Two-thirds of those caught up in the past week&#39;s global ransomware attack were running Microsoft&#39;s Windows 7 operating system without the latest security updates, a survey for Reuters by security ratings firm BitSight found.

Researchers are struggling to try to find early traces of WannaCry, which remains an active threat in hardest-hit China and Russia, believing that identifying &quot;patient zero&quot; could help catch its criminal authors.

They are having more luck dissecting flaws that limited its spread.

Security experts warn that while computers at more than 3,00,000 internet addresses were hit by the ransomware strain, further attacks that fix weaknesses in WannaCry will follow that hit larger numbers of users, with more devastating consequences.

&quot;Some organisations just aren&#39;t aware of the risks; some don&#39;t want to risk interrupting important business processes; sometimes they are short-staffed,&quot; said Ziv Mador, vice president of security research at Israel&#39;s SpiderLabs Trustwave.

&quot;There are plenty of reasons people wait to patch and none of them are good,&quot; said Mador, a former long-time security researcher for Microsoft.

WannaCry&#39;s worm-like capacity to infect other computers on the same network with no human intervention appear tailored to Windows 7, said Paul Pratley, head of investigations &amp; incident response at UK consulting firm MWR InfoSecurity.

Data from BitSight covering 160,000 internet-connected computers hit by WannaCry, shows that Windows 7 accounts for 67 per cent of infections, although it represents less than half of the global distribution of Windows PC users.

Computers running older versions, such as Windows XP used in Britain&#39;s NHS health system, while individually vulnerable to attack, appear incapable of spreading infections and played a far smaller role in the global attack than initially reported.

In laboratory testing, researchers at MWR and Kyptos say they have found Windows XP crashes before the virus can spread.

Windows 10, the latest version of Microsoft&#39;s flagship operating system franchise, accounts for another 15 per cent, while older versions of Windows including 8.1, 8, XP and Vista, account for the remainder, BitSight estimated.

Computer basics

Any organisation which heeded strongly worded warnings from Microsoft to urgently install a security patch it labelled &ldquo;critical&rdquo; when it was released on March 14 on all computers on their networks are immune, experts agree.

Those hit by WannaCry also failed to heed warnings last year from Microsoft to disable a file sharing feature in Windows known as SMB, which a covert hacker group calling itself Shadow Brokers had claimed was used by NSA intelligence operatives to sneak into Windows PCs.

&quot;Clearly people who run supported versions of Windows and patched quickly were not affected&quot;, Trustwave&#39;s Mador said.

Microsoft has faced criticism since 2014 for withdrawing support for older versions of Windows software such as 16-year-old Windows XP and requiring users to pay hefty annual fees instead. The British government cancelled a nationwide NHS support contract with Microsoft after a year, leaving upgrades to local trusts.

Seeking to head off further criticism in the wake of the WannaCry outbreak, the US&nbsp;software giant last weekend released a free patch for Windows XP and other older Windows versions that it previously only offered to paying customers.

Microsoft declined to comment for this story.

On Sunday, the US&nbsp;software giant called on intelligence services to strike a better balance between their desire to keep software flaws secret - in order to conduct espionage and cyber warfare - and sharing those flaws with technology companies to better secure the internet.

Half of all internet addresses corrupted globally by WannaCry are located in China and Russia, with 30 and 20 per cent respectively. Infection levels spiked again in both countries this week and remained high through Thursday, according to data supplied to Reuters by threat intelligence firm Kryptos Logic.

By contrast, the United States accounts for 7 per cent of WannaCry infections while Britain, France and Germany each represent just 2 per cent of worldwide attacks, Kryptos said.

Dumb and sophisticated

The ransomware mixes copycat software loaded with amateur coding mistakes and recently leaked spy tools widely believed to have been stolen from the US&nbsp;National Security Agency, creating a vastly potent class of crimeware.

&quot;What really makes the magnitude of this attack so much greater than any other is that the intent has changed from information stealing to business disruption&quot;, said Samil Neino, 32, chief executive of Los Angeles-based Kryptos Logic.

Last Friday, the company&#39;s British-based 22-year-old data breach research chief, Marcus Hutchins, created a &quot;kill-switch&quot;, which security experts have widely hailed as the decisive step in halting the ransomware&#39;s rapid spread around the globe.

WannaCry appears to target mainly enterprises rather than consumers: Once it infects one machine, it silently proliferates across internal networks which can connect hundreds or thousands of machines in large firms, unlike individual consumers at home.

An unknown number of computers sit behind the 3,00,000 infected internet connections identified by Kryptos.

Because of the way WannaCry spreads sneakily inside organisation networks, a far larger total of ransomed computers sitting behind company firewalls may be hit, possibly numbering upward of a million machines. The company is crunching data to arrive at a firmer estimate it aims to release later Thursday.

Liran Eshel, chief executive of cloud storage provider CTERA Networks, said: &quot;The attack shows how sophisticated ransomware has become, forcing even unaffected organisations to rethink strategies.&quot;

Escape route

Researchers from a variety of security firms say they have so far failed to find a way to decrypt files locked up by WannaCry and say chances are low anyone will succeed.

However, a bug in WannaCry code means the attackers cannot use unique bitcoin addresses to track payments, security researchers at Symantec found this week. The result: &quot;Users unlikely to get files restored&quot;, the company&#39;s Security Response team tweeted.

The rapid recovery by many organisations with unpatched computers caught out by the attack may largely be attributed to back-up and retrieval procedures they had in place, enabling technicians to re-image infected machines, experts said.

While encrypting individual computers it infects, WannaCry code does not attack network data-backup systems, as more sophisticated ransomware packages typically do, security experts who have studied WannaCry code agree.

These factors help explain the mystery of why such a tiny number of victims appear to have paid ransoms into the three bitcoin accounts to which WannaCry directs victims.

Less than 300 payments worth around $83,000 had been paid into WannaCry blackmail accounts by Thursday (1800 GMT), six days after the attack began and one day before the ransomware threatens to start locking up victim computers forever.

The Verizon 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, the most comprehensive annual survey of security breakdowns, found that it takes three months before at least half of organisations install major new software security patches.

WannaCry landed nine weeks after Microsoft&#39;s patch arrived.

&quot;The same things are causing the same problems. That&#39;s what the data shows,&quot; MWR research head Pratley said.

&quot;We haven&#39;t seen many organisations fall over and that&#39;s because they did some of the security basics,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Researchers are struggling to try to find early traces of WannaCry

Two-thirds of those caught up in the past week's global ransomware attack were running Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system without the latest security updates, a survey for Reuters by security ratings firm BitSight found. Researchers are struggling to try to find early traces of WannaCry, which remains an active threat in hardest-hit China and Russia, believing that identifying "patient zero" could help catch its criminal authors. They are having more luck dissecting flaws that limited its spread. Security experts warn that while computers at more than 3,00,000 internet addresses were hit by the ransomware strain, further attacks that fix weaknesses in WannaCry will follow that hit larger numbers of users, with more devastating consequences. "Some organisations just aren't aware of the risks; some don't want to risk interrupting important business processes; sometimes they are short-staffed," said Ziv Mador, vice president of security research at Israel's SpiderLabs Trustwave. "There are plenty of reasons people wait to patch and none of them are good," said Mador, a former long-time security researcher for Microsoft. WannaCry's worm-like capacity to infect other computers on the same network with no human intervention appear tailored to Windows 7, said Paul Pratley, head of investigations & incident response at UK consulting firm MWR InfoSecurity. Data from BitSight covering 160,000 internet-connected computers hit by WannaCry, shows that Windows 7 accounts for 67 per cent of infections, although it represents less than half of the global distribution of Windows PC users. Computers running older versions, such as Windows XP used in Britain's NHS health system, while individually vulnerable to attack, appear incapable of spreading infections and played a far smaller role in the global attack than initially reported. In laboratory testing, researchers at MWR and Kyptos say they have found Windows XP crashes before the virus can spread. Windows 10, the latest version of Microsoft's flagship operating system franchise, accounts for another 15 per cent, while older versions of Windows including 8.1, 8, XP and Vista, account for the remainder, BitSight estimated. Computer basics Any organisation which heeded strongly worded warnings from Microsoft to urgently install a security patch it labelled “critical” when it was released on March 14 on all computers on their networks are immune, experts agree. Those hit by WannaCry also failed to heed warnings last year from Microsoft to disable a file sharing feature in Windows known as SMB, which a covert hacker group calling itself Shadow Brokers had claimed was used by NSA intelligence operatives to sneak into Windows PCs. "Clearly people who run supported versions of Windows and patched quickly were not affected", Trustwave's Mador said. Microsoft has faced criticism since 2014 for withdrawing support for older versions of Windows software such as 16-year-old Windows XP and requiring users to pay hefty annual fees instead. The British government cancelled a nationwide NHS support contract with Microsoft after a year, leaving upgrades to local trusts. Seeking to head off further criticism in the wake of the WannaCry outbreak, the US software giant last weekend released a free patch for Windows XP and other older Windows versions that it previously only offered to paying customers. Microsoft declined to comment for this story. On Sunday, the US software giant called on intelligence services to strike a better balance between their desire to keep software flaws secret - in order to conduct espionage and cyber warfare - and sharing those flaws with technology companies to better secure the internet. Half of all internet addresses corrupted globally by WannaCry are located in China and Russia, with 30 and 20 per cent respectively. Infection levels spiked again in both countries this week and remained high through Thursday, according to data supplied to Reuters by threat intelligence firm Kryptos Logic. By contrast, the United States accounts for 7 per cent of WannaCry infections while Britain, France and Germany each represent just 2 per cent of worldwide attacks, Kryptos said. Dumb and sophisticated The ransomware mixes copycat software loaded with amateur coding mistakes and recently leaked spy tools widely believed to have been stolen from the US National Security Agency, creating a vastly potent class of crimeware. "What really makes the magnitude of this attack so much greater than any other is that the intent has changed from information stealing to business disruption", said Samil Neino, 32, chief executive of Los Angeles-based Kryptos Logic. Last Friday, the company's British-based 22-year-old data breach research chief, Marcus Hutchins, created a "kill-switch", which security experts have widely hailed as the decisive step in halting the ransomware's rapid spread around the globe. WannaCry appears to target mainly enterprises rather than consumers: Once it infects one machine, it silently proliferates across internal networks which can connect hundreds or thousands of machines in large firms, unlike individual consumers at home. An unknown number of computers sit behind the 3,00,000 infected internet connections identified by Kryptos. Because of the way WannaCry spreads sneakily inside organisation networks, a far larger total of ransomed computers sitting behind company firewalls may be hit, possibly numbering upward of a million machines. The company is crunching data to arrive at a firmer estimate it aims to release later Thursday. Liran Eshel, chief executive of cloud storage provider CTERA Networks, said: "The attack shows how sophisticated ransomware has become, forcing even unaffected organisations to rethink strategies." Escape route Researchers from a variety of security firms say they have so far failed to find a way to decrypt files locked up by WannaCry and say chances are low anyone will succeed. However, a bug in WannaCry code means the attackers cannot use unique bitcoin addresses to track payments, security researchers at Symantec found this week. The result: "Users unlikely to get files restored", the company's Security Response team tweeted. The rapid recovery by many organisations with unpatched computers caught out by the attack may largely be attributed to back-up and retrieval procedures they had in place, enabling technicians to re-image infected machines, experts said. While encrypting individual computers it infects, WannaCry code does not attack network data-backup systems, as more sophisticated ransomware packages typically do, security experts who have studied WannaCry code agree. These factors help explain the mystery of why such a tiny number of victims appear to have paid ransoms into the three bitcoin accounts to which WannaCry directs victims. Less than 300 payments worth around $83,000 had been paid into WannaCry blackmail accounts by Thursday (1800 GMT), six days after the attack began and one day before the ransomware threatens to start locking up victim computers forever. The Verizon 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, the most comprehensive annual survey of security breakdowns, found that it takes three months before at least half of organisations install major new software security patches. WannaCry landed nine weeks after Microsoft's patch arrived. "The same things are causing the same problems. That's what the data shows," MWR research head Pratley said. "We haven't seen many organisations fall over and that's because they did some of the security basics," he said. (Reuters)

