran, according to local news media reports, as anti-government demonstrations continue across the country.

Thousands have engaged in protests since the first rallies against the high cost of living on December 28, marking the biggest show of dissent in Iran since huge rallies took place in 2009.

State TV reported on Monday that 10 people were killed in several cities on Sunday, and showed footage of damage allegedly caused by protesters.

The report did not provide further details about the deaths.

It is not clear whether the figure included the two people shot to death in the southwestern town of Izeh on Sunday, or the two protesters who died in the western city of Dorud on Saturday, as reported by the ILNA news agency and Mehr news agency, respectively.

Habibollah Khojastepour, security deputy of the governor of Lorestan province, said neither police nor security forces fired at the protesters who died in Dorud, and did not provide an explanation for their deaths, according to Mehr.

Some 400 people have been arrested across Iran in the protests, state news agencies have reported.

Unacceptable violence

On Sunday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said people in the country have the right to protest but warned that violence is unacceptable.

“It should be clear to everyone that we are people of freedom. According to the constitution and citizens’ rights, people are free to express their criticism and to protest,” Rouhani said in televised comments from Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Sunday.

“However, we need to pay attention to the manner of that criticism and protest. It should be in such a way that it will lead to the improvement of the people and state.

“People have the right to protest, but those demonstrations should not make the public feel concerned about their lives and security.”

Iranians began protesting in the second-largest city of Mashhad, railing at the ruling religious elite, whom they blame for economic hardships and alleged corruption.

The rallies have since gained momentum and spread to other cities, including Tehran.

Several videos posted on social media have shown protesters calling for the fall of Rouhani’s government.

US watching ‘very closely’

US President Donald Trump has been quick to respond to the protests, saying Washington is “watching very closely for human rights violations.”

“The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism,” he said on Twitter on December 31.

Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017

Rouhani has since hit back at Trump, accusing him of having “forgotten that he has called the Iranian people ‘terrorists’ a few months ago”, on Sunday.

Canada has also commented on the demonstrations, with the country’s ministry of foreign affairs saying it was “closely monitoring” the protests and calling “on the Iranian authorities to uphold and respect democratic and human rights”.

“Canada is encouraged by the Iranian people who are exercising their basic right to protest peacefully,” the ministry said in a short statement on December 31.

“Canada will continue to support the fundamental rights of Iranians, including the right to freedom of expression.”

A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry has condemned Canada’s response as “interventionist”, saying it violated the country’s international commitments.

“[It is] devoid of any legal justifications,” Bahram Qasemi said, according to Iran’s official state news agency, IRNA.

While it wouldn’t exactly be heartening news if the F-35 did have to see combat, it would put the multi-role stealth fighter’s many technological systems to the test. The B’s clever STOVL system is its centerpiece, letting it operate from Marine ships and bases that don’t have the space for conventional aircraft. It’s also a pioneer inside the cockpit, with giant touchscreen displays and an in-helmet display that replaces the conventional HUD. Basically: where the F-22 is a relatively familiar design in some respects, the F-35 is more of a clean break.

The Marines will eventually field 420 F-35s, 67 of them being the carrier-oriented F-35C. They should eventually replace combat aircraft ranging from the Harrier (the original VTOL combat jet) to the Hornet. Not everyone is as thrilled with the design, though. Its development was plagued by numerous glitches, including software bugs and hardware design flaws (including one that led to a pre-takeoff accident). Also, cost overruns and high prices have led to scaled back orders. The F-35 may be a technical marvel, but there were many, many sacrifices involved in putting it into service.

There were signs that this crackdown was coming. Regulators had said earlier in December that they would gradually impose stricter emissions standards on new cars, and they recently extended EV tax credits through 2020. Moreover, China hasn’t been shy about wanting to eventually ban all fossil fuel cars. Automakers know they can’t continue the status quo if they want to continue doing business in China, and that means more efficient engines, hybrids and ultimately pure electric cars.

The production freeze stands in sharp contrast to the US. The recently passed Republican tax plan doesn’t include a measure that would have taken away the EV tax credit, but the incentives to move to eco-friendly cars are far from guaranteed to survive when the current administration is determined to protect fossil fuels at all costs. China, meanwhile, is aggressively pursuing greener cars because it has little choice. Air pollution is a serious threat in China, and anything it can do to reduce fossil fuel use can have a tangible impact on the health of its residents.