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☆ The All-Male Christian Group Seeking a Resurrection in the Trump Era
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Ruth Graham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was an autumn Saturday in 1997, and Promise Keepers, a fast-growing conservative Christian men’s ministry that some warned was a covert political project, had gathered at its biggest event ever. “Why are we here?” Mr. Phillips, then the organization’s president, asked the hundreds of thousands of men in attendance. “Is it to demonstrate political might? Is it to take back the nation by imposing our religious values on others? This weekend, a much smaller group of Promise Keepers gathered in Tulsa, Okla., at a very different moment for evangelicals — with less decisive answers to those questions.

Persons: Randy Phillips, Mr, Phillips Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Christian Locations: Tulsa, Okla

A pair of Secret Service counter snipers, dubbed Hercules 1 and Hercules 2, surveilled the crowd from directly above and behind the stage. He radioed the local command post controlled by Butler County law enforcement and notified them of the kid with the rangefinder. “I can’t believe that the Secret Service hasn’t talked to any of our people,” he said prior to Friday’s reach out. In a different location, the Secret Service and state police set up another command post. New video reveals frustrationNicols, Woods, Young and other Beaver County officers weren’t the only ones to express concerns about the Secret Service planning.

Persons: Butler, Donald Trump’s, Greg Nicol, Trump, ” Nicol, Nicol, Thomas Matthew Crooks, ”, Pat Young, “, – Nicol, Jason Woods, Butler County’s, –, Woods, ” Woods, Crooks, Donald Trump, Brendan McDermid, AGR, Someone’s, Young, Puy, didn’t, Nate Bible, – Young, hasn’t, couldn’t, Anthony Guglielmi, ” “, ” Guglielmi Organizations: Pennsylvania CNN, CNN, Service, Beaver County SWAT, Secret Service, Glass Research, Secret, Trump, Authorities, Reuters, Pennsylvania State Police, Washington Post, FBI, Post, Army National Guard, CNN Secret Service, Attorney, ABC, Police Department, Butler, Police Locations: Pennsylvania, Butler , Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Butler, Butler County, ‘, Beaver County, AGR, Beaver, Iraq, Beaver , Pennsylvania, Majlie, Puy Kamp, Washington, U.S

“Any assessment that Iran is assigning lethal operations to a ‘B team’ misses the utility of nonofficial actors," said Roule, currently affiliated with United Against Nuclear Iran. Officials say they see no connection between that plot and the shooting of Trump in Pennsylvania by a local resident who had researched mass shootings and political assassinations. In 2021, the Justice Department charged four alleged Iranian intelligence operatives with trying to kidnap Masih Alinejad. “We have said many times that we have been tracking Iranian threats against former politicians,” she said this week. Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris has commented on the alleged Iranian assassination plots.

Persons: ”, Kenneth Katzman, don’t, “, ” Katzman, “ There’s, they’ve, Norm Roule, ’, Roule, aren't, Asif Merchant of, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Qassem Soleimani, New York —, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, we’ve, Steven M, Bolton, Biden, it’s, It’s, —, Jake Sullivan, Sean Savett, … The, Harris, White, Karine Jean, Pierre, “ We’ve, Qassem, …, Biden’s, John Kirby, ” Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Mike Turner Organizations: FBI, Soufan Center, Congressional Research Service, CIA, United Against Nuclear, Iran’s Revolutionary, Quds Force, Administration, D.C, Justice Department, Eastern, NBC News, Roule, Bolton, National Security Council, … The Biden, NBC, ., White, Indian, ” Locations: Iran, United States, U.S, U.S . Iran, United Against Nuclear Iran, Asif Merchant of Pakistan, Texas, Trump, Pennsylvania, Saudi, Washington, New York, Brooklyn , New York, Bolton, Tehran, Europe, Canada

How Online Hatred Toward Migrants Spurs Real-World Violence Social media posts assailing immigrants have fomented a climate of fear and hatred in Britain, Portugal and other countries. It followed months of vitriol on social media that came not only from disgruntled Portuguese, but also from prominent far-right figures inside and outside the country. “It’s not up-to-date for the social media age,” Leo Varadkar, the prime minister then, said. Asked whether he believes his social media posts contribute to violence, Mr. Robinson responded: “I believe the teachings in the Koran contribute to violence. July 29 1:42 p.m.Not much info yet, but it will be a Muslim culprit followed by violence protests 1:49 p.m.

