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☆ Stocks making the biggest moves before the bell: Boeing, Masimo, Cleveland-Cliffs, Baidu, Disney and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Masimo — Shares soared nearly 12% following the medical technology company's announcement late Friday it is considering a spinoff of its consumer business. In addition, Wells Fargo upgraded the stock Monday, citing the potential separation of the businesses. Baidu — Shares of the technology company climbed 1.4% following news that Baidu is reportedly engaged in talks with Apple for a potential collaboration on artificial intelligence services in China. Disney — Shares rose 1.2% after Barclays upgraded the media company to overweight from equal weight, saying Disney has further upside even after its outperformance this year. Foot Locker — The shoe retailer rose 2.9% after Evercore ISI upgraded the stock to outperform from in line.

Persons: Dave Calhoun, Larry Kellner, Masimo, Quentin Koffey, Wells, Baidu, Nelson Peltz, Locker, Tesla, Raymond James, Jesse Pound, Tanaya Macheel, Michelle Fox, Brian Evans, Sarah Min Organizations: Boeing —, Street Journal, Politan Capital Management, Department of Energy, Chipmakers, Intel, Financial Times, Nvidia, Baidu —, Apple, Disney, Barclays, Blackwells, ISI, Mizuho Securities, Scotts Miracle, Gro Locations: Wells Fargo, Cleveland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, China, U.S, Europe

☆ Biden administration to accuse Chinese hackers of targeting US companies in espionage campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration is preparing to publicly accuse several Chinese hackers of conducting sweeping hacks against US companies on behalf of China’s civilian intelligence service, three people familiar with the matter told CNN. An announcement identifying the hackers with names and photos is expected as soon as Monday, the sources said. The hackers have been using a Chinese technology company as a front to cover their hacking activity, one of the sources said. The British government is also preparing to accuse the hacking group of targeting UK organizations, the sources said. The cybersecurity industry knows the hacking group as APT31 or Judgement Panda, and researchers have found the hackers targeting everything from US law firms to European industrial organizations to international apparel companies.

Persons: Biden, Christopher Wray, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Wray Organizations: CNN, of State Security, Embassy, The, Microsoft Locations: Washington ,, China, Beijing, Wuhan, Tibet, Hong Kong

☆ Putin expected to use deadly Moscow attack to Russia's advantage, whoever's to blame
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

U.S. officials and defense experts agreed that it's highly likely that IS was responsible for the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that "what happened yesterday in Moscow is obviously just Putin and the other scum trying to blame it on someone else." Moscow openly rebuffed and ignored a warning from the U.S. earlier in March that "extremists" had "imminent plants" to attack large gatherings in Moscow. Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Just days before the attack, Putin instructed Russia's security services to focus their efforts on supporting Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Vladimir Putin's, Olga Maltseva, hasn't, Ukraine —, Putin, Ali Cura, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Maksim Blinov, Maximilian Hess, Hess, Putin's, Tatyana Makeyeva Organizations: Sputnik, Afp, Getty, Hall, Islamic State, Ukraine, West, Crocus City Hall, Anadolu, Russia's Security, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Islamic Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Basmanny, U.S, Chechen, Islamic State, Syria, Afghanistan

The reason for the reports of a deteriorating service in Ukraine are unclear, and Starlink, SpaceX and Musk declined to comment. Even with the Starlink devices that are firmly in the Ukrainian military’s control, there is a concern among Ukrainian officials that Russians may hijack their communications or hack them. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service claimed last year that Russian military hackers were trying to steal battlefield communications sent from Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices to Starlink terminals. She promised 30 at a later date, and also posted images of a stack of 20 apparent donated Starlink units. Ukrainian units have also been posting footage of multiple drone strikes against Russian trenches where Starlink terminals have been spotted.

