Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Ukraine Conflict: Russian Soldiers Seen With 'Up to 100' Military Vehicles in Ukrainian Villages
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsABC News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Photo: Ukrainian servicemen take up position during fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Ilovaysk. (Reuters: Maks Levin)

A group of Russian soldiers has crossed the Ukrainian border in armoured infantry carriers and trucks and entered the eastern town of Amvrosiyivka, according to a Ukrainian military spokesman.

A convoy of "up to 100" tanks, armoured vehicles and rocket launchers was seen travelling on a road toward Telmanove, a town about 80 kilometres south of rebel stronghold Donetsk and 20 kilometres from the Russian border, Ukraine's army said in a statement.

The army did not give details about the personnel on board the vehicles or when the column was thought to have entered Ukraine.

A military source said the convoy had come from Russia.

"We believe that this is Russian equipment. You cannot buy 100 tanks at a market in Donetsk or Lugansk," the source said.

"Of course they have been moved from across the border."

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said government forces had killed about 200 separatists and destroyed tanks and missile systems in clashes in the towns of Horlivka and Ilovaysk further north.

Mr Lysenko said 13 Ukrainian service personnel had been killed in the latest fighting and 36 people had been wounded.

If it turns out Russian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine it could further deepen the country's crisis — the focus of talks this week between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk.

US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said in a Twitter post: "The new columns of Russian tanks and armour crossing into Ukraine indicates a Russian-directed counter-offensive may be underway."

Fears about gas supplies for Europe

Meanwhile, Mr Yatseniuk claimed Russia planned to halt gas flows to Europe over the coming winter, comments which are likely to escalate the standoff between Moscow and the West.

"The situation in [Ukraine's] energy sector is difficult. We know of Russia's plans to block [gas] transit even to European Union countries this winter," he told a government meeting.

Russia stopped gas supplies to Ukraine in June over a gas pricing dispute but has continued supplies to Europe, its largest market.

Mr Yatseniuk did not say how he knew about the Russian plans.

Last year half of Russian gas exports to the EU were shipped via Ukraine.

Russian Tanks Cross Into S. Ukraine for Rebel Counteroffensive
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Report: Security Services Foiled Massive Cyber - Attack on Israel
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Taking the battle to cyberspace

Reuters

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) prevented a major cyber attack on Israel during Operation Protective Edge, military officials say. 

According to the IDF's official blog, the unprecedented attack was carried out by anti-Israel hackers "from all over the world", aided by the Iranian government. The coordinated attack was timed to coincide with Al Quds (Jerusalem) Day, the yearly anti-Israel event organised worldwide by the Iranian regime.

The IDF's cyber defense division was drafted in to mount a defense as hackers mounted a systematic attempt to take down Israeli websites. It was joined by the Shin Bet security services, which recently revealed it had set up an elite cyber-defense unit to defend against precisely such an eventuality.

The incident underscored how at the same time as Hamas and Islamic Jihad are improving their rocket and tunnel capabilities, Israeli cyberspace also faces a real threat from an increasingly innovative enemy.

"It wasn’t like this in previous operations," said Col. N, who heads the army's cyber defense division. "For the first time, there was an organized cyber defense effort alongside combat operations in the field. This was a new reality."

While previous cyber attacks were either the work of lone individuals or relatively amateurish hacker collectives, this latest attempt was far more professional.

"Today, they’re organizing much more quickly, and it takes them much less time to carry out powerful strikes," Col. N added. "During Operation Protective Edge, we saw attacks on a greater scale and on a more sophisticated level. A significant amount of thought and investment stood behind the attacks we saw."

And possibly indicating an even deeper level of coordination with terrorist networks on the ground, he described how the cyber escalation ebbed and flowed in-tandem with an increase in physical hostilities.

"There was a direct connection between the progression of the fighting and cyber attacks. Once the IDF began its ground operation, there was a surge in the number of attacks and their level of sophistication."

Ultimately, the attack was repelled by Israel's own elite units of cyber-defenders, but Col. N. warned this would certainly not be the last such attack. 

He outlined several nightmare scenarios which the IDF was preparing for, including attempts to hack the military's computer system to gain control of its own armed drones and use them to attack Israel. Hackers could also seek to shut down or disrupt the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange or the Israeli electrical grid.

Major terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, together with Iran, were already showing an increasing interest in the field of cyber terror. And as the IDF becomes increasingly adept at dealing with physical threats such as rockets, its enemies are seeking new avenues of attack.

"There is a significant amount of development in the cyber field," Colonel N. explained. "This is a field that [these groups] are already involved in … and all of these groups share information."

 "I won’t be surprised if, next time, we meet [terrorists] in the cyber dimension," he said.

