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☆ Ecuadorians head to polls for referendum as Noboa seeks backing for war on crime
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The referendum will ask 11 questions, five that will modify the Constitution if approved and six that are advisory. More than 13 million of Ecuador’s population of nearly 18 million are eligible to vote – and in Ecuador, voting is obligatory. “We require urgent reforms that allow us to protect our security,” Noboa told a military event in March. In response to the escape, the government deployed more than 3,000 police officers and members of the armed forces to find Fito. The referendum has met opposition among some groups who claim the matters can be dealt with in the National Assembly.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, ”, he’s, ” Noboa, John Moore, Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, Adolfo Macias, Noboa, “, CNN’s Christiana Amanpour, Jorge Glas, Glas, Karen Toro Organizations: CNN, National Police, Armed Forces, Ecuadorian National Police, United Nations, Reuters, National Assembly Locations: Quito, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Ecuadorians, Guayaquil, ”, Peru, Colombia, United States, Europe, Mexico, Mexican

☆ In a Country Awash in Violence, a Vote Will Test Its Leader’s Hard-Line Stance
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ecuadoreans will vote on Sunday in a referendum that could give their center-right president greater powers to combat drug-related gang violence and also gauge how he would fare in his bid for re-election next year. President Daniel Noboa, the 36-year-old heir to a banana empire, took office in November after an election season focused on drug-related gang violence, which has surged over the past five years to levels not seen in decades. In January, he declared an “internal armed conflict” and directed the military to “neutralize” the country’s roughly two dozen gangs, which the government labeled “terrorist organizations.” The drastic move allowed soldiers to patrol the streets and prisons, many of which have come under gang control. Two weeks ago, Mr. Noboa took the extraordinary step of arresting an Ecuadorean politician facing a prison sentence who had taken refuge at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, in what experts called a violation of an international treaty on the sanctity of diplomatic posts. The move drew widespread condemnation across the region.

Persons: Ecuadoreans, Daniel Noboa, Noboa Locations: Mexican, Quito

☆ US considers deploying extra military advisors to Ukraine as Russia looks set to ramp up offensives
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe US is considering sending additional military advisors to its Kyiv embassy as Russia continues its offensive operations in Ukraine, Politico reported. They would also assist the Ukrainian military with weapons maintenance, one of the officials and the person familiar with the plans said. Currently, we are considering sending several additional advisors to augment the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the Embassy." Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West against sending troops to Ukraine. "The Russian military command will likely intensify offensive operations and missile and drone strikes to pursue operationally significant effects that will certainly become harder to achieve against well-provisioned Ukrainian forces."

Persons: —, Patrick Ryder, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, Chasiv Yar — Organizations: Service, Politico, US, Business, Pentagon, DOD, of Defense Cooperation, Embassy, DoD, U.S . Embassy, NATO, for, Anadolu Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Getty, Chasiv, Donetsk

Their friendship was tested in 2017 when then President Trump supported a blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Before the Oct. 7 attack, the Saudis were in serious talks, led by the United States, to recognize Israel. 8 of 12 Israel has a major incentive to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, for its part, would benefit from direct access to the Israeli military and technology sector. In March 2023, China brokered a breakthrough, re-establishing ties between two of the region’s heavyweights, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, brandished, Jake Sullivan, —, frenemies, Israel, Netanyahu’s, Trump, Biden, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin, Prince Mohammed, Bashar al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, Jordan —, hesitantly, Abraham Organizations: of Friends, General Assembly, U.S, America, Hamas, United, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Crown, Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea, Iranian, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, The, Trump, Biden, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, New York, Facebook Locations: India, Persian, Israel, Europe, Iran, United States, U.S, East, China, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan, Sea Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Assad, Lebanon, Lebanese, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Fatah, Israeli, Turkey, America

An Israeli airstrike on Iran on Friday damaged an air defense system, according to Western and Iranian officials, in an attack calculated to deliver a message that Israel could bypass Iran’s defensive systems undetected and paralyze them. The strike damaged a defensive battery near Natanz, a city in central Iran that is critical to the country’s nuclear weapons program, according to two Western officials and two Iranian officials. The attack — and the revelation on Saturday of its target — was in retaliation for Iran’s strike in Israel last week after Israel bombed its embassy compound in Damascus. But it used a fraction of the firepower Tehran deployed in launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. But the relatively limited scope of Israel’s strike and the muted response from Iranian officials seem to have eased tensions.

