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Libertarian economist Javier Milei was elected to become Argentina’s next president on Sunday.
With 86.59% of the votes counted, Milei won with nearly 56%, while his rival in the runoff, Economy Minister Sergio Massa, received 44%. Before the official results were announced, Massa conceded defeat in a speech. “The results are not what we expected, and I have contacted Javier Milei to congratulate him and wish him luck,” he said, thanking his supporters. “I am a man of democracy and I value nothing more than the verdict of the people. I am confident that tomorrow we can start working with Javier Milei to ensure an orderly transition [of power],” President Alberto Fernandez wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Milei, a 53-year-old self-described “anarcho-capitalist” who leads the Liberty Advances party, has been compared to former US President Donald Trump due to his sometimes brash and eccentric personality. During his campaign, Milei made several radical proposals, including the abolishing of the country’s central bank and swapping the Argentine peso for the US dollar as the country's official currency. He also advocated public spending cuts as a way to fix the economy. Libertarians typically see government activity as an encroachment on individual freedom and advocate a free market approach coupled with far lower taxes and little or no social spending. Voters have been frustrated by a cost-of-living crisis and triple-digit inflation, which over the summer hit its highest level since the early 1990s. A political outsider, Milei has built his appeal around promises to revive the economy, as Argentina is on track to slip into a recession for the sixth time in a decade.
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Country singers, romance novelists, video game artists and voice actors are appealing to the U.S. government for relief — as soon as possible — from the threat that artificial intelligence poses to their livelihoods. "Please regulate AI. I'm scared," wrote a podcaster concerned about his voice being replicated by AI in one of thousands of letters recently submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office. Technology companies, by contrast, are largely happy with the status quo that has enabled them to gobble up published works to make their AI systems better at mimicking what humans do. The nation's top copyright official hasn't yet taken sides. She told The Associated Press she's listening to everyone as her office weighs whether copyright reforms are needed for a new era of generative AI tools that can spit out compelling imagery, music, video and passages of text. "We've received close to 10,000 comments," said Shira Perlmutter, the U.S. register of copyrights, in an interview. "Every one of them is being read by a human being, not a computer. And I myself am reading a large part of them." What's at stake? Perlmutter directs the U.S. Copyright Office, which registered more than 480,000 copyrights last year covering millions of individual works but is increasingly being asked to register works that are AI-generated. So far, copyright claims for fully machine-generated content have been soundly rejected because copyright laws are designed to protect works of human authorship. But, Perlmutter asks, as humans feed content into AI systems and give instructions to influence what comes out, "is there a point at which there's enough human involvement in controlling the expressive elements of the output that the human can be considered to have contributed authorship?" That's one question the Copyright Office has put to the public. A bigger one — the question that's fielded thousands of comments from creative professions — is what to do about copyrighted human works that are being pulled from the internet and other sources and ingested to train AI systems, often without permission or compensation. More than 9,700 comments were sent to the Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress, before an initial comment period closed in late October. Another round of comments is due by December 6. After that, Perlmutter's office will work to advise Congress and others on whether reforms are needed. What are artists saying? Addressing the "Ladies and Gentlemen of the US Copyright Office," the Family Ties actor and filmmaker Justine Bateman said she was disturbed that AI models were "ingesting 100 years of film" and TV in a way that could destroy the structure of the film business and replace large portions of its labor pipeline. It "appears to many of us to be the largest copyright violation in the history of the United States," Bateman wrote. "I sincerely hope you can stop this practice of thievery." Airing some of the same AI concerns that fueled this year's Hollywood strikes, television showrunner Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face) said her industry should declare war on what is "nothing more than a plagiarism machine" before Hollywood is "coopted by greedy and craven companies who want to take human talent out of entertainment." The music industry is also threatened, said Nashville-based country songwriter Marc Beeson, who's written tunes for Carrie Underwood and Garth Brooks. Beeson said AI has potential to do good but "in some ways, it's like a gun — in the wrong hands, with no parameters in place for its use, it could do irreparable damage to one of the last true American art forms." While most commenters were individuals, their concerns were echoed by big music publishers — Universal Music Group called the way AI is trained "ravenous and poorly controlled" — as well as author groups and news organizations including The New York Times and The Associated Press. Is it fair