Apple rushes to block 'zero-click' iPhone spyware
Apple has issued a software patch to block so-called "zero-click" spyware that could infect iPhones and iPads.
Independent researchers identified the flaw, which lets hackers access devices through the iMessage service even if users do not click on a link or file.
The problem affects all of the technology giant's operating systems, the researchers said.
Apple said it issued the security update in response to a "maliciously crafted" PDF file.
University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which first highlighted the issue, had previously found evidence of zero-click spyware, but "this is the first one where the exploit has been captured so we can find out how it works," said researcher Bill Marczak.
The researchers said that the previously unknown vulnerability affected all major Apple devices, including iPhones, Macs and Apple Watches.
Citizen Lab also said the security issue was exploited to plant spyware on a Saudi activist's iPhone, adding that it had high confidence that the Israeli hacker-for-hire firm, NSO Group, was behind that attack.
In a statement to the Reuters news agency, NSO did not confirm or deny that it was behind the spyware, saying only that it would "continue to provide intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world with life-saving technologies to fight terror and crime".
Security experts have said that although the discovery is significant, most users of Apple devices should not be overly concerned as such attacks are usually highly targeted.
Apple said in a blog post that it had issued the iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8 software patches after it became aware of a report that the flaw "may have been actively exploited".
The announcement came as the technology giant prepared to unveil new devices at its annual launch event on Tuesday.
The company is expected to reveal new iPhones and updates to its AirPods and Apple Watch.
Source-BBC
World Suicide Prevention Day was observed on Sept 10
September 10th, 2021 marks the second World Suicide Prevention Day observance since the Covid19 pandemic began. This year’s theme ‘Creating Hope through Action’ is befitting as the uncertainty of this outbreak has indeed exasperated many of our mental wellbeing and emotional reserves.
Mental wellbeing is the term used to define the way our thoughts and ability to cope align with the world around us. While it is inevitable that we all will experience challenging times, extended periods of low mental wellbeing can lead to the development of clinical mental health symptoms such as:
Increased levels of anxiety
Suicidal thoughts
Hopelessness
Suicidal and/or homicidal attempts
Increased irritability and displaced anger
It is for this reason, the Turks & Caicos Islands, Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), have urged the public to reach out for help if they are suffering from mental health difficulties or merely feeling overwhelmed.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) reiterates this approach as speaking to someone that is trained in mental health techniques has been proven to reduce and alleviate anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms, all of which are linked to instances of self harm. As a comprehensive approach family, friends and community members are encouraged to help others that may be struggling by listening, educating themselves on the warning signs associated with suicide and creating an action plan to prevent escalation of emotions . It is okay to not feel okay, but we need you to feel and be safe.
If you need help but are unsure of how to start please visit one of the below locations for a free Self-Care gift courtesy of your local Department of Mental health on Friday , September 10th, 2021.
Grand Turk: IGA & Grace Bay Pharmacy
Providenciales: Flamingo Pharmacy (Leeward Highway), Grace Bay Pharmacy (Gracebay) & Carolina Medical (Down-Town, Butterfield Square)
WOMEN-LEAD Little resistance from Windies as South Africa win again
Opener Laura Wolvaardt shone with an unbeaten half-century as West Indies Women proved light work for South Africa Women, slumping to a heavy nine-wicket loss in Friday’s second One-Day International at Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Not for the first time, the home side’s capricious batting led to their downfall, able to only muster a woefully inadequate 120 before being dismissed in the 45th over, after choosing to bat first.
Kycia Knight top-scored with 22 at number five while rookie Qiana Joseph scored 21, after entering at number seven.
The experienced likes of Deandra Dottin (1), along with openers Hayley Matthews (3) and Kyshona Knight (5), all failed.
With the trio falling to new ball seamer Marizanne Kapp (3-24), West Indies were tottering on 18 for three in the 12th over before Kycia stitched up the innings in a 31-run, fourth wicket stand with Chedean Nation (15).
When both fell within 17 deliveries of each other and with only seven runs added, Joseph combined with Shabika Gajnabi (14) to put on a further 28 for the sixth wicket and salvage something from the innings.
Seamer Ayabonga Khaka (2-13) along with leg-spinners Dane van Niekerk (2-14) and Sune Luus (2-27) all supported with two wickets each.
In-form Wolvaardt then hit an unbeaten 71 off 84 balls with eight fours to spearhead South Africa Women’s uncomplicated chase.
The 22-year-old posted 35 for the first wicket with Lizelle Lee (18) before putting on a further 86 with Laura Goodall (25 not out) in an unbroken second wicket partnership.
Goodall faced 51 deliveries and struck three fours but it was Wolvaardt who finished the game in style with two consecutive boundaries off Dottin’s medium pace.