Persons: ”, Rita Guerra, Patience, ” Lee Marsh, “, Elon Musk, X, Musk, TikTok, we’re, ” Tommy Robinson, Donald J, Trump, Joel Finkelstein, Tony Craig, “ It’s, —, ” Leo Varadkar, He now, Ro, rie, Marc, iona, Robinson, e, ari, rance Organizations: YouTube, Spurs, Center for Psychological Research, Italy British, Protesters, Sunderland, PA, Agence France, Institute for Strategic, Elon, Meta, The New York Times, National, Counterterrorism, Security, Network, Research, Staffordshire University, Reuters, Ireland, unc, rit Locations: Portugal, Portuguese, Lisbon, Porto, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Europe, Southport, Liverpool, Syrian, Wales, Italy, The Netherlands, Greenwich, London, United States, Russia, Netherlands, Leeds, Chester, New Jersey, England, Algeria, Dublin, Coolock

☆ Razor-thin solar panels could be ‘ink-jetted’ onto your backpack or phone for cheap clean energy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Kara Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Today’s solar panels that use silicon cells, by comparison, typically covert up to 22% of sunlight into power. Another important factor fueling solar’s rise is its growing efficiency in converting the sun’s energy. But Wang noted that the research group is not advocating for the end of solar farms. “I wouldn’t say we want to eliminate solar farms because obviously we need lots of areas or surfaces to generate sufficient amount of solar energy,” he told CNN. Some coatings in lab settings have dissolved or broken down over short periods of time, so are regarded as less durable than today’s solar panels.

Persons: aren’t, Junke Wang, Martin Small, Wood Mackenzie, Wang, ”, Henry Snaith, Snaith Organizations: CNN, Oxford, Oxford University's Physics, Oxford University Physics Locations: Germany

☆ Iran steps up influence campaign aimed at US voters with fake news sites, Microsoft says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Iranian operatives have ramped up their attempts to influence and monitor the US presidential election by creating fake news outlets targeting liberal and conservative voters and by trying to hack an unnamed presidential campaign, Microsoft said in research published late Thursday. Microsoft said it notified the campaign of the hacking attempt, but declined to say publicly which campaign it was. CNN has requested comment from the Trump campaign. The Iranian, Russian and Chinese governments routinely deny allegations of election influence operations. As president, Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, and he withdrew from a multilateral deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Clint Watts, ”, Kamala Harris ’, Trump, Joe Biden’s, Russia “, China “, “, Qasem Soleimani Organizations: CNN, Iranian, Microsoft, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, FBI, National Intelligence, Russian, Ukraine, Service, Department Locations: MAGA, Iran, Savannah , Georgia, Russian, Ukrainian, Trump, Russia, U.S, China

☆ How a shuttered power plant in Michigan could pave the way for more nuclear energy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Covert, Mich. John Madill | The Herald-Palladium | APThe Palisades Power Plant on the shores of Lake Michigan had become a piece of history, a relic of an era when nuclear energy was viewed as the future. The new technology, which could become the first of its kind on the U.S. grid, promises to speed deployment of nuclear plants in the future. The U.S. and a coalition of more than 20 other countries pledged in December to triple nuclear energy by 2050. But building new nuclear plants is slow and expensive. SMRs are viewed as an important path to expand nuclear power because they promise to reduce capital costs, a major hurdle to building new plants.

Persons: John Madill, Kelly Trice, Holtec, Gretchen Whitmer, Whitmer, Trice, Jennifer Granholm, Kristen Norman, Chris Womack, " Trice, We've Organizations: Herald, Palladium, Palisades Power, Holtec, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Michigan, Training, Bloomberg, Getty, Rystad Energy, Energy Information Administration, Southern Company, Big Tech, Holtec's SMR Locations: Covert, Mich, Lake Michigan, Covert , Michigan, Grand Rapids, U.S, Michigan, Palisades, Pennsylvania, Florida, Turkey