Persons: Elon Musk, SpaceX, Misha, “, ”, John Moore, Anton, Oleg Kutkov, Jeff Jurgensen, Musk, Starlink, crowdfunders, Katya Valya, CedarWoods Organizations: CNN, Elon, SpaceX, 65th Mechanised Brigade, Russian, Pentagon, Ukraine, CedarWoods Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, Donbas, “, Kyiv, Poland, Russia, Moscow

CNN —The four men suspected of carrying out a brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 137 people have appeared in court on terror charges, as the Kremlin defended its security services criticized for failing to prevent the massacre. Shamil Zhumatov/ReutersOn Monday, three days after the attack, rescuers were still searching among the ruins of the collapsed concert hall and trying to clear rubble. CNN has geolocated the 90-second video to the concert hall, where bodies and blood can be seen on the floor as fire rages above. Despite ISIS appearing to provide evidence that its fighters had carried out the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been keen to point the finger elsewhere. Firefighters respond to the burning Crocus City Hall on March 22.

Persons: Dalerdzhon, Saidakrami, Shamsidin, Faizov, Shamil Zhumatov, Reuters Rachabalizoda, Fariduni, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Mukhammadsobir, Vladimir Putin, – Putin, Maria Zakharova, Maxim Shemetov, Adrienna Watson, –, Peskov, Alexander Matveev, ” Matveev Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Court, ISIS, Novosti, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Ministry, Emergency, Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry, ”, Firefighters, US National Security, US, Moscow Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Tajikistan, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Siberian, Novosibirsk, Basmanny, Podolsk, Krasnogorsk, Russian, ” Ukraine, Washington, United States, ”

☆ Moscow Concert Hall Shooting Russia Begins Day of Mourning for Victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The terrorist attack outside Moscow a few days later was a blow to his aura as a leader for whom national security is paramount. Just days later came a searing counterpoint: His vaunted security apparatus failed to prevent Russia’s deadliest terrorist attack in 20 years. Inside Russia, the election — and its predetermined outcome — underscored Mr. Putin’s dominance over the nation’s politics. The area is closed as part of increased security measures after the terrorist attack on Friday. Before Friday, the most recent mass-casualty terrorist attack in the capital region was a suicide bombing at an airport in Moscow in 2011 that killed 37 people.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, “, ” Aleksandr Kynev, ” Mr, Mr, ”, Nanna Heitmann, Aleksei A, ” Ruslan Leviev, Olga Skabeyeva, Margarita Simonyan, Russia’s, Aleksandr Dugin, Dugin, Dugin’s, Andriy Yusov, Putin’s, Shamil Zhumatov, Kynev, Vladimir Putin’s, Constant Méheut Organizations: Kremlin, Islamic State, Passengers, The New York Times, Terrorism, Islamic, ., Reuters Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Beslan, United States

Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack. Two sources familiar with the American information said that since November there had been a steady stream of intelligence that ISIS-K – an affiliate of ISIS that is active in Afghanistan and the surrounding region – was determined to attack Russia. Moscow has intervened tellingly in Syria’s civil war, to the support of President Bashar al-Assad and against ISIS. A US official said Friday that Washington had no reason to doubt ISIS’ claim that it was responsible for the latest attack. On Friday, following reports of the Crocus City Hall attack, the US embassy advised US citizens not to travel to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Gunmen, Isis, Putin, Adrienne Watson, “, tellingly, Bashar al, Assad, ” Michael Kugelman, Washington Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Crocus, Hall, US National Security, RIA Novosti, Wilson Center, Reuters, Central Asian Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, ”, Khorasan, Kaluga, Afghanistan, Washington, Crocus

☆ Russia is returning to its Cold War posture with plans to increase troops along its NATO borders, Lithuania's PM warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia plans to increase its troops along its border with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister said. Ingrida Šimonytė said Russia is returning to a Cold War posture and Europe needs to be prepared. AdvertisementRussia is returning to its Cold War posture and is preparing to seriously grow the number of troops that it has along its shared borders with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister warned. Ingrida Šimonytė told Business Insider in an interview that the rebuilding of Russia's military capacities on its borders with NATO member states means that it is "returning to the Cold War sort of posture." As Business Insider previously reported, this is the kind of language Putin used before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Ingrida Šimonytė, —, Šimonytė, Russia hadn't, It's, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: NATO, Service, Ukraine, EU, Finland, Business, Lithuania, for Locations: Russia, Europe, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Soviet Union, Russia's, Baltic

