Links 12/12/2024: Shell Settles With Greenpeace, DOJ Whistleblower Pilot Program (2025)

  • New York Times ☛ Anger After UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing Rattles Health Insurance Workers

    Employees at UnitedHealthcare and other companies described being anxious after an outpouring of online vitriol.

  • New York Times ☛ Luigi Mangione and the Danger of a Handsome Criminal

    What happens when violent crimes are overshadowed by appearances?

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Senators, witnesses: $3B for ‘rip and replace’ a good start to preventing Salt Typhoon-style breaches

    The annual defense spending bill contains money the FCC has sought to use to reimburse telecommunications carriers for removing Chinese equipment.

  • Defence Web ☛ MP assured South African State Security Agency on top of terrorism threats

    Concerns expressed by an MKP (uMkhonto we Sizwe Party) Member of Parliament (MP) as regards South Africa being a logistic hub for terrorist organisations were assuaged by Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, in the final round of Parliamentary questions for the year.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Why Americans must be prepared for cybersecurity’s worst

    A Republican congressman from Texas makes the case for cybersecurity as “a cornerstone” of the GOP agenda.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Latest round of MITRE ATT&CK evaluations put cybersecurity products through rigors of ransomware

    The sixth round of tests included two ransomware variants, while also incorporating macOS for the first time.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ The United States needs a durable national energy strategy

    The United States lacks a comprehensive, long-term energy strategy that can persist through election cycles and aligns energy security with broader national interests. Congress should address this shortfall by mandating a “National Energy Strategy” that establishes a durable energy policy framework.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Dashboards, sharing threat intelligence helping USDA improve cybersecurity responses

    When it comes to cybersecurity, the more data you have, the easier it is to identify anomalies and stop adversaries.

  • European Commission ☛ Remarks by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the Communication on countering hybrid threats from the weaponisation of migration and strengthening security at the EU's external border
  • The Straits Times ☛ Afghan Taliban's refugees minister killed by suicide blast

    Mr Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani was killed in a suicide bombing at the ministry’s offices in the capital Kabul.

  • Defence Web ☛ Lack of border fencing a major contributor to illegal grazing

    When not intercepting illegal immigrants or smugglers attempting to enter South Africa loaded with contraband, soldiers deployed on the border protection tasking Operation Corona are often asked to round up livestock illegally grazing on South African land.

  • New York Times ☛ Biden Administration Looks to Reinforce U.S.-China Ties Ahead of Trump’s Return

    Senior Treasury officials are holding a final round of talks with a new round of economic volatility on the horizon.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Why is the Chinese military deployment around Taiwan the largest in years?

    The size and scale of a recent Chinese military deployment is “unheard of,” says a diplomat in the region. Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory, says it is defending its sovereignty.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says it takes ‘necessary measures’ to defend sovereignty over Taiwan

    China has held two rounds of major war games around Taiwan so far in 2024.

  • Taiwan warns internet celebrities on collusion after video uproar

    Online influencers have become an important part of China’s propaganda war against the island, said Taiwan.

  • China mobilizes ‘staggering’ naval presence in Taiwan Strait: Taipei

    Deployment comes after Taiwan leader’s Pacific tour that included a US stop.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China draws ‘red line’ around Taiwan with biggest maritime drills in years, Taipei says

    By Joy Chiang China has expanded military drills around Taiwan with dozens of warplanes and a huge maritime exercise aimed at drawing “a red line” for the next US president, Taipei authorities said Wednesday.

  • EXPLAINED: How China hopes to kickstart its flagging economy

    The ruling Chinese Communist Party says it will loosen monetary policy and spend more, in bid to boost confidence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Powerful blast rocks residential high-rise in southern China, kills one person

    The blast sent shockwaves through nearby skyscrapers.

  • London council rejects China’s ‘super-embassy’ plan - again

    Campaigners against the massive facility fear the decision may soon be taken out of local people's hands.

  • Canada sanctions 8 Chinese officials for human rights violations

    The measure comes at a time when Western governments are increasingly using sanctions to hold violators to account.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing to impose visa restrictions on US officials who ‘perform terribly on Hong Kong affairs’

    Beijing has announced it will impose visa restrictions on US officials that it said had “interfered” in Hong Kong affairs after Washington last months said it was “taking steps” to impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ China Spherical Death Star Robot Hunts Criminals

    China Spherical Death Star Robot revolutionizes policing with AI-powered crime-fighting technology.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Speak or not to speak? K-pop stars face dilemma amid martial law debacle

    Some people criticised Cha Eun-woo of the boy band Astro for posting fashion shoot photos on Dec 7.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea President Yoon Defends Martial Law Decree in Defiant Speech

    President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to “fight to the end,” despite the opposition’s push to impeach him and his own party’s demand that he resign.

