Category: The World

Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub

Posted on by esimantiras

Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub. The government is cracking down on illegal operations

source: apnews.com (contributed by FAN, Steve Page)  | image: pixabay.com

 

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s government is cracking down on illegal mining, making dozens of arrests of unlicensed miners since April for allegedly stealing the country’s lithium, a critical mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and power systems.

The recent arrests come as Nigeria seeks to regulate its mining operations of critical minerals, curb illegal activity and better benefit from its mineral resources. The clean energy transition, a shift away from coal, oil and gas and toward renewable energy and batteries has spiked global demand for lithium, tin and other minerals. Illegal mines are rife in the country’s fledging industry as corruption among regulatory officials is common and the mineral deposits are located in remote areas with minimal government presence. Officials say profits from illicit mining practices has helped arm militia groups in the north of the county. Continue reading “Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub” →

Report calls for U.S. biodefense buildup

Posted on by esimantiras

Report calls for U.S. biodefense buildup

source: axios.com (contributed by FAN, Bill Amshey)  |  image: pixabay.com

 

A new report calls on all levels of government to strengthen U.S. biodefense measures and urges policymakers to codify parts of a national strategy to address an array of biological threats.

Why it matters: Threats in the form of infectious disease outbreaks, lab accidents and biology-based weapons are expected to increase in the coming years, according to the report’s authors and other experts.

  • But biodefense investments get caught in a cycle of “panic and neglect” — an intense focus for a short period, after which policymakers, funders and the public move on, the report notes.
  • “Every future administration must ensure that the National Biodefense Strategy keeps pace with the rapidly evolving and increasing biological threat,” the authors of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense write. Continue reading “Report calls for U.S. biodefense buildup” →

“Convince us to stay”: U.S.-China ties see head-spinning shift

Posted on by esimantiras

“Convince us to stay”:

U.S.-China ties see head-spinning shift

source: axios.com (contributed by FAN, Steve Page) |  image: pexels.com

 

For decades, Corporate America has raced to cash in on China‘s economy. Now China officials are in sell-mode, a stunning reversal from years past.

Why it matters: CEOs know the two nations are economically intertwined in a way that can’t easily be undone. But executives are more cautious, a subtle yet significant sign of a power dynamic shift underway between the U.S. and China.

What they’re saying: “Often foreign companies were on the solicitous side, like ‘can you please let us in?,'” Kurt Tong, the former U.S. envoy to Hong Kong, tells Axios.

  • “Now it’s a little bit more like ‘convince us to stay,'” Tong, who is currently at the Asia Group, adds.

Continue reading ““Convince us to stay”: U.S.-China ties see head-spinning shift” →

Hacker Nation: The World’s Third-Largest Economy

Posted on by esimantiras

Hacker Nation: The World’s Third-Largest Economy

 

source: technewsworld.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

During the past 40 years, hackers have graduated from worm attacks in the 1980s to fully funded organizations tapping into some of the most lucrative industries in the world. Today, cybercrime is a significant threat to any company with a device attached to the internet and continues to cause substantial economic impact worldwide.

The modern-day cyberattack can trace its roots back to the 1988 Morris worm attack. Before the World Wide Web had made an impact, a small program launched from a computer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) propagated remarkably. It infected an estimated 6,000 of the approximately 60,000 computers connected to the internet at the time. Although it was difficult to calculate the exact damage caused by the Morris worm, estimates put it anywhere between US$100,000 and the millions.

Continue reading “Hacker Nation: The World’s Third-Largest Economy” →

A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle Is Underway

Posted on by esimantiras

 A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle Is Underway

 

source: axios.com, contributed by FAN, Bill Amshey  |  image: pexels.com

There are many ways to explain the two biggest conflicts in the world today, but my own shorthand has been that Ukraine wants to join the West and Israel wants to join the Arab East — and Russia, with Iran’s help, is trying to stop the first, and Iran and Hamas are trying to stop the second.

While the two battlefronts may look very different, they actually have a lot in common. They reflect a titanic geopolitical struggle between two opposing networks of nations and nonstate actors over whose values and interests will dominate our post-post-Cold War world — following the relatively stable Pax Americana/globalization era that was ushered in by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, America’s chief Cold War rival.

Yes, this is no ordinary geopolitical moment.