☆ US Marines don skis in joint NATO exercises in the critical Arctic battleground
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Last month, II MEF attended a 10-day training course in the hills near the Norwegian town of Setermoen. "I think that's one of the things that we see with our marines and sailors in this training," said II MEF commander, Lt. AdvertisementThe II MEF, the US military's rapid response group, was ordered to delay the hypothetical enemy so that "reinforcements" had time to arrive. The Arctic is a key locationThe Arctic itself is already a critical region for Russia and NATO. AdvertisementPutin has snapped back at the West following French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestions that NATO could send troops to Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ted Driscoll, David A, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND, Grant Schapps, Pål Jonson, Mark Stephens, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Emmanuel Macron's, Sergei Naryshkin, General Carl, Johan Edstrom, it's Organizations: Service, US Marines, Marine Expeditionary Force, NATO, Marines, Business, NBC News, Nato Nordic, Getty, Reuters, NBC, Norwegian Communication Authority, Brookings Institution, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, BBC Locations: Alaska, Norway, Norwegian, Setermoen, Iraq, Afghanistan, AFP, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, North America, Europe, Russian

☆ In Germany, Fighting the Far Right Poses a Conundrum for Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Germany — a country that knows something about how extremists can hijack a government — the surging popularity of the far right has forced an awkward question. How far should a democracy go in restricting a party that many believe is bent on undermining it? German politicians have become increasingly alarmed that someday the party could wield influence in the federal government. Its popularity has grown despite the fact that the domestic intelligence services announced they are investigating the party as a suspected threat to democracy. History hangs heavy over Germany as well — the Nazis used elections to seize the levers of the state and shape an authoritarian system.

Locations: Germany, Poland, Hungary

☆ Exclusive: US prepared ‘rigorously’ for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Russian officials alleged Ukraine would build and detonate a dirty bomb against Russian forces and then blame the attack on Russia. Western intelligence agencies had received information that there were now communications among Russian officials explicitly discussing a nuclear strike. “It’s never a cut-and-dry, black-and-white assessment,” the first senior administration official told me. Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated US concerns “very directly” with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, according to senior administration officials. “We conducted a number of quiet conversations with core allies to go through our thinking,” the first senior administration official told me.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Powers, “, ” “, Chris McGrath, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, “ It’s, NurPhoto, Antony Blinken, Sergey Lavrov, Mark Milley, General Valery Gerasimov, Joe Biden, Bill Burns, Sergey Naryshkin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Alexandr Demyanchuk, ”, … Organizations: CNN, US, National Security Council, Kherson City, “, UN, United Nations, Russian, Russian Armed Forces, CIA, Indian, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, “, Russian, Kherson, Ukrainian, France, Turkey, ”, Kyiv, India, China, Samarkand

☆ The incredible story of how POWs played golf at the ‘Great Escape’ prison camp
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

In comparison to other POW camps under German control, captives at Stalag Luft III received “excellent” treatment for the majority of the war, according to a 1944 US Military Intelligence Service (MIS) report. The rubber from such items would wrap around the core and then be cased within leather stripped from shoes — a process eerily reminiscent of “featheries,” some of the earliest post-wooden golf balls ever made. Immortalized in a book and then a film of the same name, what became known as the “The Great Escape” wasn’t even the first breakout at Stalag Luft III. When three prisoners made a successful escape, suspicious German eyes homed in on the golf course and its sprawling mounds and greens. In 1979, he donated two balls he made while in Stalag Luft III to the USGA Golf Museum, artifacts that headline its exhibit on golf during the Second World War.

Persons: — “, Stalag Luft, —, “, ”, John Strege, Pat Ward, Thomas, Victoria Nenno, ” Nenno, Tee, Sydney Smith, Smith, Ward, John Mummert, Thomas ’, Sagan, Stalag, Roger Bushell’s, Tom, ” “ Dick, Harry ” —, Adolf Hitler Organizations: CNN, Luftwaffe, British Royal Air Force, RAF, United States Army Air Force, Military Intelligence Service, Geneva Convention, USGA Golf, PGA, Stalag Luft, USGA Museum, Ward, Thomas, USGA, RAF Squadron, Guardian, USGA Golf Museum Locations: Nazi Germany, Berlin, Zagan, Poland, Norway, New Zealand, Geneva, Netherlands, New Jersey, Ward, Germany, —, England

