Netgear router exploit detected
A security researcher in the US has said his Netgear router was hacked after attackers exploited a flaw in the machine.
Joe Giron told the BBC that he discovered altered admin settings on his personal router on 28 September.
The compromised router was hacked to send web browsing data to a malicious internet address.
Netgear says the vulnerability is "serious" but affects fewer than 5,000 devices.
Mr Giron found that the Domain Name System (DNS) settings on his router had been changed to a suspicious IP address.
"Normally I set mine to Google's [IP address] and it wasn't that, it was something else," he said.
"For two or three days all my DNS traffic was being sent over to them."
This means that the attacker could have tracked what websites Mr Giron was visiting, or even redirected him to malicious sites had they chosen to do so.
He has decided to turn off the router and not use it for the time being.
The vulnerability itself has been documented by security researchers at Compass Security and Shellshock Labs in recent months.
"Is it serious? Yes it definitely is," said Jonathan Wu, senior director of product management at Netgear, one of the top three router brands in the US.
"Because whenever anybody gets access to your router, they can alter settings to direct traffic to places you don't want it to go to."
However, Mr Wu added that attackers would have to get access to the network first and then guess the admin password.
Mr Giron thinks that in his case, access was gained because his router settings had been configured so that they could be accessed remotely.
Source-BBC
Bieber back on top for rare third time
Justin Bieber has become only the fourth music artist in UK history to have the same single to hit number one on three separate occasions.
He returned to the top spot with What Do You Mean after being knocked off last week by Sam Smith's Bond theme.
The only other songs to reach number one three times are Frankie Laine's I Believe, Guy Mitchell's Singing The Blues and Pharrell Williams' Happy.
This week's number one album was a new entry from Rudimental.
We The Generation, the band's second album, includes tracks with Ed Sheeran, Bobby Womack, Ella Eyre and Lianne La Havas.
It took over the number one slot from Disclosure's Caracal, which slipped down to number eight.
Sheeren's X, which has been around for 68 weeks, is once again back in the top five, sitting at number two.
Editors' fifth studio album, In Dream, is a new entry at number five.
Bieber's What Do You Mean was the most streamed track of the week, with 2.91 million listens in the past week.
The Canadian pop star was in the news this week after photos of emerged of him naked on holiday. His lawyers have demanded websites remove the pictures, citing an invasion of privacy.
The UK singles chart saw R City's Locked Away, featuring Adam Levine, rise one place to number two, while Sam Smith's Writing on the Wall slipped to three.
A new entry into the top 100 was Alone No More by Philip George and Anton Powers, which reached number four.
The top five was completed by Ellie Goulding's On My Mind.
Top five UK singles
1) What Do You Mean-Justin Bieber
2) Locked Away-R City ft Adam Levine
3) Writing's On The Wall Sam Smith
4) Alone No More- Philip George & Anton Powers
5) On My Mind-Ellie Goulding
Blatter fights ban amid FIFA turmoil
FIFA president Sepp Blatter appealed against the 90 day ban that forced him out of office, his lawyers confirmed Friday, as world football’s sleaze-tainted governing body headed into months of turmoil over how to find a new leader.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) became the latest regional body to demand an emergency meeting of the FIFA executive after the suspension of Blatter, UEFA president Michel Platini and FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke.
The row over Blatter’s suspension took a fresh twist on Friday as FIFA’s ethics watchdog rejected the 79-year-old’s claims he was not allowed to give evidence before he was banned, saying he was given “all his rights”.
Blatter’s lawyers confirmed they had filed an official appeal and asked for further hearings with the ethics committee.
The New York Times earlier reported that Blatter had complained that he only found out about his suspension after it was made public.
But ethics committee spokesman Andreas Bantel said Blatter had been given the chance to put his case on October 1.
Platini, hit with the same suspension on Thursday, also “had the very same rights” at an interview on the same day, Bantel said.
Platini also plans to appeal against his 90-day suspension.
The Frenchman is a leading candidate in FIFA’s presidential election in February, alongside South Korean tycoon Chung Mong-Joon who was banned from football activities for six years in the ethics committee purge.
