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☆ Russian hackers are targeting cameras at Ukrainian coffee shops to spy on convoys of Western military aid, top NSA official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian hackers are using "creative" ways to tap into cameras in Ukraine, according to a US official. US defense manufacturers are also under "daily pressure" from Russian hackers, said NSA's Rob Joyce. "We're watching the Russian hackers log into public-facing webcams to watch convoys and trains delivering aid," the NSA official said. He added that while hackers are logging into closed-circuit cameras in public, they are also hacking into cameras on private properties. On both sides of the conflict in Ukraine, hacking efforts and electronic warfare are significant, although Russian hacking has been an increasing concern for the US military, Insider previously reported.

☆ A Florida school banned an adaptation of Anne Frank's diary because Moms for Liberty deemed it 'sexually explicit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida school removed a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's diary from its library shelves. Anne Frank's original diary remains in the high school's library. The book, entitled "Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation," was removed from the Vero Beach High School library in Indian River County after a group called Moms for Liberty expressed concerns, according to local news outlet WPTV. "We think true history absolutely needs to be taught, the Holocaust, the Anne Frank diary," Jennifer Pippin, who chairs the Indian River County chapter of Moms For Liberty, told WPTV. Frank's original diary remains in the Vero Beach High School library, Dr. Kyra Schafte, the director of academic compliance and equity for the district, told WPTV.

☆ Experts fear deteriorating parking lots could collapse under the weight of heavy electric vehicles, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Experts in the UK are concerned the weight of electric cars could cause old parking lots to collapse. Many multi-story parking lots have structural flaws due to a lack of maintenance, The Telegraph reported. Electric vehicles are significantly heavier than gasoline-powered cars, given the weight of the batteries necessary to power them. Whapples and Russell Simmons, chair of the British Parking Association's structures group, have suggested new guidance that recommends adding higher load-bearing weights to deteriorating parking lots to help adapt to the weight of electric cars. Over the years, electric cars have become increasingly popular due to energy efficiency and the promise of a more environment-friendly form of transportation.

☆ Ukraine is forced to recycle unexploded bombs amid serious ammunition shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops are rationing their shells as they face ammunition shortages, The Washington Post reported. Western allies are struggling to keep up ammunition production to aid the country. "The current rate of Ukraine's ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production," he added, saying allies should invest and expand in the ammunition production for Ukraine. While the Biden administration promised to send Ukraine over 200,000 rounds of artillery, rockets, and tank rounds, the US is facing extremely high production shortages, Insider reported. Similarly, the European Union has created a plan to send one million rounds of ammunition but is facing challenges in meeting Ukraine's needs.

☆ Ukraine is training 40,000 'storm brigade' troops to strengthen the planned counter-offensive against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is training eight new 'storm brigades' totaling 40,000 soldiers, according to Reuters. New soldiers are being trained in target practice, flying drones, and rescuing injured soldiers. As Russia continues its attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has bolstered its recruiting campaigns in order to attract new volunteers. Recruits of the Steel Border storm brigade practice launching drones, at the unit's base in central Ukraine March 24, 2023. More than a year into Russia's invasion of the country, a counter-offensive operation is considered crucial for Ukraine.

☆ Why sympathy for the Palestinians among Americans is shifting and at an all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Sympathy toward the Palestinians among US adults is at a new high of 31%, according to Gallup data. Social media is changing the way Americans perceive the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The police used tear gas and fired stun grenades as young Palestinians threw firecrackers back, according to multiple reports. But while the cycles of violence in the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians remain unchanged, the way Americans perceive the conflict is altering. Gallup Poll conducted between conducting the poll between Feb 1-23, 2023.

☆ Exonerated 'Central Park 5' member mimics Trump's 1980s ad that called for the return of the death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One of the "Central Park Five" mimicked a 1989 full-page ad that Trump placed calling for the death penalty. In the mock ad, posted on Twitter, Salaam referred to Trump's recent indictment and arrest. In the ad, which was posted on Twitter, Yusef Salaam mocked Trump's recent indictment and arrest while imitating the statement Trump advertised in multiple New York newspapers. Salaam was one of five Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly convicted of the assault and rape of a young white woman in Central Park. Salaam, however, said he ultimately wished Trump "no harm," even though the former president had "effectively called for my death and the death of four other innocent children."

☆ Renaissance artists da Vinci and Botticelli may have used egg yolk in their masterpieces, new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Renaissance artists may have used egg yolk to protect and alter their paintings, scientists find. Egg proteins mixed into oil paint helps paintings withstand humidity and to prevent wrinkling. In the study, experts found that adding eggs to oil paintings "acts as an antioxidant, slowing down the onset of curing." benjapol congliang/ShutterstockIn examining the effects of using egg yolk proteins in the oil, the scientists found that the egg proteins suppressed the water absorbed in the paint in humid environments. While paintings dried, they also helped prevent yellowing and wrinkling — "a problem even Leonardo da Vinci encountered," the study found.