Organizations: Israel Locations: Iran, Israel, Damascus, Tehran, Syria

☆ Man 'who cared about the world' dies after setting himself on fire outside Trump trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewMax Azzarello, a 37-year-old from Florida, died after setting himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump's hush money trial is underway, The New York Times reports. AdvertisementSteven Waldman, a high school friend of Azzarello, told The Times his late friend was "heartbroken" when his mother passed." Related story"He was super curious about social justice and the way things 'could' be," a former classmate of Azzarello told The Times. AdvertisementTrump's historic hush money trial kicks offDonald Trump at the defense table in his Manhattan hush money trial with attorney Emil Bove. Reuters/Jane RosenbergTrump's hush money trial, making history as the first-ever trial of a former president, kicked off earlier this week with the selection of the jury.

Persons: —, Max Azzarello, Azzarello, Trump, Steven Waldman, Waldman, Larry Altman, We've, Bill Clinton, Aaron Bushnell, Bushnell, Donald Trump, Emil Bove, Jane Rosenberg Organizations: Service, The New York Times, New York Police, BBC News, Business, Collect, Times, Embassy, Newsweek, Reuters Locations: Florida, Manhattan, The, USA, Washington ,

☆ Election 2024 Trump holds a rally in North Carolina, capping off the first week of his trial.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

That changed on Thursday, when Mr. Brown appeared to address Mr. Gunter for the first time, at a private fund-raising event in Sparks, Nev., after Mr. Gunter accused him in ads and appearances of being disingenuous and not sufficiently pro-Trump. A group backing Mr. Brown’s campaign, the Duty First PAC, ran its first television ad this week since last year, a $322,000 reservation, according to the tracking firm AdImpact. Mr. Brown’s campaign declined to comment on Mr. Gunter. Mr. Trump made several posts seeming to express his approval for Mr. Brown on Truth Social, his social media platform, this month. Mr. Gunter said he was “running that place like clockwork,” and that the government report was “bogus.”

Persons: Nevada’s, Sam Brown, Jeff Gunter, Donald J, Trump, MAGA, Brown’s, Gunter, Brown, Mitch McConnell of, ” Mr, Jacky Rosen, Nev, Mr, Mike Berg, Gunter’s, Berg, Sam Brown’s, ”, Chuck Muth, Muth, he’s, California Democrat —, General Organizations: Republican, Senate, U.S . Army, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Trump, Democratic, The New York Times, Mr, “, “ California Democrats, Tarrance, Truth, Brown, Texas State House, Nevada State Assembly, California Democrat, Democrat, CBS Locations: Iceland, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Afghanistan, Sparks, California, “ California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dallas

☆ Oil prices jump on escalating tensions in the Middle East after strike on Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Oil prices jumped on Friday while Asian markets tumbled, with global investors worrying about an escalation in conflict in the Middle East after explosions were reported near the Iranian city of Isfahan. Iran launched the attack in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month. “Israel’s response could determine whether oil supplies are ultimately under threat.”Elsewhere, ongoing oil disruptions remain high, the analysts added. In Hong Kong, PetroChina, Asia’s largest oil and gas supplier, advanced 2.3%. Sinopec, the world’s largest oil refining company by capacity, rose 1.3%.