WannaCry: Security experts find clues to ransomware worm's lingering risks

Apple Inc on Thursday issued a patch to fix the security flaw with its iPhones&nbsp;and iPads following an attempt to hack the phone of a United Arab Emirates&nbsp;(UAE) dissident. 
 
Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor had received a text asking him to click&nbsp;on a link. Mansoor instead of clicking the link forwarded the message to&nbsp;researchers at the University of Toronto&#39;s Citizen Lab. 
 
The hack was found to be capable of remotely taking over a fully updated&nbsp;iPhone 6. 
 
&quot;Once infected, Mansoor&rsquo;s phone would have become a digital spy in his&nbsp;pocket, capable of employing his iPhone&rsquo;s camera and microphone to snoop on&nbsp;activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls,&nbsp;logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements,&quot;&nbsp;Citizen Lab wrote in a report released on Thursday. 
 
The company has now developed a fix and distributed it as an automatic update&nbsp;to iPhone 6 owners. 
 
The attack softwarre was attributed to a private seller of monitoring systems,&nbsp;NSO Group, an Israeli company. 
 
NSO spokesman Zamir Dahbash said that the company &quot;cannot confirm the&nbsp;specific cases&quot; covered in the Citizen Lab and Lookout reports. 
 
Citizen Lab did not directly accuse UAE of carrying out the attack on Mansoor&nbsp;but it said that other NSO attacks on critics of the regime were connected to&nbsp;the government. 
 
It also said that a Mexican journalist and a minority party politician in Kenya&nbsp;had been targeted with NSO software too and that domain names set up for&nbsp;other attacks referred to entities in Uzbekistan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,&nbsp;and other nations. 
 
The market for government hacking tools has come under increased scrutiny&nbsp;recently. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor had received a text asking him to click?on a link

Apple Inc on Thursday issued a patch to fix the security flaw with its iPhones and iPads following an attempt to hack the phone of a United Arab Emirates (UAE) dissident. Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor had received a text asking him to click on a link. Mansoor instead of clicking the link forwarded the message to researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab. The hack was found to be capable of remotely taking over a fully updated iPhone 6. "Once infected, Mansoor’s phone would have become a digital spy in his pocket, capable of employing his iPhone’s camera and microphone to snoop on activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements," Citizen Lab wrote in a report released on Thursday. The company has now developed a fix and distributed it as an automatic update to iPhone 6 owners. The attack softwarre was attributed to a private seller of monitoring systems, NSO Group, an Israeli company. NSO spokesman Zamir Dahbash said that the company "cannot confirm the specific cases" covered in the Citizen Lab and Lookout reports. Citizen Lab did not directly accuse UAE of carrying out the attack on Mansoor but it said that other NSO attacks on critics of the regime were connected to the government. It also said that a Mexican journalist and a minority party politician in Kenya had been targeted with NSO software too and that domain names set up for other attacks referred to entities in Uzbekistan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other nations. The market for government hacking tools has come under increased scrutiny recently. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Apple fixes security flaw after UAE dissident's iPhone targeted

The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, on Sunday (August 14) said he reacted with disbelief when he heard his teammate Ryan Lochte had been involved in a taxi hold-up in Rio de Janeiro and confirmed to reporters that he was not present when the incident took place. 
 
US gold medalist Lochte said armed robbers posing as police officers held a gun to his forehead in a taxi hold-up in Rio after a party early on Sunday. 
 
&quot;For me I&#39;ve been to Brazil multiple times and I&#39;ve felt safe every time I&#39;ve come here. I&#39;ve never felt an issue. I wasn&#39;t there last night, I was with my family all night long, that was the most important thing to me,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;But I was definitely not there last night, I was dead asleep,&quot; added Phelps. 
 
Lochte told NBC&#39;s Today Show he was returning to the Olympic village from a party hosted by the French Games delegation, with swimming team mates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, when armed men carrying police badges pulled them over. 
 
The men told the swimmers to drop to the ground and demanded their money and belongings, but Lochte said he had initially refused to go to ground. 
 
Security has been a major headache for organisers of South America&#39;s first Olympics. 
 
&quot;I kind of said excuse me, I couldn&#39;t believe it,&quot; recalled Phelps about when he heard about the robbery on Sunday. 
 
Separately, Phelps also called for tougher action on athletes who take performance enhancing drugs, weighing in on the doping controversies that have plagued Rio 2016. 
 
&quot;We have kids looking up to these athletes that are competing and I feel like all athletes should keep clean and if you don&#39;t, there should be a price, he said. 
 
Phelp&#39;s said he left the Olympic pool for the last time on Saturday having fulfilled a childhood dream, but it is clear he will not be walking away from the sport that has turned him into a global household name. 
 
&quot;I am done competing but by no means does this mean that it&#39;s the end of my career. It&#39;s the start of something new and that&#39;s something I look forward to. So you know Ryan [Lochte] may come back in another four years but I&#39;m not. This is it,&quot; he said. 
 
Phelps&#39; swimming career ended with his 23rd gold medal in the 4x100 medley relay medal on Saturday, which extended his record as the most decorated Olympian of all-time. 
 
(AFP)

'For me I've been to Brazil multiple times and I've felt safe every time I've come here. I've never felt an issue,' he added

The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, on Sunday (August 14) said he reacted with disbelief when he heard his teammate Ryan Lochte had been involved in a taxi hold-up in Rio de Janeiro and confirmed to reporters that he was not present when the incident took place. US gold medalist Lochte said armed robbers posing as police officers held a gun to his forehead in a taxi hold-up in Rio after a party early on Sunday. "For me I've been to Brazil multiple times and I've felt safe every time I've come here. I've never felt an issue. I wasn't there last night, I was with my family all night long, that was the most important thing to me," he said. "But I was definitely not there last night, I was dead asleep," added Phelps. Lochte told NBC's Today Show he was returning to the Olympic village from a party hosted by the French Games delegation, with swimming team mates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, when armed men carrying police badges pulled them over. The men told the swimmers to drop to the ground and demanded their money and belongings, but Lochte said he had initially refused to go to ground. Security has been a major headache for organisers of South America's first Olympics. "I kind of said excuse me, I couldn't believe it," recalled Phelps about when he heard about the robbery on Sunday. Separately, Phelps also called for tougher action on athletes who take performance enhancing drugs, weighing in on the doping controversies that have plagued Rio 2016. "We have kids looking up to these athletes that are competing and I feel like all athletes should keep clean and if you don't, there should be a price, he said. Phelp's said he left the Olympic pool for the last time on Saturday having fulfilled a childhood dream, but it is clear he will not be walking away from the sport that has turned him into a global household name. "I am done competing but by no means does this mean that it's the end of my career. It's the start of something new and that's something I look forward to. So you know Ryan [Lochte] may come back in another four years but I'm not. This is it," he said. Phelps' swimming career ended with his 23rd gold medal in the 4x100 medley relay medal on Saturday, which extended his record as the most decorated Olympian of all-time. (AFP)

Rio Olympics 2016: 'I couldn't believe it', says Phelps of Lochte's taxi hold-up

Security at Rio&#39;s Olympic Village was handed a further blow on Wednesday when Danish athletes revealed they have had items stolen while organisers issued a public apology to competitors who have fallen victim to crime. 
 