☆ Russia uses facial recognition technology from US companies to spy on anti-war protestors, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Court records show Moscow's surveillance network played a role in the arrests of protesters, says Reuters. US facial recognition technology is aiding the tracking of protestors in Russia, said Reuters. More than 3,000 cameras in Moscow are connected to facial recognition systems. According to the court records, many of those detained due to the cameras were during anti-government protests in 2021. After he was detained by police, he was asked about his views on the Ukraine war and on Russia President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported.

☆ Russia's President Vladimir Putin could be a 'dead man walking,' a former CIA counterintelligence chief told an interviewer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former CIA official laid out why he believes Putin will be 'eliminated' as leader of Russia. In an interview with The Sun, James Olson said, "I think Putin will be taken out." Olson said there is a "strong undercurrent of opposition to Putin" in the military and among oligarchs. He would not discount the most dramatic option in this possibility, saying, "I think Putin will be taken out. Olson believes Putin's generals are "disgusted" by the futility and the carnage of the fighting in Ukraine.

☆ The awe-inspiring titanosaur, one of the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived, goes on display
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A cast of the Patagotitan mayorum dinosaur is being displayed at London's Natural History Museum. The dinosaur giant lived on Earth about 100 million years ago and weighed as much as 57 tons. The new exhibit features a cast of the giant Patagotitan mayorum — a gargantuan dinosaur belonging to a group known as titanosaurs — visitors can touch, walk under, and appreciate its massive size. Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London"The replica is a composite – it incorporates bones from at least six different individuals found at the site," Sinead Marron, exhibition and interpretation manager at the museum, told CNN. "There is nothing that comes close to Patagotitan walking the Earth today – so in this case, seeing is believing.

☆ Arrested WSJ reporter could become 'bargaining chip' following West's success in smashing Russia's suspected global spy rings, ex-CIA officer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Numerous countries have detained or expelled suspected Russian spies in recent months. The arrest comes after several countries detained or expelled hundreds of suspected Russian spies in the preceding weeks and months. Hundreds of suspected Russian spies have been expelledSergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, pictured in Russian military uniform Department of JusticeLast week, documents released by the Department of Justice revealed the dramatic story of an accused Russian spy. In a similar case in Australia in February, a local newspaper reported that authorities expelled a large Russian spy ring — whose members were posing as diplomats — from the country. Countries across Scandinavia have also made a significant clampdown on those accused of Russian espionage, Politico reports.

☆ A woman is selling her childhood home where she has lived for 102 years — her family bought it for about $250 at the time
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 104-year-old woman is selling the home she has lived in for the past century. Nancy 'Joan' Gifford moved into the house in Somerset, southwest England, when she was two. When her family bought the property in 1921, it cost about $250. According to the Bank of England's inflation calculator, 200 pounds in 1921 would be worth about 7,800 pounds (or $9,600) today. "That house must hold so many lovely memories for Mrs. Gifford and her family, but now, after more than a century, it's time for another family to make some memories."

☆ Putin hits back at claims by 'jealous people' that Russia is becoming dependent on China, days after meeting with Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin dismissed claims that Russia is too dependent on China as coming from "jealous people." In televised remarks, Russia's president said Russia valued its "mutual relationship" with China. The remarks come a few days after Putin met with China's President Xi Jinping. "We are not creating any military alliance with China," Putin said in televised remarks, "Yes, we have cooperation in the sphere of military-technical interaction. On the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China introduced a peace plan for dealing with the war.

☆ Putin has taken Belarus 'hostage' with Russian plans to station nuclear weapons in the country, says Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has taken Belarus as a "nuclear hostage," a top Ukrainian official said on Sunday. On Saturday, Putin announced plans to store tactical nuclear weapons in the country. On Saturday, Putin announced on Russian state television that he planned to build a storage facility in Belarus to hold tactical nuclear weapons. The Russian president said there is "nothing unusual" about his announcement, noting the US has "long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," according to Reuters. Belarus and Russia have been long-time allies — and the former Soviet republic is generally seen as a Russian puppet state.

☆ A growing list of countries say they will arrest Putin if he goes there, enforcing an international warrant accusing him of war crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A growing number of country in Europe say they will arrest Putin if he crosses their borders. Ireland, Croatia, Austria, and Germany said this week they arrest him, in line with an ICC warrant. Other countries — including the UK and France — welcomed the ICC decision but did not explicitly commit to arresting Putin. President Joe Biden called the ICC's warrant "justified," but noted that the US is not part of the ICC system. One European country is a standout, however, after Hungary said on Thursday it would not arrest Putin if he were to travel to the country.