Persons: Brent, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ”, “, Korea’s Kospi, Cosmo Energy Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, ANZ, United, Stock, Nikkei, China’s, Energy, Eneos Corp, Oil Corp Locations: Hong Kong, Iranian, Isfahan, Israel, Iran, Syria, United States, Mexico, Asia, China’s Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ Oil prices get short-lived boost from attack on Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Laura He | Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was down 0.4% at $86.8 per barrel, having earlier spiked more than 3%. The Israeli military has not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack. Iran launched the attack in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month. Iran is a big oil producer but exports most of its crude to China because of long-standing international sanctions. Mexico also said earlier this month that it would cut back oil exports because of strong domestic demand.

Persons: Brent, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, ” Neil Shearing, Richard Bronze Organizations: London CNN, CNN, Capital Economics, Organization of, Petroleum, ANZ, United, Nikkei, Kospi, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Locations: Hong Kong, London, Iranian, Isfahan, East, Iran, Syria, Hormuz, China, United States, Mexico, Asia, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ Oil disruption fears in the Middle East are getting real after reports of an Israel strike on Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewOil prices jumped while stocks sold off after reports of an escalation in Middle East tensions. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures rose as much as 4.2% before trading 2.8% higher at $89.54 a barrel at 11:15 p.m. EDT. The strike on Friday came days after Iran attacked Israel on Saturday with a barrage of more than 300 missiles and drones. Israel didn't claim responsibility for the strike, but Iran held it accountable and vowed retaliation. Oil markets shrugged off Iran's attack on Israel as the market assessed the conflict would remain contained.

Persons: —, Israel didn't, Israel, Kyle Rodda, Rodda Organizations: Service, Brent, US West Texas, Business, ING, Stock Locations: East, Israel, Iran, Iran's, Damascus, Syria

☆ What stalled this year’s seemingly infallible stock market rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Investors had hoped that corporate earnings would help revive the stalled rally, but a strong start to the season hasn’t been enough to excite investors. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.10% in the week ending April 18, up from 6.88% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac data released Thursday. Mortgage rates are climbing based on expectations that the Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates anytime soon. The Fed doesn’t directly set mortgage rates, but its actions do influence them, and persistently hot inflation readings are keeping the Fed on hold. If inflation stalls any further, or even worsens, mortgage rates could climb higher this year.

Persons: —, hasn’t, Jerome Powell, “, ”, Michael Landsberg, Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Israel, Brent, Bryan Mena, Freddie Mac, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s, Read, Anna Cooban, Tim Cook, Pham Minh Chinh, Cook, Apple “ Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Data, Employers, Fed, Landsberg Bennett, Wealth Management, Monetary Fund, Treasury, Investors, CNN, Federal, China Apple, Vietnamese, Apple Locations: New York, East, Iran, Israel, Syria, Vietnam, China, Hanoi, Beijing

☆ Washington wrestles with ‘new equation’ of direct attacks between Iran and Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Throughout the week, US officials had urged Israel not to retaliate for Iran’s unprecedented attack five days prior, when hundreds of missiles and drones were fired from inside Iran at Israel. US intelligence has long assessed that neither Iran nor Israel has any appetite for an outright war. Iranian officials have stated publicly that Iran’s policy toward Israel has changed. Then, on April 1, an Israeli strike on what Iran claims was an embassy in Syria killed seven officials, including two senior Iranian commanders. “Israel and Iran are going to be starting higher on the escalatory ladder for every future moment of conflict and that is incredibly dangerous,” said Panikoff.