Denmark&#39;s chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing. 
 
&quot;In connection with the many extra workers, cleaners and housekeepers who have been squeezed into the Olympic village because of our requirements and requests, we have been subjected to a series of thefts,&quot; he said, adding that he himself had his iPad stolen. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s everything from phones, iPads and clothes to something as trivial as bed sheets.&quot; 
 
Since July 18 the Danish delegation has lodged around 150 complaints over problems in its 36 apartments in the Olympic village. 
 
&quot;The buildings are simply not in order,&quot; Ulrik Wilbek, sports director of the Danish Handball Federation, told TV 2. 
 
The news follows the theft of a laptop and team shirts from the Australian delegation during a fire evacuation on Friday. 
 
Australia chef de mission Kitty Chiller said during the evacuation she had noticed three fire marshals apparently stealing the Australia team shirts. 
 
&quot;When I arrived, which was halfway through the evacuation, I saw three fire marshals -- I don&#39;t know who they were -- walking out with team shirts,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;I thought maybe they have helped evacuate people and we&#39;ve given them a shirt. It doesn&#39;t seem to be what happened. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t know how many team shirts were taken and, yes, that&#39;s concerning.&quot; 
 
After the fire, Chiller said Rio 2016 organizers had increased security throughout the Olympic village. 
 
Rio&#39;s crime rate has been one of the biggest concerns heading into the Olympics. 
 
China revealed on Friday members of its Olympic delegation had already fallen victim to theft. 
 
Mario Andrada, spokesman of Rio 2016, apologised to the tourists and athletes who have been victims. 
 
&quot;They are our guests in Brazil. We feel very sorry. I hope they understand that we are very sorry about this,&quot; he told China&#39;s Xinhua news agency. 
 
&quot;We will communicate with the security to make sure we find quickly an answer about why they were robbed, where they were robbed and by whom to see if something could be recovered.&quot; 
 
Rio Olympics overall security personnel is around 88,000 - the figure is more than double that used for the the London Olympics in 2012. 
 
&quot;Don&#39;t count money in the street. If you have a nice camera, put it into a bag and only use when you have to take pictures,&quot; advised Andrada. 
 
&quot;If you are alert, if you are looking around and paying attention, your chance of being a victim will be decreased. The bad guys usually look for people who are not paying attention.&quot; 
 
Chiller said the vast size of the Olympic Village, which houses thousands of athletes and support staff, theft was &quot;inevitable&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

Denmark's chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing

Security at Rio's Olympic Village was handed a further blow on Wednesday when Danish athletes revealed they have had items stolen while organisers issued a public apology to competitors who have fallen victim to crime. Denmark's chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing. "In connection with the many extra workers, cleaners and housekeepers who have been squeezed into the Olympic village because of our requirements and requests, we have been subjected to a series of thefts," he said, adding that he himself had his iPad stolen. "It's everything from phones, iPads and clothes to something as trivial as bed sheets." Since July 18 the Danish delegation has lodged around 150 complaints over problems in its 36 apartments in the Olympic village. "The buildings are simply not in order," Ulrik Wilbek, sports director of the Danish Handball Federation, told TV 2. The news follows the theft of a laptop and team shirts from the Australian delegation during a fire evacuation on Friday. Australia chef de mission Kitty Chiller said during the evacuation she had noticed three fire marshals apparently stealing the Australia team shirts. "When I arrived, which was halfway through the evacuation, I saw three fire marshals -- I don't know who they were -- walking out with team shirts," she said. "I thought maybe they have helped evacuate people and we've given them a shirt. It doesn't seem to be what happened. "We don't know how many team shirts were taken and, yes, that's concerning." After the fire, Chiller said Rio 2016 organizers had increased security throughout the Olympic village. Rio's crime rate has been one of the biggest concerns heading into the Olympics. China revealed on Friday members of its Olympic delegation had already fallen victim to theft. Mario Andrada, spokesman of Rio 2016, apologised to the tourists and athletes who have been victims. "They are our guests in Brazil. We feel very sorry. I hope they understand that we are very sorry about this," he told China's Xinhua news agency. "We will communicate with the security to make sure we find quickly an answer about why they were robbed, where they were robbed and by whom to see if something could be recovered." Rio Olympics overall security personnel is around 88,000 - the figure is more than double that used for the the London Olympics in 2012. "Don't count money in the street. If you have a nice camera, put it into a bag and only use when you have to take pictures," advised Andrada. "If you are alert, if you are looking around and paying attention, your chance of being a victim will be decreased. The bad guys usually look for people who are not paying attention." Chiller said the vast size of the Olympic Village, which houses thousands of athletes and support staff, theft was "inevitable". (AFP)

Olympics: Rio sorry as Village suffers new theft

Armed police and security personnel are patrolling Olympic venues and streets in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil tightens security with the 2016 Summer Olympic Games just around the corner. 
 
In addition to the increased security presence, vendors who usually sell beverages and snacks have been banned from working during the games due to the safety concerns. Only those who are officially authorised can trade in designated areas. 
 
According to authorities, neither water nor unpacked foods are allowed in Olympic venues, and all personal items must go through security checks. 
 
&quot;I feel very good about that [security measures] because there was a lot of fear about the Olympic Games, about all the things happening in Europe, in the United States. And I feel more secure with police here and all the security here. I feel better,&quot; said Melanie, an Argentine tourist. 
 
During the games, the Brazilian federal police, army and air force, as well as Rio police officers, will work together to patrol all venues, stadiums and related areas 24/7. 
 
The enhanced security measures have been hailed by those covering and competing in the Olympics. 
 
&quot;You never know all the stuff going outside here, but I don&#39;t feel any danger right now,&quot; said Michal Gasiorowski, a Polish reporter. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t have any fears, I feel pretty secure,&quot; said Alexander Choupenitch, a Czech foil fencer. 
 
(Reuters)

According to authorities, neither water nor unpacked foods are allowed in venues and all personal items must go through security checks

Armed police and security personnel are patrolling Olympic venues and streets in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil tightens security with the 2016 Summer Olympic Games just around the corner. In addition to the increased security presence, vendors who usually sell beverages and snacks have been banned from working during the games due to the safety concerns. Only those who are officially authorised can trade in designated areas. According to authorities, neither water nor unpacked foods are allowed in Olympic venues, and all personal items must go through security checks. "I feel very good about that [security measures] because there was a lot of fear about the Olympic Games, about all the things happening in Europe, in the United States. And I feel more secure with police here and all the security here. I feel better," said Melanie, an Argentine tourist. During the games, the Brazilian federal police, army and air force, as well as Rio police officers, will work together to patrol all venues, stadiums and related areas 24/7. The enhanced security measures have been hailed by those covering and competing in the Olympics. "You never know all the stuff going outside here, but I don't feel any danger right now," said Michal Gasiorowski, a Polish reporter. "I don't have any fears, I feel pretty secure," said Alexander Choupenitch, a Czech foil fencer. (Reuters)

Brazil steps up security arrangements ahead of Rio Olympics 2016

Pakistanis in Quetta demanded better security today, two days after a suicide bombing at a hospital killed 74 people. 
 
Monday&#39;s suicide bombing, that hit grief-stricken colleagues crowding around the body of the assassinated head of the provincial bar association, was the deadliest jihadist attack in Pakistan this year. 
 
Shreds of black cloth from slain lawyers trademark dark suits still littered the ground today at the Civil Hospital in Quetta, where glass from shattered windows remained and blood stained the walls. 
 
Medical staff said up to 60 of those killed were lawyers who had gathered to mourn the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi. 
 
&quot;This type of attack happened in 2010, too, this is just a repetition. Yesterday, I warned the lawyers who had gathered here for the martyred lawyer Bilal that, God forbid, such an attack could happen again, so they should reduce the crowds,&quot; Abdul Rehman Miankhel, Medical Superintendent at the Civil Hospital said. 
 
&quot;I believe that our security is not adequate. It should be heightened, The number of guards should be increased and they should always be present at the gate. Walk-through (security) gates should also be erected. This is my suggestion. This will prevent any terrorist-type people from entering the hospital premises,&quot; added medical officer Dr. Malik Sultan. 
 
Security staff at the hospital said they asked the government to deploy paramilitary police forces at the hospital months ago, but nothing had been done so far. 
 
Both a Pakistani Taliban faction, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, and Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, although Pakistani analysts and officials expressed doubt about any IS involvement. 
 
Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, like myriad Islamist militants waging war against Pakistan&#39;s government, consider civil society workers such as lawyers as part of the system they seek to overthrow to establish their vision of strict Islamic law. 
 
Shops, businesses, schools and universities in Quetta and beyond remained closed as the government announced three days of mourning. 
 