  • New York Times ☛ North Korea Breaks Silence on South Korea’s Martial Law Declaration

    In its first statement about the turmoil over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law decree, the North said nothing about how inter-Korean relations might be affected.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korean Police Raid President Yoon’s Office in Martial Law Inquiry

    President Yoon Suk Yeol shows no sign of stepping down, as investigators raided his office and more members of his own party turned against him.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korean media reports South Korea’s martial law crisis for first time

    It did not offer much commentary but largely carried South Korean and international media reports.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Lawsuit seeks $94 per person in compensation from South Korean president over botched martial law

    The compensation is for alleged psychological damages stemming from his declaration of martial law.

  • CS Monitor ☛ In ‘new crisis era,’ Tokyo needs help from Seoul and DC. Can it count on them?

    As security threats mount in the Asia-Pacific, the hard-won defense alliance between Japan and South Korea is the linchpin to regional safety. Now, political upheaval in Seoul threatens to test the partnership’s resilience.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s ex-defence minister formally arrested over martial law imposition

    A formal arrest warrant was issued for Kim Yong-hyun, who had already been detained on Dec 10.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Who is Kim Yong-hyun, ousted South Korean defence minister who attempted suicide?

    Here is what we know about Mr Kim and his role in the martial law attempt.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea ex-defence minister accused of role in martial law attempts suicide, official says

    Kim Yong-hyun is under arrest over insurrection.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon gave orders to ‘drag out’ MPs during martial law, officer says

    The army commander said he was asked to “break the door down“ and “drag out the people inside“.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s fading nightlife signals shift in hard-drinking culture

    Corporate Korea has been slowing down on hoesik, or after-work drinking bouts.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Signs surface that South Korea’s martial law was plotted well in advance

    Senior military officers were reportedly ordered to be on standby for a North Korea-related situation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Yoon out: South Korean teen leaders speak with one voice while politicians may be divided

    The youth leaders see the martial law incident as a turning point for teens to become more aware of politics.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Will South Korea’s ruling party lawmakers change course on Yoon impeachment vote boycott?

    Some politicians have signalled their intent to take part in the second vote.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea police chief arrested as Yoon impeachment looms over failed martial law

    The South Korean Parliament is scheduled to hold a session to introduce a Bill to impeach Mr Yoon Suk Yeol.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean police blocked from raid on President Yoon’s office

    Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun was reported to have attempted to kill himself.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon seeks to fight on as probes mount

    Mr Yoon has rejected the idea of quitting before the end of his term in 2025.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Shame on S. Korean presidential couple’: Yoon and wife condemned by alma maters

    They are urging for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment and and his wife Kim Keon Hee's arrest.

  • The Straits Times ☛ After commander’s tell-all testimony, South Korea’s National Assembly launches martial law probe

    Speaker Woo Won-shik said a task force would be formed to carry out an investigation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean leader could be arrested before second round of impeachment vote

    Three separate agencies are investigating President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of treason and insurrection.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea notes South Korea’s ‘growing public anger’ against Yoon

    It is the second time in 2 days that it has reported on the matter.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s President Yoon vows to ‘fight to the end’ as he defends martial law bid

    He faces a second impeachment vote in Parliament expected on Dec 14, a week after the first one failed.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s tourism, soft power gains at risk from extended political crisis

    SEOUL - From plastic surgery clinics to tour firms and hotel chains, South Korea's hospitality sector is wary of the potential impact of a protracted political crisis, as some overseas travellers cancel trips following last week's brief bout of martial law.

  • North Korea calls South’s martial law declaration ‘shocking’ in first reaction

    South Korea’s opposition due to file a second motion to impeach president Yoon Suk Yeol.

  • France24 ☛ South Korea Yoon defends martial law decision, vows to fight until 'very last minute'

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to "fight until the very last minute" amid an impeachment vote and martial law probe. Police raided his office over December's turmoil, including deploying troops to parliament. Yoon, banned from foreign travel, faces an "insurrection" investigation into his inner circle.

  • France24 ☛ Yemen's civil war through the lenses of photojournalist Asmaa Waguih

    A world-renowned news photographer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her efforts to document the conflict in Yemen. Asmaa Waguih has been to numerous countries, including Afghanistan and Libya – and won last year the Reuters Photographer of the Year for her coverage of the Arab Spring. Her latest book of pictures from Yemen, called Unfinished War, as the country remains all but impossible for journalists to report from since the conflict broke out there ten years ago. She spoke to us in Perspective.

  • Craig Murray ☛ On the Lebanese/Syrian Border

    Where reality is very different from what the BillBC and CNN are telling you. ——————————— My reporting and advocacy work has no source of finance at all other than your contributions to keep us going. We get nothing from any state nor any billionaire.