☆ Iran Has Accused Israel of Assassinations on Its Soil Before
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Qasim Nauman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas and Iran on Wednesday accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, one of the Palestinian militant group’s most senior figures, in Tehran. Iran and Israel have fought a covert war for years, blaming each other for sabotage, abductions and targeted killings across the region. Tehran has also accused Israel of past assassinations inside Iran. Mr. Fakhrizadeh was one of Israeli intelligence’s top targets for years, and Iran angrily accused Israel of killing him. He wasn’t the first scientist linked to the nuclear program to be attacked on Iranian soil.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Haniyeh, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Fakhrizadeh, Sayad, Khodayee, Qassim Suleimani, Ayoub, Kamran Aghamolaei Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, U.S, United States, Iraq

“We were never asked what we’d seen or where we were from Secret Service. “Before this incident, I would have thought Secret Service is, like bulletproof. The Beaver County officials were part of a multi-jurisdictional team assisting the Secret Service for Trump’s July 13 rally. The Secret Service has not responded to questions for comment from CNN. A federal law enforcement official familiar with the matter said the Secret Service was and has been in touch with the lead for the Butler Emergency Services Unit, which oversaw the Beaver County local law enforcement officers and others that day.

Persons: Robert Rowe, Donald Trump’s, Thomas Matthew Crooks, Nate, Patrick Young, Rowe, ” Young, “, we’d, Crooks, you’re, Young, Trump, Butler, ” Rowe, they’d, ”, Greg Nicol, Bible, Nicol Organizations: CNN, Emergency Services Unit, Service, Secret, Secret Service, Trump’s, Trump, Butler Emergency Services Unit, Beaver Locations: Pennsylvania, Beaver County, Beaver, Butler , Pennsylvania, Butler

☆ Iran using covert influence campaign to undermine Trump candidacy, US intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran is using covert social media activity and related influence operations in an effort to undercut the candidacy of former President Donald Trump, a US intelligence official said Monday in an updated assessment of threats to the November election. Iran’s preference for a US presidential candidate has not changed since 2020, the ODNI official said. In the 2020 election campaign, Iran “carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects,” according to a declassified US intelligence report. The Russian government regularly denies US allegations of election influence. China “probably does not plan to influence the outcome” of the US presidential election, but US intelligence is monitoring the possibility that China-linked propagandists and influence actors could “denigrate down-ballot candidates,” the updated assessment says.

Persons: Donald Trump, ODNI, Iran “, Trump’s, haven’t, Joe Biden, “, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Thomas Matthew Crooks, of National Intelligence Avril Haines, ” ODNI, China “, Xi Jinping, Biden Organizations: CNN, National Intelligence, Trump, United Nations, Service, stoke, of National Intelligence, Russian Embassy Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Moscow, U.S, Iranian, Pennsylvania, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Russian, Washington ,, China

☆ Surprising element found in traces of Tyco Brahe’s alchemy lab confounds scientists
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The covert nature of Brahe’s work was common among alchemists of the Renaissance, who kept their knowledge close to the vest. “Tungsten had not even been described at that time, so what should we infer from its presence on a shard from Tycho Brahe’s alchemy workshop?” Rasmussen said. In addition to serving as Brahe's home, Uraniborg functioned as a scientific center where students across Europe came to live and work. And Brahe himself wrote that the king was eager to support the scientist’s work in both astronomy and alchemy. Given the amount of gold found in Brahe’s remains, he may have also taken medicine containing potable, or drinkable, gold.

Persons: Tycho Brahe, Brahe, Kaare Lund Rasmussen, Poul Grinder, Hansen, Uraniborg, Lund University Gold, Rasmussen, ”, “ Tungsten, ” Rasmussen, Ann Ronan, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Juan José, Fausto d’Elhuyar y de Suvisa, wolfram, Georgius Agricola, Agricola, Lawrence Principe, Drew, ” Principe, King Frederick II of Denmark, De Agostini, Paracelsus, Rudolph II, Emperor, Stjerneborg, “, ” Brahe, Isaac Newton, Johns, King Frederick II’s, Christian IV, Johannes Kepler, Kepler, Newton, Galileo Galilei Organizations: CNN, University of Southern, National Museum of Denmark, Heritage, Lund University, Getty Images, Humanities, Singleton Center, Johns Hopkins University, De Agostini Editorial, Culture, Hulton, Art, Sun, Scientific Locations: Danish, Ven, Sweden, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Europe, Baltimore . Principe, Norway, Uraniborg, Brahe’s, Mercury, Principe, Johns Hopkins

