In the wake of cyberattacks by cyber-intrusion groups, both AT&T and Verizon have confirmed that their systems have now recovered and are operating safely. In separate press notes attributed to Reuters and Bloomberg, both major telecom operators cleared that they worked with law enforcement authorities to mitigate the harm from state-linked threats tied to espionage … Read more
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening retaliatory measures against Ukraine if Kyiv stops Russian gas transit to Slovakia as of Jan. 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week said his government “would not prolong the transit of Russian gas” once the current contract expires at the end of this year. Zelenskyy accused Fico of … Read more
Authorities in Moscow said on Saturday that they had prevented the killing of a high-ranking Russian military officer and a pro-war Russian blogger with a homemade bomb hidden in a portable music speaker, a plot allegedly prepared by Ukraine. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), a successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that a Russian citizen, … Read more
The U.S. has seen “some early indications” of possible Russian involvement in the Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that killed 38, according to the White House. American officials “have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” White … Read more
In the South China Sea, meanwhile, Beijing continues a campaign of maritime harassment against civilian vessels from neighboring nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines. Yes, our oceans are under threat. And lest we forget, climate change is contributing even further harm. The shipping industry is a significant carbon emitter, and in the past decade, its … Read more
Polls currently show the Germany’s conservative alliance, led by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, to be far ahead in the race, with 31 percent support. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is second at 19 percent, and Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) is third at 17 percent. Merz has drawn his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) … Read more
LONDON — There wasn’t a great deal of time for reading in Westminster this year. Labour’s election supermajority, dramas over freebies and staff, war everywhere, a tax-hiking budget, and a heap of missions, milestones, foundations, pillars and steps kept Britain’s politicians on their toes. But, thankfully, some of Westminster’s finest still managed to steal a … Read more
“We’ve seen a deterioration in the sense of control of the public realm,” said Conservative MP Kit Malthouse, who served as deputy mayor of London for policing between 2008 and 2012. “If a city gets a reputation for being high crime, it puts a lot of people off.” Everyone POLITICO interviewed agreed that more active … Read more
“Federal authorities are turning over every stone,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). But it’s far from clear that will reassure voters, particularly as revelations about security missteps continue to surface. Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) was warned by regional authorities of the suspect’s possible violent intentions as … Read more
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, wants NATO allies to boost their defense spending to more than double the current target of 2 percent of gross domestic product, the Financial Times and the Telegraph reported Friday. According to the reports, Trump’s team has told European officials that the incoming American president expects members of the military … Read more