  • France24 ☛ Fall of Assad reveals the death of Mazen al-Hamada, symbol of the regime’s atrocities

    The body of Syrian activist Mazen al-Hamada was found Monday in a military hospital morgue near Damascus, according to a number of NGOs. Imprisoned and tortured by the Syrian military after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Hamada fled to Europe to denounce the atrocities of Bashar al-Assad’s regime before choosing to return to his home country in 2020.

  • JURIST ☛ US unseals war crimes indictment against former Syrian officials

    The US government unsealed an indictment Monday charging two former high-ranking officials of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence with war crimes. The indictment accuses Jamil Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud of cruel and inhuman treatment, including the torture of detainees, some of whom were US citizens, at the Mezzeh military airbase prison in Damascus.

  • New York Times ☛ Who Set the Stage for al-Assad’s Ouster? There Are Different Answers in the U.S. and Israel.

    President Biden says he weakened Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, laying the groundwork for Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Syrian leader would still be in power had he listened to American advice.

  • New York Times ☛ In Aleppo, Rebels Give a Sense of What Is to Come for Syria

    Rebel fighters who took control of Aleppo about two weeks ago have promised security and continuity. Prices have skyrocketed, but residents express some hope for the future.

  • New York Times ☛ Syrian Rebels Vow Punishment for Atrocities Under Bashar al-Assad

    The rebels who seized Damascus are trying to get a new government up and running, even as foreign powers like Israel and Turkey, and armed Syrian groups, fight for power.

  • France24 ☛ Preparing for potential 'chaos' in post-Assad Syria, Israel goes on the offensive

    The Israeli military says it carried out nearly 500 strikes against Syrian military targets in the dayssince the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, while its troops moved into a demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights that was established following the 1973 Middle East war. Analystssay Tel Aviv may be preparing for potential “chaos” – and for a new regime in Syria.

  • New York Times ☛ Who Is Mohammed al-Bashir, Syria’s New Prime Minister?

    Mr. al-Bashir previously headed a rebel-led administration in northwestern Syria. He has been tasked with running the country’s interim government until March.

  • New York Times ☛ A Search in Syria for the Disappeared

    Syrians raced to newly emptied prisons to reunite with loved ones snatched away by the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, but their quest sometimes took them to the morgue.

  • CS Monitor ☛ How fall of Assad showcases the Biden-Trump policy divide in the Mideast

    The fall of Bashar al-Assad has created challenges and opportunities for the United States in Syria. But the dissonance between the current and future U.S. administrations is confusing major players in the Middle East.

  • New Yorker ☛ Searching for Loved Ones in a Newly Liberated Syrian Prison

    After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the country tries to discern the fate of people the regime locked away.

  • RFERL ☛ Iranian Leader Blames Assad's Downfall On U.S., Israel, And Turkey

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in his first public comments since Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad was ousted, accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the rebel uprising that toppled the regime over the weekend.

  • Did a Chinese tabloid publish a front-page story about Bashar al-Assad’s fall?

    Verdict: False

  • France24 ☛ This is a moment of real opportunity, but also real danger for Syrians, IRC's Donnelly says

    Syria's new prime minister said the Islamist-led alliance that ousted president Bashar al-Assad will guarantee the rights of all religious groups and called on the millions who fled the war to return home. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Ciarán Donnelly is Senior Vice President of International Programmes at the International Rescue Committee. He says that this is a moment of real opportunity but also of real danger for Syrians.

  • The Strategist ☛ Just look at the lights: Assad’s territory was growing poorer as opposition’s economy advanced

    Explanation is in illumination. To understand why the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell so suddenly in Syria in the past week, just note how night-time lights faded in cities it controlled.

  • JURIST ☛ Germany, EU allies freeze Syrian refugee processing as Damascus power shifts

    Germany suspended processing asylum claims for Syrian refugees on Monday following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with the UK, Greece and Sweden quickly adopting similar measures amid the rapidly evolving situation in Damascus.

  • France24 ☛ Who are the main rebel factions operating in Syria?

    Syrian rebels who have ousted Bashar al-Assad and seized the capital Damascus include fighters from different factions, while other groups also hold territory elsewhere. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell takes a look.

  • New York Times ☛ Biden’s Top Aides Race to Middle East as Militias Wield Power in Syria

    Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken plans to hold meetings in Jordan and Turkey. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, is visiting Israel.

  • Meduza ☛ Journalist Dmitry Muratov responds to TASS report that he fled Russia by posting photo from the agency’s Moscow building — Meduza
  • Meduza ☛ Widening the net: Russian lawmakers are expanding the definition of treason — including for foreigners. Here’s what you need to know. — Meduza

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Links 12/12/2024: Shell Settles With Greenpeace, DOJ Whistleblower Pilot Program (2025)
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