CDC encourages more Americans to consider N95 masks


Registered nurse Scott McGieson wears an N95 mask as he walks out of a patient's room in the acute care unit of Harborview Medical Center, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, in Seattle. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is deploying 100 members of the state National Guard to hospitals across the state amid staff shortages due to an omicron-fueled spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Inslee announced Thursday that teams will be deployed to assist four overcrowded emergency departments at hospitals in Everett, Yakima, Wenatchee and Spokane, and that testing teams will be based at hospitals in Olympia, Richland, Seattle and Tacoma. 

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday encouraged more Americans to wear the kind of N95 or KN95 masks used by health-care workers to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Those kinds of masks are considered better at filtering the air. But they were in short supply previously, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials had said they should be prioritized for health care workers.

In updated guidance posted late Friday afternoon, CDC officials removed concerns related to supply shortages and more clearly said that properly fitted N95 and KN95 masks offer the most protection.

However, agency officials noted some masks are harder to tolerate than others, and urged people to choose good-fitting masks that they will wear consistently.

“Our main message continues to be that any mask is better than no mask,” Kristen Nordlund, a CDC spokeswoman, said in a statement.

The CDC has evolved its mask guidance throughout the pandemic.

In its last update, in September, CDC officials became more encouraging of disposable N95 masks, saying they could be used in certain situations if supplies were available. Examples included being near a lot of people for extended periods of time on a train, bus or airplane; taking care of someone in poor health; or being more susceptible to severe illness.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration was planning to make “high-quality masks,” including N95s, available for free. He said more details were coming next week. The federal government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks, the White House said.

The latest CDC guidance notes that there is a special category of “surgical N95” masks, that are specially designed for protection against blood splashes and other operating room hazards. Those are not generally available for sale to the public, and should continue to be reserved for health care workers, the agency said.


The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Garbage and recyclables pile up as omicron takes its toll

By TRAVIS LOLLER

1 of 7

Trash sits out for collection in Philadelphia, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. The omicron variant is sickening so many sanitation workers around the U.S. that waste collection in Philadelphia and other cities has been delayed or suspended. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The omicron variant is sickening so many sanitation workers around the U.S. that some cities have had to delay or suspend garbage or recycling pickup, angering residents shocked that governments can’t perform this most basic of functions.

The slowdowns have caused recycling bins full of Christmas gift boxes and wrapping paper to languish on Nashville curbs, trash bags to pile up on Philadelphia streets, and uncollected yard waste — grass clippings, leaves, branches — to block sidewalks in Atlanta.

“It’s just a shame,” said Madelyn Rubin, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where officials have halted recycling.

“You know that they could find the money to do it if they wanted to,” she said. “If it was a business that wanted to come in here, they would dump money in to make it happen.”

Cities including Atlanta, Nashville and Louisville are so shorthanded they have temporarily stopped collecting things like recyclable bottles, cans, paper and plastic, yard waste or oversized junk to focus on the grosser, smellier stuff. The delays are more than an annoyance to residents, creating problems such as clogged storm drains and 

Nashville City Council member Freddie O’Connell was just as surprised as his constituents when he received notice before Christmas that the city was halting curbside recycling.

“I was just stunned there wasn’t an alternative or a back-up plan,” he said. “No hotline for people who are mobility impaired or don’t have reliable access to a car” to carry their recyclables to a central drop-off site. In Nashville, staffing shortages exacerbated a problem that includes not enough working garbage trucks and a contract with a bankrupt private trash collector.

“It feels like a failure of governance,” he added.

The garbage crisis is actually the third of the pandemic. The first happened in the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 took hold in the U.S. Problems arose again as the delta variant spiked over the summer.

The Solid Waste Association of North America warned government officials and trash haulers in December to “plan now for staffing shortages.”

The highly contagious variant hit just when Americans were generating a lot of trash — over the Christmas holidays. Combine that with a relatively low vaccination level among front-line sanitation workers and you have a “perfect storm for delayed collection,” the association’s executive director, David Biderman, said this week.

In some communities, up to a quarter of the waste-collection workforce is calling in sick, Biderman said.

