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Monday, February 29, 2016

Navy

For Sale: America's Lethal Nuclear-Powered Submarines?


There was a time a few years ago, however brief, that some of us Asia-defense nerds had an unorthodox idea to tip the military balance in Asia. Quite a few people thought it was crazy and highly unlikely, but an idea none the less worth considering.
It went a little something like this: in order to lessen the impact of China’s massive naval build-up and negate the lethality of Beijing’s growing anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) battle networks in the Pacific, Washington could sellor lease what many would call its most sophisticated weapons platform, nuclear-powered attack submarines. Specifically, the mighty Virginia-Class attack sub.

Corruption

PLUMMET IN NUMBER OF GOLDEN VISAS GRANTED AFTER ‘BLIND FAITH’ PERIOD ENDS

daeaf03c78ddb214e4f37d15ced29379_L (1)Today, the Home Office published its immigration figures for the last quarter of 2015 and they make for interesting reading. If you look at the number of applications granted for Tier 1 (Investor) visas – the cash-for-residency programme that’s been running since 2008 – you’ll notice they’ve fallen off a cliff. In 2014, the UK Government admitted 1,172 people through the scheme; in 2015, it only admitted 192. That’s quite a drop.
As we highlighted in our Gold Rush report, these ‘Golden Visas’ represented an easy way for the corrupt to enter the UK under a veil of secrecy. Until 2015, there were very little checks to ensure applicants hadn’t obtained their money from corrupt sources, leaving an open door to those with dubious pasts wishing to start a new life in the UK.
In some ways today’s stats are good news – the UK has finally started to close the door on the corrupt. However, it also raises some serious questions about what the government is going to do about all the people it gave visas to and probably shouldn’t have, some of which may now have permanent residency...
Political assassination

Questions Nag in Sweden 30 Years After Leader’s Assassination

Three decades after Prime Minister Olof Palmewas gunned down on a Stockholm street, his unsolved killing continues to reverberate through Swedish politics and society.

In the prelude to the 30th anniversary of the shooting on Sunday, news organizations are recounting a range of theories about the identity and possible motivation of the killer, including that the crime had been committed by an unemployed Swede with a grudge, or by an American acting on orders from the Pinochet government in Chile. One tabloid published a list of items this week to help younger readers understand the leader “who put Sweden on the world map.”

The continued fascination with Mr. Palme stems in part from the mysteries surrounding his death — he was shot as he and his wife, Lisbet, walked home without bodyguards from a movie on a Friday night — and in part from his legacy as the embodiment of left-leaning values that once seemed to define his country: commitment to a robust welfare state at home and a foreign policy driven by moral considerations...


Sunday, February 28, 2016

Encryption

Harvard: US Can’t Ban Encryption

US can’t be successful in banning encryption as it is a global phenomenon, according to Harvard study.
Despite over two years’ efforts by the CIA and FBI to introduce government backdoors into commercial products that employ encryption, with far-flung support from across the political spectrum, a new study from Harvard should dampen the mood a bit. The study argues that encryption is a global technological phenomenon that the US cannot regulate on its own.
“A Worldwide Survey of Encryption Products” aims to examine and catalogue all currently available encryption products. Nearly 550 products were identified from developers outside of the United States, some two thirds of the 865 products available.
The inescapable conclusion is that the majority of cryptography is done outside the US. Any law that would mandate breaking cryptography in the US would just make the developers migrate to a friendlier country...
Supersense

Do Dogs Have Extra Sense To Let Them Navigate?

Dog
Scientists say that dogs and other primates have a molecule in their eyes which could help them to use magnetic fields to help them perceive direction, altitude and location.

In the first study of its kind, researchers have found the cryptochrome 1 molecule in the retinas of 90 animal species - including dogs, wolves, bears and foxes.

While the cryptochrome 1 molecule has a hand in controlling the circadian rhythms of animals, it may also allow them to see the Earth's magnetic fields.


Weapons

PHILIPPINES-MILITARY-DEFENCE
Self-destructing bullets which could reduce the chances of injuring and killing innocent bystanders have been patented.

US Army researchers have developed a "limited range projectile" which has pyrotechnic technology built in.

When fired, the bullets explode after a short period of time which causes it to stop travelling forward.

This means the range of the bullets can be controlled, so that missed shots don't hit innocent bystanders standing further afield.

The pyrotechnic material is lit as the bullet is fired, which ignites a reactive material which transforms the bullet into an "aerodynamically unstable object" after travelling a certain distance...

