WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Monday strongly condemned North Korea’s latest missile test, adding that the United States’ commitment to protect the homeland and allies such as Japan and South Korea was “ironclad.” Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that North Korea’s “unlawful weapons programs” were a clear and grave threat to national security. “We are capable of defending against a North Korean ballistic missile attack and […]
newslide Members of George Michael’s family say they are “extremely upset” that a recording of the emergency call reporting his death was leaked to the press. Lawyers for the family on Sunday said relatives want an investigation and “will expect the culprit(s) to be dealt with appropriately”. They said family and friends are appalled “that such a personal, painful and clearly confidential recording has been leaked”” On […]
By Anthony Deutsch | AMSTERDAM AMSTERDAM Syrian government forces used chemical weapons in opposition-controlled parts of Aleppo during battles to retake the city late last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Monday. The findings add to mounting evidence of the use of banned chemical weapons in the six-year-old Syrian civil war and could strengthen calls by Britain, France and the United States for […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Major Garrett of CBS News is rising to the defense of the extravaganza that is the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner — and he is nearly convincing. Garrett is a very good, no B.S. reporter who adeptly made the print-to-TV […]
By Jamie McGeever | LONDON LONDON World stocks and bond yields rose on Monday, lifted by a re-emergence of so-called “Trump trades” as investors bet that the U.S. president’s tax reform plans will boost economic growth and corporate profits. Following on from Friday’s record high closes on Wall Street, Asian stocks rallied to 1-1/2-year peaks and European stocks rose for the fifth consecutive session on Monday, their […]
Submitted by Nick Kaman of Letters from Norway Introduction: Norwegians are just now starting to grapple with the effects of their “single cylinder” economy, mostly dependent on oil and gas (ca. 60% of exports). Despite optimism about $50-$70/barrel oil, American crude output is surging, on track to be the highest ever, since 1970, while cracks start to form in OPEC’s latest agreement. In addition to the oil […]
YANGON Myanmar is to investigate whether police have committed abuses against Rohingya Muslims, the government has said, after officials promised that allegations of atrocities against members of the Muslim minority would be looked into. The U.N. human rights office said in a report this month Myanmar’s security forces had committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims and burned their villages since October in a campaign […]
SEOUL North Korea said on Monday it had successfully test-fired a new type of medium- to long-range ballistic missile a day earlier, claiming further advancement in a weapons programme it is pursuing in violation of United Nations resolutions. North Korea fired the ballistic missile on a high arc into the sea early on Sunday, the first test of U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to get tough on […]
Researchers from North Carolina State University, Boston University and George Mason University have developed a Bitcoin-compatible system that could make it significantly more difficult for observers to identify or track the parties involved in any given Bitcoin transaction. Bitcoin was initially conceived as a way for people to exchange money anonymously. But then it was discovered that anyone could track all Bitcoin transactions and often identify the […]
“Throughout the entire length of the battle for Aleppo, there have been multiple claims of violations of human rights and multiple denials,” said Eliot Higgins, a senior fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council. Continue reading the main story “What we have been able to present now is a wealth of evidence confirming the targeting of civilian structures, namely hospitals, which in certain […]
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is struggling to get past a controversy over his contacts with Russian officials before Trump took office, conversations that officials said have raised concerns within the White House. Top White House officials have been reviewing over the weekend Flynn’s contacts with the Russians and whether he discussed the possibility of lifting U.S. sanctions […]
Top White House aide and policy adviser, Stephen Miller, sidestepped repeated chances during Sunday news shows to publicly defend embattled National Security Adviser Michael Flynn following reports that he engaged in conversations with Russian diplomat(s) about U.S. sanctions before Trump’s inauguration. The uncertainty came as Trump was dealing with North Korea’s apparent first missile launch of the year and his presidency, along with visits this week from […]
ANZ has announced the appointment Lynwen Connick as its new chief information security officer, who will leave her role as the first assistant secretary information sharing and intelligence at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in March to take up her new position. Connick, who replaces former CISO Steve Glynn, was previously responsible for advising Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on cyber policy, intelligence, and secure […]
The Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was teeming with activity late last month, but it had nothing to do with testing alien technology, nuclear bombs, or any other conspiracy theory. This time, the U.S. Air Force focused on improving operations to achieve better results during warfare. The Air Force held a Red Flag 17-1 on Jan. 24 to test out its multi-domain operations, and made a […]
US President Donald Trump has warned US airlines that foreign rivals “bring big investments” while pledging to support them amid tough competition, in the latest indication of his stance in the ongoing dispute between Gulf and US carriers. The new president told a White House meeting with the country’s largest airlines, air freight companies and airports on Thursday that he would support the US aviation industry in […]
KABUL At least 18 civilians were killed last week in air strikes by international forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry has concluded. American military officials say their aircraft have conducted around 30 air strikes in Helmand in the past week. A spokesman said they were looking into the inquiry. “We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed […]
BERLIN German authorities on Sunday briefly closed the airport in the northern city of Hamburg after a discharge of a corrosive substance caused eye irritation and breathing difficulties among 50 people in a security check area, a police spokeswoman said. Firefighters and ambulances were rushed to the scene after the incident, which occurred in an area where passenger luggage is scanned by security staff. Firefighters are trying […]
It was a weekend that included an intimate golf outing of more than four hours; a lavish Saturday night dinner; and an unexpected joint statement on North Korea’s missile launch. Yet even more notable was what the two-day summit between Donald Trump and Japan’s Shinzo Abe did not include — controversy. Three weeks into his presidency, Mr Trump appears to be adopting a more traditional US foreign […]
Wikimedia Commons The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been called a “toothless dragon” in the past when it comes to medical device security, but one security expert believes the FDA is only one of many impotent agencies that need to get their act together. The security of our medical devices, including pacemakers, embedded cardiac devices, and insulin pumps have come under scrutiny as of late. […]
RIYADH U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday the U.N. envoy to Yemen had his full support, days after Yemen’s Houthi group asked him not to renew the diplomat’s term due to what it said was bias against the Iranian-aligned movement. “Our envoy has my full support and I believe that he is doing an impartial work, that he is doing it in a very professional way […]
BAGHDAD: Two rockets landed in Baghdad’s highly fortified Green Zone on Saturday night following clashes at anti-government protests that left five dead, according to Iraqi security and hospital officials.The rocket attack left no casualties as the munitions landed on the parade grounds in the center of the highly fortified Baghdad compound that is home to Iraq’s government and most foreign embassies. It was not immediately clear who […]
By Jeffrey Heller | JERUSALEM JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would present “responsible policies” in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, signalling to the Israeli far-right to curb its territorial demands in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu leaves for Washington on Monday and will see Trump at the White House on Wednesday for their first meeting since the Republican’s inauguration last month, with […]
By Huda Majeed and Ahmed Rasheed | BAGHDAD BAGHDAD Tension between Iraq’s Shi’ite leaders mounted on Sunday as the toll from protests in central Baghdad on Saturday increased to six killed, five demonstrators loyal to the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and one policeman. At least 174 other protesters were injured in clashes that pitted police and Sadr’s followers who had gathered to demand an overhaul of a […]
Microsoft is continuing to beef up its security offerings across Windows 10, SQL Server, Office, and Azure and is using next week’s RSA conference to highlight its latest incremental updates. Windows Hello, Microsoft’s authentication service meant to replace passwords, already works with Azure Active Directory and Azure Active Directory Connect. With the Windows 10 Creators Update, users also will be able to use Windows Hello in on-premises […]