Persons: Biden, ”, Hossein, Israel’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Israel, Bill Burns, George W, “, Frank McKenzie, ” McKenzie, Maher Al Mounes, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Jonathan Panikoff, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Karim Sadjadpour, Qassem Soleimani, Iran —, Iran messaged, Donald Trump, stridently, —, McKenzie Organizations: CNN, Israel, Iran, US, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, Bush Presidential Center, Iranian, US Central Command, Getty, Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran’s, Carnegie Endowmernt Locations: Washington, Israel, Iran, Tehran, ” Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Dallas, Syria, Syria's, Damascus, AFP, Lebanese, Iran’s, Iraq

☆ How a store manager from India ended up killed on the battlefields of Ukraine fighting for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Vedika Sud | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I saw holes on the back of his shoulder, his ribs right down till his lower back,” Imran told CNN. “He was going to work as a taxi driver or delivery boy in Russia – that process was on,” Imran said. Meanwhile, India, which has no law preventing its citizens from serving in a foreign state’s military, has acknowledged that a number of its nationals have been fighting for Russia in Ukraine. In early March, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it had busted major human trafficking networks that were duping men into Russian military jobs, with 35 such cases identified. Asfran Mohammed, right, and his brother Imran are pictured with Asran's children before Asfran left for Russia.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Asfan Mohammed, he’d, Imran Mohammad, Vladimir Putin’s, “, ” Imran, Imran, ”, Asfan, Putin, Allen, He’d, Asfran, Mohammed Imran, Inna Varenytsia, Bimala Rai Paudyal, I’d, who’d, Asfran Mohammed, Mohammed Imran “, I’ve Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, CNN, Russian, ”, United Arab Emirates, Reuters Foreign, Kremlin, Indian Ministry, External Affairs, India’s, Bureau of Investigation, Indian Nationals, CBI, Asfan, Indian, Indian Embassy Locations: New Delhi, India, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Hyderabad, “, Australia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kreminna, South Asia, Nepal

☆ Why Qatar is unlikely to withdraw from the Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Qatar hosts Hamas’ political office, but it is also home to a 10,000-troop US military base. Experts say it is unlikely Qatar will end its mediation role. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani gives a press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Doha on Wednesday. And on Monday, Democratic US Congressman Steny Hoyer accused Qatar of “blocking” progress in the talks. The Gulf state was also a Major Non-NATO Ally, as well as key energy supplier to Western states.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ” Al Thani, “, ”, Anna Jacobs, “ They’ve, ” Jacobs, Daniel Shek, ” Shek, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Karim Jaafar, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Majid Al Ansari, Netanyahu, James Comer, General Merrick Garland, Steny Hoyer, Jacobs, Joe Biden, NATO Ally Organizations: UAE CNN, Foreign, United States Congress, US, Qatar, Group, CNN, ”, Qatar's, Turkish, Wednesday, Qatari, Hamas, Washington DC, Democratic, Al Udeid, Al Udeid Air Base, NATO Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Qatar, Doha, United States, Washington, Egypt, Gaza, Gulf, Brussels, Israeli, ” Qatar, Thani, AFP, Qatari, Al Udeid Air

CNN —A Polish man has been charged over claims he assisted an alleged Russian plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to authorities in Poland and Ukraine. Prosecutors said the man agreed to provide information to Russian spies about security at Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, in southeastern Poland, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities said they uncovered the plot and handed key evidence to Polish officials, who then detained the accused on Polish territory. “Our security authorities have prevented possible explosive detonations that were intended to affect and undermine our military aid to Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Berlin dismissed the accusations as an “outright provocation,” Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prosecutors, Zelensky, Nancy Faeser Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Security Service, Federal Public Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Jasionka, Zelensky, Ukrainian, Europe, Russia, Mykolaiv, Russian, Bavarian, Bayreuth, Karlsruhe, Germany, Berlin