Report: Abbas, Netanyahu Met in Secret
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Binyamin Netanyahu

Flash 90

According to reports, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met last week with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting was said to have taken place in Amman. The report, in the Jordanian daily Al'ad, quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the meeting occurred several days before the latest cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hamas came into effect Tuesday.

The Prime Minister's Office has not commented on the story.

The report did not specify what the two spoke about, but did say that Abbas was expected to be an important factor in the upcoming indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The PA is expected to be given control of passages into and out of Gaza, either with Israeli or other third-party assistance. The PA will be in charge, according to the report, of ensuring that only approved items are allowed to enter Gaza.

In addition, the report said, the PA will be leading an international fund-raising campaign which will be aimed at raising funds for reconstruction in Gaza. A deal between Israel and Hamas, if it comes to fruition, will require that international supervision be implemented to ensure that Hamas does not use the cash for terror purposes.

At a press conference Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked if he believed Abbas was a “partner for peace.” In response, Netanyahu said that Abbas “needed to choose the side he is on.”

Report Urges Pentagon to Allow Transgendered Military Personnel to Openly Serve
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Washington Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Quakes Jolt Iceland's Bardarbunga Volcano, Spread to Second Volcano
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Age
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A warning sign blocks the road to Bardarbunga volcano. Photo: Reuters

Stockholm: Two earthquakes measuring more than magnitude 5 hit Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano overnight and another quake shook a nearby volcano, with overall seismic activity staying high, the country's Meteorological Office said on Wednesday.

The rumblings at Iceland's largest volcano system have raised worries of an eruption that could spell trouble for air travel. In 2010, an ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano closed much of Europe's airspace for six days.

"During the night we have had three larger events, two of them in the Bardarbunga caldera. Those were 5.2 and 5.3, and very similar to the events that we have seen there before," said Palmi Erlendsson, a geologist at the Met Office.

He said there had also been a 4.5 magnitude quake at the Askja volcano, 50 kilometres to the north, probably because of magma from Bardarbunga moving in that direction.

The magma still has some 15 kilometres to go before potentially reaching Askja, a scenario which could also cause an ash-producing eruption, like an eruption at Bardarbunga itself, Mr Erlendsson said.

The most likely scenario if there were an eruption now, would be one between the two volcanos, he said.

"That would not be as dangerous ... in terms of ash," he said. "But it's impossible to say what will happen," he added, pointing to the possibility of magma continuing to flow toward Askja, or even of the volcanic activity halting altogether.

The night before saw a magnitude 5.7 quake - the biggest earthquake yet at Bardarbunga.

On Sunday, Iceland lowered its warning code for possible volcanic disruption to the aviation industry to orange from red, after concluding that seismic activity had not led to a volcanic eruption under the glacier.

A red alert, the highest warning level, indicates an eruption is imminent or under way, with a significant emission of ash likely.

PA to Demand 'Israeli Withdrawal Timetable' At UN
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

UN Security Council

Reuters

The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that it was preparing to submit a demand that the UN Security Council set a timetable for a total Israeli withdrawal from Judea, Samaria, and most of Jerusalem. According to PA spokesperson Nabil Sha'ath, the Arab League will meet on September 5 to endorse the new PA plan. The plan will be submitted to the Security Council on September 15.

Sha'ath said that the PA expected the Security Council to comply with its demands; if it does not do so, the Authority will seek help from the International Court of Justice in The Hague. There, the PA will demand that Israeli officials be charged as “war criminals” for the damage caused to Gaza, as the IDF responded to incessant rocket attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilian population centers.

It should be noted that if the PA does take its case to the Court, it will have to become a full-fledged member of that organization. While the PA has in the past sought membership in international organizations, Israeli officials said that they were unlikely to seek membership in the Court, because it would open them up to being charged with war crimes.

On Wednesday, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, submitted a list of Hamas war crimes that took place during Operation Protective Edge to the UN Security Council. In a message accompanying the list, Prosor wrote that “despite the fact that the Council recognizes that Hamas has committed war crimes, nothing has been done yet about them.”

Prosor submitted a lengthy, detailed list of all the rockets fired by Hamas – their targets and the damage they caused – with nearly all of them fired at civilian targets, which in itself is a war crime, as well as many examples of Hamas using the Gaza civilian population as human shields, launching attacks from homes, schools, and hospitals. “I expect the Security Council to loudly condemn Hamas' activities. The Council cannot remain silent over the use by Hamas of Gaza civilians as human shields.”

Netanyahu: We Cant Promise Lasting Calm
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

NATO not Obliged to Protect Ukraine, not Going to Discuss Membership At Upcoming Summit
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsRia Novosti
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MOSCOW, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - NATO allies do not intend to discuss the status of their relations with Ukraine or take the responsibility for the country's protection, but will announce consulting and financial aid to Ukrainian military, a high-ranking NATO official told journalists.