Source-CMC
Hunger spikes in Haiti following deadly earthquake – UN
New food security data from the United Nations indicates that hunger has spiked in Haiti, with 980,000 Haitians in the four districts most affected by the August 14 earthquake are now living with acute food insecurity.
Following the release of its findings, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization of (FAO) urgently called for more investment to help rural Haitians go back to small-scale farming and avoid a worsening of the food crisis.
The UN said Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has long been vulnerable on multiple fronts.
Last month’s earthquake destroyed markets, roads, storage and processing facilities, dairies and irrigation systems, the UN said.
It said Tropical Storm Grace, which hit days after the seismic event, caused additional damage.
“On top of a succession of disasters and crises, this latest double whammy has left people’s ability to produce and to access food for their families and communities, in tatters,” said FAO Representative in the French-speaking Caribbean country, Jose Luis Fernandez.
“With the October winter planting season just around the corner, we can’t wait to invest in rebooting agricultural production,” he added. “That must happen immediately, but we are hampered by low levels of funding for this critical work.”
Even before the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, the UN said poverty, civil unrest, political and economic instability – combined with recurring natural disasters and the effects of COVID-19 pandemic – had turned Haiti into one of the worst-affected areas in terms of food supply.
At the time, the UN said 4.4 million people were facing crisis or even worse levels of acute food insecurity, as measured on the official IPC food security scale.
FAO is calling for US$20 million to help support to protect and restore the livelihoods of 32,000 highly vulnerable rural households.
The funds are also needed to rehabilitate the community agricultural infrastructure, FAO.
It said around 15,000 families at risk, or 75,000 people, will receive seeds for planting and agricultural tools, as well as technical support.
They will also receive a cash transfer for the equivalent of US$200, to cover urgent needs, FAO said.
It also said about 10,000 households will be provided poultry and goats, as well as emergency fodder and help setting up fodder banks.
FAO said veterinary support teams and mobile veterinary kits and services will be provided for 25,000 domestic animals.
In addition, FAO said it wants to help with the rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructure, which should benefit 7,000 households.
Irrigation canals, facilities for processing fruit, cassava, maize and peanuts, milk and fish will also be rehabilitated, the agency said.
Source-CMC
Disciplinary action started against Brazil & Argentina
Fifa says disciplinary proceedings have been launched against Brazil and Argentina after the events that saw their World Cup qualifier abandoned.
Sunday's match was halted just after kick-off after Brazilian health officials objected to the participation of three Argentine players they say broke quarantine rules.
Fifa said their move follows analysis of the match reports from Sao Paulo.
No date for the rearranged fixture has yet been set.
Brazil's health authorities had said four England-based players for Argentina had to quarantine upon arrival due to Covid-19 measures.
No players were named, but the players at English Premier League clubs are Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa, and Tottenham duo Giovani lo Celso and Cristian Romero.
The match was ended just five minutes into the game when members of Anvisa, the Brazilian sanitary authority, walked onto the pitch and called for play to be stopped.
Under current Brazilian rules, anyone that has been in the UK in the 14 days prior to arriving in the country must quarantine for 14 days immediately upon arrival.
Anvisa director Antonio Barra Torres said the Argentina players did not comply with these rules despite being directed to do so.
"We got to this point because everything that Anvisa directed, from the first moment, was not fulfilled," Barra Torres said on Brazilian television, according to AFP.
"They went to the stadium and they entered the field, in a series of breaches."
The Argentine Football Association said the team had complied with all health protocols.
Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow said the events surrounding the match will now make clubs "incredibly nervous" about releasing their players for international duty in future.
"It is a mess. What happened in Brazil on Sunday was one of the most extraordinary things I've seen watching football in all my life," he said.
The Argentina squad has now left Brazil to prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifier at home to Bolivia on Friday, 10 September.
Source-BBC
Bitcoin becomes legal tender in El Salvador
El Salvador has become the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender in a move that has got the nation and the world debating the opportunities and dangers of cryptocurrency.
From today, businesses will be obliged where possible to accept the controversial digital coins as payment.
Millions of people are expected to download the government's new digital wallet app which gives away $30 (£22) in Bitcoin to every citizen.
Bitcoin fans around the world have been buying $30 worth of the digital coins as a show of support and to help boost the value of the volatile currency.
The value of Bitcoin has risen and fallen dramatically in the last year.
It went from about $10,000 for a single coin in September 2020 to a high of $63,000 in April 2021 then falling to $30,000 in July this year.
The value of Bitcoin has risen in recent weeks to $51,000 which some analysts have linked to the El Salvador news.
On Monday, a viral post on the three-million-strong Bitcoin page on Reddit read: "So… We all buying $30 worth of Bitcoin on Tuesday?"
However, a survey by the Central American University (UCA) found that only 4.8% of the 1,281 people who took part understood what Bitcoin was and how it was used.
More than 68% of those questioned said they disagreed with using cryptocurrency as a legal tender.
