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<br /> <keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> has announced an agreement to sell off more than 3,100 telecoms towers from Airtel to <keyword id="210201" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="HTA">HTA</keyword>.<br />
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Airtel will divest about 3,100 towers to HTA in four countries across Africa. This will expand HTA's tower coverage in Africa to more 7,800 self-owned towers. The company said the agreement will help Airtel deleverage through debt reduction and reduced ongoing capital expenditure. Airtel will also have the right to use the towers from HTA under a long-term lease contract.<br />
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“The agreement is another milestone in Airtel’s growth journey in Africa. Airtel pioneered the concept of a separate tower entity to promote infrastructure sharing in India and this agreement is a continuation of that philosophy. It is an important step towards the consolidation of tower assets across Africa that will drive industry-wide cost efficiencies through infrastructure sharing. The agreement will further help in accelerating the growth of telecom services in the Continent and at the same time benefit the environment by avoiding duplication of infrastructure”, said Manoj Kohli, managing director, Bharti Airtel.<br />
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The deal also allows Airtel to deleverage through debt reduction and will cut down its ongoing capital expenditure on passive infrastructure.<br />

Bharti Airtel To Divest Telecom Towers In Africa

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler encouraged tourists to keep vacationing in Maui at a concert on Saturday.</li><li>"Everything's beautiful, except we gotta come there and make it more beautiful, OK?" Tyler said.</li></ul><p>Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler said tourists should keep visiting Maui, during the band's first The Farewell Tour concert in Philadelphia on Saturday. </p><p>Tyler, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/video/steven-tyler-new-48-million-maui-home/B4398340-FB2C-468F-BCA6-D8AFB480D31E.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who purchased a $4.8 million Maui home in 2012</a>, encouraged tourists to continue vacationing on the Hawaiian island and added that visiting Maui can help local tourism pick up again so the economy can recover. </p><p>"When you think about Lahaina, think about south Maui," Tyler said in a video of the concert posted on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7hzCkWdGos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube,</a> adding that the resort towns of Paia and Hana, which were not affected by the wildfires, are ready to receive tourists.</p><p>"Everything's beautiful, except we gotta come there and make it more beautiful, OK?" Tyler continued.</p>    <p>Maui residents have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/traveling-to-maui-right-now-tourism-update-help-recovery-safe-2023-8">had mixed reactions to tourists visiting the island</a>. One family with a 10-generation history in Lahaina — the West Maui island that was hit hardest by the fires — <a href="https://www.insider.com/tourists-keep-out-hawaii-maui-lahaina-family-wildfires-2023-8">put up a sign telling tourists to keep out of their neighborhood.</a> </p><p>In August, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said tourists should avoid traveling to West Maui but are encouraged to keep visiting other parts of Maui and Hawaii. </p><p>"No one can travel to West Maui right now. We will share when that is possible again. Only returning residents and authorized emergency relief workers should come here now. But all of the other areas of Maui… and the rest of Hawai'i are safe," <a href="https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/maui-and-hawai%CA%BBi-island-wildfire-update/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CNo%20one%20can%20travel%20to,safe%2C%E2%80%9D%20Governor%20Green%20said." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green said in a press release.</a></p><p>"When you come, you will support our local economy and help speed the recovery of the people that are suffering right now," Green added.</p>  <p><a href="https://www.insider.com/death-count-nears-100-in-mauis-record-setting-wildfires-2023-8">Over 100 people were killed in the wildfires</a> in Maui last month, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/rescue-crews-search-for-hundreds-of-missing-after-hawaii-fire-2023-8">more than 300 were said to be missing.</a> Some 6,000 Lahaina residents have been displaced, forcing them to stay in hotels and short-term rentals as reconstruction efforts could take several years, according to a report by the<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aerosmith-steven-tyler-maui-wildfires-lahaina-paia-c1d59f751284284d530cfc50debe1ee5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Associated Press.</a></p><p>Tyler's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular office hours.</p>

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, who owns a house in Hawaii, says tourists should keep visiting Maui