use? What leading tech companies like Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI are telling the Copyright Office is that their training of AI models fits into the "fair use" doctrine that allows for limited uses of copyrighted materials such as for teaching, research or transforming the copyrighted work into something different. "The American AI industry is built in part on the understanding that the Copyright Act does not proscribe the use of copyrighted material to train Generative AI models," says a letter from Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The purpose of AI training is to identify patterns "across a broad body of content," not to "extract or reproduce" individual works, it added. So far, courts have largely sided with tech companies in interpreting how copyright laws should treat AI systems. In a defeat for visual artists, a federal judge in San Francisco last month dismissed much of the first big lawsuit against AI image-generators, though allowed some of the case to proceed. Most tech companies cite as precedent Google's success in beating back legal challenges to its online book library. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 let stand lower court rulings that rejected authors' claim that Google's digitizing of millions of books and showing snippets of them to the public amounted to copyright infringement. But that's a flawed comparison, argued former law professor and bestselling romance author Heidi Bond, who writes under the pen name Courtney Milan. Bond said she agrees that "fair use encompasses the right to learn from books," but Google Books obtained legitimate copies held by libraries and institutions, whereas many AI developers are scraping works of writing through "outright piracy." Perlmutter said this is what the Copyright Office is trying to help sort out. "Certainly, this differs in some respects from the Google situation," Perlmutter said. "Whether it differs enough to rule out the fair use defense is the question in hand."
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The once-glorified clean-energy stocks are now facing their darkest days, plunging the industry into a financial abyss that threatens America’s ambitious environmental aspirations. The much-touted green revolution is looking more like a red alert as the sector hemorrhages tens of billions in market value. Sure, we’re told that hundreds of billions is still pouring into renewable energy projects, despite the fact that the stock market seems to have declared a resounding “no thanks” to these ventures. The iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund), the poster child for the industry, has nosedived by over 30% this year and a whopping 50% since the dawn of 2021. Not to be outdone, specific sectors are getting their fair share of punishment. The Invesco Solar ETF is down over 40% in 2023, while the First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF is witnessing losses of about 20% this year and a grim 40% since January 2021. It seems the wind has been knocked out of their sails. Blame it on rising interest rates, the industry’s newfound nemesis. These higher rates have not only increased costs but also put a damper on consumer enthusiasm, leading to a nosedive in stock valuations for companies that once promised a green utopia but are now struggling to turn a profit. Solar companies such as SolarEdge and Enphase Energy are feeling the burn as demand for their products dwindles. Meanwhile, wind energy giant Orsted is singing the blues, with shares plummeting after revealing potential multibillion-dollar write-downs on its offshore wind projects in the US. In Germany, after the Nord Stream sabotage, because, you know, energy geopolitics and straightforward plans always go hand in hand, a whopping 77% of skeptics are shaking their heads, expressing disbelief that the nation will magically conjure up 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030. I guess turning skepticism into solar power hasn’t quite hit the mainstream yet. Switzerland, the poster child for phasing out nuclear power, is now flexing its green muscles by entertaining the idea of keeping nuclear plants running longer, because who needs a clear exit strategy when you can just extend the atomic party until 2040? Biden’s green dreams are melting faster than his favorite ice cream in the sun In the US, the demise of two New Jersey wind projects is just the tip of the iceberg, with inflation, sky-high interest rates, and a supply chain in shambles throwing a wrench into the gears of Joe’s climate ambitions. Despite a whopping $369 billion in federal aid from his climate law, clean energy projects are dropping like flies. Even the postponement of a Kentucky EV battery plant by Ford and General Motors trimming their EV plans couldn’t escape the economic tempest. It seems the only thing rising faster than hopes for a clean energy revolution is the cost. But hey, who needs affordable, reliable energy when we’ve got grand climate goals, right? Biden’s green plans are becoming a chilling reality check, and it’s not just the polar ice caps feeling the heat. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Not too long ago, clean energy was hailed as the savior of our planet, but now it seems the green agenda is drowning in a sea of red ink. The S&P Global Energy index, once a shining star, has seen its value halved since 2020 – a spectacular fall from grace. Fast forward to the present, and we witness the mighty green stocks taking a severe beating. Despite the EU and US governments offering billions in tax credits and subsidies to support the so-called green transition from Russian oil and gas, investors are losing confidence faster than you can say “renewable.”