☆ Russian election: As Putin readies for a fifth term, the Kremlin is stepping up its war on its own people
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In January, she was jailed for five and a half years for spreading “false” information about the army. Russian independent news outlet Mediazona reported she was convicted after two reposts on VKontakte — Russia’s version of Facebook — including one about Russian troop deaths. Oskar CherdzhievRussia’s powerful investigative committee ordered a criminal case be opened on charges of spreading false information about the army. So they try to protect this.”‘Deeper and deeper into this darkness’With mainstream Russian media now entirely state-controlled, the authorities are targeting other forms of expression — the arts, literature and culture. In December, Akunin was added to Russia’s “terrorist and extremist list” for allegedly justifying extremism and spreading false information about the Russian army.

Persons: It’s, ”, Oleg Orlov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Orlov, Tatyana Makeyeva, Darya, “, ” Korolenko, Konstantin Eggert, Evgeniya, Nadezhda Buyanova, —, Buyanova, Oskar Cherdzhiev Russia’s, Grigory Chkhartishvili, Boris Akunin, he’s, Akunin, Russia’s, Misha Japaridze, Alexey Navalny, Andrei Soldatov, ” Soldatov, Soldatov Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Higher School of, Center, Combating Extremism, Bolshevik Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Orlov’s, Russian, Shakhty, Ukrainian, ” Russia, Covid, USSR

☆ This veteran investor is buying 'old economy' stocks that are embracing AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tengler named several attractively valued stocks she called the "picks and shovels" of AI, including Emerson Electric , L3Harris Technologies , Visa , Walmart and McDonald's . These companies are expected to boast continued strong growth and stock performance, aided by AI, she said. "Generative AI is much more compelling of a story than then the internet was in many ways," in terms of fueling productivity and growth, Tengler said. Walmart, another of Tengler's top "old economy" AI plays, has gained 14.4% so far this year, double the broader market. "They've benefited from embracing not just robotics and digitization, but generative AI in their e-commerce business and in improving margins," Tengler said of Walmart.

Persons: Nancy Tengler, Tengler, Berenberg, Emerson, L3Harris, Seth Seifman, They've, they've Organizations: Investments, Nvidia, Meta, Emerson Electric, L3Harris Technologies, Visa, Walmart, Aerospace, Defense Department, JPMorgan, Broadcom, Amazon, Microsoft Locations: Arizona, Friday's, Melbourne , Florida

☆ Russian state-backed hackers accessed Microsoft’s core software systems, company says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian state-backed hackers gained access to some of Microsoft’s core software systems in a hack first disclosed in January, the company said Friday, revealing a more extensive and serious intrusion into Microsoft’s systems than previously known. Hackers with access to source code can use it for follow-on attacks on other systems. Microsoft first revealed the breach in January, days before another Big Tech company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said the same hackers had breached its cloud-based email systems. The hacking group was behind the infamous breach of several US agency email systems using software made by US contractor SolarWinds, which was revealed in 2020. US officials have attributed the hacking group to Russia’s foreign intelligence service.

Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Big Tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Kremlin, SolarWinds, Homeland Security, SEC Locations: Russian, Russia

☆ The real story behind Coco Chanel's collaboration with the Nazis, as featured in 'The New Look'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Apple TV+ "The New Look" shines a light on Coco Chanel's murky history as a Nazi informant and spy. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Juliette Binoche and Emily Mortimer as Coco Chanel and Elsa Lombardi in "The New Look." Roger Do Minh/Apple TVHow deep the fashion icon's Nazi collaboration ran was made public for the first time in "Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War," by Hal Vaughan, published in 2011. AdvertisementChanel, who died in 1971 at 87, continued her relationship with Von Dincklage after the war for several years.