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A former senior <keyword id="134917" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="department-of-homeland-security">Department of Homeland Security</keyword> official filed a whistleblower complaint accusing top officials at the department of suppressing, withholding, and manipulating intelligence about <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> that could anger President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword>.</li><li>The official, Brian Murphy, still works at the DHS but alleges that he was demoted as retaliation after he filed multiple protected disclosures through the chain of command about potential illegal activity by top officials.</li><li>Murphy accused former DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of making false statements to Congress, and he said acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf asked him to hold back intelligence assessments about Russia because they "make the President look bad."</li><li>Murphy also said that senior officials asked him to alter intelligence assessments to downplay the threat of white supremacists and exaggerate the threat posed by "left-wing" activists amid protests against police brutality.</li><li>Scroll down to read key portions of the bombshell whistleblower complaint.</li></ul><p>A former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security filed <a href="https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/murphy_wb_dhs_oig_complaint9.8.20.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a whistleblower complaint</a> accusing top officials at the agency of suppressing intelligence related to Russian interference in the US election; altering intelligence assessments to match President Donald Trump's false claims; and making false statements to Congress.</p><p>Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, revealed the existence of the complaint on Tuesday and said his committee will investigate its claims. The complaint was filed by Brian Murphy, the former principal deputy undersecretary in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (DHS I&amp;A). Murphy was recently demoted to the role of assistant to the deputy undersecretary for the DHS Management Division.</p><p>Murphy filed his complaint with the DHS's Office of the Inspector General on Monday. After Schiff received the complaint, he sent Murphy a letter Tuesday asking him to testify in a deposition pursuant to a subpoena on September 21.</p><p>"Mr. Murphy's allegations are serious — from senior officials suppressing intelligence reports on Russia's election interference and making false statements to Congress about terrorism threats at our southern border, to modifying intelligence assessments to match the President's rhetoric on Antifa and minimizing the threat posed by white supremacists," Schiff <a href="https://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a statement Tuesday</a>.</p><p>Murphy alleges in his complaint that he was demoted last month as retaliation for sounding the alarm about potentially illegal and unethical activity occurring at the department.</p><p>"The identified protected communications were made through Mr. Murphy's chain of command, as well as to the DHS Office of Inspector General ('OIG')," the complaint said. "Notably, Mr. Murphy made protected communications to his immediate supervisor and some of the very Responsible Management Officials ('RMOs') who ultimately took (or threatened to take) retaliatory action against Mr. Murphy."</p><p>Murphy's disclosures mainly relate to actions taken by three current or former top officials: former DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf, and deputy DHS secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli. He also alleges that others were involved in both the "underlying events" that prompted the whistleblower complaint and the retaliatory measures taken against him. They include former deputy chief of staff Miles Taylor and DHS counselor Kristen Marquadt.</p><h2>Russian interference</h2><div type="image" title="FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a video conference call with social workers of state-run institutions and non-profit organizations, at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia June 8, 2020. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS " height="2434" width="4868" msid="78030239" hostid="261"></div><p>Murphy said in his complaint that he was told by senior officials to stop focusing on Russian election interference and to withhold intelligence assessments about the matter. He named Nielsen, Wolf, Cuccinelli, Taylor, and the acting deputy director for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Kash Patel.</p><p>Between March 2018 and August 2020, Murphy made a number of protected disclosures "regarding a repeated pattern of abuse of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence and undermine United States interests," his complaint said. Most of the disclosures contained classified information and were therefore not described in detail in the complaint.</p><p>In mid-May, Murphy said, Wolf told him not to produce any more intelligence assessments about Russia and focus on China and Iran instead. He added that Wolf told him "these instructions specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien." Murphy replied that he would not comply with O'Brien's order because "doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger."</p><p>Later that month, after a meeting of the NSC Deputies Committee on Election Security, Murphy's complaint said he made a classified protected disclosure to Cuccinelli related to "abuse of authority, willfully withholding intelligence information from Congress, and the improper administration of an intelligence program."</p><p>Murphy said that on July 7, DHS chief of staff John Gountanis emailed him telling him to "cease any dissemination of an intelligence notification regarding Russian disinformation efforts" until Murphy spoke to Wolf. The next day, Murphy said, he and Wolf met and Wolf told him the intel should be "held" because it "made the President look bad."