The S&P Global Clean Energy Index has experienced a gut-wrenching 30% freefall in 2023, with the biggest quarterly outflow of $1.4 billion. The once-booming sector now holds a 23% decline in total assets under management, a far cry from its heyday just a few months ago. Blame it on the current economic climate, they say – high interest rates, soaring costs, and supply chain woes are the villains of this melodrama. And let’s not forget China, the puppet master of the solar supply chain, flooding the market with cheap alternatives, undermining the EU’s dreams of a local green market. As utility stocks struggle to convert to green energy, the sector’s operating margins are squeezed. The final nail in the coffin? NextEra Energy Partners cutting its growth target by half, sending shockwaves through the renewable industry. I dismiss the sell-off as overblown, but the damage is done, and confidence in renewables has hit rock bottom. So, what’s the moral of this green tale? It turns out, going green is not just about saving the planet; it’s an expensive affair. As the renewable energy stocks hit rock bottom, analysts are left wondering: is it time to buy, or is the green dream truly over? In a deliciously ironic plot twist, Greta Thunberg is currently sizzling in the crucible of criticism for daring to support Gaza. It seems our climate crusader is now facing a cancel-culture bonanza, much like the tweet she swiftly deleted – you know, the one prophesying Armageddon and cautioning that climate change might just “wipe out humanity” unless we magically halt fossil fuel usage by the grandiose deadline of 2023. The irony is thicker than Beijing’s smog, folks. Seems like even the green warriors can’t escape the unforgiving reality of the market. OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT a year ago, said Friday it had dismissed CEO Sam Altman as it no longer had confidence in his ability to lead the Microsoft-backed firm.
Altman, 38, became a tech world sensation with the release of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot with unprecedented capabilities, churning out human-level content like poems or artwork in just seconds. OpenAI's board said in a statement that Altman's departure "follows a deliberative review process," which concluded "he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." "The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI," it added. Altman's decision last year to release the app paid off in ways he never imagined, catapulting the Missouri-born Stanford dropout to household name stardom. The launch of ChatGPT ignited an AI race, with contenders including tech giants Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has woven the company's technology into its offerings, including search engine Bing. Altman has testified before US Congress about AI and spoken with heads of state about the technology, as pressure ramps up to regulate against risks such as AI's potential use in bioweapons, misinformation and other threats. The statement said the board was "grateful for Sam's many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward." Altman would be replaced on an interim basis by Mira Murati, the company's chief technology officer, the statement said. OpenAI's board of directors consists of OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, and Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology's Helen Toner. Altman earlier this month led a major developer's conference for OpenAI, announcing a new set of products that were largely met positively in Silicon Valley. The young CEO on Thursday told AFP he understood some of the worries when it came to how people feel about AI and its disruptive powers. "(I have) lots of empathy for why anyone would feel, however they feel, about this," he told AFP of the platform that is credited with launching the revolution in generative artificial intelligence (AI). Altman was speaking on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco where he was swarmed by fans after his appearance, many of whom wanted to take selfies with him.
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A decades-old letter of former Al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is going viral on TikTok after some users posted it on the video sharing platform and re-shared it on X (formerly Twitter). TikTok has removed the hashtag #lettertoamerica (with over 2 million views) from its search after bin Laden's 2002 'Letter to America' sparked a debate about US support to Israel in its current conflict with Hamas, reported NBC News.