(Reuters)

Shops, businesses, schools and universities in Quetta and beyond remained closed as the government announced three days of mourning

Pakistanis in Quetta demanded better security today, two days after a suicide bombing at a hospital killed 74 people. Monday's suicide bombing, that hit grief-stricken colleagues crowding around the body of the assassinated head of the provincial bar association, was the deadliest jihadist attack in Pakistan this year. Shreds of black cloth from slain lawyers trademark dark suits still littered the ground today at the Civil Hospital in Quetta, where glass from shattered windows remained and blood stained the walls. Medical staff said up to 60 of those killed were lawyers who had gathered to mourn the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi. "This type of attack happened in 2010, too, this is just a repetition. Yesterday, I warned the lawyers who had gathered here for the martyred lawyer Bilal that, God forbid, such an attack could happen again, so they should reduce the crowds," Abdul Rehman Miankhel, Medical Superintendent at the Civil Hospital said. "I believe that our security is not adequate. It should be heightened, The number of guards should be increased and they should always be present at the gate. Walk-through (security) gates should also be erected. This is my suggestion. This will prevent any terrorist-type people from entering the hospital premises," added medical officer Dr. Malik Sultan. Security staff at the hospital said they asked the government to deploy paramilitary police forces at the hospital months ago, but nothing had been done so far. Both a Pakistani Taliban faction, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, and Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, although Pakistani analysts and officials expressed doubt about any IS involvement. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, like myriad Islamist militants waging war against Pakistan's government, consider civil society workers such as lawyers as part of the system they seek to overthrow to establish their vision of strict Islamic law. Shops, businesses, schools and universities in Quetta and beyond remained closed as the government announced three days of mourning. (Reuters)

Pakistan's Quetta uneasy about security two days after blast

Indian home minister Rajnath Singh will be travelling to Pakistan as per schedule, sources at the ministry of external affairs said today. This is despite Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed&#39;s warning of a countrywide protest by his outfit. 
 
Singh is scheduled to visit Pakistan on August 3, to attend a SAARC ministerial conference. 
 
Accusing Singh of being &quot;responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris&quot;, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan if the Indian minister travels to the country.&nbsp;Sources, however, said, &quot;The visit is on track. India attains highest priority to SAARC. The visit is strictly to abide by our SAARC commitments.&quot;&nbsp;They also said that the host country (Pakistan) is responsible for the home minister&#39;s security. 
 
The alleged mastermind of the 2008 terror attack in western city of Mumbai in a statement said, &quot;If Singh comes to Islamabad on August 3, the JuD would hold countrywide protest to tell the world that the Pakistani rulers might have compulsions to receive Kashmiris&#39; killers, but the people of Pakistan are siding with oppressed Kashmiris.&quot; 
 
&quot;I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;It will be ironical, as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir, and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh,&quot; said the statement . 
 
External affairs ministry has also made it clear that there will be no bilateral meeting between Singh and Pakistani leaders during his visit on August 3 and 4. 
 
India and Pakistan are witnessing growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani&#39;s killing on July 8. 
 
Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that &quot;Kashmir will one day become Pakistan&quot;, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country &quot;will not be realised even at the end of eternity&quot;. 
 
Further needling India, Pakistan has demanded an independent inquiry into the &quot;extrajudicial&quot; killing of Wani, and claimed that the denial of &quot;plebiscite&quot; to Kashmiri people was behind the flare-up in the Valley. 
 
(DNA)

Singh will be travelling to Pakistan as per schedule, despite JuD chief Hafiz Saeed's warnings of a countrywide protest by his outfit

Indian home minister Rajnath Singh will be travelling to Pakistan as per schedule, sources at the ministry of external affairs said today. This is despite Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's warning of a countrywide protest by his outfit. Singh is scheduled to visit Pakistan on August 3, to attend a SAARC ministerial conference. Accusing Singh of being "responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris", JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan if the Indian minister travels to the country. Sources, however, said, "The visit is on track. India attains highest priority to SAARC. The visit is strictly to abide by our SAARC commitments." They also said that the host country (Pakistan) is responsible for the home minister's security. The alleged mastermind of the 2008 terror attack in western city of Mumbai in a statement said, "If Singh comes to Islamabad on August 3, the JuD would hold countrywide protest to tell the world that the Pakistani rulers might have compulsions to receive Kashmiris' killers, but the people of Pakistan are siding with oppressed Kashmiris." "I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris," he said. "It will be ironical, as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir, and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh," said the statement . External affairs ministry has also made it clear that there will be no bilateral meeting between Singh and Pakistani leaders during his visit on August 3 and 4. India and Pakistan are witnessing growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani's killing on July 8. Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". Further needling India, Pakistan has demanded an independent inquiry into the "extrajudicial" killing of Wani, and claimed that the denial of "plebiscite" to Kashmiri people was behind the flare-up in the Valley. (DNA)

SAARC summit: 'Pakistan responsible for Indian home minister Rajnath Singh's security'

Militants stormed a gas facility in northern Iraq today, killing four workers and planting several explosives before security forces managed to regain control, security sources said. 
 
At least four gunmen with hand grenades broke through the external door of the AB2 gas compressor station, about 15 km (10 miles) northwest of Kirkuk, at around 0300 (1200 GMT), leaving two guards in critical condition. 
 
They proceeded to shoot dead four employees in a control room inside and planted explosives charges, at least five of which went off, the sources said. 
 
Forces from the elite counter-terrorism service then stormed the facility, regaining complete control and freeing 15 other employees who had hidden in a separate room. It was not yet clear if the attackers had been killed or if they had fled. 
 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Islamic State has previously targeted oil facilities in the area with explosives, repeatedly targeting oil wells at Khabbaz oilfield southwest of Kirkuk. 
 
Islamic State militants, who seized a third of the&nbsp;Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) producer&#39;s territory in 2014, have since been pushed back in many areas by an array of Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition airstrikes. 
 
(Reuters)

Security forces stormed the facility and regained control freeing 15 employees. It is not clear if the four attackers died or they fled

Militants stormed a gas facility in northern Iraq today, killing four workers and planting several explosives before security forces managed to regain control, security sources said. At least four gunmen with hand grenades broke through the external door of the AB2 gas compressor station, about 15 km (10 miles) northwest of Kirkuk, at around 0300 (1200 GMT), leaving two guards in critical condition. They proceeded to shoot dead four employees in a control room inside and planted explosives charges, at least five of which went off, the sources said. Forces from the elite counter-terrorism service then stormed the facility, regaining complete control and freeing 15 other employees who had hidden in a separate room. It was not yet clear if the attackers had been killed or if they had fled. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Islamic State has previously targeted oil facilities in the area with explosives, repeatedly targeting oil wells at Khabbaz oilfield southwest of Kirkuk. Islamic State militants, who seized a third of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) producer's territory in 2014, have since been pushed back in many areas by an array of Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition airstrikes. (Reuters)

Militants storm Iraq gas compressor station, kill 4

The United Nations has temporarily suspended aid deliveries in Nigeria&#39;s northeastern state of Borno, the former stronghold of jihadists Boko Haram, after a humanitarian convoy was attacked, the UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF said yesterday. 
 
UNICEF said in a statement that unknown assailants attacked the convoy yesterday as it returned to Maiduguri from delivering aid in Bama, injuring a UNICEF employee and an International Organization for Migration contractor. 
 
&quot;The United Nations has temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance missions pending review of the security situation,&quot; it said. 
 
Nigerian army spokesman Sani Usman said troops were escorting the humanitarian convoy when it was attacked by &quot;suspected remnants of Boko Haram&quot; and that two soldiers and three civilians were wounded. 
 
Nearly a quarter of a million children in Borno suffer from life-threatening malnourishment and around one in five will die if they do not receive treatment, UNICEF said earlier this month. 
 
Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday that severely malnourished children were dying in large numbers in northeast Nigeria, where food supplies are close to running out. 
 
By 2014, Boko Haram controlled territory nearly the size of Belgium in northeast Nigeria until most of it was recaptured last year by the Nigerian army and troops from neighbouring countries. 
 
More than 15,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million displaced by Boko Haram&#39;s insurgency in Nigeria. The group has carried out suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad. 
 
(Reuters)

Nigerian army spokesman said two soldiers and three civilians were injured in an attack by 'suspected remnants of Boko Haram'

The United Nations has temporarily suspended aid deliveries in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, the former stronghold of jihadists Boko Haram, after a humanitarian convoy was attacked, the UN children's agency UNICEF said yesterday. UNICEF said in a statement that unknown assailants attacked the convoy yesterday as it returned to Maiduguri from delivering aid in Bama, injuring a UNICEF employee and an International Organization for Migration contractor. "The United Nations has temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance missions pending review of the security situation," it said. Nigerian army spokesman Sani Usman said troops were escorting the humanitarian convoy when it was attacked by "suspected remnants of Boko Haram" and that two soldiers and three civilians were wounded. Nearly a quarter of a million children in Borno suffer from life-threatening malnourishment and around one in five will die if they do not receive treatment, UNICEF said earlier this month. Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday that severely malnourished children were dying in large numbers in northeast Nigeria, where food supplies are close to running out. By 2014, Boko Haram controlled territory nearly the size of Belgium in northeast Nigeria until most of it was recaptured last year by the Nigerian army and troops from neighbouring countries. More than 15,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million displaced by Boko Haram's insurgency in Nigeria. The group has carried out suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad. (Reuters)

UN suspends aid after convoy attack in Nigeria's Borno state

Brazil said on Friday that it will bolster security for next month&#39;s Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice. 
 
Brazil&#39;s interim president Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people. 
 
As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions. 
 
Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics, running August 5-21, which is double the number used in the 2012 London Games. 
 
Heightened fears, heightened security 
 
Etchegoyen said fears over security at the Rio Games had &quot;gone up a notch&quot; &nbsp;after the attack in Nice, where a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne white truck into a huge crowd gathered to watch the annual Bastille Day fireworks display on Thursday, leaving a gruesome trail of bodies in his wake. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re trading a little comfort for a lot more security,&quot; he told a press conference at the presidential offices. 
 