</p><p>Murphy expressed opposition to Wolf's directive and said that as a result, Wolf began excluding him from future meetings on the subject. A draft intelligence assessment detailing foreign interference ahead of the <keyword id="7600569" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2020-election">2020 election</keyword> was put together without Murphy's involvement, the complaint said, and he believes it "attempts to place the actions of Russia on par with those of Iran and China in a manner that is misleading and inconsistent with the actual intelligence data."</p><h2>White supremacists</h2><div type="image" title="This Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017 image shows s white supremacist carrying a NAZI flag into the entrance to Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va." height="2150" width="4300" msid="78030241" hostid="261"></div><p>Murphy's complaint also alleged that in March 2020, Wolf and Cuccinelli withheld a Homeland Treat Assessment (HTA) warning that white supremacists and Russian influence in the US were significant concerns to the DHS. Wolf and Cuccinelli prevented the HTA from being further distributed because they were concerned about how it would reflect on Trump, the complaint said. Murphy told his superior, former I&amp;A undersecretary David Glawe, at the time that the two men's actions were an abuse of authority and Glawe agreed. </p><p>Glawe retired in May and Murphy subsequently took over as acting I&amp;A undersecretary. When he asked Cuccinelli about the status of the HTA in May and June, Murphy's complaint said that Cuccinelli told him he needed to alter the section on white supremacists to make them seem like less of a threat, and also include information about violent "left-wing" groups. These interactions came as the country was rocked by nationwide protests against racism and police brutality following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in police custody.</p><p>The president and his allies have repeatedly sought to paint the protests — most of which have been peaceful, though some have devolved into violence — as orchestrated by the far-left group antifa. Trump and multiple Republican lawmakers have called for law enforcement to crack down on the protests. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said they should be granted "no quarter," a military term that constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz compared demonstrators to terrorists and asked to "hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East."</p><p>Murphy told Cuccinelli he would not make the alterations to the HTA that he requested. In July, he declined a similar request from Wolf, the complaint said. Afterward, other DHS officials took over completing the HTA without consulting Murphy.</p><p>On July 31, Murphy's complaint said, Wolf told him he was considering reassigning him to the DHS's Management Division. The conversation came amid multiple media reports that said the DHS I&amp;A collected surveillance on journalists covering the Floyd protests. Murphy said in his complaint that the reports were "significantly flawed" and "contained completely erroneous assertions."</p><p>He added that Wolf told him that even though he agreed the media reports were inaccurate, removing and reassigning Murphy would be "politically good" for Wolf, who wanted to be named DHS secretary. Murphy was reassigned on August 1, and the president <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nominating-chad-wolf-to-be-homeland-security-chief-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially nominated Wolf</a> for DHS secretary on August 25 after a government watchdog said he was serving illegally in an acting capacity.</p><h2>Trump's border wall</h2><div type="image" title="trump border wall" height="1000" width="2000" msid="78030242" hostid="261"></div><p>Murphy filed two anonymous OIG reports in November 2018 and May 2019 related to the administration's push to build a wall along the US's southern border with Mexico. The reports related to Nielsen, Wolf, Taylor, Marquadt, and then acting deputy DHS secretary Clare Grade. Murphy in his reports described "potential violations of law, including perjured testimony before Congress, as well as abuses of authority and improper administration of an intelligence program."</p><p>Specifically, Murphy said he was asked to provide intelligence to Nielsen that supported the White House's claim that known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) were pouring into the US through the southwest border. Murphy said he refused to manipulate or misuse a US intelligence program to suit the White House's political agenda.</p><p>Murphy also alleged that Nielsen intentionally gave false testimony to Congress about the threat of KSTs entering the US through the southern border on at least two occasions: once in December 2018 and once in March 2019.</p><p>He added that after he filed the two OIG reports, senior officials began discussing whether it would be possible to fire Murphy.</p><p>Murphy's complaint "alleges repeated violations of law and regulations, abuses of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis, and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence the U.S. elections," Schiff said in his letter requesting a deposition. "Such allegations fall squarely within the unique oversight and legislative jurisdiction of the Committee and relate directly to the Committee's ongoing investigation and oversight of activities undertaken by I&amp;A, including during Mr. Murphy's tenure."</p><p>The whistleblower complaint also accuses Cuccinelli of attempted abuse of authority and improper use of a US intelligence program connected to migrants entering the US from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. According to Murphy's complaint, Cuccinelli wanted intelligence reports that focused on corruption and violence in all three countries, and when they didn't contain that information, he suggested "deep state intelligence analysts" of compiling the reports to undermine Trump's talking points.</p>

