Trump has carelessly fuelled the North Korean fake news machine March 1, 2019 “He tells me he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word.” This was Donald Trump’s response when questioned about whether his discussion with Kim Jong-un touched on Otto Warmbier, an American student who was imprisoned in North Korea. The headlines around the US President’s landmark second summit with the North [...]
Hackers target UN and IMF using ‘sophisticated’ cyber attacks February 27, 2019 Cyber attackers have ramped up the power and complexity of their efforts, targeting crucial international bodies including the United Nations, US state department and International Monetary Fund, a newly-released report has found. Analysis by Netscout, a network security and business analytics solutions firm, found that so-called distributed denial-of-service (Ddos) attacks against the international affairs sector [...]
Lord Barker takes time out for Russia’s sanction-hit power and aluminium producer En+ February 24, 2019 A former UK energy minister is pausing his House of Lords duties to pour his efforts into the role as chair of a Russian metals giant which he helped save from US sanctions. Lord Barker is taking time out from the House to focus on London-listed En+, having not voted since 11 February, the Sunday Times reported. Read [...]
Serious Fraud Office drops probes into Rolls-Royce and GSK February 22, 2019 Britain’s corruption watchdog closed the curtains on major probes into Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) this morning. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said today that it is closing its investigations into both the car maker and the pharmaceuticals giant. The long-standing investigation into Rolls Royce, which centred around bribery and corruption to win business in countries [...]
Space X and Boeing design risks threaten US access to the International Space Station February 21, 2019 Nasa has warned Space X and Boeing about safety concerns for their competing astronaut launch systems, threatening to delay US plans to revive its human spaceflight programme later this year. Nasa forged agreements with Space X for $2.6bn (£2bn) and Boeing for $4.2bn to build rocket and capsule launch systems to take astronauts to the International Space [...]
Swedish and Estonian regulators probe Swedbank over money-laundering report as SEC goes after Danske February 21, 2019 Swedish and Estonian financial regulators have launched a joint investigation after an explosive report linked Stockholm-headquartered lender Swedbank to a Baltic money-laundering scandal. The countries’ respective Financial Supervisory Authorities (FSAs) announced the probe following a report by Swedish broadcaster SVT that alleged links between Swedbank and scandal-ridden Danish lender Danske Bank. Dankse has been rocked [...]
Microsoft opens up cyber security services in Europe in wake of fresh Russia attacks February 20, 2019 Microsoft has expanded the reach of its cyber security service for political organisations in Europe, after detecting a fresh wave of attacks from Russian hackers. The firm's vice president for customer security and trust Tom Burt said Microsoft's Threat Intelligence Centre (MSTIC) had discovered attacks on employees of the German Council of Foreign Relations, and European [...]
Congo cobalt mine takes chunk out of mining giant Glencore’s full-year earnings February 20, 2019 Mining giant Glencore’s shares were on the up this morning as it announced rising adjusted profits, despite missing analyst estimates and taking a huge 41 per cent hit net income hit from costs relating to its copper and cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The firm also announced a $2bn (£1.53bn) share [...]
Twitter rolls out political ad tracking tools in Europe ahead of EU elections February 19, 2019 Twitter has launched new tools in Europe to make it easier for users to identify ads paid for by political campaigns, ahead of key elections due in May. The news follows similar moves by fellow social media firm Facebook, as tech platforms prepare to face potential regulation and renewed disinformation efforts from hostile actors. The European [...]
Danske Bank ordered to shut Estonian branch amid money laundering scandal February 19, 2019 Estonia has ordered Danske Bank to shut its local branch by the end of the year as investigations into an alleged €200bn money laundering scandal widen. The Danish bank has also decided to close down banking activities in Russia, Latvia and Lithuania, which it said was following a strategic review. Read more: Troubled Danske Bank's [...]