Some social media users suggested that the Al Qaeda founder's document gives an alternative perspective about the US' involvement in conflicts in the Middle East - something that has been criticised by the White House. The issue gained prominence after users started sharing link to The Guardian's transcript of the letter, which was written a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks in which more than 3,000 people were killed. The Guardian removed the 21-year-old letter from its website. In the letter, bin Laden addressed the American people and sought to answer the following questions: "Why are we fighting and opposing you?" and "What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?" The letter includes anti-semitic language, as per NBC News. The letter sparked a debate on social media about the validity and morality of bin Laden's letter, with some expressing sympathy while others condemning or mocking it. People discussing the letter said it caused them to re-evaluate their beliefs around US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also said they are not praising or defending bin Laden's orchestration of the 9/11 attacks. TikTok's critics argued that it was evidence that the app, owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, had been secretly boosting propaganda to a captive audience of American youth. Bin Laden's letter also criticised US support for Israel and accuses the US of aiding the oppression of Palestinian people. The former Al Qaida chief also criticised US interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Chechnya and Lebanon, as per The Washington Post. Bin Laden, who was killed in a US special operation in Pakistan in 2011. The White House has criticised the sharing of the message, saying "no one should ever insult the 2,977 American families still mourning loved ones by associating themselves with the vile words of Osama bin Laden". Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is among the politicians who have slammed the letter, calling for social media reform. "When you look at social media, I have long said that we have to ban TikTok. And if you didn't know why, there's another example today," Ms Haley, a 2024 GOP presidential primary candidate, told Fox News. TikTok spokesperson Ben Rathe said that videos featuring bin Laden's letter violate the platform's guidelines. Post a comment "Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism. We are proactively and aggressively removing this content and investigating how it got onto our platform. The number of videos on TikTok is small and reports of it trending on our platform are inaccurate. This is not unique to TikTok and has appeared across multiple platforms and the media," he said Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and electric guitar legend Joe Satriani have announced a summer 2024 North American tour that's set to feature a very Van Halen-heavy setlist. Its participants have been careful not to explicitly call The Best of All Worlds, as the tour is being called, a “Van Halen tribute tour,“ as original frontman David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen's son – Mammoth WVH leader and one-time Van Halen bass guitar player Wolfgang Van Halen – do not appear to be involved. Needless to say, though, given that Satriani was long involved in discussions for an official tour with Roth and Alex Van Halen that eventually petered out, it appears that this is as close to a genuine tribute tour as we're going to get. "We're gonna go deep into the Van Halen catalog," Hagar told Howard Stern on Tuesday. "If you're gonna go deep into the Van Halen catalog, you need Joe Satriani." Hagar noted that he and Anthony typically play "five or six Van Halen songs" on the road with the Circle. This time, he'll flip the script and play "five or six of my songs" alongside Van Halen classics and deep cuts. “It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the 04’ Best of Both Worlds Tour,“ Hagar said in a statement. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. “We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career, but seeing fans old and new really embrace [The Collection II, a new box set featuring remasters of Van Halen's four Hagar-era albums] set off something in Mikey and I. We were at my Birthday Bash in Cabo for my 76th and looked at each other and high five-d, like, ‘let’s do it.’ We pulled out a couple of them and it was an instant lovefest with the fans from our first riffs. “The music we created is going to outlive us all,“ the singer concluded. “[The songs] deserve to be heard, so it's time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can.“
The statement announcing the tour highlighted latter-day Van Halen classics like Finish What Ya Started, 5150, Good Enough, Best of Both Worlds, Poundcake, and Right Now as examples of what fans can expect to hear at the shows, along with material from Hagar/Anthony/Satriani supergroup Chickenfoot, and modern-day project The Circle. From there, one can naturally infer that – in Roth's absence – the setlists will be light on material from Van Halen's first six albums. The Best of All Worlds tour is set to begin on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida and will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri, and will be supported by Loverboy. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. local time. Israel has launched a "targeted operation" in Gaza's biggest hospital it accuses Hamas of using as a command centre. The hospital is sheltering thousands of sick, displaced Gazans, and the move could intensify international criticism of Israel.