Former senior Homeland Security official alleges in whistleblower complaint that he was asked to withhold intelligence about Russia because it 'made the President look bad'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters / Brendan McDermid</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan are teaming up to form an independent, nonprofit venture that'll be focused on healthcare for their US employees. </strong></li><li><strong>Exactly what this new company looks like remains to be seen. </strong></li><li><strong>This isn't the first time large employers have banded together to form healthcare companies that take on the rising cost of healthcare. </strong></li></ul><p><br />Three massive employers are forming a new company to take on the "<span>hungry tapeworm" that is healthcare costs in the US. </span></p><p><span>On Tuesday, Amazon, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan said they plan to form the new venture, which will be focused on building technology solutions that will provide "simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost" to US-based employees and their families. </span></p><p>Based on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-jpmorgan-and-berkshire-hathaway-healthcare-company-details-2018-1">how few details were in the release about what this company looks like</a>, the stock market's reaction looks quite dramatic. The news sent healthcare <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/healthcare-stocks-smoked-jpmorgan-amazon-and-berkshire-hathaway-team-up-2018-1-1014555404">stocks plummeting</a> on Tuesday morning, especially health insurers and members of the pharmaceutical supply chain. </p><p>Piper Jaffray health services analyst Sarah James wrote that she didn't expect this new company to have a big impact on healthcare, especially given how past efforts haven't made many waves. "Many have tried, but few have succeeded," she said. "We do not expect this JV to be a meaningful disruptor to the industry, despite the stock reaction indicating that it is."</p><p>Barclays analysts said they didn't view "<span>the consortium approach as the right one when we look at technology disrupting an incumbent sector," but added that "we are never dismissive of anything disruptive that Amazon is involved in."</span></p><p><span>And RBC Capital Markets analyst George Hill said in a note: "At</span><span> first glance this initiative seems to have little market clout with respect to impacting healthcare costs and would not seem to have the capability to displace established players."</span></p><p>For one, this isn't the first time employers have banded together in the name of lowering healthcare costs.</p><p>For example, 20 companies that cover about 4 million people formed the <a href="http://www.htahealth.com/">Health Transformation Alliance</a> in 2016. The group has since swelled to more than 40 companies, covering 6 million lives, including Coca-Cola, American Express, and Macy's. </p><p>The intent behind <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/02/how-a-new-corporate-alliance-could-transform-u-s-health-care">forming the alliance was similar</a> to Amazon/Berkshire Hathaway/JPMorgan's: "T<span>o improve the way corporations provide health care benefits in an effort to create better health care outcomes for their employees."</span></p><p><span>So far, that's meant a few key projects for the alliance. In<a href="http://www.htahealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TG-Private_Sector_Health_Care_Reform_Moves_Ahead-1.pdf"> March 2017</a>, HTA announced that it was setting up a new partnership around prescription drug benefits, working with pharmacy benefit managers (companies that help negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs) to help come up with a plan that suited the alliance members. </span><span>The HTA also said it'd be working to build new medical networks and using data - in partnership with IBM Watson Health - that would ideally help lower costs and improve outcomes. </span></p><h2><span>Redrawing the lines of healthcare</span></h2><p><span>The boundaries of the healthcare business have been changing. Instead of growing by acquiring other companies in the same business, companies have started to move into new lines of business, with no two combinations looking exactly the same. </span></p><p><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cvs-health-buys-aetna-2017-10">CVS's acquisition of Aetna,</a> for example, sent a big shockwave through the healthcare industry. The move combined the largest pharmacy in the US with the third-largest insurer in what was the biggest deal of 2017. </span></p><p><span>Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini took the new venture created by JPMorgan, Amazon, and Berkshire Hathaway as a step in a similar direction. </span></p><p><span>"There is an unmet consumer need in health care. Individuals and families want a simple, affordable and high-quality experience that helps them stay well," Bertolini said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our combination with CVS Health will help address those needs at the local level, and I am encouraged to see other companies working toward the same goal." </span></p><p>And in January, a group of hospitals, including Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, Ascension, SSM Health, and Trinity Health, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs health administration (a group that in total represents 450 hospitals) announced their<span> </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nonprofit-generic-drug-company-formed-by-hospitals-2018-1">plans to create a nonprofit generic drug company</a>. </p><p>Their rationale? <span>For </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-reason-for-pharmaceutical-drug-shortages-2016-4">years</a><span>, health systems have been on the hook for </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/generic-drug-pricing-monopoly-problem-2015-9">skyrocketing drug prices</a><span> for injections or drugs delivered through IV solutions, medications that have also been at the heart of drug shortages.</span><span> The two challenges have made it harder to treat patients the way doctors want. </span></p><p><span>It's possible that the new company created by JPMorgan, Amazon, and Berkshire Hathaway will similarly redefine the way we think about healthcare, though it'll likely take a few more details to entirely figure it out. Analysts on Tuesday met the news with skepticism. </span></p><p><span>"While we find the combination of these companies as intriguing, we do not see how the companies disrupt the healthcare status quo immediately," RBC's Hill said.  "We believe that the power to drive change at a rapid pace resides only in Washington, where we see little chance of regulatory directed change emerging in the near term."</span></p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-on-economic-indicators-18-equities-and-the-next-economic-downturn-2018-1">The CEO of $445 billion fund giant Principal Global Investors says everyone has the economy all wrong</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