Brazilian intelligence officials met with French counterparts for a briefing on the Nice attack, he said. 
 
Defense Minister Raul Jungmann expressed &quot;worries&quot; over the Nice attack. 
 
&quot;This worry will translate to more checkpoints, security, staff and procedures being put in place,&quot; he told reporters at an air force base near the Rio international airport. 
 
Jungmann said Brazil is corresponding with all 106 countries sending representatives to the event&#39;s international intelligence center. 
 
&quot;As of now, none of these countries have informed us of a potential or concrete threat of a terrorist attack in Brazil,&quot; Jungmann said. 
 
Brazil is already on alert after the French military intelligence chief said France had been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics. 
 
In June, Brazil&#39;s intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. 
 
An even more explicit warning came after bloody attacks in Paris in November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the &quot;next target.&quot; 
 
Jungmann said officials will supervise the Olympic delegations based on the security threat they face, with countries including the United States and France labeled as high-risk. 
 
&quot;The dozen or so countries in that group will have special accompaniment,&quot; Jungmann said. 
 
Simulation exercises&nbsp; 
 
Security services staged simulation exercises in Rio to test counterterrorism response plans. 
 
Another exercise on &quot;confronting external threats&quot; is planned for today at the railway station in Deodoro, one of four Olympic zones in Rio along with Maracana, Copacabana and Barra da Tijuca. 
 
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Olympic organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman met with federal and regional government officials to assess plans, notably discussing a potential increase in street blockades. 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The country had already planned to deploy 85,000 cops, soldiers, double the number used in 2012 London Games

Brazil said on Friday that it will bolster security for next month's Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice. Brazil's interim president Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people. As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions. Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics, running August 5-21, which is double the number used in the 2012 London Games. Heightened fears, heightened security Etchegoyen said fears over security at the Rio Games had "gone up a notch" after the attack in Nice, where a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne white truck into a huge crowd gathered to watch the annual Bastille Day fireworks display on Thursday, leaving a gruesome trail of bodies in his wake. "We're trading a little comfort for a lot more security," he told a press conference at the presidential offices. Brazilian intelligence officials met with French counterparts for a briefing on the Nice attack, he said. Defense Minister Raul Jungmann expressed "worries" over the Nice attack. "This worry will translate to more checkpoints, security, staff and procedures being put in place," he told reporters at an air force base near the Rio international airport. Jungmann said Brazil is corresponding with all 106 countries sending representatives to the event's international intelligence center. "As of now, none of these countries have informed us of a potential or concrete threat of a terrorist attack in Brazil," Jungmann said. Brazil is already on alert after the French military intelligence chief said France had been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics. In June, Brazil's intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. An even more explicit warning came after bloody attacks in Paris in November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the "next target." Jungmann said officials will supervise the Olympic delegations based on the security threat they face, with countries including the United States and France labeled as high-risk. "The dozen or so countries in that group will have special accompaniment," Jungmann said. Simulation exercises Security services staged simulation exercises in Rio to test counterterrorism response plans. Another exercise on "confronting external threats" is planned for today at the railway station in Deodoro, one of four Olympic zones in Rio along with Maracana, Copacabana and Barra da Tijuca. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Olympic organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman met with federal and regional government officials to assess plans, notably discussing a potential increase in street blockades. (AFP)

Brazil to bolster Olympics security to quell concerns after Nice attack

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has convened a special Cabinet meeting in Lahore on Friday to discuss the &quot;deteriorating situation&quot; in violence-hit Kashmir and chalk out a &quot;future course of action&quot; on the issue. 
&quot;The Cabinet will discuss the oppressive actions of Indian security forces against innocent civilians and the overall situation in Kashmir after the brutal assassination of Burhan Wani,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s Office said in a statement. 
The meeting at Governor House in Lahore will discuss the &quot;rapidly deteriorating situation&quot; in Kashmir and the Prime Minister will chalk out a &quot;future course of action&quot; on the issue, it said. 
The statement also noted that on the directions of the Prime Minister, the foreign office summoned the Indian high commissioner to the foreign office and conveyed the &quot;strong concerns of the Pakistani government and people on rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir and increasing oppression by Indian security forces.&quot; 
It said that a detailed briefing was also given to ambassadors of all permanent members of UN security council of UN &quot;regarding atrocities of the security forces.&quot; 
India had asked Pakistan to refrain from interfering in its internal affairs after Sharif issued a statement expressing &quot;shock&quot; at the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. 
Sharif today said the &quot;voice and struggle&quot; of the people of Kashmir cannot be suppressed through use of &quot;brutal force and human rights abuses&quot;. 
He said this during a meeting with PoK Parliament Special Committee Chairman and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Lahore. 
During the meeting, Rehman apprised the Prime Minister on his recent talks with separatist leaders over the &quot;human rights violations&quot; by Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir. 
Rehman said the &quot;Kashmiri leadership looks towards Pakistan in difficult times&quot;, according to an official statement. 
Sharif said, &quot;The government and people of Pakistan respect the sentiments of their Kashmiri brethren and will continue to support the Kashmir cause at each and every forum internationally come what may.&quot; 
&quot;The resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices,&quot; Sharif said. 
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary also briefed the Islamabad-based Ambassadors of the member countries of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir (Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Niger) over the situation in the Valley. 
In the meeting, Pakistan called on the OIC member states to raise their voice against &quot;the blatant human rights violations&quot; of Kashmiri Muslims. 
The Foreign Secretary also briefed the Ambassadors of the European Union over the situation and emphasised the need for a fair and transparent inquiry against individuals responsible for these killings.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

It will discuss the 'oppressive actions of Indian security forces' and the overall situation after the 'brutal assassination of Burhan Wani'

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has convened a special Cabinet meeting in Lahore on Friday to discuss the "deteriorating situation" in violence-hit Kashmir and chalk out a "future course of action" on the issue. "The Cabinet will discuss the oppressive actions of Indian security forces against innocent civilians and the overall situation in Kashmir after the brutal assassination of Burhan Wani," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The meeting at Governor House in Lahore will discuss the "rapidly deteriorating situation" in Kashmir and the Prime Minister will chalk out a "future course of action" on the issue, it said. The statement also noted that on the directions of the Prime Minister, the foreign office summoned the Indian high commissioner to the foreign office and conveyed the "strong concerns of the Pakistani government and people on rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir and increasing oppression by Indian security forces." It said that a detailed briefing was also given to ambassadors of all permanent members of UN security council of UN "regarding atrocities of the security forces." India had asked Pakistan to refrain from interfering in its internal affairs after Sharif issued a statement expressing "shock" at the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. Sharif today said the "voice and struggle" of the people of Kashmir cannot be suppressed through use of "brutal force and human rights abuses". He said this during a meeting with PoK Parliament Special Committee Chairman and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Lahore. During the meeting, Rehman apprised the Prime Minister on his recent talks with separatist leaders over the "human rights violations" by Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Rehman said the "Kashmiri leadership looks towards Pakistan in difficult times", according to an official statement. Sharif said, "The government and people of Pakistan respect the sentiments of their Kashmiri brethren and will continue to support the Kashmir cause at each and every forum internationally come what may." "The resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," Sharif said. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary also briefed the Islamabad-based Ambassadors of the member countries of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir (Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Niger) over the situation in the Valley. In the meeting, Pakistan called on the OIC member states to raise their voice against "the blatant human rights violations" of Kashmiri Muslims. The Foreign Secretary also briefed the Ambassadors of the European Union over the situation and emphasised the need for a fair and transparent inquiry against individuals responsible for these killings. (PTI)

Pakistan PM calls special Cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss Kashmir situation

