Authored by Oliver Stone (via Facebook), THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING As 2016 draws to a close, we find ourselves a deeply unsettled nation. We’re unable to draw the lines of our national interest. Is it jobs and economy, is it national security, or is it now in our interest to ensure global security — in other words, act as the world’s policemen? As the “failing” (to quote […]
By John Davison | BEIRUT BEIRUT A nationwide ceasefire in Syria, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict, got off to a shaky start after midnight on Friday (2200 GMT on Thursday) in the latest attempt to end nearly six years of bloodshed. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, announced the ceasefire on Thursday after forging […]
By Dustin Volz | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The FBI squarely blamed Russian intelligence services on Thursday for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, releasing the most definitive report yet on the issue, including samples of malicious computer code said to have been used in a broad hacking campaign. Starting in mid-2015, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, the FSB, emailed a malicious link to more than 1,000 recipients, including […]
The Obama administration along with the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation have released the technical details behind ongoing cyber attacks from Russian intelligence groups. Obama on Thursday outlined a series of sanctions on Russia’s two intelligence services and officers for an ongoing hacking campaign on U.S. targets. The White House also said 35 Russian intelligence were ejected and two compounds in the U.S. […]
By Jeff Mason and Lesley Wroughton | HONOLULU/WASHINGTON HONOLULU/WASHINGTON President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups in the 2016 presidential election. The measures, taken during the last days of Obama’s presidency, mark a new post-Cold War low in U.S.-Russian ties which have deteriorated over Ukraine and Syria. […]
In this Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, photo, Emerson Hill, 6, plays with Pepper the robot at Westfield Mall in San Francisco. While merrily chirping, dancing and posing for selfies, Pepper looks like another expensive toy in the San Francisco mall where it will be entertaining shoppers through mid-February. But it would be a mistake to dismiss Pepper as mere child’s play, even though kids flock around the […]
Diagnosing illnesses can sometimes take a lot of time and money. Some medical procedures that go beyond mere prodding can also be very painful. However, thanks to a new device developed by researchers in Israel, doctors could soon determine a person’s illness simply by getting a quick read of their breath. Just one puff is all it takes. Prof. Hossam Haick and his colleagues at the Technion-Israel […]
MANILA, Philippines – The military is eyeing the Maute terror group in the bombing of the town plaza of Hilongos, Leyte last Wednesday night. In line with initial military findings, Col. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces Public Affairs Office chief, said the Maute group could have launched the Leyte bombing to divert the attention of government troops conducting offensive operations against the group in Butig, Lanao del Sur. […]
How do big data people go about making end-of-year reviews and predictions? Using data is the obvious answer, but there’s a few issues with that approach: there is no synthesis in data alone — you have to find the story behind data, pick an angle and seek meaning. In addition, that approach does not account for subtle hints, industry knowledge, and big ideas. To paraphrase Carl Sagan, […]
Chinese technology giant Tencent, along with Beijing-based mapping company NavInfo and Singapore state-owned investment firm GIC, announced this week the trio intended to jointly take up a 10 percent share of mapping company Here, with current owners Audi, BMW, and Daimler reducing their indirect holding by the same amount. As well as the share purchase, the companies announced the creation of a 50/50 joint venture between Here […]
Some of the biggest law firms on Wall Street are scrambling to shore up their defences against cyber attacks, in the wake of a raid by Chinese hackers which led to millions of dollars of profits from insider trading. Preet Bharara, US attorney for the southern district of New York, this week charged three individuals who he said infiltrated law firms over a period of about 18 […]
InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 Police in Cainta, Rizal, are in hot pursuit of members of the “Highway Boys” crime syndicate who execute their victims and cement the bodies inside drums before throwing these into the river. Four members of the gang were killed in a shootout with Cainta police in Barangay San Andres on Tuesday as the criminals were about to throw into the river […]
Arguably the biggest newspaper business story of 2016 was Gannett’s failed (for now) bid to take over Tronc. What the broken deal says about the industry, however, is more than a little ambiguous. For starters, consider that 2016 was a particularly hard year financially, with advertising revenue losses that started bad and got even worse in the fall. Both Gannett and Tronc are profitable on a cash […]
Within the tech world, there is something known as a Chaos Monkey. It is a software tool that simulates chaos and uncertainty, rampaging through a system pulling at cables and kicking computers. Simulate big problems so you can prepare for them; that’s how the thinking goes. Chaos Monkeys are tame – they are a tool employed by network administrators to make their systems safer and more stable. […]
Time to pick the trends that will make the industry interesting—or not—next year. This is the time of year when the tech pundits discuss what happened last year and what will happen next year. Usually they miss the points from last year and mess up those for next. But let’s see if I can do any better. The Internet […]
AVATAR can detect changes in physiology and behavior during interviews with travelers. AVATAR can detect changes in physiology and behavior during interviews with travelers. Credit: Aaron Elkins When you engage in international travel, you may one day find yourself face-to-face with border security that is polite, bilingual and responsive—and robotic. The Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real Time (AVATAR) is currently being tested in conjunction […]
Photo Construction this week in the settlement of Har Homa in Jerusalem. Credit Atef Safadi/European Pressphoto Agency JERUSALEM — Israeli leaders postponed plans on Wednesday to move ahead with new housing in East Jerusalem, just hours before Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to deliver a much-anticipated speech outlining an American vision for peace with the Palestinians. The Jerusalem city planning committee, reportedly acting at the […]
Russian sports officials had vehemently denied the doping operation’s existence despite a detailed confession by the nation’s former antidoping lab chief, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, in a New York Times article last May that was subsequently confirmed by global antidoping regulators. Continue reading the main story An investigator appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, Richard McLaren, published more extensive evidence this month that prompted the International Olympic Committee […]
Dubai, UAE, 27 December 2016 HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has opened the Dubai Future Accelerators workshop organised by the Dubai Government Excellence Program on 27 December 2016 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers. In his keynote speech, Al Tayer emphasised that the UAE is an active key player in shaping the future through accelerators, innovation, and adopting scientific […]
Given the number of people in the city, New Yorkers rarely feel they’re on the same page with each other. The day after Donald Trump was elected United States president, however, they quietly mourned together. The weather, as if set in a Shakespearean drama, reflected the solemn state of the city’s inhabitants. In the days leading up to the election, the weather was perfectly crisp. The annual […]
Farah later said he was surprised that a “multibillionaire” would make so much time for a side project like this. But single-minded persistence is the essence of self-investigation. Trump, for instance, also continued to insist on the guilt of the Central Park Five — five teenagers, four black and one Latino, whose convictions in the 1989 rape and beating of a jogger were later overturned — long […]
MOSCOW Russia said on Tuesday that a U.S. decision to ease some restrictions on arming Syrian rebels had opened the way for deliveries of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, a move it said would directly threaten Russian forces in Syria. Moscow last year launched a campaign of air strikes in Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad and government forces in a conflict with rebels, some of whom are supported […]
Apple has published its first research paper, which focuses on artificial intelligence. Specifically, the paper discusses methods for the improvement of the recognition of computer vision systems. The publication of the paper marks a new direction for Apple, as it has been traditionally secretive with its research. Apple’s Artificial Intelligence Research Paper Explained The first research paper of Apple, published on Dec. 22 and titled “Learning from Simulated […]
The Sunday Times of Malta’s cartoonist Steve Bonello picked this effort as his favourite cartoon of the year. “The Panama Papers had not been published by that date (March 13), but it was what all of Malta was talking about, with the government pedalling hard to shift the focus on its three years of achievements,” Mr Bonello said in explaining his choice. It is indeed a remarkable […]
