Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections
‘Team Jorge’ unit exposed by undercover investigation
Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Manisha Ganguly, David Pegg, Carole Cadwalladr and Jason Burke
A team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media has been exposed in a new investigation.
The unit is run by Tal Hanan, a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative who now works privately using the pseudonym “Jorge”, and appears to have been working under the radar in elections in various countries for more than two decades.
He is being unmasked by an international consortium of journalists. Hanan and his unit, which uses the codename “Team Jorge”, have been exposed by undercover footage and documents leaked to the Guardian.
Germany: Police officers charged in Senegalese teen's death
Police were called when 16-year-old, Mouhamed D. allegedly threatened to harm himself with a knife. Officers later opened fire on the teen, with prosecutors describing the operation as "disproportionate from the start."
In Germany, the Dortmund public prosecutor's office on Tuesday brought charges against five police officers in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old Senegalese teenager.
The teenager's death led to protests against police violence in the western German city and sparked a debate over the treatment of minorities and how authorities handle cases involving people with mental illnesses.
The officer who fired the shots has been charged with manslaughter, while his superior officer has been charged with incitement. Three others officers have been charged with dangerous bodily harm, according to dpa news agency.
Self-drilling seed carriers break new ground
Dropped over their target by drone, dozens of tiny wooden "robots" twirl through the air in a balletic freefall before hitting the ground, where the work begins for these experimental self-burying seeds on an aerial replanting mission.
Inspired by natural seeds that have a curved tail to help them burrow into the soil, a study published Wednesday unveiled prototype human-designed seed carriers that can be sprayed from above and coil and uncoil depending on the humidity in the air, helping them to corkscrew into the ground.
While the technology is still in its early stages, researchers said the biodegradable wooden carriers performed significantly better than their natural competitors in tests and could ultimately be used to boost reforestation after wildfires, in restoring degraded land and in agriculture.
Ecuador: Indigenous villages fight ‘devastating’ mining activity
Government’s failure to regulate mining has damaged the environment and human health, community members say.
As a child, Leo Cerda would spend his mornings helping his family cultivate cassava, plantains and other fruits and vegetables in their chakra, a traditional garden in Kichwa communities.
In the Ecuadorian village of Napo, traditions form a large part of family and spiritual life. At around 3am each morning, before heading to their chakras, many families take part in a traditional tea ceremony. Once freed from his farming duties at around midday, Cerda recalled running to the river to swim and fish with friends. Fish would later be grilled on an open fire and eaten with large amounts of fruit.
Duangphet Phromthep, one of 12 boys rescued from a Thai cave in 2018, dies in UK
Duangphet Phromthep, one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded Thai cave after a weekslong operation that drew global attention in 2018, has died in the UK, British and Thai officials announced Wednesday.
Phromthep, who was enrolled in a soccer academy in Leicestershire, England, died after being rushed to hospital on Sunday, Leicestershire Police said in a statement to CNN.
Th northern regional branch of the Thai government’s public relations arm said on Facebook that Phromthep, 17, died due to an accident, without providing more details.
Japan to order 500 Tomahawk missiles from U.S. in FY 2023
By NOBUHIKO TAJIMA/ Staff Writer
February 15, 2023 at 16:28 JST
Japan plans to order up to 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States in fiscal 2023 to bolster its defenses, including the ability to strike menacing enemy bases.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said on Feb. 14 that the expenses for the required Tomahawks will be covered in the budget proposal submitted to the current Diet session.
The government has earmarked 211.3 billion yen ($1.59 billion) in the budget plan for fiscal 2023, which starts in April, to buy Tomahawk missiles. The Defense Ministry aims to deploy them by March 2027.
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