One more youth was killed today in a clash between a stone-pelting mob and security forces in Kashmir, raising the toll in the five-day unrest to 35, even as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed &quot;great sadness and sorrow&quot; over the deaths and promised a &quot;healing touch&quot;. 
Shattering the peace during most of the day, clashes erupted this evening at Harnag in Koimoh with a group of youth pelting stones on passing vehicles of security forces. 
In retaliatory action by the security forces, one youth was injured, officials said, adding he succumbed while being shifted to hospital. This raised the toll during the five-day unrest to 35. 
As soon as the news of death of the youth spread, angry protesters set ablaze a forest hut at Khannabal in Anantnag district town, the officials said. 
In another incident, a youth was injured when security forces opened fire at Koil in Pulwama district to disperse a mob which was pelting stones at an Indian Air Force base, the officials said. 
They said Reyaz Ahmad Padder was admitted to District Hospital Pulwama where his situation is stated to be stable. 
Earlier, barring some incidents of stone-pelting, Kashmir was relatively calm through the day as curfew remained in force in some parts of Kashmir, including Pampore and Kupwara towns, restrictions were in place on movement of people in the rest of the Valley. 
A police spokesman said barring &quot;some incidents&quot; of stone pelting at various places, the situation &quot;remained under control&quot; in the valley. 
The stray incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Khudwani, Kulgam, Iman Sahib, Shopian and Kakpora in south Kashmir, Kralpora, Kupwara, Trehgam, Langate, Lalpora, Putkha Sopore and Main Chowk Sopore in north Kashmir, he said. 
Reaching out to people, Mehbooba sought their &quot;support in pulling J&amp;K out of the vortex of violence and bloodshed.&quot; 
She said she needs people&#39;s support in realising the dream of a politically-emancipated, economically self-reliant and socially secure Jammu and Kashmir. 
&quot;The 27-year-long violence has left deep wounds in almost each home here and we have to jointly safeguard our state and our people from further bloodshed and destruction,&quot; she said after paying homage to the martyrs of 1931 at the Martyrs graveyard in Khawaja Bazar area of downtown Srinagar. 
Commenting on the current unrest, Mehbooba said, &quot;My heart is overwhelmed with great sadness and sorrow as a result of the killings in the latest spate of violence in Kashmir.&quot; 
Asserting that &quot;I won&#39;t let the people down, despite facing a challenging task&quot;, she said, &quot;While my government&#39;s immediate priority would be to reach out to the affected families with a healing touch, in the long run a concerted effort shall have to be launched to make peace and stability a reality in J&amp;K, with youth being the focus of the government&#39;s welfare initiatives.&quot;&nbsp; 
Urging people not to &quot;play with peace&quot;, the Chief Minister asked them not to fall prey to the machinations of those elements who want to disturb peace in the state. 
&quot;I think the biggest tribute to them would be to protect that peace and not fall prey to the machinations of those elements who want to disturb peace here,&quot; said Mehbooba who was accompanied by some of her Cabinet colleagues, legislators, party functionaries and top officers of the civil and police administration. 
According to the latest figures available, most deaths over the last four days have taken place in Anantnag district (16) followed by Kulgam (eight), Shopian (five), Pulwama (three), Srinagar and Kupwara (one each). 
Meanwhile, militants fired at the vehicle of a Sub Divisional Police Officer in Shopian district but he escaped unhurt, police said. 
Normal life remained affected for the fifth consecutive day today due to the shutdown called by separatist groups to protest the civilian killings in the clashes with security forces. The separatists today extended the shutdown by two more days till July 15. 
Shops and business establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off roads due to the strike. 
Mobile Internet and train services remained suspended while mobile telephony has been snapped in Kupwara area following the death of a youth during protests yesterday. Mobile telephony is partially suspended in south Kashmir&#39;s four districts. 
Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were detained by police after they tried to defy restrictions and lead a march to Martyrs graveyard in downtown Srinagar. 
Geelani, who was under house arrest, was detained by the police on the airport road outside his residence in uptown Hyderpora after he defied restrictions and tried to take out a march to commemorate the 85th anniversary of those who laid down their lives fighting the Aristocratic rule in the state in 1931. 
Police also detained Mirwaiz, who was under house arrest, after he defied the restrictions and came out of his Nigeen residence to lead a march to the Martyrs graveyard. 
Mirwaiz climbed the main gate of his residence as a heavy deployment of police had barricaded the gate and did not open it, a spokesman of the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat said. 
 
(PTI)

Total toll reaches 35. Another youth is injured after security forces open fire to disperse a mob pelting stones at an air force base

One more youth was killed today in a clash between a stone-pelting mob and security forces in Kashmir, raising the toll in the five-day unrest to 35, even as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed "great sadness and sorrow" over the deaths and promised a "healing touch". Shattering the peace during most of the day, clashes erupted this evening at Harnag in Koimoh with a group of youth pelting stones on passing vehicles of security forces. In retaliatory action by the security forces, one youth was injured, officials said, adding he succumbed while being shifted to hospital. This raised the toll during the five-day unrest to 35. As soon as the news of death of the youth spread, angry protesters set ablaze a forest hut at Khannabal in Anantnag district town, the officials said. In another incident, a youth was injured when security forces opened fire at Koil in Pulwama district to disperse a mob which was pelting stones at an Indian Air Force base, the officials said. They said Reyaz Ahmad Padder was admitted to District Hospital Pulwama where his situation is stated to be stable. Earlier, barring some incidents of stone-pelting, Kashmir was relatively calm through the day as curfew remained in force in some parts of Kashmir, including Pampore and Kupwara towns, restrictions were in place on movement of people in the rest of the Valley. A police spokesman said barring "some incidents" of stone pelting at various places, the situation "remained under control" in the valley. The stray incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Khudwani, Kulgam, Iman Sahib, Shopian and Kakpora in south Kashmir, Kralpora, Kupwara, Trehgam, Langate, Lalpora, Putkha Sopore and Main Chowk Sopore in north Kashmir, he said. Reaching out to people, Mehbooba sought their "support in pulling J&K out of the vortex of violence and bloodshed." She said she needs people's support in realising the dream of a politically-emancipated, economically self-reliant and socially secure Jammu and Kashmir. "The 27-year-long violence has left deep wounds in almost each home here and we have to jointly safeguard our state and our people from further bloodshed and destruction," she said after paying homage to the martyrs of 1931 at the Martyrs graveyard in Khawaja Bazar area of downtown Srinagar. Commenting on the current unrest, Mehbooba said, "My heart is overwhelmed with great sadness and sorrow as a result of the killings in the latest spate of violence in Kashmir." Asserting that "I won't let the people down, despite facing a challenging task", she said, "While my government's immediate priority would be to reach out to the affected families with a healing touch, in the long run a concerted effort shall have to be launched to make peace and stability a reality in J&K, with youth being the focus of the government's welfare initiatives." Urging people not to "play with peace", the Chief Minister asked them not to fall prey to the machinations of those elements who want to disturb peace in the state. "I think the biggest tribute to them would be to protect that peace and not fall prey to the machinations of those elements who want to disturb peace here," said Mehbooba who was accompanied by some of her Cabinet colleagues, legislators, party functionaries and top officers of the civil and police administration. According to the latest figures available, most deaths over the last four days have taken place in Anantnag district (16) followed by Kulgam (eight), Shopian (five), Pulwama (three), Srinagar and Kupwara (one each). Meanwhile, militants fired at the vehicle of a Sub Divisional Police Officer in Shopian district but he escaped unhurt, police said. Normal life remained affected for the fifth consecutive day today due to the shutdown called by separatist groups to protest the civilian killings in the clashes with security forces. The separatists today extended the shutdown by two more days till July 15. Shops and business establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off roads due to the strike. Mobile Internet and train services remained suspended while mobile telephony has been snapped in Kupwara area following the death of a youth during protests yesterday. Mobile telephony is partially suspended in south Kashmir's four districts. Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were detained by police after they tried to defy restrictions and lead a march to Martyrs graveyard in downtown Srinagar. Geelani, who was under house arrest, was detained by the police on the airport road outside his residence in uptown Hyderpora after he defied restrictions and tried to take out a march to commemorate the 85th anniversary of those who laid down their lives fighting the Aristocratic rule in the state in 1931. Police also detained Mirwaiz, who was under house arrest, after he defied the restrictions and came out of his Nigeen residence to lead a march to the Martyrs graveyard. Mirwaiz climbed the main gate of his residence as a heavy deployment of police had barricaded the gate and did not open it, a spokesman of the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat said. (PTI)

While CM talks of 'healing touch', one more youth killed in Kashmir

A US army soldier who participated in a scheme to buy guns and send them to a security detail for the president and vice president of Indonesia plead guilty to several charges in federal court. 
 
Audi Sumilat pleaded guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced in October, the US attorney&#39;s office in New Hampshire said yesterday. 
The 36-year-old faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 
 
One of Sumilat&#39;s co-conspirators also has been charged and is scheduled to be tried on July 19.&nbsp;Assistant US Attorney Bill Morse said there have been cases in New Hampshire and other states involving international firearms trafficking to countries including Ghana, Canada and Mexico.&nbsp;&quot;But this is the first case that I&#39;m aware of in which the intended beneficiaries of the trafficking were representatives of a foreign government,&quot; Morse said. 
 
Authorities said Sumilat joined a conspiracy to buy guns in Texas and New Hampshire for members of the Indonesian Presidential Guard, who are tasked with providing security to the president and vice president but could not lawfully buy the weapons themselves. 
Sumilat admitted he and three guard members came up with a plan in 2014, when they were stationed together for training in Fort Benning, Georgia. 
 
Sumilat said he bought guns in Texas and shipped them to a co-conspirator in New Hampshire, who delivered them to guard members on visits to Washington DC, and to the UN General Assembly in New York. The guns were to be smuggled out of the United States. 
Sumilat pleaded guilty to making false statements in records required to be kept by federal firearms dealers for telling gun dealers the weapons were for him and for smuggling firearms from the US. 
 
To have legally exported the guns, Sumilat was required to get an exporter&#39;s license and a license covering the specific guns exported. No licenses were issued. 
 
New Hampshire US Attorney Emily Gray Rice said the consequences of international gun trafficking can be grave.&nbsp;&quot;Firearms exported overseas illegally can easily end up in the wrong hands,&quot; she said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;International gun trafficking will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible to protect innocent individuals, both American and foreign, from the criminal use of US weapons abroad.&quot; 
 
(AP)

Sumilat pleaded guilty in federal court, and faces a sentence of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine

A US army soldier who participated in a scheme to buy guns and send them to a security detail for the president and vice president of Indonesia plead guilty to several charges in federal court. Audi Sumilat pleaded guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced in October, the US attorney's office in New Hampshire said yesterday. The 36-year-old faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. One of Sumilat's co-conspirators also has been charged and is scheduled to be tried on July 19. Assistant US Attorney Bill Morse said there have been cases in New Hampshire and other states involving international firearms trafficking to countries including Ghana, Canada and Mexico. "But this is the first case that I'm aware of in which the intended beneficiaries of the trafficking were representatives of a foreign government," Morse said. Authorities said Sumilat joined a conspiracy to buy guns in Texas and New Hampshire for members of the Indonesian Presidential Guard, who are tasked with providing security to the president and vice president but could not lawfully buy the weapons themselves. Sumilat admitted he and three guard members came up with a plan in 2014, when they were stationed together for training in Fort Benning, Georgia. Sumilat said he bought guns in Texas and shipped them to a co-conspirator in New Hampshire, who delivered them to guard members on visits to Washington DC, and to the UN General Assembly in New York. The guns were to be smuggled out of the United States. Sumilat pleaded guilty to making false statements in records required to be kept by federal firearms dealers for telling gun dealers the weapons were for him and for smuggling firearms from the US. To have legally exported the guns, Sumilat was required to get an exporter's license and a license covering the specific guns exported. No licenses were issued. New Hampshire US Attorney Emily Gray Rice said the consequences of international gun trafficking can be grave. "Firearms exported overseas illegally can easily end up in the wrong hands," she said in a statement. "International gun trafficking will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible to protect innocent individuals, both American and foreign, from the criminal use of US weapons abroad." (AP)

US soldier smuggles guns for Indonesian President's security detail

Thailand&#39;s military government has set up security centres around the country ahead of an August referendum on a new constitution, a spokesman for the government said on Monday. 
 