☆ Justice Department claims TikTok collected U.S. user views on issues like abortion and gun control
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In a fresh broadside against one of the world's most popular technology companies, the Justice Department is accusing TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion. The Justice Department warned, in stark terms, of the potential for what it called "covert content manipulation" by the Chinese government, saying the algorithm could be designed to shape content that users receive. In the redacted version of the court documents, the Justice Department said another tool triggered the suppression of content based on the use of certain words. Certain policies of the tool applied to ByteDance users in China, where the company operates a similar app called Douyin that follows Beijing's strict censorship rules. But Justice Department officials said other policies may have been applied to TikTok users outside of China.

Persons: ByteDance, TikTok, Joe Biden, Alex Haurek, Haurek, we've Organizations: Justice, Wall Street, Department, Justice Department, U.S Locations: Washington, Beijing, China, U.S, Texas, Israel, Gaza

☆ A Mysterious Plot Prompts a Rare Call From Russia to the Pentagon
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III received an unusual request from an unlikely caller: His Russian counterpart wanted to talk. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mr. Austin had spoken by phone with Russia’s defense minister only five other times, almost always at the Pentagon’s initiative and often in an effort to avoid miscalculations that could escalate the conflict. In fact, Mr. Austin had reached out to Russia’s new defense minister, Andrei Belousov, just a couple of weeks earlier, on June 25, in an effort to keep the “lines of communication open,” the Pentagon said. It was the first phone call between the two men since Mr. Belousov, an economist, replaced Sergei K. Shoigu, Russia’s long-running defense minister, in a Kremlin shake-up in May. Was the Pentagon aware of the plot, Mr. Belousov asked Mr. Austin, and its potential to ratchet up tensions between Moscow and Washington?

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, Austin, Andrei Belousov, Belousov, Sergei K Organizations: Russian, Mr, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington

☆ Why the 2024 Campaign Is Ripe for Conspiracy Theories - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Julia Angwin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It took minutes after the shooting at Donald Trump’s campaign rally on Saturday for misinformation to begin circulating on social media. Perhaps Mr. Trump was shot in the chest. The platform X, formerly known as Twitter, promoted conspiracy theories sporting hashtags like “#falseflag” and “#staged” (alleging that the shooting was staged to gain sympathy for Mr. Trump) among its trending topics. We’ve just experienced the first serious attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in the social media age. Mr. Trump’s surprise victory was attributed partly to his campaign’s strategy of flooding the social media airwaves — an effort supported by a covert Russian influence campaign and a trove of misused Facebook data.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, We’ve, Mark Scott, ”, Trump’s Organizations: Twitter, Big Tech Locations: Italian, U.S, Russian

☆ Russia plotted to assassinate the CEO of a German arms firm making weapons for Ukraine as the Kremlin ramps up its covert campaign against the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russia plotted to assassinate an executive of a German armaments firm, CNN reported. The reported target was Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementUS intelligence helped thwart a Russian plot to kill the CEO of a German arms firm that has made munitions and military equipment for Ukraine, according to reports.

Persons: Armin Papperger, Dmitry Peskov, — Organizations: CNN, Rheinmetall, Service, Russian, Business Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia is already fighting NATO, just not with tanks and fighter jets, argues a former top US general
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Recent covert acts of sabotage are far from the level of aggression and brutality that Russia has put on display in Ukraine. But make no mistake, a former top US general argued this week, Moscow is already fighting NATO. "We face wider Russian aggression directed at our own democracies, from hybrid attacks to threats in the high north," he added. "We, ourselves, have been experiencing hybrid attacks from Russia for decades, so that's why the threat has been quite clear, what we're facing." The Russian hybrid attacks were a notable discussion point on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington this week.