Garbage collection has become just another of the many basic services disrupted by omicron. Around the U.S., teachers, firefighters, police officers and transit workers have been out sick in large numbers.

“We’re getting calls, emails, everything. People are understandably frustrated,” said Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari.

Atlanta officials said Monday that because of the worker shortage, recycling and yard waste will be picked up “as staffing allows.”

Los Angeles said delays in the collection of recyclables could continue through the month.

In Louisville, Kentucky, sanitation workers stopped picking up yard waste in early January until further notice. Residents can drop off branches and clippings at Christmas tree collection sites.

New York City, which boasts the largest municipal sanitation force in the world, had around 2,000 of its 7,000 workers out because of the latest round of the coronavirus, but the rest are working long hours to clear a backlog of waste. The city has not suspended any services.

Harry Nespoli, president of the union local representing the city’s sanitation workers, said some are coming back after quarantining, while others are testing positive for the virus: “Right now it’s a swinging door.”

In Philadelphia, sometimes called Filthadelphia because of the condition of its streets, around 10% to 15% of the 900-person sanitation workforce is out on any given day, leading to delays in waste collection, according to Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams.

“When people are out, we can’t just hire to replace them,” he said. “We have to give them time to get well.”

To keep the trash from piling up, some municipalities are hiring temporary workers or contracting with private haulers. Some are offering signing or retention bonuses or pay raises.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, increased starting wages for drivers by more than 40%, from just over $31,500 to $45,000.

That allowed the city to restore recycling collection in November after halting it in July and continue routine pickups despite the omicron surge, said spokesperson Mary Beth Ikard.

COVID, China, climate: Online Davos event tackles big themes

File picture taken Jan.24, 2021 shows a police security guard

 on the roof of a hotel ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 

THE CAPITALIST STATE IS ARMED AND DANGEROUS 

(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber,file)


GENEVA (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has forced the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting of world leaders, business executives and other heavyweights to go virtual for the second year in a row, but organizers still hope to catapult the world into thinking about the future with a scaled-down online version this week.

The gathering, an online alternative to the event typically held in the Swiss ski town of Davos, will feature speeches by the leaders of countries including China, India, Israel, Japan and Germany as well as panel discussions with business, government and philanthropy figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert who will talk about COVID-19, and Bill Gates and John Kerry, who are expected to discuss climate change.

Organizers still hope their plans for a larger in-person gathering can go ahead this summer. Until then, here are five things to watch at next week’s online event:

CHINA LOOMS LARGE

President Xi Jinping, who hasn’t left China since the coronavirus emerged in early 2020, will be beamed in — just like last year — as perhaps the top headliner of the event.

He traditionally uses appearances at international gatherings like Davos to appeal for cooperation to fight climate change and the coronavirus and lambast what Beijing sees as U.S. efforts to hold back China’s rise and dominate global governance.

In a speech Monday, Xi could well again tout changes that Beijing says are opening the state-dominated economy and reject complaints that it wants to detach from international trade. His comments reflect the ruling Communist Party’s desire for global influence to match China’s status as the second-largest economy.

Keep an eye out for any mention of self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory and has threatened to attack, and claims to the South and East China Seas or parts of the Himalayas, which have kindled tension with its neighbors.

MODI’S MOOD

One of those neighbors with tense ties to China is India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also takes the virtual floor Monday.

During the 8-year-old tenure of Modi, the star of the Hindu nationalist BJP party, India has seen an upswing in attacks against the Muslim minority. India’s political parties are gearing up for state elections, just two months after Modi’s government made a rare retreat on an agricultural reform bill that drew huge protests from farmers.

The campaign has drawn crowds of tens of thousands, even as the omicron variant, like elsewhere, has driven a surge in COVID-19 cases.

HOPING FOR A POST-COVID WORLD

It’s impossible for the Davos crowd to overlook the health crisis that has upended its plans for the last two years.

The pandemic gets a top billing on Monday, with Fauci and the CEO of vaccine maker Moderna joining a panel discussion that addresses what’s next for COVID-19, which has taken several big turns as the omicron variant sweeps the globe.