'This initiative seems to have little market clout': Wall Street's confused by the Buffett-Dimon-Bezos healthcare push

<p><span><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Director of National Intelligence James Clapper delivered his&#xa0;</span>annual assessment of the top dangers facing the country to the&#xa0;</span></span><span class="s1">Senate Armed Services Committee&#xa0;</span><span><span>on Tuesday.</span></span></p><p><span><span><span> Clapper said&#xa0;</span><span>North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-restarts-plutonium-reactor-2016-2" target="_blank">restarted a plutonium reactor</a>.</span></span></span></p><p><span>Clapper also said that Islamic militants will continue plotting against US interests overseas and homegrown attacks will pose the most significant threat from violent extremists to Americans at home.</span></p><p>"The perceived success of attacks by homegrown violent extremists in Europe and North America, such as those in Chattanooga and San Bernardino, might motivate others to replicate opportunistic attacks with little or no warning, diminishing our ability to detect terrorist operational planning and readiness," he said.</p><p>"ISIL involvement in homeland attack activity will probably continue to involve those who draw inspiration from the group's highly sophisticated media without direct guidance from ISIL leadership," he said using an acronym for the militant group.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Clapper also said Iran remains the top state sponsor of terrorism, al-Qaida-linked groups remain resilient and the US will continue to see cyber threats from China, Russia and North Korea.<p>Clapper said US information systems, controlled by the US government and American industry, are vulnerable to cyberattacks from Russia and China.</p><p>North Korea "probably remains capable and willing to launch disruptive or destructive cyberattacks to support its political objectives," he said.</p><p>Moscow "is assuming a more assertive cyber posture" that is based on its willingness to target critical infrastructure and carry out espionage operations even when those operations have been detected and under increased public scrutiny, Clapper said.</p><p>Russia's cyber operations are likely to target US interests in part to underpin its intelligence gathering to support Russia's moves in the Ukraine and Syrian crises, he said.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Clapper said China selectively uses cyberattacks against targets Beijing believes threaten Chinese domestic stability or regime legitimacy.</p><p>"We will monitor compliance with China's September 2015 commitment to refrain from conducting or knowingly supporting cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property with the intent of providing competitive advantage to companies or commercial sectors," he said.</p><h3>Here's the full report from intelligence chief James Clapper:</h3><p><div><p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;">   <a title="View US Senate Arms Committee on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/298716677/US-Senate-Arms-Committee" style="text-decoration: underline;">US Senate Arms Committee</a> by <a title="View Anonymous 2H6h7hTA0m's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/307221186/Anonymous-2H6h7hTA0m" style="text-decoration: underline;">Anonymous 2H6h7hTA0m</a></p></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-most-powerful-drug-lord-el-mencho-chapo-ioan-grillo-2016-1">Forget 'El Chapo' - this is Mexico's most powerful drug lord</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="c4eTloMDE6568tjAxfAR2J6frW5_EwNN" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

North Korea, ISIS, and cyberwarfare - intelligence chief outlines the biggest threats facing the US

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>The people who make memes are not who you'd want as enemies.<p>A congresswoman in Mexico introduced a bill to punish meme-makers who mock Mexican life with fines up to $1,600 - and the internet community has predictably fired back with memes making fun of her.</p><p>Congresswoman Selma Guadalupe Gomez is the champion of the "anti-meme" law, a bill formally named the "Law of Civil Responsibility for the Protection of the Right to Private Life, Honor and the Image of the State of Sonora," reports Rafa Fernandez De Castro from <a href="http://fusion.net/story/153758/mexican-lawmaker-wants-to-fine-people-1600-for-making-offensive-memes/">Fusion</a>.&#xa0;</p><p>Her goal is to protect the "moral patrimony" of the Mexican state Sonora by regulating social media content and fining offensive meme-makers. Fines <a href="http://fusion.net/story/153758/mexican-lawmaker-wants-to-fine-people-1600-for-making-offensive-memes/">can be as heavy as $1,600</a>.&#xa0;</p><p>The meme community, known for its ability to levy sustained social media attacks on individuals, has lashed out against the Congresswoman.</p><h3>Here are some of the memes that have been posted on Twitter.&#xa0;</h3><h3>&#xa0;</h3><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p class="embed-spacer">"She proposed an anti-meme law... now she's been turned into one," this post reads.</p><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p class="embed-spacer">"She was a representative," this one says, "today she's #ladymeme."</p><p class="embed-spacer"><span>Meme creators are using the hashtags #ladymeme and #nomeme. According to&#xa0;</span><a href="http://fusion.net/story/153758/mexican-lawmaker-wants-to-fine-people-1600-for-making-offensive-memes/">Fusion</a><span>, #nomeme is a play on the Mexican expression "no mames," which loosely translates to, "You gotta&#xa0;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">be kidding me."</span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&#xa0;</span></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p class="embed-spacer">"A representative from Verde proposes regulation of memes," this one says. "No memes."</p><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p class="embed-spacer">"My meme is so funny that I can't regulate it," this one says.&#xa0;</p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">If the anti-meme bill becomes a law, meme-makers will be fined if they inflict "unjustified damage to human dignity." It's unclear if the memes mocking Congresswoman Guadalupe Gomez meet the criteria - but the bill </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://fusion.net/story/153758/mexican-lawmaker-wants-to-fine-people-1600-for-making-offensive-memes/">isn't expected to have much support</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>