"In Wales, there will be an announcement on the form of military consultations and financial support for Ukrainian military forces on behalf of the alliance. There will be no obligations to protect Ukraine," the diplomat said, adding that since Ukraine was not a member of the 28-party alliance, NATO had "no obligations to react to the violation of its [Ukraine's] sovereignty."

Such relations satisfy all parties, and no change to the relations between NATO and Ukraine are on the agenda, he said.

"NATO membership comes from a country. NATO does not address Sweden, Finland or Ukraine and say, 'What do you think?' It always comes from a country. The Ukrainians said it was not on their agenda. We are not looking for new members, new members are looking for us," the diplomat said.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said Wednesday Kiev expected "practical assistance and monumental decisions from our Western partners at the summit," which will take place in Newport, Wales, on September 4-5.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in June that the alliance planned to create new trust funds, aimed at long-term aid to Ukraine, and the command and control of the national army in particular.

Since mid-April the Ukrainian government has been conducting a military operation in the east of Ukraine, aimed to suppress independence supporters, who refused to acknowledge the new government that came to power after the February 22 coup.

According to the United Nations, more than two thousand people have died as a result of the confrontation, and over 4,950 people have sustained injuries in the fighting.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned the operation and urged for a ceasefire to prevent further casualties.

NATO not Looking for War With Russia - CSIS
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsRia Novosti
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

© Flickr/ Medien Bundeswehr

WASHINGTON, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - NATO is not looking for ways to set off a war with Russia, despite the alliance’s commitment to build up rapid response forces close to Russia’s border, a representative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told RIA Novosti.

“We are not looking for war with Russia. We aim to prevent any kind of unusual, unconventional approaches that might come after NATO territory or NATO stability,” International Security Director at CSIS Katherine Hicks said during a Wednesday press briefing on the upcoming NATO summit.

“It’s about that rapid reaction capability,” Hicks said on the plans for rotational bases and force presence along NATO’s Eastern front.

According to statements, made ahead of the September 4-5 NATO summit in Wales, the members of the alliance will focus their discussion on improving the readiness of NATO forces within the member-states.

Such plans on the improvement and modernization of NATO’s Response Forces (NRF) have raised concerns in Russia, which has watched the alliance gradually approach its western borders since the start of the Ukrainian crisis.

Within the NRF, NATO intends to ensure the readiness of the Immediate Response Forces, comprised of 13,000 troops provided by member nations, and also build non-alliance capabilities in Ukraine.

“The types of capabilities are going to look different than they would have during the Cold War. Sufficiency today looks a lot different than, maybe, one would have thought in the Cold War,” Hicks said.

NATO’s new capabilities are intended to provide assurance for both member-states and non-allies in the region, Hicks added.

"[NATO is] explicitly taking a step down to a building partnership capacity approach to non-NATO members, instead of making an attempt to officially incorporate them into the alliance,” she said, referring to such non-member states as Georgia and Ukraine.

Hicks said she believes NATO does not want to provoke a response that “could be misinterpreted and thus lead to a miscalculation that is not helpful in any way.”

Let the Headlines Speak
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Fighting in Syria spawns separate civil war in global jihadist movement
Syria’s bloody civil war has spawned a separate rift with ramifications well beyond the region known as the Levant -- a battle for the very soul of the global jihad movement.  

Would it kill you to hire more black cops? (Yes)
In a massive, detailed 2000 study of the effect of court-ordered affirmative action plans on police departments, economist John Lott found that the more minorities on a police force, the higher the rates of murder, manslaughter, violent crime, robbery, and aggravated assault will be. Violent crime increased by a minimum of 3.3 percent every year after affirmative action policies went into effect — and the spike in crime was highest in black neighborhoods.

Al Qaeda magazine hints of looming attack; urges bombing of Vegas, military targets
A new English-language Al Qaeda magazine features a how-to article on making car bombs and suggests terror targets in the United States, including casinos in Las Vegas, oil tankers and military colleges, and implies that an attack is imminent.

Guatemala Earthquake Today 2014:
USGS indicates to news that a 5.2 magnitude Guatemala earthquake today started just 2:27 am local time. The quake was shallow. Reps tell news that the Guatemala earthquake started only forty-one miles below ground level. As a result the quake could be felt across the vicinity.  

High-Tech Sleuthing Cracks Mystery of Death Valley's Moving Rocks
Jagged plates of thin ice, resembling panels of broken glass, bulldoze the rocks across the flooded playa, the scientists reveal today (Aug. 27) in the journal PLOS One. Driven by gentle winds, the rocks seem to hydroplane atop the fluffy, wet mud.  