Here are 10 facts on the Israel-Hamas war:
The history of Taiwan is a complex and multifaceted story that spans centuries, shaped by the interactions of various indigenous cultures, colonial powers, and geopolitical forces. Here is an overview of key events in the founding and existence of Taiwan: Indigenous Peoples: Taiwan's history begins with its indigenous peoples, who have inhabited the island for thousands of years. Austronesian-speaking tribes, including the Pingpu and Formosan peoples, were the first to settle in Taiwan. They established unique cultures and societies, living off the island's abundant natural resources. Dutch and Spanish Colonization (17th Century): In the 17th century, European powers began to take an interest in Taiwan. The Dutch East India Company established a foothold in southern Taiwan in the early 17th century, followed by the Spanish in the north. The indigenous peoples resisted these foreign incursions, leading to conflicts. Ming Loyalists and Qing Dynasty (17th-19th Century): The Ming Dynasty loyalists, led by Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), expelled the Dutch from Taiwan in 1662. However, the Ming forces' rule was short-lived, as the Qing Dynasty defeated Koxinga's descendants and incorporated Taiwan into its empire in 1683. Taiwan remained a part of the Qing Dynasty for the next two centuries. Japanese Rule (1895-1945): In 1895, after the First Sino-Japanese War, the Treaty of Shimonoseki ceded Taiwan to Japan. The Japanese colonial period saw significant economic and infrastructural development but was marked by strict authoritarian rule and the suppression of local cultures. Taiwan played a role in World War II, particularly during the Pacific War. The story of Taiwan's founding and existence is closely intertwined with the political career of Chiang Kai-shek, a prominent figure in Chinese history. Here is a more detailed account that highlights Chiang Kai-shek's role: Early 20th Century: As the Qing Dynasty collapsed, China went through a series of internal conflicts and foreign invasions. Amidst this turbulence, Chiang Kai-shek rose to prominence within the Kuomintang (KMT), the Nationalist Party of China, under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen. Northern Expedition (1926-1928): Chiang Kai-shek played a crucial role in the Northern Expedition, a military campaign launched by the KMT to reunify China. During this campaign, the KMT sought to eliminate the warlords and unify the country under its rule. Chiang Kai-shek emerged as the leader of the National Revolutionary Army and successfully achieved several military victories. Shanghai Massacre (1927): In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek turned against his Communist allies, leading to the Shanghai Massacre. This marked the beginning of a split between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chiang's KMT established the Republic of China (ROC) with its capital in Nanjing, while the CCP retreated to rural areas to continue its revolutionary activities. Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945): During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chiang Kai-shek led China in resisting the Japanese invasion. The war severely strained China's resources and infrastructure, and the KMT government retreated to Chongqing, where it continued to resist Japanese aggression. World War II and Post-War Period: At the end of World War II, Japan's defeat resulted in the return of Taiwan to Chinese control. The Allied forces, led by the ROC, took control of Taiwan, ending fifty years of Japanese rule. Chinese Civil War (1927-1949): The Chinese Civil War resumed after World War II between the KMT and the CCP. Despite receiving substantial aid from the United States, the KMT faced internal corruption and military setbacks. By 1949, the CCP, under Mao Zedong, emerged victorious, and Chiang Kai-shek retreated with the remnants of the KMT to Taiwan. Chinese Nationalist Rule (1945-1949): After Japan's defeat in 1945, Taiwan was placed under the administrative control of the Republic of China (ROC), led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT). Initially, the KMT administration faced challenges, including social unrest and conflicts with the local population. The ROC retained control of Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War, which concluded in 1949 with the Communist victory on the mainland. Cold War and International Recognition (1949-1971): During the Cold War, Taiwan became a key ally of the United States and was recognized by many Western countries as the legitimate government of China. The ROC held the Chinese seat at the United Nations until 1971 when the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, recognizing the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the only legitimate representative of China. Establishment of the Republic of China on Taiwan (1949):
In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek proclaimed Taipei as the temporary capital of the Republic of China. The KMT government declared itself the legitimate government of all of China, despite controlling only Taiwan and a few surrounding islands. Authoritarian Rule and Economic Development: Chiang Kai-shek established an authoritarian regime in Taiwan. While political freedoms were restricted, he initiated economic reforms that transformed Taiwan from an agrarian society into an industrialized powerhouse. Land reforms, infrastructure development, and an emphasis on education played key roles in this economic transformation. Chiang Ching-kuo and Democratization: Chiang Kai-shek's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, succeeded him in 1975. Under Chiang Ching-kuo's leadership, Taiwan gradually transitioned to democracy. Political reforms allowed for multiparty elections, and in 1996, Taiwan held its first direct presidential election, marking a significant milestone in the island's democratization. Chiang Kai-shek's legacy remains complex, with opinions divided on his contributions to Taiwan's development and the authoritarian nature of his rule. Today, Taiwan stands as a vibrant democracy with a unique history shaped by its complex relationship with China and the legacy of leaders like Chiang Kai-shek. Modern Taiwan (Post-1971): Following its expulsion from the UN, Taiwan continued to develop as an economic powerhouse. The island underwent a significant political transformation in the late 20th century, transitioning from authoritarian rule to democracy. Reforms initiated by leaders such as Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui paved the way for multiparty elections, and in 2000, Taiwan elected its first non-KMT president, Chen Shui-bian. Today, Taiwan is a vibrant democracy with a diverse cultural heritage and a thriving economy. However, its political status remains a contentious issue, with the PRC claiming sovereignty over the island and the international community maintaining a complex relationship with both Taiwan and China. A Ukrainian military officer allegedly coordinated last year's attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, according to The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources in Ukraine and Europe.