A lawmaker tried to ban memes and now the internet can't stop mocking her

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">A Lyft car with its trademark pink moustache next to a yellow taxi in San Francisco. </p></div><p></p></div></div>This past Friday, one of Uber's biggest competitors, Lyft, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-new-york-reach-agreement-2014-7">finally got permission from New York City to launch</a> after two weeks of negotiations and court hearings. </p>
<p>New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was unhappy with the ridesharing startup not complying with its licenses and policies, but the two finally sides came to an agreement when Lyft promised to only use licensed vehicles from the TLC.</p>
<p>Lyft can finally operate in NYC, but it's struggling to find enough drivers for the demand it's seeing.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://dnainfo.com/new-york/20140728/midtown/lack-of-drivers-snags-lyfts-nyc-launch">DNAInfo</a>, no more than two Lyft cars were on the road at a time in the five boroughs between Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday night. So customers were struggling to actually use the service.</p>
<p>To make things worse, the lack of drivers led to "Prime Time" pricing, which added an additional 25-to-75 percent to each ride.</p>
<p>On top of that, Lyft was promoting a "Pioneer Program," which gave users up to 50 free rides for 15 days - but you didn't really get your bang for your buck if you couldn't actually snag a ride.</p>
<p><span>To be fair, most beginnings are rough, and it may take time for Lyft to fully figure out the ropes of New York City.</span></p>
<p>"Lyft launched in New York City on Friday evening to overwhelming demand from thousands of residents across all five boroughs," a Lyft spokeswoman told DNAInfo.</p>
<p>"We are currently in a limited beta period and working hard to grow our community of drivers as quickly as possible."</p>
<p>But you have to wonder why Lyft didn't think of preemptively finding drivers pre-launch.</p>
<h3>Here are some of the angry tweets from rideless Lyft users:<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>I would LOVE to, <a href="https://twitter.com/lyftnyc">@lyftnyc</a>--if there are cars available! <a href="http://t.co/hTa599tG4W">pic.twitter.com/hTa599tG4W</a></p>
- Caty Bennett (@catybennett) <a href="https://twitter.com/catybennett/statuses/493783834781970432">July 28, 2014</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Lyft fail part III. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lyftnyc?src=hash">#lyftnyc</a> not a good way to launch. <a href="http://t.co/3j4z6qO4nI">pic.twitter.com/3j4z6qO4nI</a></p>
- Ashish Singal (@ashishsingal1) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashishsingal1/statuses/493710460403712000">July 28, 2014</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/lyft">@lyft</a> it's awesome that you're giving away free <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lyftnyc?src=hash">#lyftnyc</a> rides, but you have no drivers ...</p>
- Jeffrey Hartinger (@BuffaloguyinNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloguyinNYC/statuses/493463259056701441">July 27, 2014</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Not even 1 Lyft car in the middle of Manhattan? Is Uber pulling BS on Lyft driver requests? (see: Gett) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lyftnyc?src=hash">#lyftnyc</a> <a href="http://t.co/6crucUNpsb">pic.twitter.com/6crucUNpsb</a></p>
- Jen Marie Robustelli (@jenastelli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jenastelli/statuses/493464168008138753">July 27, 2014</a></blockquote>

