Cyberattacks from China, Iran, Russia target U.S. presidential election
Microsoft said Thursday it’s detected an increase in cyberattacks related to the November presidential election coming from China, Iran and Russia.
Security
U.S., Oman discuss ways to strengthen security, boost economic ties
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday spoke with Oman’s leader, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, about ways to enhance regional security and strengthen economic ties between the two countries, the White House said in a statement.
FISA court scolds FBI for ‘widespread violations’ of privacy rules
Under Director Chris Wray, the FBI continues to engage in “widespread violations” of rules protecting Americans’ privacy while searching through national security surveillance data, the chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has concluded.
Opposition Leader Urges End To Deals With Belarus President Amid Kidnappings and Expulsions
An opposition leader says an increasing number of critical activists opposing Belarusian President Alexander Lukanhesko are detained, kidnapped, and sometimes expelled from the country. The statement by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya comes amid dramatic scenes at the borders of the former Soviet republic.
Wife and Son of Jailed Chinese Pastor ‘Intimidated’ By Security Forces
The wife and child of the jailed founder of one of China’s largest unregistered churches, are being monitored and intimidated by Chinese security forces, well-informed Christians confirmed to Worthy News.
Pakistan Christian Girls Forced To Marry and Convert
There is growing anxiety about the plight of several teenage Christians girls who were forced to marry and convert to Islam, according to rights activists familiar with their plight.
NATO Wants Monitoring of Russian Nerve Program After Dissident Poisoning
The NATO military alliance demands that Russia reveals its Novichok nerve agent program to international monitors, after the poisoning of activist Alexei Navalny.
Belarus Sees More Protests Despite Intensified Crackdown
Police have tried to disperse demonstrators in the Belarusian capital where some 100,000 people demanded the resignation of long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. Sunday’s rallies in Minsk and other cities came as a police crackdown on dissidents and activists intensified.
DHS Combats Potential Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to prepare against ever-evolving threats against the American homeland, most recently highlighting efforts to combat an Electromagnetic Pulse attack which could disrupt the electrical grid and potentially damage electronics. Today, the department is releasing the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Program Status Report as part of an update on efforts underway in support of Executive Order (E.O.) 13865 on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses. E.O. 13865 establishes resilience and security standards for U.S. critical infrastructure as a national priority.
Court rules NSA surveillance program exposed by Snowden violated law but upholds terror convictions
A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a key aspect of the mass surveillance program exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was illegal, but it did not reach a conclusion on its constitutionality.
Abbas urges Arabs not to normalize ties with Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called on the Arab countries to abide by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and refrain from normalizing their relations with Israel.
Aid Workers: ‘Hundreds of Christians Slaughtered In Ethiopia’
Muslim militants have killed hundreds of Christians, including pregnant women, children, and whole families in Ethiopia’s most populous regional state, aid workers told Worthy News Wednesday.
U.S. Cutting $100 Million In Aid To Ethiopia Over Dam Dispute
The United States is cutting at least roughly $100 million in aid to impoverished Ethiopia due to its “lack of progress” in talks with Egypt and Sudan over a massive disputed dam project on the Nile River, officials confirmed.
Kushner says Trump and Netanyahu will discuss US sale of advanced fighter jets to UAE
US President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner said Monday that the President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will at some stage discuss the sale of American F-35 advanced fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates, the Jewish Press reports. The prospect of such a sale has caused speculation in some quarters about whether it would alter the very longstanding US-supported doctrine that, for security purposes, Israel must retain technological military superiority over all other Middle Eastern countries.
Hezbollah in hot water after Beirut explosion
There are no confirmed ties between Iran-backed Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah and the August 4 explosion in Beirut so far, but the group has found itself coming under fire in the wake of the disaster, the Jewish National Syndicate (JNS) reported Tuesday.
Appeals court rules NSA phone data collection illegal; upholds convictions
A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled it was illegal for the National Security Agency to collect data on Americans’ phone calls, but upheld the terror convictions of four Somali immigrants who challenged the now-defunct intelligence program.
CBO warns Social Security, Medicare and Highway Trust Funds will be ‘exhausted’ within 10 years
The balances in three federal trust funds – Social Security, Medicare and the Highway Trust Fund – will be “exhausted within the next 10 years” without congressional action, the Congressional Budget Office warned Wednesday.
Federal agencies launch investigation into “left-wing” unrest in Democrat-run cities
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are starting a joint investigation into what the president called “left-wing civil unrest” in “Democrat-run cities,” VOA News reports. Trump added that over 200 people have now been arrested by federal agencies, including 100 in Portland, Oregon alone.
Front page of UAE newspaper carries headline: “Salam, Shalom”
Following the recent peace agreement between Israel and the UAE, a major UAE English-language daily newspaper carried the words “Salam, Shalom” (“Peace” in Arabic and Hebrew) on its front page Tuesday, Israel National News reports.
Exiled Belarus Opposition Leader To Address United Nations
The team of exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she will address the United Nations Security Council. Her address later this week comes amid mounting pressure in longtime Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko to step down.