Blatter, who has led FIFA since 1998, was provisionally banned by the ethics watchdog as Swiss prosecutors investigate him for criminal mismanagement.
The crisis at FIFA has been building since May, when US authorities announced charges against 14 officials and sports marketing executives over bribery allegations amounting to more than $150 million.
Asia’s powerful football chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa wrote to acting FIFA president Issa Hayatou calling for an emergency meeting of the body’s executive committee.
“These are exceptional circumstances and that is why we need the meeting. Only together will we overcome these difficult times,” Al Khalifa said, according to a statement from the AFC.
The German and English federations have made similar calls. A FIFA spokeswoman told AFP Hayatou was expected at Zurich HQ on Tuesday and would discuss the matter with committee members.
Some senior FIFA members have suggested the meeting could discuss postponing the election to replace Blatter, currently slated for February 26.
Blatter, a 40-year veteran of FIFA, is still in Zurich, home of the organisation’s headquarters, a source close to him told AFP.
We’re cooked if we fail on climate change – IMF Chief
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said Wednesday that failure to take urgent action on global warming will condemn humanity to the same fate as the Peruvian poultry that so many delegates to the group’s annual meeting are enjoying this week in a country famed for its cuisine.
“If we collectively chicken out of this we’ll all turn into chickens and we’ll all be fried, grilled, toasted and roasted,” said Lagarde.
Her comments came in a panel discussion involving World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, UN climate talks executive secretary Christiana Figueres and economist and climate expert Nicholas Stern.
Lagarde and Kim argued strongly for removing subsidies on fossil fuels that are worth more than $5 trillion a year and on the immediate need for carbon taxes so that the burning of fossil fuels can fund clean energy replacements.
But they both acknowledged it’s a big challenge.
“We have been trying to help countries remove fuel subsidies,” said Kim, which inevitably means higher prices at the gas pump. “Politicians don’t like it when taxi drivers and truck drivers block the streets.”
Questioned about whether the world’s governments can make the necessary shift to clean energy to prevent catastrophic climate change, Figueres said that while pledges from 146 countries submitted ahead of December’s climate talks in Paris are not enough to bring greenhouse gases down to acceptable levels, she believes closing the gap is “entirely doable.”
The world’s finance ministers and central bankers were beginning to arrive in Lima for the joint annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF that run through Sunday.
The lending institutions hold their annual meetings away from their Washington headquarters every three years. The last time such a meeting was held In Latin America was in 1967, in Rio de Janeiro.
US official says ending Cuba embargo will take time
US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker wrapped up her visit to Cuba on Wednesday by saying both sides need to learn more about each other as they work to improve relations.
She also reiterated the President Barack Obama wants to see an end to the US trade embargo against the communist-ruled island, but cautioned that won’t happen quickly.
“The president wants to see the embargo lifted, but the president realizes it will take time,” she said, alluding to the fact that many Republican lawmakers and some Democrats oppose lifting the embargo at this stage.
Pritzker said that the delegation she led to Havana came to begin a dialogue about economic regulation so both sides “can learn from one another.”
She said Cuba’s dual currency system is a challenge for outside business interests and the island’s regulatory system isn’t adequate to attract large investment.
Earlier in the day, Pritzker urged the Cuban government to let private enterprise thrive and to give its citizens greater access to the Internet.
“We urge President Castro and his government to make it easier for Cuban citizens to trade and travel more freely, to enjoy the fruits of their labor, to access the Internet and to (be) hired directly by foreign companies,” she said.
Pritzker, who brought a delegation of officials from the US Treasury, Commerce and State departments, opened her visit Tuesday with a stop at the Mariel free trade zone outside the capital of Havana.
She is the most senior US official to travel to Cuba since Secretary of State John Kerry visited August 14 for a flag-raising ceremony outside the US diplomatic mission in Havana, which is now upgraded to a full embassy following restoration of relations in July.
Cuba’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the goal of the meetings with Pritzker’s group was an “exchange over the reach and limitations of the measures recently taken by the US government to modify some aspects of the application of the embargo against Cuba.”