Sinai group says it beheaded 4 Egyptian 'Mossad agents'
A Sinai-based militant group said on Thursday it had beheaded four Egyptians, accusing them of providing Israel with intelligence for an airstrike that killed three of its fighters. Four headless corpses were found in the Sinai Peninsula earlier this month, security sources said - the first time that any decapitations had been made public in Egypt.  

Reports: Syrian Rebels Capture UN Personnel on Golan
Syrian rebels have reportedly taken UN personnel prisoner after they took over the area near the Kuneitra border crossing on the Golan Heights. The UN personnel were stationed on the Syrian side of the border.  

US Territory Bars Retired Air Force Major From Voting Because He’s White
Retired Air Force Major Dave Davis is suing Guam, a U.S. territory, for barring him from voting because of his race.  

PA to Demand 'Israeli Withdrawal Timetable' at UN
Sha'ath said that the PA expected the Security Council to comply with its demands; if it does not do so, the Authority will seek help from the International Court of Justice in The Hague. There, the PA will demand that Israeli officials be charged as “war criminals” for the damage caused to Gaza, as the IDF responded to incessant rocket attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilian population centers.  

CHANCE OF FLARES
NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of M-class flares and a 5% chance of X-flares on Aug. 28th. The likely source is sunspot AR2146, which has a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong eruptions.  

World 'has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this'
Dr Tom Frieden said: "There is need for urgent action. The world has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this..... I wish I didn't have to say this, but it is going to get worse, before it gets better." (video)  

WHO: Over 20,000 could be infected with Ebola
They said the actual number of cases in four West African nations could already be two to four times higher than the reported 3,069, as they issued a strategic plan to combat the outbreak.  

NATO Not Looking for War With Russia - CSIS
“We are not looking for war with Russia. We aim to prevent any kind of unusual, unconventional approaches that might come after NATO territory or NATO stability,” International Security Director at CSIS Katherine Hicks said during a Wednesday press briefing on the upcoming NATO summit.  

The Drums of War Beat For ISIS but is Obama Ready?
The Islamic State isn’t going to go away and the atrocities it will commit under the banner of a twisted political and religious philosophy will only increase in frequency and horror if ISIS is allowed to continue its course without the intervention of U.S. Forces. Secretary Of Defense Leon Panetta Hosts Ceremony At Vietnam Veterans MemorialThis is a reality that President Obama has been reluctant to fully recognize.  

Erdogan to be sworn in as Turkey's new president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking the oath of office as Turkey's first popularly elected president, a position that will keep him in the nation's driving seat for at least another five years. Taking over Erdogan's post of prime minister is Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a long standing ally who is expected to do little to challenge the Turkish number one.  

DOT Proposes Mandating Cars Broadcast Location, Direction and Speed
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the Department of Transportation, published last week an "advanced notice of proposed rulemaking" on "vehicle-to-vehicle communications." What NHTSA is proposing could begin a transformation in the American transportation system that makes our lives better and freer — or gives government more power over where we go and when.  

Al Qaeda magazine hints of looming attack; urges bombing of Vegas, military targets
A new English-language Al Qaeda magazine features a how-to article on making car bombs and suggests terror targets in the United States, including casinos in Las Vegas, oil tankers and military colleges, and implies that an attack is imminent. ...“Palestine-Betrayal of the Guilty Conscience Al-Malahem”...calls for Muslims around the world to follow “the recipe” provided to set off car bombs in crowded venues.  

Obama Pursuing Climate Accord in Lieu of Treaty
The Obama administration is working to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement to compel nations to cut their planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but without ratification from Congress. In preparation...the negotiators are meeting with diplomats from other countries to broker a deal to commit some of the world’s largest economies to enact laws to reduce their carbon pollution.  

Two experts warn correction could total 60%
...A jolt to international confidence in central banks will lead to a 30 to 60 percent market decline...When this happens, he said, markets will face a "period of extreme turmoil." This crash will be precipitated, he said, by a disillusionment with the Federal Reserve's "confidence game," which will then see inflation rise, and the Fed scramble to raise rates. At that point, Tice added, "the Fed starts to lose control."  

Mouse memories 'flipped' from fearful to cheerful
By artificially activating circuits in the brain, scientists have turned negative memories into positive ones. They gave mice bad memories of a place, then made them good - or vice versa - without ever returning to that place. Neurons storing the "place" memory were re-activated in a different emotional context, modifying the association.  

Syria conflict: IS 'executes dozens of soldiers'
Jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS) appear to have executed "dozens" of Syrian army soldiers, activists say. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the soldiers were captured while attempting to flee to Hama province after IS stormed the Tabqa airbase. Twitter accounts belonging to jihadists had boasted about 200 deaths, it added.  