Mining security

Russian mine disaster death toll hits 36 after explosion during failed rescue effort


A train drives through a tunnel at the Severnaya coal mine in Russia's icy north.
Russian authorities say the death toll from a mine disaster has risen to 36 after an explosion during an attempt to rescue trapped miners Sunday, according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Sunday's blast killed six people, including five rescue personnel.
In its wake, Russia's Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov told reporters that there was virtually no chance of survival for any of the 26 miners who had been trapped since Thursday in the Severnaya coal mine in the city of Vorkuta.
Three days of mourning have been declared in Komi Republic, the icy region of Russia's polar north where the mine is located, Russia state media reported...


Exploration security

Can 'superblimp' unlock hidden riches of Africa?

The Hybrid Airship from Lockheed Martin and Hybrid Enterprises is the product of 20 years of development. It can travel thousands of kilometers in a single journey, at speeds of up to 60 knots, the company says.
Best known for floating aimlessly above sports stadiums, and for their slightly comic, bloated shape, blimps are an unlikely subject for a 21st century revival.
But after 20 years of development, Lockheed Martin and Hybrid Enterprises are poised to unleash a revolutionary new design that could unlock resources worth billions of dollars across the African continent.
The Hybrid Airship is a helium-powered craft that can cover thousands of kilometers in a single journey, with a top speed of 60 knots. The craft can take off and land without a runway, and the cavernous interior can carry loads of 20 tons.


Biosecurity

CDC notes Zika in 9 pregnant women, cases of sexual transmission


Pregnant woman with doctor
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported a range of complications at a level higher than they expected in nine pregnant US women who had travel-related Zika infections.
Also, the CDC released a report on six sexual transmission cases—some involving pregnant women—that are furthest along in the investigation process, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a Zika virus immunoglobulin (IgM) antibody test (Zika MAC-ELISA), clearing the way for its rollout to labs in the CDC's Laboratory Response Network.
Financial safety

European Banks' $200 Billion Oil Slick

OilThe European earnings season isn't over yet -- but already banks have given some disclosure about the size of their loans to the oil and gas industry: almost $200 billion.That's more than the U.S. banks' estimated $123 billion of outstanding loans and lending commitments to the industry, and a sign of how Europe's lenders face risks far beyond their home turf as oil lingers near a historic low.
The problem is that this may be the tip of the iceberg.
Disclosure so far has been inconsistent -- some firms provide net exposures and others gross. Others, like Deutsche Bank, haven't given any precise numbers at all...


Nuclear security

Greenpeace Launches Scientific Investigation Into Fukushima Disaster’s Effect On Pacific Ocean

Greenpeace-9
Nearly five years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Greenpeace has launched a high-tech investigation into the radiation effects of the meltdowns on the Pacific Ocean.
In March of 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake triggered a tsunami which precipitated three nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the east coast of Japan. It was the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and eventually ended up sending low-levels of radiation across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of the United States.
Nearly five years on, Greenpeace Japan announced Thursday that it is conducting an underwater investigation into radiation contamination of the Pacific Ocean caused by the disaster. According to Greenpeace, the investigation will be conducted aboard a Japanese research vessel using a one of a kind Remotely Operated Vehicle fitted with a sensitive gamma radiation spectrometer and sediment sampler...

Communications security

World’s First Wearable Translator

Since the dawn of time man dreamed of overcoming the barriers of language. Our most primal myths warn us of the troubles of disjointed communications. Since God punished man for the presumption of building a tower up to heaven in Babel by confounding speech and making humanity unintelligible to one another, the multitude of languages have brought confusion, misconstruction, and discord. This is about to change.
English has become the lingua franca of the global village. Knowledge of this one language gives an edge to any person wishing to conduct business in the modern world. But many lack this vital skill, and barriers of understanding still remain...


Aerospace

Northrop Planning “Cyber Resilient” Next-Gen Jet

Defence manufacturer Northrop Grumman is tackling one of the biggest developing problems of fighter jets: cyber risk. Tom Vice, President at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation, showcased his plan for a long-range, potentially unmanned, fighter jet. The proposed aircraft will be armed with laser weapons and equipped with advanced “cyber resiliency” systems against the growing cyber threat.
The Pentagon is now working on concepts for a sixth-generation fighter that will see the air in the 2030s. Last year, the US Air Force began the selection process to determine which technologies will ensure American air supremacy in the future. Industry has been quick to follow the changing winds, with Boeing releasing several concept designs, and Lockheed reportedly working on ideas of their own...

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Cybersecurity

FBI vs. Apple: Fake Fight?


iPhone 5 locked screenIt's Apple's shareholder meeting day at the time I am writing this, so a good opportunity to ponder the FBI iPhone hacking controversy. 