No one has taken responsibility for the September 2022 explosions, off the Danish island of Bornholm, that damaged three out of four offshore natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea and delivering Russian gas to Europe. The United States and NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, called it an act of sabotage, while Moscow said it was an act of international terrorism. Germany, Denmark and Sweden have launched investigations into the Nord Stream explosions, which sent plumes of methane into the atmosphere in a leak that lasted several days. Roman Chervinsky, a decorated 48-year-old colonel who served in Ukraine’s special operations forces, was the “coordinator” of the Nord Stream operation, according to people familiar with his role, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Chervinsky, sources say, managed logistics and support for a six-person team that rented a sailboat under false identities and used deep-sea diving equipment to place explosive charges on the gas pipelines, The Washington Post reported. On Sept. 26, 2022, three explosions caused massive leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, The attack left only one of the four gas links in the network intact as winter approached. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military told the Reuters news agency he had "no information" about the claim. The Ukrainian foreign ministry and Kyiv's domestic security service, the SBU, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The newspaper also reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has denied Kyiv's role in the blasts, had been unaware of the operation. Zelenskyy last week replaced the head of Ukraine’s special operations forces. Chervinsky denied any involvement in the pipeline explosions. An outspoken critic of Zelenskyy’s administration, he said the case against him is politically motivated. “All speculations about my involvement in the attack on Nord Stream are being spread by Russian propaganda without any basis,” Chervinsky said in a written statement to The Washington Post and Germany's Der Spiegel newspaper, which conducted a joint investigation of his role. Chervinsky is currently under arrest for attempting to convince a Russian pilot in 2022 to defect to Ukraine, which investigators say led to a deadly Russian attack on a Ukrainian air base. Although he is accused on acting alone in this, his commanding officer at the time, Maj. Gen. Viktor Hanushchak, told Ukrainian media earlier this year that senior military leadership had signed off on the plot to lure the Russian pilot. The Post and Der Spiegel collaborated on reporting and wrote separate stories that they agreed to publish at the same time. Separately, three Russian soldiers were killed Saturday in a blast in the Russian-occupied town of Melitopol, according to Ukraine’s intelligence directorate. "This act of revenge, carried out by representatives of the local resistance, “a directorate statement said, “took place in the New Post offices seized by the Russians." Reuters said the Russians have not mentioned the incident and the news agency has not been able to verify the incident. Major sea ports around Australia have been shut down by operator DP World following what has been called a “cybersecurity incident.”
The container terminal operator made the decision late on Friday night, with access to ports heavily restricted on Saturday at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Fremantle. “Our teams are working diligently to contain the situation and determine the impact on our systems and data,” DP World Australia said in a statement to the Australian Financial Review. “To safeguard our employees, customers and our networks, we have restricted landside access to our Australian port operations while we continue our investigation. “This is part of a comprehensive response which includes engaging with cybersecurity experts, actively investigating the incident and notifying the relevant authorities.” The hack follows another cybersecurity incident at Melbourne cryptocurrency exchange Coinspot on Thursday, in which more than $2m was taken from accounts. Another data breach in September caused the information of nearly 200,000 Pizza Hut customers to be leaked. Bookstore chain Dymocks also disclosed a data breach, in which customer data “may have been compromised,” also took place in September. DP World is a Dubai-based logistics company which operates cargo and port terminal services both in Australia and internationally. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) recently voted on industrial action, extending their 24-hour rolling strike notice until November 20. There’s no suggestion the cybersecurity incident and the union actions are linked. |
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