Ebola vaccine to be trialled on UK volunteers
A trial vaccine against Ebola could be given to healthy volunteers in the UK in September, according to an international health consortium. The trial will start as soon as ethical approval is granted, experts at the Wellcome Trust say. If the vaccine works well the study will extend to The Gambia and Mali.  

Nato chief unveils new plan for eastern Europe
A summit in Minsk on Tuesday (26 August) failed to produce a breakthrough on the Ukraine conflict, while Nato announced a bold new plan for eastern Europe. The event saw the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, which have formed a Customs Union, meet with the president of Ukraine and three EU commissioners, before the Ukrainian and Russian chiefs broke off for two-hour long talks.  

Report: Netanyahu and Abbas met secretly in Jordan prior to Gaza cease-fire
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met secretly in Amman prior to the announcement Tuesday of the cease-fire which ended 50 days of fighting between Israel and armed factions in Gaza... The paper quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the meeting...took place a few days before the cease-fire.  

China criticises Japan after Shinzo Abe honours war criminals as martyrs
China has urged Japan to “make a clean break with militarism” and build trust with its neighbours after it emerged that the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, had honoured more than 1,000 convicted war criminals as “martyrs” who laid the foundations for modern Japan.  

Hundreds Of Westerners Have Joined ISIS
In the aftermath of the sadistic murder of American journalist James Foley by a suspected London-born ISIS recruit, increasing attention is being paid to the radicalization of Muslims from the West who are joining the conflict in Iraq and Syria.  

Gaza conflict: Israeli PM Netanyahu says war was 'victory'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the seven-week conflict in Gaza ended in "victory". The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement was "hit hard and got none of its demands," Mr Netanyahu said. Hamas has also claimed the truce represents a victory for Gaza and held a large rally to celebrate it.  

Ukraine crisis: Russia pressed over fresh fighting
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded an explanation from Russia's President Vladimir Putin amid reports that Russian troops have launched an incursion into south-east Ukraine. Ukraine said Russian forces had crossed the border and were supporting separatist attacks. The US State Department said it suspected a Russian-directed counter-offensive was under way.  

Ebola outbreak: 'It's even worse than I'd feared'
"It's even worse than I'd feared," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday of the Ebola outbreak rampaging through West Africa. "Every day this outbreak goes on, it increases the risk for another export to another country.  

Petro-dollar era is officially over as Gazprom begins sales in Yuan and Rouble
Aug. 27 will officially go down as a red letter day in the history of reserve currencies and dollar hegemony in how oil and gas are purchased throughout the world. In a new announcement from the Russian business media source, Kommersant, Gazprom has conducted the first sale of oil in a currency other than the dollar, and will henceforth open their purchase window to accept both Roubles and Yuan for the exchange of oil and gas products.  

Israel closes Golan area as Syria rebels seize crossing
Israel closed off the area around Quneitra on the occupied Golan Heights on Wednesday after an officer was wounded by stray fire as Syrian rebels seized control of the crossing.  

JPMorgan, Four Other Banks Hit By Hackers: U.S. Official
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsBloomberg
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Computer hackers targeted JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and at least four other banks in a coordinated attack on major financial institutions this month, according to a U.S. official.

The attack led to the theft of customer data that could be used to drain accounts, according to another person briefed by U.S. law enforcement. The two people, who asked not to be identified because the investigation is continuing, discussed the incident after Bloomberg News reported a breach on banks earlier today.

Hackers targeted customer and employee information, said a third person involved in the investigation, who was also briefed by the government. The theft involved gigabytes of data, said several people familiar with the attacks. The scale indicates a potential for significant financial fraud.

Securing the Net

Most thefts of financial information involve retailers or personal computers of consumers. Stealing data from big banks is rare, because they have elaborate firewalls and security systems.

The Bloomberg report said the FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers attacked JPMorgan and at least one other bank in retaliation for sanctions on the country over its involvement in the Ukraine military conflict. New York-based JPMorgan declined to comment on whether it was a victim of hacking, while saying the bank has multiple layers of defense to fend off data thefts.

Photographer: Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg

“Companies of our size unfortunately experience cyber attacks nearly every day,” Patricia Wexler, a JPMorgan spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

JPMorgan hasn’t detected any unusual activity or fraud thus far, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

Authorities are looking for signs the stolen data has been used to move money from accounts. No such activity had been spotted as of this afternoon, the U.S. government official said. The absence of fraud provides some support that the hack could have been politically motivated.

Multiple Avenues

J. Peter Donald, a Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman in New York, declined to comment.

Companies are vulnerable to hackers from multiple avenues. Security researchers scanning JPMorgan’s networks found malicious software on computers in Hong Kong and India capable of stealing banking and other sensitive data. That review was separate from the attacks being investigated by the FBI.