Most of the news articles and TV coverage I've seen about the hack that the FBI is trying to force Apple to create, don't fully explain why it's needed. A handful of pieces have noted that this whole run-around would not have been necessary if the FBI hadn't made an iCloud backup early on, but the FBI is now claiming this was not negligent ineptitude on their part, suggesting that "rogue elements within San Bernardino County had reset the Apple ID password without consulting law enforcement." 

A few of the reports mention the "10-times you're out" problem, where the phone data is deleted automatically after 10 incorrect password attempts. Still, the FBI could clone the phone's memory and just use brute-force to make different attempts on cloned phones. It's just a 4-digit PIN, so there's only 10,000 different PINs to try. This means that they'd only have to make the clone 1000 times, though there's a 50% chance the PIN will be in the 1st half of the numbers attempted, so on average only 500 10-try attempts will be needed. Sure, making 1000 (or even just 500) phone memory clones and testing them is time-consuming, but it certainly can't take longer than the time to sue Apple all the way to the Supreme Court. 


Friday, February 26, 2016

Intel & love

LOVEINT: When NSA officers use their spying power on love interests

(Patrick Semansky/AP)
The National Security Agency admitted in a statement Friday that there have been “very rare” instances of willful violations of agency protocols by agency officers. The Wall Street Journal reports that some of those willful violations involved officials turning their private eyes on love interests:

The practice isn’t frequent — one official estimated a handful of cases in the last decade — but it’s common enough to garner its own spycraft label: LOVEINT.

Spy agencies often refer to their various types of intelligence collection with the suffix of “INT,” such as “SIGINT” for collecting signals intelligence, or communications; and “HUMINT” for human intelligence, or spying...

Outer space

The 21st century Star Wars

Humanity’s dependence on space-based objects has rocketed since the world’s first artificial satellite was launched in 1957. Some 60 countries and 20 organizations own one or more space-based platforms and there are over 1,300 currently operational satellites orbiting the planet. Space technologies are increasingly available to all countries, rich or poor, and now to private citizens and international organizations – particularly in the realm of ultra-small ‘nano-satellites’. 
Space technology has shown itself to be an equalizer and spur for global economic development. Satellites are used for communications, environmental and weather observation, navigation, military targeting, and scientific research, from cellular biology through to astrophysics. 
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/twt/new-star-wars#sthash.jYTUgMRl.dpuf

Russian roulette

Nuclear power in the future: risks of a lifetime


revolverThe chance of one reactor experiencing a meltdown among a fleet of 100 reactors operating within the NRC’s safety goal for 40 years is nearly one in three (32.97 percent), or slightly higher than the risk from taking two turns on a six-chamber revolver during Russian roulette. The chance of a meltdown from that fleet operating for 60 years rises to 45.12 percent, or slightly higher than taking three Russian roulette turns. And the meltdown risk from the fleet operating for 80 years is 55.07 percent, or roughly the risk from taking four and one-half Russian roulette turns.
Time is a risk factor being ignored by the NRC. The agency’s safety goal put the risk of meltdown at one-in-three for the 100 reactors licensed for 40 years. When the NRC began renewing licenses for 20 and perhaps now 40 additional years, the agency did not revisit its safety goal and seems tolerant of the meltdown risk rising to one-in-two or greater. This is a failure to recognize that aging takes a significant safety toll on nuclear reactors—not just because parts wear out over time, but also because refurbishment and replacement sometimes have unanticipated consequences... 





Nuclear security

"We might give them a few." Did the US offer to drop atom bombs at Dien Bien Phu?


It is one of the most tantalizing questions of the long and bloody struggle for Vietnam: Did US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles in the spring of 1954 offer French foreign minister Georges Bidault two atomic bombs for use against Viet Minh positions near the beleaguered French garrison at Dien Bien Phu in remote northwestern Vietnam? For decades historians have investigated the matter, with no consensus emerging. But what does the evidence actually say? The time is right for a fresh look...   