☆ Biden wants to sell blue-collar workers the American Dream of a failing China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewPresident Joe Biden on Wednesday pitched his version of US-China relations to steelworkers in Pennsylvania — that Beijing isn't only failing to catch up, but struggling on its own. "They've got a population that is more people in retirement than working," Biden said of China. Those were some of the harshest comments Biden has ever made about China, though it's unclear how the president calculated his retirement figures. Instead of posturing himself a Mr. Fix-It, or a lone warrior fighting the good fight against a strong Beijing, Biden on Wednesday told blue-collar workers that the competition, as it stands, already favors America by a landslide. AdvertisementThe metals industry provides more than 120,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and some $33 billion in economic output, per an April 2023 report published by the Pennsylvania Steel Alliance.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, They've, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, I've, China's, Biden shied Organizations: Service, Wednesday, steelworkers, US Steelworkers, Business, Republican, US Steel, Japanese Nippon Steel, American, Pennsylvania Steel Alliance . Pennsylvania Locations: China, Pennsylvania —, Beijing, Pittsburgh, Washington, America, Pennsylvania

☆ Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: Iran’s response will be “immediate and at a maximum level,” foreign minister warns Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran’s response if Israel takes any further military action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN Thursday, as fears rise of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The tit-for-tat strikes have brought a decades long shadow war between Israel and Iran out in the open and sent fear coursing through the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said Israel will make its “own decisions” when responding to Iran’s airstrikes. The details of a potential “maximum response” have been planned by Iran’s armed forces, he added. “Our operations in response were carried out at a minimum because we were not seeking to hit multiple targets,” he said.

Persons: Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, adventurism, ” Amir, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ”, Amir, “ Organizations: CNN, Amir, Palestinian, Hamas, Wednesday, Iranian, United Nations, White, Swiss Embassy Locations: Israel, Iran, New York, Tehran, Syria, Iranian, Isfahan, Iran’s, FARS, Damascus, United States, Gaza, Israeli, “, America

☆ NASA's chief says China is being 'very, very secretive' and pretending its space projects aren't linked to the military
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NASA chief Bill Nelson accused China on Wednesday of secretly working on military projects in space. Nelson told lawmakers that NASA believes Beijing is masking these projects as civilian efforts. "We believe that a lot of their, so-called civilian space programs is a military program," Nelson continued. Related storiesThe NASA chief alluded to the Spratly Islands, an archipelago in the South China Sea claimed by several nations. Meanwhile, China has repeatedly denied that it intends to establish any military presence in outer space.

Persons: Bill Nelson, Nelson, —, Artemis Organizations: NASA, China, Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, South China, Artemis Accords, Alxa League, Inner, Getty, UN, Embassy, Business Locations: Beijing, China, Spratly Islands, South, Russia, Alxa, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Washington , DC

☆ Iran and Israel dragged their shadow war out of the dark, and it's much more dangerous now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Iran and Israel have fought a deadly shadow war for decades. The two enemies have relied on proxy forces, assassinations, and strikes abroad to hit each other. AdvertisementA decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel has been thrust into broad daylight. Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend has notably changed the dynamics of this conflict, and it's now more dangerous. Any Israeli military response to the attack risks an all-out confrontation with Iran and could plunge the region into even more violence.

Persons: —, Alma al, KAWNAT HAJU, Jonathan Lord, Israel, MAHER, MOUNES, Israel —, Joseph Votel, Votel, Christophe Van Der Perre Israel, Josep Borrell, Maj, Hossein, Lord Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Getty Images Israel, Pentagon, Business, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Getty, US Central Command, REUTERS Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanese, Alma, AFP, Iraq, Syria, Israel's, Hormuz, Iranian, Damascus, Syria's, Arad, Spanish

☆ Russia-linked hacking group suspected of carrying out cyberattack on Texas water facility, cybersecurity firm says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A hacking group with ties to the Russian government is suspected of carrying out a cyberattack in January that caused a tank at a Texas water facility to overflow, experts from US cybersecurity firm Mandiant said Wednesday. Muleshoe officials replaced the hacked software system and took other steps to secure the network, Sanchez said. “Regulations have not required this low-hanging fruit to be addressed,” Serino told CNN. “I’ve never experienced this before but … we’re aware that those threats are out there,” Poling told CNN by phone. “The haphazardness is part of their pathological emphasis on psychological impact,” Dan Black, a Mandiant analyst, told CNN.