The centres are the latest measure rolled out by the government as Thailand prepares to vote on a new constitution that critics fear will entrench the military&#39;s influence. 
 
The draft of Thailand&#39;s 20th constitution is to replace one scrapped after a 2014 coup by generals who promised stability in Southeast Asia&#39;s second-biggest economy. 
 
The August&nbsp;7 referendum will be the first real rest of the junta&#39;s popularity since it took power. 
 
A &quot;Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order&quot; has been set up in every one of Thailand&#39;s 76 provinces, said Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman for the Thai prime minister&#39;s office, in order to ensure &quot;no cheating, no lobbying and no persuading people to vote one way or another.&quot; 
 
Provincial governors will be responsible for assembling teams to join the centre including police, troops and civilian volunteers. 
 
&quot;We need to ensure peace during the referendum so that people can decide how our country will move forward,&quot; Sansern told Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
Last month,&nbsp;junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha and opposition supporters of ousted populist premier Thaksin Shinawatra both contacted the United Nations after an upsurge in political tension, just a day after police shut down an electoral monitoring centre of the &quot;red shirt&quot; anti-government movement.&nbsp; 
 
The red shirts say the centres are needed to prevent fraud.&nbsp; 
 
Thanawut Wichaidit, a spokesman for the red shirt movement, accused the government of double standards. 
 
 
&quot;We weren&#39;t able to set up our monitoring centres so why should the military government be allowed to set up their centres?&quot; Thanawut told Reuters. 
 
&quot;The military government is blindfolding the electorate and leading their hand to vote in the manner they want.&quot; 
 
Under the proposed charter, a junta-appointed Senate with seats reserved for military commanders would check the powers of elected lawmakers for a five-year transitional period.

(Reuters)

The August?7 referendum will be the first real rest of the junta's popularity since it took power

Thailand's military government has set up security centres around the country ahead of an August referendum on a new constitution, a spokesman for the government said on Monday. The centres are the latest measure rolled out by the government as Thailand prepares to vote on a new constitution that critics fear will entrench the military's influence. The draft of Thailand's 20th constitution is to replace one scrapped after a 2014 coup by generals who promised stability in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy. The August 7 referendum will be the first real rest of the junta's popularity since it took power. A "Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order" has been set up in every one of Thailand's 76 provinces, said Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman for the Thai prime minister's office, in order to ensure "no cheating, no lobbying and no persuading people to vote one way or another." Provincial governors will be responsible for assembling teams to join the centre including police, troops and civilian volunteers. "We need to ensure peace during the referendum so that people can decide how our country will move forward," Sansern told Reuters. Last month, junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha and opposition supporters of ousted populist premier Thaksin Shinawatra both contacted the United Nations after an upsurge in political tension, just a day after police shut down an electoral monitoring centre of the "red shirt" anti-government movement. The red shirts say the centres are needed to prevent fraud. Thanawut Wichaidit, a spokesman for the red shirt movement, accused the government of double standards. "We weren't able to set up our monitoring centres so why should the military government be allowed to set up their centres?" Thanawut told Reuters. "The military government is blindfolding the electorate and leading their hand to vote in the manner they want." Under the proposed charter, a junta-appointed Senate with seats reserved for military commanders would check the powers of elected lawmakers for a five-year transitional period. (Reuters)

Thailand sets up security centres ahead of August referendum

Bangladesh has raised its terrorism alert level and tightened security measures in the capital city Dhaka after a terror attack killed 20 people in a local cafe late Friday. 
 
Roads near the incident site are still blocked 30 hours after the tragedy happened. Armed police are frisking pedestrians on roads around the city in attempt to prevent further possible attacks. 
 
Police strength has also been added in other public places like airports and schools. 
 
Nine Italians, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and an Indian female were killed in the attack on a Spanish restaurant which was located in the area popular with foreigners 
 
Around five hours after the attack, the Islamic Republic claimed the responsibility of attacking the upmarket restaurant. 
 
The authenticity of the IS claim has not been confirmed by the Bangladesh police. 
 
At least 40 people, including senior police officials, were injured. 
 
(Reuters)

Armed police are frisking pedestrians on roads around the city in attempt to prevent further possible attacks

Bangladesh has raised its terrorism alert level and tightened security measures in the capital city Dhaka after a terror attack killed 20 people in a local cafe late Friday. Roads near the incident site are still blocked 30 hours after the tragedy happened. Armed police are frisking pedestrians on roads around the city in attempt to prevent further possible attacks. Police strength has also been added in other public places like airports and schools. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and an Indian female were killed in the attack on a Spanish restaurant which was located in the area popular with foreigners Around five hours after the attack, the Islamic Republic claimed the responsibility of attacking the upmarket restaurant. The authenticity of the IS claim has not been confirmed by the Bangladesh police. At least 40 people, including senior police officials, were injured. (Reuters)

Bangladesh tightens security measures after terror attack

A court in Sierra Leone heard a case on Tuesday regarding a severe breach of security at the country&#39;s biggest airport. A man tried to set fire to an Air France plane after gaining access to the aircraft withour a passport or a boarding card.&nbsp; 
 
Airport officials promised security would be stepped up after Ibrahim Kanu attempted to board the flight armed with petrol, matches and a cigarette lighter on June 24 at Lungi International Airport, close to the capital of Freetown. 
 
The prosecution said Kanu had entered the restricted area reserved for staff and took a bus connecting to the plane, which is believed to have been an Airbus A330-200 headed for Paris. 
 
A British firm, Westminster Group, is contracted to provide security at the airport but has yet to comment publicly. 
 
Kanu&#39;s bail application was rejected on Tuesday on the grounds that he was a flight risk. He was accused of &quot;a very serious criminal offence&quot;. 
 
General Manager of the Airport Authority Idrissa Fofanah told journalists that security surveillance had been stepped up following the incident. 
 
(AFP)

A man without a passport or a boarding pass tried to get on the flight while carrying petrol, matches and a cigarette lighter

A court in Sierra Leone heard a case on Tuesday regarding a severe breach of security at the country's biggest airport. A man tried to set fire to an Air France plane after gaining access to the aircraft withour a passport or a boarding card. Airport officials promised security would be stepped up after Ibrahim Kanu attempted to board the flight armed with petrol, matches and a cigarette lighter on June 24 at Lungi International Airport, close to the capital of Freetown. The prosecution said Kanu had entered the restricted area reserved for staff and took a bus connecting to the plane, which is believed to have been an Airbus A330-200 headed for Paris. A British firm, Westminster Group, is contracted to provide security at the airport but has yet to comment publicly. Kanu's bail application was rejected on Tuesday on the grounds that he was a flight risk. He was accused of "a very serious criminal offence". General Manager of the Airport Authority Idrissa Fofanah told journalists that security surveillance had been stepped up following the incident. (AFP)

Sierra Leone man tries setting plane on fire

An Australian paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint while training in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend, raising fears about the security of athletes and tourists in &nbsp;Olympic Games. 
 
Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said that they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. 
 
Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then gave her a shove. 
 
&quot;I think he said &#39;dinero&#39; (money),&quot; she told Channel Nine, adding that she lifted up her shirt to showed she had no money with her. 
 
&quot;And then he said something else, but I don&#39;t know what he said, lifted the gun up towards me and then pushed me in the shoulder and I just fell down on the cobblestones.&quot; 
 
The men took the bikes and rode off, she added. 
 
&quot;It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we&#39;re both OK,&quot; said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. 
 
Tesch and Ross reported the incident to local police, said&nbsp;the Australian Paralympic Committee . 
 
Australia&#39;s Paralympic team chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said the sailing team were shaken by the incident and repeated a warning to athletes to exercise a high degree of caution while travelling in Rio. 
 
&ldquo;That advice is particularly important before the Paralympic Games period,&rdquo; said&nbsp;McLoughlin . 
 
&ldquo;We know there will be a hugely elevated level of security in place during the Paralympic Games, but for athletes and teams travelling there before the Games, there is a heightened need to be security conscious.&rdquo; 
 
The Sept. 7-18 Paralympics follow the Olympics, which opens on Aug. 5. 
 
Olympic organizers plan to deploy around 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. 
 
Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. 
 
Emergency measures are needed to avoid &quot;a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management,&quot; a decree in the state&#39;s Official Gazette said. 
 
The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state&#39;s security budget - just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. 
 