Continue reading “A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle Is Underway” →

Russian Intelligence Is Pushing False Claims of U.S. Biological Testing in Africa, U.S. Says

Posted on by esimantiras

Russian Intelligence Is Pushing False Claims of U.S. Biological Testing in Africa, U.S. Says

 

source: https://www.wsj.com, contributed by FAN Chuck Miller  |  image: pexels.com

 

Media disinformation operation with Wagner Group link takes aim at American influence on continent

 

WSJ: Michael R. Gordon, Gabriele Steinhauser, Dustin Volz, and Ann Simmons

Russian intelligence agencies are trying to undermine U.S. influence in Africa by spreading disinformation that Africans have been the unwitting test subjects in Pentagon biological research programs and casting aspersions on Western public-health programs, U.S. officials said. 

The effort is part of a Russian campaign to counter the U.S. in Africa and Latin America as Washington and Moscow battle for public opinion around the world. 

At the heart of the Russian campaign is “African Initiative,” an online news service set up late last year that has used social media to promote criticism of Western public-health efforts in Africa and convened a conference in which participants disparaged Western pharmaceutical companies.

Continue reading “Russian Intelligence Is Pushing False Claims of U.S. Biological Testing in Africa, U.S. Says” →

China had “persistent” access to U.S. critical infrastructure

Posted on by esimantiras

China had “persistent” access to U.S. critical infrastructure

source: https://www.axios.com, contributed by FAN, Steve Page  |  image: pexels.com

 

China-backed hackers have had access to some major U.S. critical infrastructure for “at least five years,” according to an intelligence advisory released Wednesday.

Why it matters: The hacking campaign laid out in the report marks a sharp escalation in China’s willingness to seize U.S. infrastructure — going beyond the typical effort to steal state secrets.

  • The advisory provides the fullest picture to-date of how a key China hacking group has gained and maintained access to some U.S. critical infrastructure.

Details: The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released an advisory Wednesday to warn critical infrastructure operators about China’s ongoing hacking interests.

Continue reading “China had “persistent” access to U.S. critical infrastructure” →

Taliban weighs using US mass surveillance plan, met with China’s Huawei

Posted on by esimantiras

Taliban weighs using US mass surveillance plan, met with China’s Huawei

 

source: reuters.com  |  image: pixabay.com

 

KABUL, Sept 25 (Reuters) – The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans before their 2021 pullout, an interior ministry spokesman told Reuters, as authorities seek to supplement thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban administration — which has publicly said it is focused on restoring security and clamping down on Islamic State, which has claimed many major attacks in Afghan cities — has also consulted with Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei about potential cooperation, the spokesman said.

Continue reading “Taliban weighs using US mass surveillance plan, met with China’s Huawei” →

DOD Represented at Five Eyes Technology Principals Meeting

Posted on by esimantiras

DOD Represented at Five Eyes Technology Principals Meeting

 

source: defense.gov  |  image: department of defense

 

Last week, Dr. Steven G. Wax, performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, presented the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy at the Technology Cooperation Program (TTCP) Principals Meeting.

TTCP is a science and technology alliance among the Five Eyes (FVEY) nations – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Representatives met Sept. 11-15, 2023, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

That strategy highlights the important role our allies and partners play in our research and development ecosystem.

Continue reading “DOD Represented at Five Eyes Technology Principals Meeting” →

Russia-Linked RomCom Hackers Targeting NATO Summit Guests

Posted on by esimantiras

Russia-Linked RomCom Hackers Targeting NATO Summit Guests

source: securityweek.com  |  image: pixabay.com

 

A recent RomCom cyber operation has been targeting NATO Summit guests and other entities supporting Ukraine.

As part of a recently identified cyber operation, a Russia-linked threat actor known as RomCom has been targeting entities supporting Ukraine, including guests at the 2023 NATO Summit taking place July 11-12, the cybersecurity unit at BlackBerry reports.

Taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania, the NATO Summit has on the agenda talks focusing on the war in Ukraine, as well as new memberships in the organization, including Sweden and Ukraine itself.

Taking advantage of the event, RomCom has created malicious documents likely to be distributed to supporters of Ukraine, and appears to have dry-tested its delivery on June 22 and a few days before the command-and-control (C&C) domain used in the campaign went live,BlackBerry explains.

Continue reading “Russia-Linked RomCom Hackers Targeting NATO Summit Guests” →