Authorities shut down ‘dark Web’ drug website

Authorities shut down ‘dark Web’ drug website

SAN FRANCISCO

No sooner had authorities announced the shuttering of an alleged illegal online drug bazaar than another popped up claiming to take its place.

Welcome to the “dark Web,” an increasingly popular corner of the Internet where thousands of computer users from around the globe interact anonymously — and, in many cases, illegally.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged a 26-year-old San Francisco man with operating Silk Road 2.0, an anonymous website that authorities say rang up $8 million in monthly drug sales.

The day after the FBI announced it had arrested Blake Benthall in San Francisco, European authorities said they arrested 16 other people in Ireland and Germany as part of the crackdown on dark Web sites.

On Friday, an underground website calling itself Silk Road 3.0 Reloaded claimed to be open for business on the TOR network, which is linked globally through special browsers that encrypt Internet traffic. Several other websites on the TOR network also claimed to be open for drug transactions.

Obama chooses NY prosecutor as attorney general

WASHINGTON

In a second trail-blazing pick for the nation’s top law-enforcement officer, President Barack Obama intends to nominate a federal prosecutor in New York to become the next attorney general and the first black woman to lead the Justice Department.

Obama’s spokesman said Friday that he will announce his selection of Loretta Lynch from the White House today. If confirmed by the Senate, she would replace Eric Holder, who announced his resignation in September after serving as the nation’s first black attorney general.

Lynch, 55, is the U.S. attorney for Eastern New York, which covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island, a position she also held under President Bill Clinton.

Dallas reaches end of Ebola monitoring

DALLAS

Dallas calmly marked the end of its Ebola crisis Friday when the last of the 177 people who were being monitored for symptoms of the deadly virus were to be cleared at midnight.

Thirty-eight days after Thomas Eric Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola in a local hospital, officials expressed relief and resolve that they were prepared if anything similar — with its resulting panic, fear and constant media attention — ever happened again.

Saudis consider lifting ban on female drivers

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

It’s only for women over 30, who must be off the road by 8 p.m. and cannot wear makeup behind the wheel. But it’s still a startling shift.

The Saudi king’s advisory council has recommended that the government lift its ban on female drivers, a member of the council told The Associated Press on Friday.

The Shura Council’s recommendations are not obligatory on the government, but simply making the recommendation was a major step after years of the kingdom staunchly rejecting any review of the ban.

There have been small but increasingly bold protests by women who took to their cars over the past year.

Associated Press