Intuition

Listening to Your Intuition


2016-02-06-1454791522-7434417-Screenshot2016020614.42.40.png
Do you believe in those little messages you've heard about in the movies? You know, the ones portrayed by either a little angel trying to give you good advice on one shoulder, or a little devil trying to lead you astray from the other?
Some have said that that little voice led them to making a doctor's appointment, only to discover that the doctor's news had been received just in time to avoid a much more devastating consequence later down the line. Others have changed plans, switched meetings, or not moved forward with plans, knowing something just "didn't feel right," and, later they learned that that hesitation or change of plans had saved them from a dire result.
While some would call this an example of extrasensory perception (ESP), it has also simply been called listening to your intuition. Hearing what your innermost being has to say. Trusting what you really feel and think deep inside.
Counterterrorism

DoD Launches Aggressive Cyberwar Against Islamic State

The Cyber Operations Center on Fort Gordon, Ga., is home to signal and military intelligence non-commissioned officers, who watch for and respond to network attacks from adversaries. (U.S. Army photo)The U.S. military has launched a newly aggressive campaign of cyberattacks against Islamic State militants, targeting the group's abilities to use social media and the Internet to recruit fighters and inspire followers, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
The surge of computer-based military operations by U.S. Cyber Command began shortly after Defense Secretary Ash Carter prodded commanders at Fort Meade, Maryland, last month to ramp up the fight against the Islamic State group on the cyber front.
U.S. officials confirmed that operations launched out of Fort Meade have focused on disrupting the group's online activities. The officials said the effort is getting under way as operators try a range of attacks to see what works and what doesn't. They declined to discuss details, other than to say that the attacks include efforts to prevent the group from distributing propaganda, videos, or other types of recruiting and messaging on social media sites such as Twitter, and across the Internet in general.

Biosecurity

Lab Mystery: How Did Worker Get HIV Infection?

Sad condom
Italian researchers are trying to unravel a frightening mystery: How did a European laboratory worker become infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a non-infectious strain?
"We are looking at a perfect storm of errors," Claudia Alteri, PhD, a researcher at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, told MedPage Today. "We cannot exclude any mode of infection at this time."
At the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, she explained that her laboratory was asked to investigate the incident, which did not occur in Italy.

Defense

Russia's rearmament 50% ahead of plan — official

The plan for rearming the Russian army and navy by 2020 is being implemented 50% ahead of time, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told the Federation Council on Friday.
"We keep the situation under control from the standpoint of implementing the state program for armaments extending till 2020," he said. "We are ahead of time. Instead of rearming the Russian Armed Forces, including the Arctic Strategic Command by 30% we have achieved 47% implementation. In other words, we are 50% ahead of our own targets."
Rogozin thanked the Russian parliament for supporting the defense budget in this no easy economic period. He recalled once again it was utterly impermissible to ineffectively use budget funds. Instances of corruption were rare, he remarked.

http://tass.ru/en/defense/859099

Bolek files

Probe to determine if communists fabricated Walesa spy files

 Poland on Thursday launched a probe into whether communist secret policemen forged 1970s files identifying Lech Walesa as a paid regime spy codenamed "Bolek", an allegation the the Solidarity hero has flatly denied.
Fresh allegations of collaboration surfaced last week when state prosecutors seized previously unknown regime documents from 1970-76 from the widow of a communist-era general.
Walesa "insist that SB (secret police) officers faked payment receipts for agent 'Bolek'. This must be verified in a probe, because it could qualify as an offence under the criminal code," Lukasz Kaminski, head of the IPN communist crimes prosecutors, said Thursday.
Counterintelligence

Putin: Over 400 foreign intelligence services career employees exposed in Russia in 2015

Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaking during a meeting of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) boardRussian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday more than 400 career staff employees of foreign intelligence services were exposed in Russia in 2015.
"Foreign intelligence services are expanding their activities in Russia and the last year’s results convincingly proved our conclusions," Putin said at a board meeting of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). "Over this period [the year 2015], more than 400 career staff employees and agents of foreign intelligence services were exposed. Twenty-three of them were brought to criminal liability."
"Counter-intelligence agencies have special tasks," Putin said. "It is necessary to reliably block access to information about classified activities and employees of power authorities, military facilities, defense-related and energy-sector facilities, Russia’s leading research centers, to block access to confidential information via communications channels."...


http://tass.ru/en/politics/859180

Intel sharing

White House moves to expand 'sharing intelligence between NSA, FBI and CIA'

nsa headquartersThe Obama administration is reportedly moving to broaden the current scope of information sharing between the National Security Agency (NSA) and other US intelligence agencies by stripping away existing restrictions on who exactly has access to communications data scooped up by surveillance programmes.
The change would impact the sharing of both phone calls and email content collected alongside data from satellite transmissions and messages acquired from overseas intelligence agencies, according to The New York Times.
Up until this point, the NSA experts have filtered communications data and surveillance content before it reaches the rest of the government – including agencies such as the FBI and the CIA. Once implemented, the new system would allow analysts at these other agencies to obtain direct access to raw information from the NSA collections...
Communications security