Persons: —, France's, Coco Chanel that's, Chanel, Todd A, Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche, Emily Mortimer, Coco Chanel, Elsa Lombardi, Roger Do Minh, Hal Vaughan, Vaughan, Dreyfus, Alfred Dreyfus, Hulton, Baron Hans Günther Von Dincklage, Von Dincklage, Spatz, André Palasse, Pierre, Paul Wertheimer, Chanel didn't, Parfums Chanel, Modelhut Coco Chanel, Winston Churchill, Bettmann, Duke of Westminster, Walter Schellenberg, Schellenberg, Vera Bate Lombardi, Lombardi —, Chanel's, Churchill, Baron Louis de Vaufreland, Per Vaughan, Wertheimer, James Andanson, Dincklage, Baron von Dincklage Organizations: Apple, Nazi, Service, Deutsch, Hotel Ritz, Abwehr, AFP, Getty, British, Paris, Chanel Locations: Nazi, Paris, German, British, Germany, French, Britain, Madrid, Churchill, Switzerland

☆ Former US diplomat accused of spying for Cuba indicates he plans to plead guilty, court docket shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Manuel Rocha, the former US ambassador to Bolivia accused of acting as a secret foreign agent of Cuba, said in court Thursday that he plans to plead guilty to charges, according to his court docket. During a hearing in Miami Thursday, Rocha and prosecutors “announce[d] the Defendant will be changing his plea,” according to the court docket. The court record does not give any information about what charges Rocha plans to plead guilty to. Rocha served as the US ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002 and as the deputy principal officer of the US Interests Section in Cuba in the 1990s. His role as the political officer at the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic gave him “special responsibility” for Cuba, prosecutors alleged.

Persons: CNN — Manuel Rocha, Rocha, “, Fidel Castro Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, US Embassy, Embassy, Cuban Locations: Bolivia, Cuba, American, Miami, Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, Argentina

☆ Several killed in Chad after attack on intelligence agency foiled, government says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi CNN —Tensions were high in the Central African country of Chad on Wednesday after several people were killed following an alleged attack on the country’s intelligence services was foiled overnight, the government said. CNN has reached out to the leader of the party, Yaya Dillo, about the accusations. Dillo said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning that the military had surrounded him and others at the party’s headquarters. It’s not clear if it was a separate incident or the court president was in the security agency’s office during the attack. “It is important to highlight that every person searching to disrupt the democratic process underway in the country will be taken to court,” the government warned.

Persons: ”, Yaya Dillo, Dillo, It’s, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Netblocks Organizations: Nairobi CNN —, Socialist, National State Security Agency, CNN Locations: Nairobi, Central, Chad

☆ White House looks to curb foreign powers’ ability to buy Americans’ sensitive personal data with executive order
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Wednesday aimed at curbing foreign governments’ ability to buy Americans’ sensitive personal information such as heath and geolocation data, according to senior US officials. The department will also issue regulations that require better protection of sensitive government information, including geolocation data on US military members, according to US officials. “Countries of concern, such as China and Russia, are buying Americans’ sensitive personal data from data brokers,” a separate senior administration official told reporters. In addition to health and location data, the executive order is expected to cover other sensitive information like genomic and financial data. Administration officials told reporters the new executive order would be applied narrowly so as not to hurt business transactions that do not pose a national security risk.

Persons: Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Department, Justice Department, Social, Defense, Health, Human Services, Veteran Affairs Locations: China, Russia

☆ North Korean factories making arms for Russia are ‘operating at full capacity,’ South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea’s munitions factories are “operating at full capacity” to produce weapons and shells for Russia, according to South Korea’s defense minister, as Moscow’s devastating war in Ukraine grinds into a third year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a munitions factory at an undisclosed location on January 10, 2024. CNN has reached out to South Korea’s defense ministry for comment on the US’ estimate but has not yet received a response. The White House confirmed last month that Russia has been firing North Korean missiles at Ukrainian cities. The US and its allies are also concerned about the technology North Korea is seeking from Russia in return for weaponry.