Persons: —, Ben Hodges, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Byrkin, John Healey, We've, Andris Sprūds, Healey, Hodges, Antony Blinken, Blinken, It's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, US Army, NATO Public Forum, Ukraine, Security, Sputnik, Public, Latvian Defense, Alliance Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, US Army Europe, Washington ,, Russian, Baltic, Washington

American intelligence agencies uncovered a Russian plot to kill the chief executive of a German weapons manufacturer, according to multiple Western officials, as Moscow steps up a campaign to undermine support for Ukraine’s war effort. The United States warned Germany about the plot, and German officials increased protection for Armin Papperger, who leads Rheinmetall, which makes artillery shells and tanks that Ukraine has used in its war against Russia. The assassination plot is a significant escalation, officials said, representing a more concerted covert effort to deter Western companies from producing supplies for Ukraine. A senior Western intelligence official said that the threats were flagged this past spring. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Russian operation.

Persons: Armin Papperger, Papperger Organizations: United, Rheinmetall, Russia, NATO Locations: Moscow, United States, Germany, Ukraine, Western

For more than six months, Russia has been carrying out a sabotage campaign across Europe, largely by proxy. “We’re seeing sabotage, we’re seeing assassination plots, we’re seeing arson. Russia’s sabotage campaign has, at times, smacked of a shotgun approach carried out by amateurs. In London in March, several men were charged with working with Russian intelligence services to set fire to a Ukrainian-linked warehouse. And French authorities last month detained a Russian-Ukrainian man who was allegedly building bombs as part of a sabotage campaign orchestrated by Moscow.

Persons: Armin Papperger, Olaf Scholz, Boris Pistorius, Fabian Bimmer, “, ”, Adrienne Watson, “ Russia’s, Oliver Hoffman, ” Hoffman, Donald Tusk, Papperger, Dariusz Borowicz, Agencja Wyborcza.pl, Reuters “, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen Organizations: CNN, Kyiv, Rheinmetall, NATO, National Security, NATO Allies, Embassy, intel, US, Reuters, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Kyiv, Germany, Berlin, Russia, West, Moscow, Papperger, Unterluess, United States, Washington, Russian, Polish, Lithuania, Poland, Ukrainian, London, Warsaw

☆ U.S. and Allies Target Russian Bots Working to Spread Propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Steven Lee Myers | Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department said on Tuesday that it had moved to disrupt a covert Russian influence operation that used artificial intelligence to spread propaganda in the United States, Europe and Israel with the goal of undermining support for Ukraine and stoking internal political divisions. In affidavits released with the announcement, officials with the Justice Department, the F.B.I. and the Pentagon’s Cyber National Mission Force linked the effort to Russia’s Federal Security Service and RT, the state television network that has channels in English and several other languages. The disclosure of such a large, global network of bots confirmed widespread warnings that the popularization of rapidly developing A.I. tools would make it easier to produce and spread dubious content.

Organizations: Ukraine, Elon, Justice Department, Force, Federal Security Service Locations: Russian, United States, Europe, Israel, Canada, Netherlands, Ukraine

☆ Intelligence on Russian sabotage threat prompted increase in security at US military bases in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In April, two German-Russian nationals were arrested for allegedly plotting bomb and arson attacks on targets including US military facilities on behalf of Russia. In London in March, several men were charged with working with Russian intelligence services to set fire to a Ukrainian-linked warehouse. And French authorities last month detained a Russian-Ukrainian man who was allegedly building bombs as part of a sabotage campaign orchestrated by Moscow. But a senior NATO official said the sabotage campaign is getting increasingly brazen and aggressive. “We’re seeing sabotage, assassination plots, arson — real things that have cost human lives.”This story has been updated with additional information.

Persons: Dan Day, we’ve, “, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: CNN, US, US Army, NATO, Command Locations: Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Riga, Latvia, London, Warsaw, Poland, Prague, Czech Republic, Paris, Ukrainian, Russian, Moscow

☆ Catalysts that could covert sticky mutual money
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The ETF industry is half way through what could be another record year of inflows. But there's still billions more dollars locked away in rival mutual funds. Here's a combination of things that could open that vault.

