Alma Mahler was described by one Viennese contemporary, Siegfried Lipiner, as “spiteful, vain and overbearing”. The philosopher Theodor Adorno called her a “monster”. And Marietta Torberg, the wife of writer Friedrich Torberg, said she was “a grande dame and, at the same time, a cesspool”. This is largely how history remembers Mahler, the beautiful, intelligent wife of composer Gustav Mahler. Her life spanned two world wars, taking […]
What should we make of the global ransomware attacks which happened today? We’ve documented that the intelligence services intentionally create digital vulnerabilities, then intentionally leave them open … leaving us exposed and insecure. Washington’s Blog asked the highest level NSA whistleblower ever* – Bill Binney – what he thinks of the attacks. Binney told us: This is what I called short sighted finite thinking on the part […]
Technology and media confluence sets #AJTechSummit top trending on social media for two days May 11, 2017 – Doha, Qatar Held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al-Thani, Chairman of Al Jazeera Media Network, AJMN’s “Future of Media – Leaders’ Summit” concluded today at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha. The Summit, the first of its kind in the region, prominent figures and […]
The three beefy men sharing a laugh looked like old friends, not geopolitical adversaries. A smiling Donald Trump welcomed Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and its US ambassador Sergey Kislyak to the Oval Office on Wednesday, just a day after the president had fired the man investigating Moscow’s role in helping him enter the White House. The extraordinary scene was just the latest sign that Mr Trump […]
By Costas Pitas and Carlos Ruano | LONDON/MADRID LONDON/MADRID A global cyberattack leveraging hacking tools widely believed by researchers to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency hit international shipper FedEx, disrupted Britain’s health system and infected computers in dozens of other countries on Friday. Russian cyber security software maker Kaspersky Lab said its researchers had observed more than 45,000 attacks in 74 countries as […]
Thailand has given social network operator Facebook until next Tuesday to block illegal content from its site, or face charges under the Computer Crime Act. The country, which has strict lese majeste laws, has detained several social media users since last month, after warning netizens against liking and sharing posts by three of the monarchy’s known critics who are all based overseas. Facebook has 42 million users […]
Hackers responsible for the wave of cyber attacks that struck organisations across the globe on Friday from the UK’s National Health Service to European telecoms company Telefónica used tools stolen from the US National Security Agency, the Financial Times has learnt. A tool known as “eternal blue”, developed by US spies was used by the hackers to make an existing form of ransomware known as WannaCry more […]
By David Alexander and Susan Heavey | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump warned ousted FBI Director James Comey on Friday against talking to the media, suggesting there might be tapes of conversations between the two men that could contradict his account. “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Trump said in a string of Twitter […]
WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to the new South Korean president’s advocacy of talks with North Korea by saying he does not oppose discussions, but reiterated that the circumstances must be right, according to a transcript of an NBC interview. Moon Jae-in’s advocacy of engagement with North Korea has appeared to contrast with the approach of the United States, South Korea’s main ally, which has […]
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to probe graft allegations against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family in the Panama Papers case began its work on Tuesday with an informal meeting in Islamabad. The apex court last week approved the six-member team comprising one representative each from the State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Accountability Bureau, Federal Investigation Agency, […]
High schoolers who are extroverted, mature, highly intelligent, or interested in arts and sciences have a fighting chance against the robots and computers that will steal jobs in the future. A new study finds that people with certain personality traits are more likely to choose jobs that won’t be automated in the future . Job preference is especially important now, since economists estimate that 47 percent of […]
SEOUL North Korea demanded on Friday the extradition of South Korea’s spy chief, accusing him of being a mastermind of a plot to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong Un, with a biochemical weapon. The North’s KCNA state news agency last week accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) of a plot to assassinate its “supreme leadership” with a biochemical weapon. The […]
SYDNEY Turkey has agreed to a request from the Australian government to extradite a citizen it believes to be a top recruiter for the Islamic State militant group, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday. Melbourne-born Neil Prakash has been linked to several Australia-based attack plans and has appeared in Islamic State videos and magazines. Australia alleges that Prakash actively recruited Australian men, women and children and […]
To watch the performance of the N League’s topchis and assorted bandmasters, it almost seems as if their leadership has scored a Waterloo triumph against the uniformed lot in the matter of the Dawn leaks. By announcing a virtual ceasefire the army has taken a step back, that’s for sure. To appease the army’s mood a few small sacrificial offerings have been made and that’s about it. […]
BUENOS AIRES A witness in Brazil’s “Operation Car Wash” corruption scandal involving construction companies told Argentine prosecutors on Thursday that President Mauricio Macri’s spy chief received bribes, a judicial source present at the hearing told Reuters. Former Odebrecht SA [ODBES.UL] official Leonardo Meirelles’ testimony comes as the company, which has admitted to paying bribes in 12 mostly Latin American countries, is striving to improve its image in […]
By Ju-min Park and Christine Kim | SEOUL SEOUL South Korea’s new president launched international efforts to defuse tension over North Korea’s weapons development on Thursday, urging both dialogue and sanctions while also aiming to ease China’s anger about a U.S. anti-missile system. Moon Jae-in, a liberal former human rights lawyer, was sworn in on Wednesday and said in his first speech as president he would immediately […]
It’s been a strange day in Washington, as top intelligence officials and even US President Donald Trump appeared to question his own statements on the firing of FBI director James Comey. Andrew McCabe, the FBI acting director, contradicted Mr Trump over the firing of Mr Comey, denying in testimony to the Senate intelligence committee that the ousted chief had lost the support of employees as he insisted […]
Donald Trump’s abrupt termination of FBI director James Comey in the middle of an FBI probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill. How Senators respond to this action matters, as Mr Trump cannot appoint a replacement for Mr Comey without the Senate’s approval. At the same time, the Senate intelligence committee is conducting its own investigation into Russian interference in the […]
ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigating Team (JIT) tasked with investigating corruption allegations against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children has sought from the Election Commission of Pakistan asset declarations submitted to the electoral body by the premier and his son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar, Geo News quoted sources as saying on Thursday. According to the sources, the JIT, set up by the Supreme Court in the light of […]
By Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump blasted ousted FBI chief James Comey as a “showboat” and “grandstander” on Thursday even as the agency’s acting leader contradicted the president’s account that the FBI had been in turmoil before he fired Comey. In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, acting Federal Bureau of Investigation director Andrew McCabe promised to tell the panel of […]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s acting director has contradicted Donald Trump over the firing of James Comey, denying the ousted chief had lost the support of employees as he insisted the FBI’s Russia probe would not be knocked off course. Andrew McCabe, the FBI acting director, also told the Senate intelligence committee that the probe into alleged collusion between Moscow and the Trump election campaign was “highly […]
WASHINGTON A senior White House official said former Republican congressman Mike Rogers is being considered as a candidate to replace FBI Director James Comey, who was fired late on Tuesday by President Donald Trump. Rogers briefly served on the Trump transition team and was a national security adviser to the Trump campaign. He is a former chairman of the House of Representatives intelligence committee and was an […]
In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, file photo, a self-driving Uber car stops at a red light on Liberty Avenue through the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In just a few years, well-mannered self-driving robotaxis will share the roads with reckless, law-breaking human drivers. The prospect is causing migraines for the people developing the robocars and is slowing their development. But experts say eventually the cars will coexist […]
WASHINGTON Russia’s attempts to interfere in foreign elections are one of the top worldwide security threats, the senior Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday. “Russia’s direct interference in democratic processes around the globe is a direct assault that we must work together to repel,” Senator Mark Warner said as the panel began its annual hearing on worldwide threats, featuring testimony by leaders of […]