Persons: Mandiant, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Ramon Sanchez, Sanchez, ”, Gus Serino, ” Serino, ” Anne Neuberger, ” The, Harris, Neuberger, Buster Poling, Mike Cypert, Poling, “ I’ve, ” Poling, Nick Conger, Sandworm, ” Dan Black Organizations: CNN, FBI, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, White, ” The Biden, Hale Center, Russian Embassy, State of, GRU, “ Locations: Texas, US, Muleshoe, Pennsylvania, Iran, United States, Russian, Ukraine, Lockney’s, Hale, Washington ,, State of Texas

Israel was mere moments away from an airstrike on April 1 that killed several senior Iranian commanders at Iran’s embassy complex in Syria when it told the United States what was about to happen. Aides quickly alerted Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser; Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser; Brett McGurk, Mr. Biden’s Middle East coordinator; and others, who saw that the strike could have serious consequences, a U.S. official said. Publicly, U.S. officials voiced support for Israel, but privately, they expressed anger that it would take such aggressive action against Iran without consulting Washington. On Saturday, Iran launched a retaliatory barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, an unexpectedly large-scale response, if one that did minimal damage. The events made clear that the unwritten rules of engagement in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Iran have changed drastically in recent months, making it harder than ever for each side to gauge the other’s intentions and reactions.

Persons: Israel, Jake Sullivan, Jon, Brett McGurk Organizations: U.S, Publicly, Israel, Washington Locations: Syria, United States, Biden’s, Iran, Israel

Persons: Israel, Jake Sullivan, Jon, Brett McGurk Organizations: U.S, Publicly, Israel, Washington Locations: Syria, United States, Biden’s, Iran, Israel

☆ Why America Should Not Give Up on Venezuela - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Farah Stockman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela isn’t even pretending to play fair anymore. The Maduro regime has even refused to register the candidate that Ms. Machado deputized to run in her stead. The Biden administration essentially offered Mr. Maduro a deal: sanctions relief in exchange for freer and fairer elections. Had Mr. Maduro taken it seriously, Venezuela would have had a path out of its protracted political and economic crisis. But Mr. Maduro won’t risk losing to Ms. Machado.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela isn’t, María Corina Machado, Ms, Machado deputized, Biden, Maduro, Machado, haven’t, Trump Locations: Venezuela, Argentina, U.S, Poland, United States

☆ China just proved why Congress wants to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A bill to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok is making its way through Congress. Legislators are concerned about ByteDance's ties to China given how much user data Tiktok collects. The Chinese Embassy reportedly lobbied against the bill. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementChina proved the point of the TikTok ban bill through Congress after officials from the Chinese Embassy reportedly lobbied against it recently.

Persons: ByteDance, — Organizations: Embassy, Service, Politico, Business Locations: TikTok, China

☆ Jordan walks a tightrope after downing Iranian drones and missiles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jomana Karadsheh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Jordan became the second Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1994. The kingdom was portrayed as shielding Israel at a time when Palestinians were being bombed by Israel in Gaza. One meme shared by users apparently outside Jordan showed a manipulated image of Jordan’s King Abdullah in an Israeli military uniform. “We are in the range of fire and any missiles or projectile that could fall in Jordan would cause harm to Jordan. Our priority is to protect Jordan and to protect Jordanian citizens.”And Jordan’s leadership seems intent on sending that message to its people.

Persons: Saddam Hussein, Jordan, Israel, King Abdullah, Bisher, “, Ayman Safadi, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ”, Safadi, “ Jordan, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyaahu, Iran ”, Abdullah, Queen Rania Organizations: CNN, Israel, West Bank, Scud, United, Sunday, ”, Jordan, Zionist, Jordanian Royal Court Locations: Amman, Israel, Damascus, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordanian, United States, Jordan, Gaza, Tehran, Fars, Iranian, Mafraq

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