☆ Ukraine's air force is now allowing foreigners to sign up as pilots as it pushes for Western fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Air Force will now allow foreigners to serve as pilots, engineers, and specialists. Ukraine said that its air force has been inundated with offers from people willing to fight Russia. Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for the commander of Ukraine's air force, said in a statement Thursday that foreign citizens will be able to join if they have suitable military training. Despite bipartisan calls in the US for President Joe Biden's administration to send F-16s, Biden himself said on February 24 that Ukraine "doesn't need F-16s now." Serhii Holubtsov, chief of aviation of Ukraine's Air Force, however, told The Times of London that Ukrainian fighter pilots would be ready to fly F-16 jets after fewer than six months of training.

☆ A decorated former US F-16 pilot says he would fly fighter jets for Ukraine: 'You can count on me,' he told a VoA interview.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A decorated former US Air Force pilot said he would fly fighter jets for Ukraine if necessary. Retired Lt. Col. Dan "Two Dogs" Hampton discussed the potential of the US F-16 in the war over Ukraine. "I'll even go myself, you can count on me," the retired lieutenant colonel told a VoA interview. The highly decorated pilot, known as "Two Dogs," spent 20 years in the Air Force, fought in the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, and Iraq wars, and is a New York Times bestselling author for his memoirs from his time in the military. Meanwhile, a US Air Force official said that fighter jets were "worthless" over Ukraine earlier this week because both sides of the conflict have mastered long-range missile defense, Insider previously reported.

☆ A 5,000-mile blanket of seaweed that can be seen from space threatens the beaches of Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This year's seaweed bloom of 'Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt' is one of the largest on record. It is the largest seaweed bloom in the world — weighing approximately 20 million tons — and is visible from outer space. "It's incredible," Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, told NBC News. Workers who were hired by residents remove sargassum seaweed from the Bay of Soliman, north of Tulum, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. "I think I've replaced my climate change anxiety with sargassum anxiety," Patricia Estridge, CEO of Seaweed Generation, told The Guardian.

☆ A 5,000-mile blanket of seaweed that can be seen from space is threatens the beaches of Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ President Zelenskyy among large crowds mourning 'Da Vinci,' a celebrated 27-year-old battalion commander killed near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy attended the funeral of a celebrated soldier who was killed earlier this week. Dmytro Kotsiubailo's call sign was "Da Vinci," and he was 27 years old when he died. Kotsiubailo's call sign was "Da Vinci" — as the soldier gave up on his dream of becoming an artist to fight for Ukraine, according to NPR. He led a battalion called the "Da Vinci Wolves." "I handed over to Oksana Kotsiubailo, Da Vinci's mother, the Cross of Military Merit, which her son was posthumously awarded.

☆ Former Vice President Mike Pence openly mocked Donald Trump with a series of pointed jokes ridiculing his former boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mike Pence mocked Donald Trump at the annual Gridiron Dinner on Saturday. The former vice president joked about Trump's ego and the numerous subpoenas his associates are facing. "Honestly, I learned a lot working beside Donald Trump — like subpoenas, for instance," he added. Pence says Trump endanger my family on Jan.6US President Donald Trump makes remarks on the economy as Vice President Mike Pence (R) looks on July 27, 2018 at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. After Pence refused to overturn Joe Biden's election victory, rioters chanted that they wanted to "hang Mike Pence."

☆ Jehovah's Witness mass shooter presented himself as a business guru charging clients $266,000 a day to get rich, says local report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A German gunman who killed six people previously claimed he could make millions for business clients. The deadly shooting was at a Jehovah's Witness hall in the city of Hamburg. The gunman, identified as Philipp F., shot and killed himself when police arrived at the scene. German authorities identified the shooter only as Philipp F. — a former Jehovah's Witness and member of the congregation he later attacked. The four men and two women killed in the attack were all German nationals, and an injured pregnant woman lost her baby.

☆ Hundreds of cars confiscated from drunk drivers to be supplied to Ukraine's military and hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Latvia is sending cars that have been confiscated from drunk drivers to Ukraine. Latvia said it would provide two dozen seized vehicles to Ukraine each week. The government tasked the transport of the seized cars to the Agendum group — a Latvian NGO that delivers vehicles to Ukraine — who will donate them to the Ukrainian military and hospitals. "It's actually very scary when you realize how many cars are driving around with drunk drivers," Reinis Poznaks, founder of the NGO Twitter Convoy in association with Agendum, told Reuters in an interview. Last month, the Latvian parliament passed a law allowing the transfer of state-owned vehicles — usually sold or recycled — to Ukraine, according to Euronews.

☆ Roman 'shrine' discovered in cathedral graveyard could be a sacrifice site linked to fertility and mystery cults, say archaeologists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Archeologists in Britain discovered what they believe to be an ancient Roman shrine. Archaeologists from the University of Leicester excavate a Roman cellar at Leicester Cathedral. There has always been a "folk tale" for centuries that a Roman temple once stood where the Leicester Cathedral is now, the expert said. Archeologists made many other finds at the cathedral site, including ancient Roman coins and pottery. "This excavation has produced a remarkable amount of archaeological evidence from a modestly sized area," said John Thomas, Deputy Director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services.

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