| China's web users fear losing tools to bypass 'Great Firewall' Posted: 06 Aug 2017 02:10 PM PDT  Enterprising internet users in China fear the tools they use to tunnel through the country's "Great Firewall" may soon disappear, as Beijing tightens its grip on the web. Tens of millions of people are estimated to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass Chinese internet restrictions -- getting access to blocked websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Beijing has for years turned a blind eye to these holes in its Great Firewall, but recent events suggest the virtual tunnels may soon be bricked up.
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| Venezuela says crushes anti-government attack on military base Posted: 06 Aug 2017 01:26 PM PDT  By Girish Gupta and Alexandra Ulmer VALENCIA/CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities suppressed a small rebellion at a military base near the city of Valencia on Sunday, arresting seven men who they say participated in a "terrorist attack" against the government of unpopular President Nicolas Maduro. Earlier on Sunday a video circulated on social media showing a group of men in military uniform announcing an uprising in the wake of the creation of a pro-government legislative superbody on Friday, which was widely condemned as a power grab. Some of the alleged plotters got away with weapons stolen from the base, and state security forces were "intensely" searching for them, the defense ministry said in a statement.
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| North Korea hit with $1 billion ban on exports by UN security council in rare show of unity Posted: 05 Aug 2017 09:27 PM PDT  The United Nations security council has approved new sanctions on North Korea, placing a $1 billion ban on the country's exports which will cut the country's revenues by a third. The resolution was approved unanimously on Saturday, meaning that China and Russia abandoned their traditional support for North Korea and joined in a rare united show of force. Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, said that the resolution was "the single largest economic package ever levelled against the North Korean regime." It is also the largest reprimand ever issued by the UN for a ballistic missile test. North Korea shows off its missiles in April 2017 Britain welcomed the sanctions, with Lord Ahmad, the minister for commonwealth and the UN, calling on all countries to implement the new measures "fully and robustly". "The UK and our international partners are united in opposing and standing firm against the threat posed by North Korea," he said. "This resolution will cut the resources that North Korea is abusing to fund its reckless and illegal pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. "North Korea has chosen this extremely dangerous and destabilising path. The regime is prioritising the pursuit of these weapons over and above its people, peace and stability in the region. The North Korean regime needs to change its course immediately." Kim Jong-un celebrates his first successful test of a ICBM, on July 4. A second test was carried out on July 28 Coal exports – North Korea's largest source of income – will now be banned, costing the regime over $401 million in revenues per year. Export of iron and iron ore, worth roughly $250 million per year, will be halted, as will exports of seafood worth $300 million and lead and lead ore, worth $110 million. The resolution also bans countries from giving any additional permits to North Korean labourers - another source of money for Kim Jong-un's regime. It prohibits all new joint ventures with North Korean companies and bans new foreign investment in existing ones. The security council has already imposed six rounds of sanctions that have failed to halt North Korea's drive to improve its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons capabilities. But it is hoped that Saturday's sanctions, the text of which was jointly drafted by the US and China, may make Mr Kim think twice about his weapons programme. Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the UN, denied that previous sanctions had failed. "We are gradually tightening the control over the North Korean regime," said Mr Rycroft. "Sanctions take time to work. So I'm not pretending that tomorrow there will be a radically different position in relation to North Korea, but over time the sanctions demonstrate the unity of the international community, particularly if they are well implemented." Graphic: North Korea missile launch Twice last month the country successfully tested intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the US. "All of this ICBM and nuclear irresponsibility has to stop," said Mrs Haley. The resolution condemns the launches "in the strongest terms" and reiterates previous calls for North Korea to suspend all ballistic missile launches and abandon its nuclear weapons and nuclear programme "in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner." In addition, the security council text condemned Pyongyang for spending money on missiles while its people suffered. Well over half the population lacks sufficient food and medical care, while a quarter suffers from chronic malnutrition, according to the UN. Nine North Koreans, mainly officials or representatives of companies and banks, were added to the UN sanctions blacklist, banning their travel and freezing their assets. It also imposes an asset freeze on two companies and two banks. Yet, although the economic sanctions have teeth, Washington did not get everything it wanted. South Korea tests its missile defence systems In early July, Mrs Haley told the security council that the international community could cut off major sources of hard currency to North Korea, restrict oil to its military and weapons programmes, increase air and maritime restrictions and hold senior officials accountable. Neither oil nor new air restrictions are included in the resolution. Its adoption follows United Nations Resolution is the single largest economic sanctions package ever on North Korea. Over one billion dollars in cost to N.K.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2017 reassurance from Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, on Wednesday that Washington is not seeking regime change or an accelerated reunification of the Korean Peninsula - comments welcomed by China's foreign minister. Mr Tillerson also said the United States wants to talk eventually with North Korea but thinks discussions would not be productive if the Pyongyang comes with the intention of maintaining its nuclear weapons. The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 to sanction North Korea. China and Russia voted with us. Very big financial impact!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2017 North Korea has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear arsenal, which it sees as a guarantee of its security. The unanimous vote was welcomed on Twitter by Donald Trump, who hailed the support the US had received from China and Russia.