☆ 'Shadow Stand-Ins': How Workers Secretly Outsource Their Jobs
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Related storiesThough Remi recruited people she knew, shadow stand-ins are often sourced from a complex online web of faceless providers. Facebook Groups are a popular forum for recruiting shadow stand-ins, providing a two-sided marketplace where workers and providers can connect to one another. The dustup highlighted a key drawback to shadow stand-ins: While alluring, things can go horribly wrong. "It required a lot of micromanaging," said a backend engineer in Pennsylvania who hired shadow stand-ins to help him juggle multiple jobs. Pay rates for shadow stand-ins are "definitely more than what people earn in their regular payday, that's for sure," he said.

Persons: Remi, Zer, couldn't, — Remi, Walter Keane, Margaret, Tim Ferriss, Raj Kumar, isn't, Kevin, Andrew, it's, Lorenzo Matteucci, Brandon Nowak, —, Amber Clayton, Tim Woodruff, Woodruff, they're, Ranjan, Kiran, Rahul, Peter Steele, Michel Anteby, doesn't Organizations: Business, Labor, Verizon, Southwestern, Facebook, Amazon Web Services, BI, Companies, Corporations, Society for Human Resource Management, Secret Service, Department of, Treasury, FBI, LinkedIn, Boston University Locations: Chicago, India, Pakistan, China, Southwestern US, Atlanta, San Jose , California, Bengaluru, American Java, Southeast Asia, United States, Colorado, Southern California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Indian, Michigan, Oregon, England

☆ New Tactic in China’s Information War: Harassing a Critic’s Child in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Steven Lee Myers | Tiffany Hsu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Deng Yuwen, a prominent Chinese writer who now lives in exile in the suburbs of Philadelphia, has regularly criticized China and its authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping. China’s reaction of late has been severe, with crude and ominously personal attacks online. A covert propaganda network linked to the country’s security services has barraged not just Mr. Deng but also his teenage daughter with sexually suggestive and threatening posts on popular social media platforms, according to researchers at both Clemson University and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The content, posted by users with fake identities, has appeared in replies to Mr. Deng’s posts on X, the social platform, as well as the accounts of public schools in their community, where the daughter, who is 16, has been falsely portrayed as a drug user, an arsonist and a prostitute. “I tried to delete these posts,” Mr. Deng said of the attacks online, speaking in Mandarin Chinese in an interview, “but I didn’t succeed, because today you try to delete and tomorrow they just switch to new accounts to leave attacking text and language.”

Persons: Deng Yuwen, Xi, Deng, “, Mr, ” Organizations: Clemson University, Meta Locations: Philadelphia, China

☆ China's historic moon mission is just the start of its plans to dominate space
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Tuesday, its Chang'e-6 lunar probe successfully returned to Earth carrying the first-ever samples from the moon's far side. They signify China's growing prowess in orbit, as well as its potential to someday leapfrog the US in the race to dominate space. The moon's far sideThe moon's far side is considered particularly challenging to explore because of its craters and the difficulty of maintaining communications with vehicles landing there. The latest mission, which launched on May 3, is China's second successful landing on the moon's far side, with the first launched in 2019. The space race heats upChina is now rivaling the US and Russia as a leading space power.

Persons: —, Astrobiotic, Simone Dell'Agnello, Xi Jinping, Bill Nelson, it's Organizations: Service, Earth, Business, NASA, Wall Street, Analysts, Pentagon Locations: China, Mongolia, Russia

☆ Russian arms manufacturers are 'scrambling to expand their production capabilities using whatever they can get,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Rachel Hosie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewRussia is rushing to expand its arms production by buying secondhand machine tools from China through covert networks to get around Western sanctions. A report from Washington-based nonprofit think-tank The Center for Advanced Defense Studies, or C4ADS, said that Russia's arms manufacturers were "scrambling to expand their production capabilities using whatever they can get." And Russian defense industry analyst and lead researcher Allen Maggard told the Financial Times that the decades-old machine tools Russia is importing are still effective. AdvertisementGlenn Gray, the president of Gray Machinery, told the FT he'd never heard of the company.

Persons: —, Allen Maggard, Andrey Mironov, Glenn Gray, Tsugami, hasn't, C4ADS, UMIC —, ELE Organizations: Service, Advanced Defense, Business, Financial Times, Kremlin, AMG, ELE Technology, Gray Machinery Locations: Russia, China, Washington, Ukraine, UAE, Russian

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