BRAZIL'S PLANS FOR A $250 MILLION SPY-PROOF UNDERWATER CABLE TO EUROPE

Brazil has outlined plans for a $250 million underwater cable to Europe, intended to make it harder for the U.S. to spy on them, according toBloomberg.
The cable, for phone and Internet communications, could be operational by 2017, and Google and Facebook have “shown an interest” in using it, too, Brazil’s Communications Minister Andre Figueiredo said on Tuesday.
It was revealed in 2013 as part of information disclosed by Edward Snowden that the U.S. had been monitoring the communications of numerous foreign leaders, including Dilma Rousseff, the president of Brazil. In a speech, Rousseff later called the surveillance a “breach of international law.”
National security law

The UK's Proposed Spy Law Would Force Apple to Secretly Hack its Phones Too

Smart Media Card 2
The FBI's demand that Apple craft new software to bypass iOS's security protections has ignited a worldwide debate about a government's ability to force tech companies to sabotage their own security. One repeated question has been: will other countries, like China, demand the same powers?
You don't need to look to Beijing—or even the future—to find the answer to that question. The newly proposed British spying law, the  Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB), already includes methods that would permit the British government to order companies like Apple to re-engineer their own technology, just as the FBI is demanding. Worse, if the law passes, each of these methods would be accompanied by a gag order. Not only would Apple be expected to comply, but the IPB would insist that Tim Cook could not tell the public what was going on without breaking UK law. At least in the current fight between Apple and the US government, we're having the debate out loud and in public.

Cybersecurity

'Apple making spy-proof phone'

An emerging industry is already marketing super-secure phones and mobile applications.
Apple is said to be developing security measures to make it even harder for the government to break into iPhones, the New York Times reported, citing people close to the company and security experts.
"Apple engineers have already begun developing new security measures that would make it impossible for the government to break into a locked iPhone using methods similar to those now at the centre of a court fight in California," the newspaper said.
Electoral security

Putin to spy service: Defend Russian elections from foreign foes

Russia President Vladimir Putin makes a statement in Moscow region, Russia, February 22, 2016. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he had seen specific intelligence suggesting Russia's foreign enemies were preparing for parliamentary elections later this year and ordered the security service to head off any external interference.

Putin, addressing the country's FSB security service, said foreign intelligence agencies had become much more active in 2015 and that the activities of more than 400 foreign spies had been thwarted with 23 of them charged with criminal offences.

He singled out parliamentary elections in September - which will be held at a time when Russia is navigating an economic crisis fueled by low oil prices, Western sanctions, and a weak rouble - as a particular threat to the Kremlin...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-idUSKCN0VZ1S5
Paedophiles in power structures

Survivor of alleged elite paedophile ring including former prime minister speaks out

Explosive allegations ... Fiona Barnett speaks to the media in Sydney. Pic: Liz Burke.A WOMAN claiming to be the victim of a “VIP paedophile ring”, which involved three former prime ministers, has alleged she was prostituted to “paedophile parties” at Parliament House in Canberra.
Speaking to media in Sydney, Fiona Barnett detailed her alleged abuse by the alleged elite paedophile ring 40 years ago.
The 45-year-old said she was abused by the ring, which included high-ranking politicians, police and members of the judiciary, at the age of five and claimed there were thousands of other victims.
“My experiences were horrific beyond words,” she said. “But the way I’ve been treated for reporting the crimes I witnessed and experienced has been far worse than my original abuse experiences.”
Aerospace

US Air Force Unveils New B-21 Bomber

635920764844302418-B21-hires.pngThe US Air Force secretary unveiled the first official rendering of the new Long Range Strike Bomber and revealed its official designation: the B-21.

In a speech at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium on Feb. 26, Secretary Deborah Lee James shared an artist's concept design of the next-generation bomber, which will be built by Northrop Grumman. She also announced the plane's long-awaited designation, calling it the B-21.

However, the Air Force still has not decided on a name for the new B-21, James said. She called on airmen to send in suggestions...

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Food security

US Confectioner Mars on Tuesday ordered a massive recall of products including Mars and Snickers bars from 55 countries after a piece of plastic found in one bar was traced back to its Dutch factory.

Картинки по запросу mars and snickers
"As far as we know there are 55 countries involved," Eline Bijveld, Mars corporate affairs coordinator for the Netherlands told AFP.
She added that the recall "only involves the products that are made in the Netherlands" at the Mars factory in the southern town of Veghel.
Mars said the recall affected all Mars and Snickers products, as well as Milky Way Minis, Miniatures and Celebrations confectionery boxes with best-before dates ranging from June 19, 2016 to January 8, 2017.
The chocolate giant did not indicate the total volume of the affected products, or what the financial impact of the recall would be...