Since the December 17 announcement that the former Cold War foes would work toward normalization of relations, the Obama administration has eased some economic restrictions on Cuba. While the trade embargo remains in place under US law, Obama is allowing US firms to send supplies to private Cuban businesses and export telephones, computers and Internet technology.
The US government has also eliminated the previous limit on remittances that people can send to relatives on the island, among other measures.
Source-AP
US Abandons Efforts to Train Syrian Rebels
The Obama administration is abandoning efforts to train Syrian rebel forces to fight Islamic State militants, and switching to a strategy of "equipping and enabling" a select group of "vetted" opposition leaders and units.
"We will monitor the progress these groups make and provide them with air support as they take the fight to ISIL," a Pentagon statement said. "This focus on equipping and enabling will allow us to reinforce the progress already made in countering ISIL in Syria."
The statement acknowledged "challenges" in the original $500 million program to train and arm moderate Syrian forces in Syria. The program has produced only a handful of rebels who joined the fight against IS.
“I wasn’t happy with the early efforts of the program," Carter said Friday. “So we have devised a number of different approaches."
Carter said the work the United States has done with Kurdish forces in northern Syria is one example of an effective approach.
"That's exactly the kind of example that we would like to pursue with other groups in other parts of Syria going forward,'' Carter said.
Source-VOA
TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 25th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 7 October 2015, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Premier.
At this meeting Cabinet:
• Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the Protection of Historic Wrecks Regulations 2015, subject to agreed amendments being made, for forwarding to the House of Assembly;
• Approved a draft TCI Country Strategy Paper produced by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) following its Policy Reform Mission to TCI in August 2015 which will be considered at the next meeting of the CDB Board of Directors;
• Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve an amendment to Section 26 (1) (A) of the Hotel and Tourism (Taxation) Ordinance to expand the criteria for the designation of restaurants for tax purposes which will be covered under a new Order;
• Received a presentation by the Public Works Department (PWD) on damage caused by the effects of Hurricane Joaquin to the seawall and road on Front Street on Grand Turk and approved the release of contingency funds to carry out emergency works to repair and stabilise the damaged Front Street area of Grand Turk as well as to enable clean up works in other areas of TCI which were most badly affected as a result of the effects of the storm. Cabinet also noted that further damage assessments across TCI will be carried out by PWD;
· Approved the recommendations of the Department of Planning to establish designated zones on Providenciales for the construction of new developments up to 12 storeys on specified tourism-related coastal parcels on Grace Bay, the Bight and Turtle Cove starting from Emerald Point to Third Turtle, and instructed the Department of Planning to amend the TCI Development Manual accordingly. Ministers further instructed the Department of Planning to prepare zoning proposals for North West Point East on Providenciales to be considered at the next meeting of Cabinet;
• Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the draft Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Bill (2015) for forwarding to the House of Assembly;
Other information will follow shortly by Ministers.
ADAM STEWART, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SANDALS RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, NAMED 'CARIBBEAN HOTELIER OF THE YEAR'
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) presented the "Caribbean Hotelier of the Year" award to Adam Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Sandals Resorts International, during the Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF), which took place Oct. 2 - 4, 2015 at El Conquistador Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort in Puerto Rico.
Stewart is the 35th recipient of this prestigious award, which is sponsored by MMGY Global, and is the highest professional honor bestowed in hotel and resort operations in the Caribbean. The award recognizes excellence in all areas of operations, as well as a commitment to the training and development of staff, contributions to the community and a demonstrated commitment to sound environmental practices. The award also acknowledges each recipient's active role in both national and regional issues affecting Caribbean tourism.
Stewart is at the helm of the world-leading resort company, Sandals Resorts International and The ATL Group in Jamaica. He is also President of the Sandals Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the Caribbean community through investment in sustainable projects in education, community and environment to help improve people's lives and preserve the region's natural surroundings.
He was born in the same year that his father, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart - who received the Hotelier of the Year in 1992 - purchased his first hotel and launched the Sandals Resorts chain. Adam Stewart was raised in Jamaica and graduated from Florida International University's acclaimed Hospitality Management Program in Miami, FL, before undertaking a fast track immersion through the Caribbean empire which today comprises 20 resort properties across three brands and seven islands.