Uber Rival Lyft Is Off To A Rocky Start In NYC

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>President Barack Obama on Tuesday unveiled a plan to make good on one of his earliest campaign pledges:&#xa0;to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention center&#xa0;before his term ends in January.<p>In a statement from the White House on Tuesday, Obama announced a proposal&#xa0;to close the US military prison in Cuba, which was originally opened in 2002 by former President George W. Bush.</p><p>"When it becomes clear that something is not working as intended, when it does not advance our security, we have to change course," Obama said on Tuesday.</p><p>"For many years it has been clear that the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay does not advance our national security, it undermines it ...<span>When I talk to other world leaders they bring up the fact that Guantanamo is not resolved." Obama said on Tuesday."</span></p><p>"Keeping this facility open is contrary to our values. It undermines our standing in the world, it is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law."</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>The long-awaited plan to close Guantanamo dates back to the 2008 presidential campaign. In one of his first official acts as president, he signed an executive order to close the facility within one year.</p><p><span>"I will keep working to shut down the prison at Guantanamo: it's expensive, it's unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies," </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-final-state-of-the-union-quotes-2016-1" target="_blank">Obama said</a><span> in his final State of the Union address last month.</span></p><p>Despite vehement opposition from Republican members of Congress, Obama has still vowed to shut down the center.</p><p><span></span><span>"Despite the <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>, we've made progress, with the nearly 800 detainees once held at Guantanamo, more than 85% have already been transferred to other countries," Obama said on Tuesday.</span></p><p><span>"This is about closing a chapter in&#xa0;our history, it reflects the lessons we've learned since 9/11."</span></p><h3>The price of Guantanamo</h3><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>There are approximately 2,000 military and civilian personnel assigned to Guantanamo&#xa0;and&#xa0;<a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/guantanamo/article2203501.html" target="_blank">91 inmates</a>&#xa0;held there.</span></span></p><p><span><span><span>The holding of the prisoners, coupled with operating expenditures, costs the US close to </span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/president-obama-expected-make-statement-guantanamo-n524131" target="_blank">$180 million a year</a><span>.</span></span></span></p><p><span>According to the Department of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword>, annual recurring costs at Guantanamo are between <a href="http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/671225/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-submission-of-guantanamo-cl" target="_blank">$65 million and $85 million</a> higher than any other US facility. </span></p><p><span>Therefore closing Guantanamo could generate at least $335 million in net savings over &#xa0;the next 10 years and up to $1.7 billion in net savings over 20 years, according to the Department of Defense.</span>&#xa0;</p><h3>Obama's proposal</h3><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>In short, here are a few key points of Obama's plan to close Guantanamo.<p>1.&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0; Securely and responsibly transferring to foreign countries detainees who have been designated for transfer by the president's national security team;</p><p>2.&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0; Continuing to review the threat posed by those detainees who are not currently eligible for transfer through the Periodic Review Board (PRB);</p><p>3.&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0; Identifying individualized dispositions for those who remain designated for continued law of war detention, including possible Article III, military commission, or foreign prosecutions;</p><p>4.&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0; Working with the Congress to establish a location in the United States to securely hold detainees whom we cannot at this time transfer to foreign countries or who are subject to military commission proceedings.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Ahead of Obama's announcement, the Pentagon sent assessment teams to facilities including a high-security federal prison in Florence, Colorado, and a military jail at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in order to determine if the facilities were capable of housing high-profile inmates.</span></p><p>The White House&#xa0;plan to close the US prison in Guantanamo Bay references 13 potential sites for detainees to be transferred to US soil but does not endorse a specific facility.</p><h3><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">And here's the full plan:</span></h3><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div><p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;">   <a title="View GTMO_Closure Plan 2016 on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/300167360/GTMO-Closure-Plan-2016" style="text-decoration: underline;">GTMO_Closure Plan 2016</a> by <a title="View Anonymous 2H6h7hTA0m's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/307221186/Anonymous-2H6h7hTA0m" style="text-decoration: underline;">Anonymous 2H6h7hTA0m</a></p></div></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/united-states-war-conspiracies-actually-real-iran-contra-2016-2">These US war conspiracies turned out to be true</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VsajNkeDrUIwltmG9sl_aoNX5sS2_X7o" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Obama is trying to make good on one of his earliest campaign promises

