News of the World

[kyonides]

China aims its influence operations at incoming Biden administration, top intel official says

https://www.cyberscoop.com/china-biden-i...s-evanina/
[quote='CyberScoop']
China has increased its influence operations targeting incoming Biden administration personnel and their associates since the presidential election.
But another U.S. intelligence official told CyberScoop it included intelligence collection and efforts to shape U.S. policy. Evanina did say that China had engaged in an “uptick” in influence operations since the Nov. 3 election of Joe Biden that were focused on the president-elect’s advisers.
[/quote]

Well, now you're fully aware about China's intentions. Let's hope they fail to influence the US government...

Chinese coal miners killed by carbon monoxide poisoning

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55196132
[quote='BBC']
Chinese state TV says 18 miners have died and five others are missing after a leak of carbon monoxide gas at a coal mine in the south-west of the country.
One person was rescued from the Diaoshuidong mine in Chongqing municipality, broadcaster CCTV reported.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, which happened on Friday.
Mining accidents in China are not uncommon and are often due to poorly enforced safety regulations.
According to CCTV, the gas leak at the Diaoshuidong mine happened while workers were dismantling underground equipment. The mine had been closed for the previous two months.
[/quote]

We all knew about the poor working conditions that let Chinese workers get sick or lose their lives in vain. Even so this is ridiculous, how can't the company or the CCP provide them with tools and protocols to prevent these accidents from ever happening?
Err, well, if a dangerous virus allegedly escaped from a Level 4 laboratory in Wuhan, then there's no reason why we should be surprised that they never enforce very strict regulations in workplaces from the very beginning.

Do you think I'm overreacting here!? Well, let's read about similar events that have taken place in China.

[quote='BBC']
In September, 16 workers were killed at another mine on the outskirts of Chongqing when a conveyor belt caught fire, producing high levels of carbon monoxide.
In December 2019, an explosion at a coal mine in Guizhou province, south-west China, killed at least 14 people.
[/quote]

China becomes second nation to plant flag on the Moon

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55192692
[quote='BBC']
China has planted its flag on the Moon, more than 50 years after the US first planted the Stars and Stripes there.
The pictures from China's National Space Administration show the five-starred Red Flag holding still on the windless lunar surface.
They were taken by a camera on the Chang'e-5 space probe before it left the Moon with rock samples on Thursday.
Two previous Chinese lunar missions had flags on the crafts' coatings - so neither could be affixed to the moon.
[/quote]

After such a bold declaration, we can now say for sure that the ongoing economic war between both world powers isn't drawing to its end any time soon.

Venezuela election: There's no opposition here, just God

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55191633
[quote='Candidate Nicolás Maduro Guerra']
We've come here to show our faces, to tell the truth, to walk the streets with you so you can tell us your problems, and we can solve them.
I'm not coming here to promise you castles and mansions, I can promise though that we will come through this.
[/quote]

Just in case you didn't know, he's running for a seat in the Venezuelan parliament.  But he's the incumbent president you might think now. It happens he's not the Venezuelan president but Maduro's son instead.

[quote='BBC']
Every day, millions of people in Venezuela struggle to access enough food, annual inflation is above 5,000% and about five million people have fled the country in search of jobs and more stability. The pandemic has just compounded the problems here.
Despite his family links, Nicolasito is pretty assured of victory. He's set to gain one of 277 seats in the National Assembly on Sunday, made all the easier because the opposition is boycotting the vote.
[/quote]

Why would that ever happen? Let's learn about a citizen's opinion to find that out.

[quote='Unidentified woman']
I have to vote because I have a government job.
[/quote]

And her job is the only thing that keeps her earning a low salary every month. It's quite hard to survive in such a poor country nowadays.

Trump orders withdrawal of US troops from Somalia

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55196130
[quote='BBC']
US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of nearly all US troops from Somalia by 15 January, the Pentagon has said.
The US has about 700 troops in the country helping local forces battle al-Shabab and Islamic State militants.
US officials said some of the troops would move to neighbouring countries, allowing for cross-border operations.
The withdrawal order - which would see troops redeployed just days before Mr Trump leaves office - reverses the policy of former US defence secretary Mark Esper, who was sacked last month and favoured maintaining the US presence in Somalia.
[/quote]

Redeploying troops is just an usual tactic in any war so it might not become an issue later on.

Covid vaccination in US will not be mandatory

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55193939
[quote='BBC']
Joe Biden says Americans won't be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available in the US.
It comes as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the first time urged "universal mask use" indoors, unless when Americans are at their own home.
The CDC said the US had "entered a phase of high-level transmission" of the virus.
Earlier on Friday Vice-President Mike Pence said during a visit to Atlanta's CDC that federal approval for a Covid-19 vaccine could be "a week-and-a-half away."
On Thursday Mr Biden told CNN he would be happy to take a vaccine in public to allay potential concerns about its safety. Three former presidents - Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton - have said they are also prepared to be inoculated publicly.
[/quote]

Hacker who sent information on US personnel to Islamic State is freed by judge

https://www.cyberscoop.com/ardit-ferizi-...e-hacking/
[quote='CyberScoop']
A foreign hacker sentenced to 20 years in U.S. prison for giving the Islamic State the personal information of about 1,300 U.S. military and government personnel has been given a compassionate release by a federal judge due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ardit Ferizi, who was arrested in 2015 at age 19 in Malaysia and later extradited to the U.S., must spend two weeks in quarantine before deportation by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, according to the order from Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia.
Brinkema agreed with a request from Ferizi saying that his asthma and obesity put him at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. Ferizi will be deported to his home country of Kosovo, where he has a support network of family, the judge said.
The judge expressed confidence that U.S. officials will be able to monitor his conduct online, given how quickly he was located after hacking an Arizona electronics company in June 2015 and sending the list of federal personnel to his Islamic State contact.
[/quote]

Say what? How can a ever release a criminal that endangered thousands of lives just because the darn hacker is afraid of contracting the Wuhan virus!? And he is allowed to leave the country!!  
After learning about the existence of such lame judges, why do the US need prisons anymore?

Brexit: Boris Johnson and EU chief seek to break trade deal deadlock

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55191436
[quote='BBC']
Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen will seek to break the stalemate over a post-Brexit trade deal on Saturday.
Negotiators for the two sides called in the two leaders after saying "significant divergences" remained following a week of intensive talks.
Time is running out to get a deal through before the UK leaves EU trading rules on 31 December.
Most of the deal has been completed but key sticking points remain.
These include fishing rights, the rules governing state subsidies for business and how the agreement is policed.
[/quote]

An undisclosed source cited the EU demand for EU boats getting access to UK waters for ten years would be a reason why they still have no deal at this point.  

Former Austrian Finance Minister Might Spend the Next 8 years in Prison

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55195397
[quote=BBC]A former Austrian finance minister has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a high-profile corruption scandal.
Karl-Heinz Grasser was found guilty on Friday of embezzlement, receiving bribes and falsification of evidence in a deal to sell thousands of publicly owned apartments.
The court in Vienna said Grasser was involved in kickbacks of more than €9 million (£8.1m).
He denies wrongdoing and will appeal.
Grasser became the youngest finance minister in the country's history in 2000.
The case involved 14 defendants facing an array of charges, which included money laundering, fraud and falsifying evidence.[quote]

Usually when you vote for a young candidate is because you pretended to let politicians change their ways. Now it seems it's pretty much the same if you ever vote for a youngster or a seventy or eighty year old guy.