More than 200 new cash machines are being installed across the country to enable dollars to be converted into Bitcoin.
Recent protests in the capital, San Salvador, have demonstrated a lack of confidence among citizens who feel the measure is a distraction from the government's controversial rule.
Source-BBC
Chip shortage could last into 2023, says car boss
The chip shortage that is disrupting global car production could continue into 2022 and even 2023, a leading German car industry figure has said.
Covid had been a stress test for the industry, which needed a thorough review of its supply chains, Daimler chairman Ola Källenius said.
Supplies of semiconductor chips have been failing to meet demand in a wide range of industries.
These include carmaking, which staged a quick recovery from the pandemic.
The shortages had caused shutdowns in Malaysia and would "significantly impact production and sales in the third quarter", Mr Källenius, who is also head of
Mercedes-Benz, told the BBC at the International Mobility show in Munich.
"Chip producers say this will bleed into 2022 from a structural point of view and then gradually get better," he added.
This meant the shortages could last into 2023, but "hopefully not at the level of severity that we have experienced here in the last couple of months", he said
Mr Källenius said Covid had been a "stress test" and a "traffic jam" for the car industry. It would take a while before everything was moving again, he added.
"But we will learn from this stress test and look even deeper into all the tiers of the supply chain to make the system more robust," he said.
Also at the show was Harald Kroeger, a board member at Bosch - one of the world's biggest parts and systems suppliers.
Mr Kroeger told the BBC that the main reason for the supply squeeze in the car market was that demand had picked up "dramatically", which he said was good news for the industry.
"Just one year ago, we were in the dark age of Corona and and sales were down and nobody expected such a quick recovery of the car market," he said.
"And now definitely we're running to try to fulfil that demand."
Source-BBC
Prime Minister Trudeau hit by stones while on campaign trail
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop.
He was returning to his bus after visiting a brewery when he was pelted by gravel. He was not injured.
Mr Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, in the hope of gaining a majority government for his left-of-centre Liberal party.
But his campaign has been disrupted by demonstrations against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions.
Just over a week ago, the prime minister was forced to cancel an election rally after a crowd of angry protesters ambushed the event.
Speaking to journalists on his campaign plane after the incident in London, Ontario, Mr Trudeau said he may have been hit on the shoulder.
According to a reporter with Canada's CTV National News, two people travelling on a media bus were also hit by the gravel, although they were not injured.
Erin O'Toole, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, described the incident as "disgusting".
"Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence," he tweeted.
Mr Trudeau's plans for vaccine mandates have become a key issue ahead of the 20 September election.
Last month, the government announced that all civil servants - including workers in federally regulated sectors, like rail - must be vaccinated by the end of October or risk losing their jobs.
Source-CBC
Moderna booster shots delayed by at least one week: Fauci
Booster shots for the Moderna vaccine will have to wait at least one week after the president's September 20 target because of the delay in submitting data, Doctor Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
Fauci told CNN that Pfizer was able to submit its data to the Food and Drug Administration about their mRNA vaccine booster shot earlier, and "it's been examined and ready to go." Moderna is behind in submitting its data causing the delay.
The news comes as Texas reported that nearly 350 children are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to state data.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services' online COVID-19 dashboard, which was last updated on Sunday afternoon, there are 345 pediatric patients in hospitals across the Lone Star State. That number was up from 282 on Thursday afternoon.
The data also shows there are 73 staffed pediatric intensive care unit beds available in all of Texas.
Since the new school year began in Texas last month, some 52,000 students have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the data.
COVID-19 has infected over 40 million Americans -- which is more than the entire population of Canada, according to UN data -- and nearly 650,000 Americans have died from the virus, reports Johns Hopkins University.
Source-ABC
St Lucia records deaths amid fourth wave of COVID pandemic
St Lucia has recorded two deaths from COVID-19 as the country's health authorities confirm that the island is experiencing a fourth wave of the virus.
The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs in its latest bulletin said that there were also 42 new cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases diagnosed in the country to date to 9,191.
The ministry also reported that two women died from the virus pushing the death toll to 85. It said confirmation was also received of the recovery of 67 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the number of active cases in the country to 2,364. Two of these active cases are currently critical and eleven of them are severely ill at the Respiratory Hospital.
Health authorities have warned that St Lucia is experiencing the fourth wave of COVID-19 and that from July 25, this year, have noted 3,621 cases at an average of 86 cases per day.
“During this period, we also noted 24 COVID-19 deaths at a case fatality rate of 0.7 per cent with an average age of 66 years. The daily infection rate for the past week was 82.0 per 100,000 per day and an average of 148.7 cases per day,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said in relation to this new wave, 52 per cent of those infected are in the age group 25-49 years. With 58 per cent being women.
The majority of the cases are from the capital, Castries, the northern districts of Gros Islet and Babonneau and the eastern district of Dennery.
Source-CMC