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| Husband Arrives to Help Wife With Overheated Car and Finds 2 Kids, Mother-in-Law Dead Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:56 PM PDT  Police say they found open beer cans in one of the cars
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| South Korean FM open to meeting North Korean counterpart Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:18 PM PDT  South Korea's foreign minister said Saturday she was open to rare discussions with her North Korean counterpart at a security forum in the Philippines in a bid to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The diplomatic olive branch came as the isolated regime faces increasing global pressure following its second intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 28, with the United Nations Security Council set to vote this weekend on new sanctions. "If there is an opportunity that naturally occurs, we should talk," Kang Kyung-Wha told reporters as she landed in Manila on Saturday, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
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| Putin cultivates strongman persona with holiday adventures Posted: 05 Aug 2017 07:45 PM PDT  Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who loves to cultivate a virile man-of-action image, was shown on Russian TV Saturday spear-fishing in a camouflage wetsuit, piloting a powerboat and catching some rays while on a Siberian holiday. Putin's affinity for the tough guy pose has been documented with shots of him bare-chested on horseback, diving in a submarine in Lake Baikal -- the world's deepest -- and flipping a Judo opponent. Putin "fished in a waterfall near a mountain lake, indulged in underwater fishing, sunbathed, went rafting in mountain rivers, piloted... motor boats, went hiking and four-wheeler riding in the mountains," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
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| No coordination between Lebanon and Syrian armies against IS: Lebanese military source Posted: 05 Aug 2017 06:02 PM PDT  The Lebanese army will not coordinate with the Syrian army to fight against Islamic State in the Lebanese-Syrian border zone, a military source told Reuters on Saturday, rejecting a local media report of direct military cooperation between the two. The source said the Lebanese army had the military capability to confront and defeat the group without any regional or international support. The presence of Islamic State and Nusra Front militants in pockets on Lebanon's border is the biggest military spillover into the country from Syria's civil war.
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| U.S. poll data expert working for Kenya opposition arrested Posted: 05 Aug 2017 04:40 PM PDT  By Maggie Fick NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan police arrested an American election data expert working with opposition leader Raila Odinga's National Super Alliance (NASA) ahead of Aug. 8 polls, an opposition senator and the U.S. embassy said on Saturday. Senator James Orengo said John Aristotle Phillips, chief executive of political technology and data provider Aristotle Inc., was detained late on Friday along with a Canadian national, whom he did not name. "The police invaded their apartment," Orengo told a news conference, adding that the pair were manhandled and thrown into the back of a vehicle.
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| Venezuela's new legislative superbody opens despite wide criticism Posted: 05 Aug 2017 03:39 PM PDT  By Eyanir Chinea and Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela on Friday inaugurated a new legislative superbody that is expected to rewrite the constitution and give vast new powers to the ruling Socialist Party, defying worldwide condemnation that the new assembly undermines democratic freedoms. The 545-member assembly unanimously elected well-known allies of President Nicolas Maduro to its leadership in a show of unity, signaling that the socialists have put aside differences to focus on consolidating the all-powerful body. Former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, a close Maduro ally was elected to the presidency while former Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz will serve as vice president.
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| US Navy ends search for sailor thought lost in west Pacific Posted: 05 Aug 2017 02:58 PM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. Navy has ended a three-day search for a sailor who is believed to have gone overboard during operations in the South China Sea.
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| Minnesota mosque blast Posted: 05 Aug 2017 02:07 PM PDT ![Minnesota mosque blast]( "Minnesota mosque blast") A bomb was thrown through the window of the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Ind., as people were preparing for morning prayers, damaging the imam's office but not injuring anyone.
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