Persons: Korean Defense Minister Shin Won, sik, Kim Jong Un, ” Shin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Avdiivka, Zelensky, Joe Biden’s, Vladimir Putin Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, Korean Defense Minister, KCNA, Reuters, US State Department, CNN, Ukraine, Kyiv, West, North, Intelligence, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, White House, Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Russia, South, Ukraine, Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, North, Russian, North Korea, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russia’s

☆ Biden to issue executive order aimed at protecting Americans’ sensitive data from China, other 'hostile countries'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden will issue an executive order Wednesday intended to safeguard the personal data of American citizens from countries deemed hostile. The executive order centers on the business of selling people's personal information, in which companies and so-called data brokers collect and trade data. The order focusses on specific, sensitive information like genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data and other kinds of personally identifiable information. The executive order will direct the Department of Justice to issue several regulations intended to protect sensitive data. "American privacy concerns in the data broker industry are not new, and existing laws do not sufficiently protect Americans' data from misuse," the letter said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Biden Organizations: White, Chinese Communist Party, Department of Justice, of Homeland Security, United States Telecommunications Services, U.S, Oracle, Trump, Biden Locations: Washington , DC, U.S, China

☆ Russia offering African governments 'regime survival package' in exchange for resources, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Jan. 20, 2023: A banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during a protest to support the Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traore and to demand the departure of France's ambassador and military forces. Russia's military intelligence service is offering African governments a "regime survival package" that provides military and diplomatic support in exchange for access to strategically important natural resources, according to a new report. Russia's Defense Ministry was not available to comment on the report's findings when contacted by CNBC. Wagner has for many years been a key component of the Kremlin's efforts to grow its influence in politically unstable countries across central Africa and the Sahel, including the Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso and Sudan. The report's authors Jack Watling, Oleksandr V Danylyuk and Nick Reynolds explained that the GRU chose to divide Wagner's activities in two.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr V Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds Organizations: Royal United Services Institute, Wagner Group, Russia's Defense, CNBC, Central African, Volunteer Corps, Russian Military of Defense Locations: OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Africa, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Ukraine

The staff member, Kyle Parker, is the senior Senate adviser for the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission. The commission is led by members of Congress and staffed by congressional aides. It is influential on matters of democracy and security and has been vocal in supporting Ukraine. A confidential report by the commission’s director and general counsel, which The New York Times reviewed, said that the equipment transfer could make Mr. Parker an unregistered foreign agent. It said that Mr. Parker had traveled Ukraine’s front lines wearing camouflage and Ukrainian military insignia and had hired a Ukrainian official for a U.S. government fellowship over the objections of congressional ethics and security officials.

Persons: Kyle Parker, Parker Organizations: Capitol Hill, U.S . Commission, Security, Cooperation, Helsinki Commission, New York Times Locations: Russia, Europe, Helsinki, Ukraine

☆ Putin official compared Zelenskyy to Brad Pitt, said his image couldn't be trashed, says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementA Moscow official complained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was like Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, a global star with an image that couldn't be sullied, the Washington Post reports. AdvertisementThe documents reveal the Kremlin's elaborate and persistent efforts to undermine Zelenskyy, per the Post's analysis. Internal Kremlin documents reveal a planned disinformation campaign to tarnish Zelenskyy's image and destabilize his leadership. Thousands of social media posts and fabricated articles flooded the online spaceThrough social media platforms and fake news articles, the Kremlin orchestrated a barrage of anti- Zelenskyy content. AdvertisementThe focus shifted to infiltrating Ukrainian social media landscapes, emphasizing platforms like Telegram, which had emerged as a critical news source.

Persons: Brad Pitt, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kevin Coombs, Zelenskyy, Valery Zaluzhny, Zaluzhny, Gen, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ursula von der Leyen, Viktor Kovalchuk, splintering, Zelensky Organizations: Putin, Washington, Service, Washington Post, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelenskyy, Kremlin, Reuters, Getty Locations: Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ As China Expands Its Hacking Operations, a Vulnerability Emerges
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Chinese hacking tools made public in recent days illustrate how much Beijing has expanded the reach of its computer infiltration campaigns through the use of a network of contractors, as well as the vulnerabilities of its emerging system. The new revelations underscore the degree to which China has ignored, or evaded, American efforts for more than a decade to curb its extensive hacking operations. Instead, China has both built the cyberoperations of its intelligence services and developed a spider web of independent companies to do the work. Last weekend in Munich, Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. cyberpersonnel by at least 50 to one,” he said.

Persons: Christopher A, Wray, we’d, ” Locations: Beijing, China, Munich, United States

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