Massive cyberattack targeting 99 countries causes sweeping havoc
Hospitals, major companies and government offices have been hit by a massive wave of cyberattacks across the globe that seize control of computers until the victims pay a ransom.
Cybersecurity firm Avast said it had identified more than 75,000 ransomware attacks in 99 countries, making it one of the broadest and most damaging cyberattacks in history.
Avast said the majority of the attacks targeted Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan. But U.K. hospitals, Chinese universities and global firms like Fedex (FDX) also reported they had come under assault.
Europol said Saturday that the attack was of an "unprecedented level and requires international investigation."
‘Widespread’ torture by police in Pakistan condemned by United Nations
UN urges Pakistan to ‘incorporate into its legislation a specific definition of torture’ to be applied without exception
A UN committee has condemned the “widespread practice of torture” in Pakistanby police, the military and intelligence agencies in a report published on Friday, and called on Islamabad to implement urgent reforms to the law.
“The police engage in the widespread practice of torture throughout the territory ... with a view to obtaining confessions from persons in custody,” the UN Committee against Torture wrote in its first report on the situation in the country, made public after months of investigation.
“The Committee is seriously concerned at reports that members of the State party’s military forces; intelligence forces ... and paramilitary forces ... have been implicated in a significant number of cases of extra-judicial executions involving torture and enforced disappearances.”
Isis gives up Tabqa Dam in exchange for fighters' lives in deal with US-backed forces advancing on Raqqa
US-led coalition confirms negotiations but will not say what jihadis were offered to retreat
US-backed forces are battling towards Isis’ largest remaining stronghold after gaining control of a strategic dam, but questions remain over a deal struck with the terrorist group in exchange for its retreat.
Jubilant Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) troops took control of the deserted Tabqa Dam and a nearby town and airfield with minimal losses, following months of bloody battles to isolate the city of Raqqa.
US Central Command hailed the area’s “liberation”, but conceded its allies held negotiations with Isis militants in order for “force their surrender”.
How a European song contest offers a glimpse of the Russian psyche
For most Americans, Eurovision is not of much interest. And that's if they even know what it is.
But in Europe, the televised song contest, in which competitors representing their nations sing to win the continent-wide viewing audience's votes, is must-see TV. The 61-year-old song competition, a forebear of shows like American Idol, was originally started to underline a common sense of cultural identity among Europeans. Today, it is one of the most popular TV events on the continent, with the contest finals airing Saturday night.
In recent years, it has also become mired in the political squabbles of Ukraine and Russia – one of the few ways it might have crept into the consciousness of the American news reader. Most recently Ukraine, the 2017 host, announced it would arrest Russia's contestant if she tried to enter the country – a move prompting Russia to withdraw from this year's contest entirely and Russia's state-run Channel One to cancel plans to broadcast the contest at all.
LEAKED NSA MALWARE IS HELPING HIJACK COMPUTERS AROUND THE WORLD
IN MID-APRIL, an arsenal of powerful software tools apparently designed by the NSA to infect and control Windows computers was leaked by an entity known only as the “Shadow Brokers.” Not even a whole month later, the hypothetical threat that criminals would use the tools against the general public has become real, and tens of thousands of computers worldwide are now crippled by an unknown party demanding ransom.
The malware worm taking over the computers goes by the names “WannaCry” or “Wanna Decryptor.” It spreads from machine to machine silently and remains invisible to users until it unveils itself as so-called ransomware, telling users that all their files have been encrypted with a key known only to the attacker and that they will be locked out until they pay $300 to an anonymous party using the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. At this point, one’s computer would be rendered useless for anything other than paying said ransom. The price rises to $600 after a few days; after seven days, if no ransom is paid, the hacker (or hackers) will make the data permanently inaccessible (WannaCry victims will have a handy countdown clock to see exactly how much time they have left).
North Korea 'would hold talks' with Trump administration
North Korea has said it will hold talks with the US "if the conditions were right", South Korean media reports.
A senior North Korean diplomat said dialogue with the Trump administration was possible following a meeting with ex-US government officials in Norway.
Earlier this month US President Donald Trump said he would be "honoured" to meet Kim Jong-un.
The comments follow months of rising tensions over North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programme.
Choe Son-hui, an official in the North Korean foreign ministry responsible for North American affairs, told reporters in Beijing that bilateral talks between Pyongyang and Washington would be considered.
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