In the nine years of Adam Stewart's stewardship, Sandals has experienced a period of unprecedented growth, innovation and development transforming the all-inclusive concept to Luxury Included® resorts that offer guests levels of exclusivity never seen before.
With Stewart as the pioneer, the company has introduced "game-changing" developments such as the addition of the Italian and Key West Villages at the company's flagship Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa, the launch of Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas, a 245-room resort with a 150-slip marina and Greg Norman golf course, and the company's first resorts in Grenada and Barbados, the hugely-anticipated Sandals LaSource Grenada and, most recently, Sandals Barbados.
Stewart continued the company's expansion by launching Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts value brand in Jamaica and Antigua, as well as the introduction of boutique villa properties such as the 52-acre private island, Fowl Cay Resort, in the Bahamas. It is this pioneering spirit which has brought him numerous accolades including being named the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association's Hotelier of the Year for 2014, World Travel Award's Rising Star, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Torch Award from FIU, Caribbean World's Travel and Tourism Personality of the Year and The Gleaner's Jamaica 50 Under 50 Award.
Though one of the most prominent young businesspeople in the world, Stewart remains a proud Jamaican and citizen of the Caribbean, dedicating much of his time to elevate the region he calls home.
In 2009, Stewart founded the Sandals Foundation with the aim of uniting the region under one common goal: to lift its people through education and protect its delicate ecosystem. The Sandals Foundation harnesses the resources, talents, partnerships and awareness behind the Sandals Resorts brand to tackle a myriad of issues affecting the Caribbean. Stewart also founded and sits as Chairman of the We Care Foundation, a local non-profit organization that brings together Montego Bay-based individuals to raise funds and improve the facilities of the nearby Cornwall Regional Hospital.
Underlining his reputation as a staunch advocate of education, Stewart established an internationally-accredited private sector educational institute, Sandals Corporate University. The Sandals Corporate University launched in early 2012 and pushes the boundaries of distance learning in the Caribbean with thousands of team members ready to benefit within the first year alone and the resorts themselves reaching new levels of excellence. Within the local community, Stewart plays a role as ambassador to the University of the West Indies, helping to promote further education in the region.
The Martian Arrives in First Place at Weekend Box Office
The Martian has landed in first place at the box office.
The sci-fi drama, starring Matt Damon as a stranded astronaut on Mars, opened in the top spot by earning an estimated 55 million dollars over the weekend.
The previous box office champ, the animated film Hotel Transylvania 2, slipped to second place, collecting 33 million dollars.
Sicario rounded out the top three, with 12.1 million. The drug-war drama, starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, was in its first weekend in wide release.
Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Sunday, with estimated ticket sales, according to Rentrak:
1. The Martian, $55 million.
2. Hotel Transylvania 2, $33 million.
3. Sicario, $12.1 million.
4. The Intern, $11.6 million.
5. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, $7.7 million.
6. Black Mass, $5.9 million.
7. Everest, $5.5 million.
8. The Visit, $3.9 million.
9. War Room, $2.8 million.
10. The Perfect Guy, $2.4 million.
Source-ABC
Germany faces 1.5 million asylum claims this year
The number of people seeking asylum in Germany this year will be as high as 1.5 million - almost double the previous estimate, German media report.
The German government has not confirmed the new estimate, which comes from an internal official report cited by popular daily Bild.
The report warns that services helping refugees will not be able to cope.
Separately, a centre-right regional minister put the expected total at 1.2-1.5 million for this year.
The German government previously estimated the number of asylum claims this year to reach 800,000 to one million in total.
Many are refugees fleeing the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, but there are also many economic migrants from the Balkans, Asia and Africa.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has warned that Europe, in dealing with the migration crisis, is engaged in a "battle of compassion versus fear, and of tolerance versus xenophobia".
Speaking in Geneva, he said the world was facing the highest levels of forced displacement in recorded history and the principle of asylum must remain sacrosanct.
He urged Europe to defend "its founding values of tolerance and openness by welcoming refugees of all religions".
The leaders of Hungary and Slovakia have said the influx of Muslims is a challenge to Europe's "Christian" identity.
Source-BBC