<br />
<br /> Now your office, organisation, institution is already doing what it needs to in order to keep themselves safe from one of the biggest <keyword id="6362094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ransomware">ransomware</keyword> Cyber Attacks and an attack of this mammoth size should act as a reminder for personal users like you and I to prepare for personal ransomware attacks.<br />
<br /> Just so that you know, the new ransomware, named as “WannaCry”, is a malware that encrypts contents on infected <keyword id="6354717" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Windows">Windows</keyword> systems and demands payment in bitcoins for amount ranging from $300 to $600 to release your data. It has already spread across over 100 countries affecting Hospitals in England, Interior Ministry in Russia, Germany train station, Fedex USA and Academic Institutes in China. And India is one of the key targets. Anand Ramamoorthy, Managing Director, India &amp; SAARC, McAfee says, “The <keyword id="6362093" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="wannacry">WannaCry</keyword> attacks is perhaps one of the largest and most widespread ransomware attack in recent history, with India being a prime target. The most affected were those, who were running old and unpatched software, which threatens more than just data of the consumers. Hackers could even use the promise of a WannaCrypt fix as bait for further infections, hence users have to be extremely skeptical.<br />
<br /> Since this ransomware only attacks Windows System, first and foremost in order to prevent infection you need to apply patches to Windows systems as mentioned in <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> Security Bulletin MS17-010.<br />
<br />
So once you have done that here are the three key rules to keeping safe online<br />
<br />
1. Back up your files<br />
<br />
Always make sure your files are backed up. That way, if they become compromised in a ransomware attack, you can wipe your disk drive clean and restore the data from the backup.<br />
<br />
2. Update your devices<br />
<br />
There are a few lessons to take away from WannaCry, but making sure your operating system is up-to-date needs to be near the top of the list. The reason is simple: nearly every software update contains security improvements that help secure your computer and removes the means for ransomware variants to infect a device.<br />
<br />
3. Faith in Cloud<br />
<br />
Using cloud storage with anti-virus scanning abilities to share files will help users to mitigate any possible threats.”<br />
<br /> And apart from these three key rules that will keep you safe from a <keyword id="108450" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cyber-attack">cyber attack</keyword> here’s a detailed list of best practices from CERT-In (National Nodal Agency for responding to computer security incidents) to prevent Ransomeware attacks.<br />
<br />
• Perform regular backups of all critical information to limit the impact of data or system loss and to help expedite the recovery process. Ideally, this data should be kept on a separate device, and backups should be stored offline.<br />
• Establish a Sender Policy Framework (SPF),Domain Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC), and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) for your domain, which is an email validation system designed to prevent spam by detecting email spoofing by which most of the ransomware samples successfully reaches the corporate email boxes.<br />
• Don't open attachments in unsolicited e-mails, even if they come from people in your contact list, and never click on a URL contained in an unsolicited e-mail, even if the link seems benign. In cases of genuine URLs close out the e-mail and go to the organization's website directly through browser<br />
• Restrict execution of powershell /WSCRIPT in enterprise environment Ensure installation and use of the latest version (currently v5.0) of PowerShell, with enhanced logging enabled. script block logging, and transcription enabled. Send the associated logs to a centralized log repository for monitoring and analysis.<br />
• Application whitelisting/Strict implementation of Software Restriction Policies (SRP) to block binaries running from %APPDATA%, %PROGRAMDATA% and %TEMP% paths. Ransomware sample drops and executes generally from these locations. Enforce application whitelisting on all endpoint workstations.<br />
• Deploy web and email filters on the network. Configure these devices to scan for known bad domains, sources, and addresses; block these before receiving and downloading messages. Scan all emails, attachments, and downloads both on the host and at the mail gateway with a reputable antivirus solution.<br />
• Disable macros in Microsoft Office products. Some Office products allow for the disabling of macros that originate from outside of an organization and can provide a hybrid approach when the organization depends on the legitimate use of macros. For Windows, specific settings can block macros originating from the Internet from running.<br />
• Configure access controls including file, directory, and network share permissions with least privilege in mind. If a user only needs to read specific files, they should not have write access to those files, directories, or shares.<br />
• Maintain updated Antivirus software on all systems<br />
• Consider installing Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit, or similar host-level anti-exploitation tools.<br />
• Block the attachments of file types, exe|pif|tmp|url|vb|vbe|scr|reg|cer|pst|cmd|com|bat|dll|dat|hlp|hta|js|wsf<br />
• Regularly check the contents of backup files of databases for any unauthorized encrypted contents of data records or external elements, (backdoors /malicious scripts.)<br />
• Keep the operating system third party applications (MS office, browsers, browser Plugins) up-to-date with the latest patches.<br />
• Follow safe practices when browsing the web. Ensure the web browsers are secured enough with appropriate content controls.<br />
• Network segmentation and segregation into security zones - help protect sensitive information and critical services. Separate administrative network from business processes with physical controls and Virtual Local Area Networks.<br />
• Disable remote Desktop Connections, employ least-privileged accounts.<br />
• Ensure integrity of the codes /scripts being used in database, authentication and sensitive systems, Check regularly for the integrity of the information stored in the databases.<br />
• Restrict users' abilities (permissions) to install and run unwanted software applications.<br />
• Enable personal firewalls on workstations.<br />
• Implement strict External Device (USB drive) usage policy.<br />
• Employ data-at-rest and data-in-transit encryption.<br />
• Carry out vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) and information security audit of critical networks/systems, especially database servers from CERT-IN empaneled auditors. Repeat audits at regular intervals.<br />
• Individuals or organizations are not encouraged to pay the ransom, as this does not guarantee files will be released. Report such instances of fraud to CERT-In and Law Enforcement agencies<br />

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