The researchers found JPMorgan’s Hong Kong office was infected in July with the Zeus Trojan horse malware, which can steal banking credentials, said one of the researchers who asked not to be named because the review was private. An office in India was found last week to be infected with the Sality malware, which can steal data and compromise Web servers, the researcher said.

Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

Wexler declined to comment on the Asian security report.

Zero-Day

In the latest attack on the U.S. financial system, the use of a software flaw known as a “zero-day” in one bank’s website and the way the criminals navigated through elaborate layers of security indicates a degree of skill beyond an ordinary hacker, said two of the people familiar with the attacks. Zero-day refers to the fact that developers don’t know the vulnerability exists, making it easy for hackers to take remote command of a computer.

JPMorgan Chase spends about $200 million each year to protect itself from cyber attacks, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon wrote in a April 2013 letter to shareholders.

“This number will grow dramatically over the next three years,” Dimon said. “More than 600 employees across the firm are dedicated to the task. And this number likely will grow as well.”

Account Numbers

It couldn’t be determined whether this month’s data thefts at banks resulted in any financial losses for consumers. The people didn’t specify whether the stolen information included account numbers, passwords or credit-card numbers.

Banks must disclose when customer data is breached, a process that can take days or weeks. Companies often don’t immediately know what information was taken or who was affected. If a theft leads to losses, consumers have more protections than corporations.

Customers concerned that their data can be stolen should protect themselves by establishing a second level of authentication for anyone trying to access a bank account. An example would be a text message that must be responded to login. While it’s easy for a bank to cancel and reissue credit and debit cards, shutting a deposit account can be more difficult.

Islamic State Claims to Have Executed 200 Syrian Troops, Shot Down a Helicopter in Iraq
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily Newsnews.com.au
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

THE Islamic State has released pictures it claims shows the execution of 200 Syrian soldiers after the capture of a key military air base earlier this week.

The unconfirmed reports, which contain pictures and video footage of hundreds of soldiers being led into the desert dressed only in their underwear, were circulated on social media by IS supporters early this morning.

Unlike in previous Islamic State propaganda exercises, no pictures have yet been circulated of dead or mutilated bodies. This comes after Twitter late last week cancelled the accounts of any Twitter user who circulated images of the decapitated photojournalist James Foley.

But the accuracy of the pictures and video footage is being disputed, with some Syrian sources saying the men being marched into the desert were actually Sheytat tribesmen being executed earlier this month.

Neither side can be considered trustworthy, with a new UN report delivered to the General Assembly stating both President Assad’s government forces and the various rebel groups fighting them are guilty of “crimes against humanity”. The report details massacres, systematic murder, torture, rape and “enforced disappearance”.

The unverified claim of mass-murder came at the same time IS fighters released pictures purporting to show an Iraqi attack helicopter being hit by an anti-aircraft missile in the vicinity of Tikrit. Iraqi government officials are yet to comment on the claim.

The footage is just the latest in a stream of images showing mass killings after the capture of a strategic air base in Syria — including masked militants shooting kneeling men.

The UN commission in Geneva yesterday accused the Islamic State group of committing crimes against humanity as the photos emerged of the extremists’ bloody takeover of the Syrian military air base.

In one photo posted online earlier this week, masked gunmen were seen shooting seven men kneeling on the ground, some dressed in what appeared to be Syrian military uniforms, after the seizure of the Tabqa air base in the north-eastern Syrian province of Raqqa earlier this week.

The 36 photos and video images corresponded to reporting by The Associated Press of the Islamic State militants’ seizure Sunday of the air base, which had been the last government-held outpost in Raqqa, a province now dominated by the jihadi group. Militants also captured the bases’ weaponry, including artillery and mounted machineguns.

The images underscored how the group uses violence, and images of violence to terrorise its opponents, as it sweeps further into Syria and Iraq, where it has imposed an Islamic state, or caliphate, governed by its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

Some photos showed captured Syrian soldiers, some with bloodied and swollen faces. In one, a masked Islamic State fighter stood behind a group of soldiers brandishing a knife of the type the militants have used is the past to behead victims, including Foley. In another, a militant grinned as he pressed a double-edged sword against the neck of a captured soldier inside a jeep.

One photograph showed a headless corpse, while another showed 10 slain men, sprawled in a pool of blood on a dirt road. It wasn’t clear if they were killed after fighting or during clashes. Video uploaded to social media networks of the battle showed the charred bodies of Syrian soldiers as Islamic music played in the background.

Gold Falls As Looming U.S. Rate Hike Weighs
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Daily Telegraph
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

GOLD futures closed lower Wednesday as lingering worries about higher interest rates in the US overshadowed support from ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Ebola Outbreak 'Going to Get Worse' - Top Medic
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsThe New Zealand Herald
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A leading American health official has warned that the Ebola outbreak sweeping West Africa will get worse.