(Reuters)

Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel on Flamengo Beach when two men attacked them

An Australian paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint while training in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend, raising fears about the security of athletes and tourists in Olympic Games. Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said that they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then gave her a shove. "I think he said 'dinero' (money)," she told Channel Nine, adding that she lifted up her shirt to showed she had no money with her. "And then he said something else, but I don't know what he said, lifted the gun up towards me and then pushed me in the shoulder and I just fell down on the cobblestones." The men took the bikes and rode off, she added. "It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we're both OK," said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. Tesch and Ross reported the incident to local police, said the Australian Paralympic Committee . Australia's Paralympic team chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said the sailing team were shaken by the incident and repeated a warning to athletes to exercise a high degree of caution while travelling in Rio. “That advice is particularly important before the Paralympic Games period,” said McLoughlin . “We know there will be a hugely elevated level of security in place during the Paralympic Games, but for athletes and teams travelling there before the Games, there is a heightened need to be security conscious.” The Sept. 7-18 Paralympics follow the Olympics, which opens on Aug. 5. Olympic organizers plan to deploy around 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. Emergency measures are needed to avoid "a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management," a decree in the state's Official Gazette said. The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state's security budget - just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. (Reuters)

Australian paralympic sailor robbed at gunpoint in Rio

<div paraeid="{7cd7d545-3c55-4429-99ca-44056e2acd0c}{171}" paraid="1084439786" style="text-align: justify;">A suicide bomber killed at least 14&nbsp;and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, early on Monday, officials said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus,&nbsp;while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the&nbsp;Banae&nbsp;district of the city.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Interior ministry spokesman&nbsp;Sediq&nbsp;Sediqqi&nbsp;said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman&nbsp;Rahimi&nbsp;said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded.&nbsp; 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&nbsp;condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments&nbsp;of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives,&quot;&nbsp;he said in a tweet.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy,&quot;&nbsp;PM Modi said.&nbsp; 
 
Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber&nbsp;targetted&nbsp;their minibus in the Afghan capital.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f23f86b4-ee90-4eb1-a59c-786669d4565c}{46}" paraid="1549737129" style="text-align: justify;" >There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam&#39;s holy month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The blast follows a deadly suicide attack on a bus carrying justice ministry staff near Kabul last month and a separate attack on a court in the central city of&nbsp;Ghazni&nbsp;on June 1.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The Taliban claimed both those attacks in revenge for the execution of six Taliban prisoners.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
(Agencies)</div>

He blew up a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors

A suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, early on Monday, officials said. A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city. The attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said. The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy. "We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives," he said in a tweet. "We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy," PM Modi said. Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam's holy month. It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month. The blast follows a deadly suicide attack on a bus carrying justice ministry staff near Kabul last month and a separate attack on a court in the central city of Ghazni on June 1. The Taliban claimed both those attacks in revenge for the execution of six Taliban prisoners. (Agencies)

Suicide bomber kills 14, wounds 8 in Kabul

Chinese mobile internet giant Alibaba Group has announced the launch of Privacy Knight, India`s first free app-lock with a face lock feature that protects mobile privacy from intruders. 
 
Currently available on Android, the app is equipped with face lock, the fastest and most accurate unlock solution in the world, which enables users to unlock their protected apps through a one-second-selfie. 
 
&quot;Face lock is set to change the way people protect their privacy. It`s the next big thing after fingerprint lock. The age of face lock is here,&quot; said Country Manager of 9Apps (Android Marketplace within Alibaba Mobile Business Group), Ebrahim Popat. 
 
With the boost of smartphone utilization, India is now the largest consumer market for security app in the world. Such tremendous demand indicates a strong need for better privacy protection. 
 
&quot;Indian users are particularly concerned about security of their private photos and SNS apps on their phones. On the other hand, with predictable popularization of mobile payment, the need for mobile financial security protection will also surge in the foreseeable future. Privacy Knight provides Indian users with an enjoyable and trustworthy privacy guard for their smartphone security,&quot; said Director Alibaba Mobile Security Department, Shuhua Chen. 
 
Simple yet reliable, the security app works on a one-second-step for face locking, saving users the trouble to remember patterns/pincode. 
 
Also, the face lock and blink detection setting ensure a 99.47 percent accuracy of face recognition, more precise than any other recognition models in the world.What makes Privacy Knight even safer is that no user information upload is requested, since face lock is accessible offline.Besides face lock, Privacy Knight also offers users excellent protection including app lock, vault, clean, themes, intruder selfie, fake cover, fake icon, and more.&nbsp;

Alibaba to launch India's first app-lock with a face lock feature.

Chinese mobile internet giant Alibaba Group has announced the launch of Privacy Knight, India`s first free app-lock with a face lock feature that protects mobile privacy from intruders. Currently available on Android, the app is equipped with face lock, the fastest and most accurate unlock solution in the world, which enables users to unlock their protected apps through a one-second-selfie. "Face lock is set to change the way people protect their privacy. It`s the next big thing after fingerprint lock. The age of face lock is here," said Country Manager of 9Apps (Android Marketplace within Alibaba Mobile Business Group), Ebrahim Popat. With the boost of smartphone utilization, India is now the largest consumer market for security app in the world. Such tremendous demand indicates a strong need for better privacy protection. "Indian users are particularly concerned about security of their private photos and SNS apps on their phones. On the other hand, with predictable popularization of mobile payment, the need for mobile financial security protection will also surge in the foreseeable future. Privacy Knight provides Indian users with an enjoyable and trustworthy privacy guard for their smartphone security," said Director Alibaba Mobile Security Department, Shuhua Chen. Simple yet reliable, the security app works on a one-second-step for face locking, saving users the trouble to remember patterns/pincode. Also, the face lock and blink detection setting ensure a 99.47 percent accuracy of face recognition, more precise than any other recognition models in the world.What makes Privacy Knight even safer is that no user information upload is requested, since face lock is accessible offline.Besides face lock, Privacy Knight also offers users excellent protection including app lock, vault, clean, themes, intruder selfie, fake cover, fake icon, and more.

Alibaba launches a face-lock security app called ''Privacy Knight''

Authorities in Malaysia have uncovered an immigration racket involving the sabotage of a computerised passport-screening system at its main international airport, police said today, raising worries about human-trafficking and security.

The immigration department fired&nbsp;15 officials on Tuesday, took disciplinary action against 22 and said it was investigating more in connection with the security breach at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which could have been going on for years.

Police said arrests were imminent.

&quot;We have identified the suspects.&nbsp;We are still investigating but we will make arrests soon,&quot;&nbsp;deputy police chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim told reporters today.

International and domestic syndicates were involved, Noor Rashid said, and he suggested the motive was human trafficking.

&quot;The syndicates overseas collaborate with the syndicates here. These overseas syndicates &ndash; their responsibility is to bring the man over and collect payments, while the syndicates here, their job is to accept. These are the ones that tried to penetrate the system,&quot; he said.

Authorities said last week the airport&#39;s passport-verification system was deliberately disrupted at certain times of the day, possibly since 2010, raising suspicion people were being smuggled through immigration when it was down.

The revelations come after the auditor-general said in a report tabled in parliament two weeks ago that&nbsp;the immigration system was not functioning satisfactorily.

Human rights groups have questioned Malaysia&#39;s efforts to combat human trafficking after the discovery of mass graves of suspected migrants near the border with Thailand last year.

Malaysia has an estimated two million illegal migrant laborers, many of whom work in the electronics, palm oil and construction sectors.

The immigration system breach has also raised concern about security.

Authorities in the Muslim-majority country have arrested about 170 people since the beginning of last year for suspected militant activity.

Last month, Malaysia deported three foreign suspected militants and arrested 14 Malaysians on suspicion of links to Islamic State, including an aircraft technician.

In March, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said police had foiled an Islamic State plot to kidnap Prime Minister Najib Razak and other senior ministers last year.

Opposition lawmaker R. Sivarasa said the sabotage warranted a major criminal investigation and called for the police and the anti-corruption commission to look into it.

Scam involved the sabotage of a computerised passport-screening system at country's main international airport, could have been going on for years

Authorities in Malaysia have uncovered an immigration racket involving the sabotage of a computerised passport-screening system at its main international airport, police said today, raising worries about human-trafficking and security. The immigration department fired 15 officials on Tuesday, took disciplinary action against 22 and said it was investigating more in connection with the security breach at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which could have been going on for years. Police said arrests were imminent. "We have identified the suspects. We are still investigating but we will make arrests soon," deputy police chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim told reporters today. International and domestic syndicates were involved, Noor Rashid said, and he suggested the motive was human trafficking. "The syndicates overseas collaborate with the syndicates here. These overseas syndicates – their responsibility is to bring the man over and collect payments, while the syndicates here, their job is to accept. These are the ones that tried to penetrate the system," he said. Authorities said last week the airport's passport-verification system was deliberately disrupted at certain times of the day, possibly since 2010, raising suspicion people were being smuggled through immigration when it was down. The revelations come after the auditor-general said in a report tabled in parliament two weeks ago that the immigration system was not functioning satisfactorily. Human rights groups have questioned Malaysia's efforts to combat human trafficking after the discovery of mass graves of suspected migrants near the border with Thailand last year. Malaysia has an estimated two million illegal migrant laborers, many of whom work in the electronics, palm oil and construction sectors. The immigration system breach has also raised concern about security. Authorities in the Muslim-majority country have arrested about 170 people since the beginning of last year for suspected militant activity. Last month, Malaysia deported three foreign suspected militants and arrested 14 Malaysians on suspicion of links to Islamic State, including an aircraft technician. In March, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said police had foiled an Islamic State plot to kidnap Prime Minister Najib Razak and other senior ministers last year. Opposition lawmaker R. Sivarasa said the sabotage warranted a major criminal investigation and called for the police and the anti-corruption commission to look into it.

Malaysia uncovers immigration racket raising trafficking, security fears

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