The Wall Street Journal reports, Several Western countries said they were expelling Syrian diplomats, in protest at the killing of civilians, including the deaths of 108 people, shot in their homes last week. The move comes as Western powers attempt to press Russia, a strong backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to support a negotiated political change to force Mr. Assad from power. France said it was expelling Syrian ambassador Lamia Shakkour and diplomats in response to three days of attacks in the Middle East country that have left more than 150 people dead and drew condemnation from across the world.
Reuters reports, Security experts said on Monday, a highly sophisticated computer virus is infecting computers in Iran and other Middle East countries, and may have been deployed at least five years ago, to engage in state-sponsored cyber espionage. According to Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security software maker, that took credit for discovering the infections, evidence suggest that the virus, called Flame, may have been built on behalf of the same nation or nations, that commissioned the Stuxnet worm, that attacked Iran’s nuclear program in 2010. Kaspersky researchers said, they have yet to determine whether Flame had a specific mission like Stuxnet, and declined to say who they think built it. Iran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying Stuxnet. Cyber security experts said the discovery publicly demonstrates what experts privy to classified information have long known: that nations have been using pieces of malicious computer code, as weapons to promote their security interests, for several years.
Reuters also reports, JPMorgan has sold an estimated $25 billion of profitable securities, in an effort to prop up earnings after suffering trading losses tied to the bank’s now-infamous “London Whale”. CEO Jamie Dimon said, the bank sold corporate bonds and other securities, pocketing $1 billion in gains, that will help offset more than $2 billion in losses. As a result, the bank will not have to report as big of an earnings hit for the second quarter. Gains from the sales, could provide about one-fifth, of the bank’s second-quarter profit. But instead of creating new value for investors, the transactions merely shift gains in securities, from one part of the company’s financial statements, to another. According to Lynn Turner, a consultant and former chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission, JP Morgan made two stupid decisions: The first was taking risks with derivatives that they did not understand. The second is selling assets with high income, that they can’t replace.
And finally the BBC reports, Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California have been found to have radioactive contamination from last year’s Fukushima nuclear accident. The fish would have picked up the pollution while swimming in Japanese waters, before then moving to the far side of the ocean. Scientists stress that the fish are still perfectly safe to eat. However, the case does illustrate how migratory species can carry pollution over vast distances, they say.
The Wall Street Journal reports, Several Western countries said they were expelling Syrian diplomats, in protest at the killing of civilians, including the deaths of 108 people, shot in their homes last week. The move comes as Western powers attempt to press Russia, a strong backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to support a negotiated political change to force Mr. Assad from power. France said it was expelling Syrian ambassador Lamia Shakkour and diplomats in response to three days of attacks in the Middle East country that have left more than 150 people dead and drew condemnation from across the world.
Reuters reports, Security experts said on Monday, a highly sophisticated computer virus is infecting computers in Iran and other Middle East countries, and may have been deployed at least five years ago, to engage in state-sponsored cyber espionage. According to Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security software maker, that took credit for discovering the infections, evidence suggest that the virus, called Flame, may have been built on behalf of the same nation or nations, that commissioned the Stuxnet worm, that attacked Iran’s nuclear program in 2010. Kaspersky researchers said, they have yet to determine whether Flame had a specific mission like Stuxnet, and declined to say who they think built it. Iran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying Stuxnet. Cyber security experts said the discovery publicly demonstrates what experts privy to classified information have long known: that nations have been using pieces of malicious computer code, as weapons to promote their security interests, for several years.
Reuters also reports, JPMorgan has sold an estimated $25 billion of profitable securities, in an effort to prop up earnings after suffering trading losses tied to the bank’s now-infamous “London Whale”. CEO Jamie Dimon said, the bank sold corporate bonds and other securities, pocketing $1 billion in gains, that will help offset more than $2 billion in losses. As a result, the bank will not have to report as big of an earnings hit for the second quarter. Gains from the sales, could provide about one-fifth, of the bank’s second-quarter profit. But instead of creating new value for investors, the transactions merely shift gains in securities, from one part of the company’s financial statements, to another. According to Lynn Turner, a consultant and former chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission, JP Morgan made two stupid decisions: The first was taking risks with derivatives that they did not understand. The second is selling assets with high income, that they can’t replace.
And finally the BBC reports, Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California have been found to have radioactive contamination from last year’s Fukushima nuclear accident. The fish would have picked up the pollution while swimming in Japanese waters, before then moving to the far side of the ocean. Scientists stress that the fish are still perfectly safe to eat. However, the case does illustrate how migratory species can carry pollution over vast distances, they say.