The disease has already killed more than 1400 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and Doctors Without Borders warned the tremendous influx of patients in Liberia, in particular, is overwhelming their treatment centers there.

"I wish I didn't have to say this, but it is going to get worse before it gets better," Dr Tom Frieden, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said of the outbreak at the end of a visit to Liberia. He described the situation as dire.

Liberia has recorded the highest number of cases and deaths of any of the four countries. Doctors Without Borders said in a statement that a new treatment center recently opened in the country's capital with 120 beds filled up almost immediately.

The tremendous number of patients means the medical charity is not able to provide those patients with intravenous treatments, a primary way doctors keep people who are losing a tremendous amount of fluid alive.

The group did not mention Frieden's visit or recent UN ones, but it said discussions happening now about international coordination are coming too late and that there are countries that could make a dramatic difference if they provided more expertise and resources. It did not name the countries.

"This is not only an Ebola outbreak - it is a humanitarian emergency, and it needs a full-scale humanitarian response," Lindis Hurum, the group's emergency coordinator in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, said in the statement.

Frieden travels next to Sierra Leone, where the loss of a third senior doctor has raised concerns about the country's ability to fight the outbreak.

Dr Sahr Rogers had been working at a hospital in the eastern town of Kenema when he contracted Ebola, Sierra Leonean presidential adviser Ibrahim Ben Kargbo said.

Rogers' death marks yet another setback for Sierra Leone, a country still recovering from years of civil war, where there are only two doctors per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). By comparison, there are 245 doctors per 100,000 in the United States.

Health workers have been especially vulnerable because of their close proximity to patients, who can spread the virus through bodily fluids. The WHO has said that at least 240 health workers have been infected in the current outbreak, more than in any other.

A Russian doctor stands inside a mobile Ebola lab in Guinea. Photo / AP

One of those is an epidemiologist working with the WHO in Sierra Leone, who has been evacuated for treatment in Germany.

"The international surge of health workers is extremely important and if something happens, if health workers get infected and it scares off other international health workers from coming, we will be in dire straits," said Christy Feig, director of WHO communications.

This week a team of two experts was sent to investigate how the Senegalese epidemiologist became infected, said Feig. In the meantime, the WHO has pulled out its team from Kailahun, where he was working.

The epidemiologist had been doing surveillance work for the UN health agency, Feig said.

The position involves coordinating the outbreak response by working with lab experts, health workers and hospitals, but does not normally involve direct treatment of patients.

There is no proven treatment for Ebola, so health workers primarily focus on isolating the sick. But a small number of patients in this outbreak have received an experimental drug called ZMapp.

Health officials in Liberia said two recipients of ZMapp in Liberia - a Congolese doctor and a Liberian physician's assistant - have recovered. Both are expected to be discharged from an Ebola treatment center on Friday, said Dr Moses Massaquoi, a Liberian doctor with the treatment team.

The drug has never been tested in humans, and it is unclear whether it is effective. Only a handful of people have received ZMapp in this outbreak, and some have recovered while others have died.

Meanwhile, the WHO said it was notified on Tuesday of an unrelated Ebola outbreak in Congo. The next day the agency said 13 of the 24 people sickened there had died.

Chinese Fighter Jets Brazen Barrel Roll Over U.S. Surveillance Aircraft Leaves Americans Indignant
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsCalgary Herald
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

 

A US Navy P-8A Poseidon takes off from Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida on November 29, 2013. The P-8A planes, converted Boeing 737s equipped with advanced radar and anti-ship missiles, are designed to hunt submarines and track other vessels at sea.

China’s Defence Ministry has rejected U.S. accusations that a Chinese fighter jet conducted a “dangerous intercept” of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft off the southern Chinese coast.

Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun called the U.S. accusations “groundless” and said the Chinese pilot conducted operations that were “professional and the Chinese jet kept a safe distance from the U.S. planes.”

Yang called the Chinese flights “routine identification and verification.”

Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby gave a different account Friday of the Aug. 19 encounter about 220 kilometres east of China’s Hainan Island. He said the Chinese jet made several close passes by the Navy P-8 Poseidon plane, coming within 9 metres of it at one point.

Kirby said that included the Chinese jet doing a “barrel roll” manoeuvre over the top of the modified Boeing 737 and passing across the nose of the Navy plane apparently to show that it was armed.

Kirby said the Chinese jet’s manoeuvring posed a risk to the safety of the U.S. air crew and was “inconsistent with customary international law.”

He said it was the fourth such incident since March of “close intercepts” involving Chinese jets.

The Chinese statement also said that a Navy P-3 Orion, an anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft, flew alongside the Poseidon. The Pentagon did not mention the second aircraft.

Tensions between the two countries have risen in the South China Sea, as China disputes territorial claims with U.S. ally the Philippines, Vietnam and other neighbours.

A week after a close encounter between a U.S. and Chinese jet, Taiwan sent fighter jets to tail two Chinese military planes that entered the island’s air space.

“We responded immediately, asking them to leave,” Taiwan defence minister Yen Ming said Tuesday in Taipei.

Fighter jets were dispatched to warn the Chinese surveillance aircraft, each of which entered Taiwan airspace twice on Aug. 25, to leave, David Lo, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence, said by phone Wednesday.

Tensions remain between China and Taiwan even as economic relations have strengthened since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008. The two sides have been governed separately since China’s Nationalist government fled across the Taiwan Strait to the island during a civil war with Communist forces. China still claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has indicated it will take it back by force if necessary.

As China increases its economic and military muscle, encounters with other nations’ militaries have been on the rise. U.S. aircraft had at least two previous run-ins with Chinese jets this year prior to last week’s encounter, and Japanese and Chinese planes and ships regularly tail one another around disputed islands in the East China Sea.

China’s defense ministry confirmed it carried out “routine flight activities in relevant airspace” on Aug. 25, “with no unusual occurrences,” according to a faxed response to questions Wednesday.

As China increases its economic and military muscle, encounters with other nations’ militaries have been on the rise. U.S. aircraft had at least two previous run-ins with Chinese jets this year prior to last week’s encounter, and Japanese and Chinese planes and ships regularly tail one another around disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Under no circumstances and under no rubric of military relations is it acceptable to fly a jet fighter around a reconnaissance airplane the way that was done

China’s defense ministry confirmed it carried out “routine flight activities in relevant airspace” on Aug. 25, “with no unusual occurrences,” according to a faxed response to questions Wednesday.

Yang called on the U.S. to scale back its submarine surveillance in the area to avoid further incidents. Chinese and U.S. officials will meet this week to discuss a military code of conduct for the region as part of an existing plan to avoid such incidents, China Daily reported, citing China’s defence ministry.

Yang called on the U.S. to scale back its submarine surveillance in the area to avoid further incidents. Chinese and U.S. officials will meet this week to discuss a military code of conduct for the region as part of an existing plan to avoid such incidents, China Daily reported, citing China’s defence ministry.

“Under no circumstances and under no rubric of military relations is it acceptable to fly a jet fighter around a reconnaissance airplane the way that was done,” Rear Admiral John Kirby said at briefing Tuesday in Washington.

“That said, that doesn’t meant that the relationship isn’t still worth pursuing, and we continue to look for avenues to try to increase the dialogue and the cooperation and the understanding and the transparency between our two countries.”

Kirby said that the U.S. would continue to fly in international airspace “the way we’ve been” doing.

At Least 150,000 Flee Libya, Ceasefire Talks Unsuccessful - UN Libya Envoy
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsRia Novosti
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

© RIA Novosti. Andrei Stenin

UNITED NATIONS, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - A record number of Libyans are leaving the country amid new airstrikes, outgoing UN Libya envoy, Tarek Mitri, told the UN Security Council Wednesday.

“In Tripoli, we have seen an unprecedented movement of population in an attempt to escape the fighting,” Mitri said.

“The damage inflict on the public institutions in Tripoli's southern and western sections - including the airport, the main oil depot, roads and bridges - is nothing less than tragic,” he added.

Despite the destruction of the airport, many are leaving the Tripoli airport and the country as a whole.

“Conservative figures for those displaced are estimated at over 100,000, with at least another 150,000 having sought refuge abroad, including migrant workers, who also fled the country,” Mitri said.

The UN Support Mission in Libya has pulled out its international staff, including Mitri, who is to be replaced as UN envoy by Bernardino Leon of Spain on September 1.

On August 7, a small team led by Mitri's deputy traveled to Tripoli to explore options for an unconditional ceasefire.

"While all engaged constructively with our proposals, it is clear that more work is needed to overcome mistrust between the parties to the conflict,” he said.

Libya is currently facing its worst wave of violence since the 2011 overthrow of the country’s long-standing leader Muammar Gaddafi and the subsequent civil war. Clashes between government forces and Islamist-allied militias, armed with weapons, seized from Gaddafi government ammunition depots, have continued in the country for months. Many countries are evacuating their citizens and diplomatic staff from the country.

Al Qaeda Reportedly Abducts 40-50 UN Peacekeepers on Golan
Aug 28th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

According to unconfirmed reports, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, Jabhat al Nusra, Thursday captured 40-50 UNDOF personnel at the Quneitra crossing of the Golan. The peacekeepers, believed to be the Philippine contingent, may have been taken hostage in the battle between Syrian rebels and Syrian troops for control of the Quneitra crossing, in which the US, the UN and Israel are involved.