On Tuesday, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is certain to promote his often-repeated call for greater vaccine equity at a panel on the subject. Many developing countries remain far behind their rich counterparts when it comes to access to vaccines. WHO says greater vaccine equity can help prevent the emergence of worrisome, highly transmissible variants like omicron.

TECH ON TAP

Climate change and energy — along with a regional look at Latin America — get top billing Wednesday, with a speech by the Saudi energy minister and a look at how the world transitions from its dependence on fossil fuels. Kerry, the special envoy for climate under U.S. President Joe Biden, joins Davos stalwart Gates — recent author of “How to Avert a Climate Disaster” — on a panel on climate innovation.

TECHNOLOGY, TRADE AND THE ECONOMY

True to its name, the economic forum never strays far from the world of business activity. The week rounds out with discussions on issues like capitalism for a sustainable future, trade at a time of strained global supply chains, and how government actions are needed to produce sustainable and equitable recovery after the pandemic.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen gets the last word Friday with a talk at the virtual forum, where she has an opportunity to promote President Joe Biden’s plans to reengage globally to prevent new environmental catastrophes. Amid the pandemic and rapidly rising inflation, the former Federal Reserve chair also could touch on financial recovery efforts, the administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure law and her support for a global corporate minimum tax agreed to by more than 130 countries.

___

AP Business Writer Joe McDonald in Beijing and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed.

Tunisia: Protesters mark 2011 uprising despite ban

Police fired tear gas and water cannons as demonstrators defied coronavirus restrictions and took to the streets to protest President Kais Saied's grip on power.


Friday's protests saw heavy security presence as the opposition had said they would demonstrate despite a ban

Tunisian police on Friday used tear gas and water cannons against protesters demonstrating against President Kais Saied in the capital Tunis.

Hundreds of protesters gathered despite restrictions imposed the day before to curb the spread of COVID infections.

Friday marks 11 years since the fall of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, which started the so-called Arab Spring, a wave of uprisings toppling dictators in the Middle East.

However, Saied decreed last year that the anniversary would instead fall on the December date of a street vendor's suicide that triggered the uprising.

Police tried to disperse protesters as they marched toward Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the stage for protests since the 2011 uprising

Protests against the president

Protesters on Friday chanted slogans like "down with the coup," referring to Saied's sacking of the government and freezing parliament last July.

Some Tunisians welcomed his moves. But his opponents, the powerful moderate Islamist Ennahdha party, have been particularly angered.

Ennahdha supporters view Saied's move as a power takeover, reminiscent of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's crackdown on the Islamist opposition.

"Preventing free Tunisians from protesting on the revolution anniversary is shameful... and is an attack on freedoms and represents a big decline under the coup authorities," said Imed Khemiri, an Ennahda member of the suspended parliament.

In a statement, the party "strongly" condemned the use of power against peaceful protesters.

"Today Saied's only response to opponents is with force and the security forces... it is so sad to see Tunisia like a barracks on the date of our revolution," said Chayma Issa, an opposition activist.
What are the COVID restrictions in Tunisia?

On Thursday, Tunisian authorities brought in a string of measures to curb a steep rise in coronavirus infections.

The restrictions include a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time. The presidency also ordered "the postponement or cancellation of all public gatherings or demonstrations, in closed or open spaces."

Opposition parties, including Ennahda, said the move was politically motivated and insisted on protesting on Friday.

After its third COVID wave last summer, Tunisia's daily COVID infections record had been in the low hundreds throughout December. But on Monday, the cases topped 4,800 a day.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the country of 12 million has roughly six million people fully vaccinated against COVID.

fb/wd (AFP, Reuters, AP)

Malaysia: Buddhist monks fight to protect mountain home

A cave monastery facing eviction by a Malaysian cement company may be the last hope for a unique karst ecosystem.



Monks live and practice their faith in limestone caves in Kinta Valley, Malaysia, but this way of life and unique ecosystem are under threat


A cool breeze sweeps through the Dhamma Sakyamuni Monastery. Sitting cross-legged on the polished stone floor, monks meditate silently under the gaze of a Buddha painted gold. Above them, stalactites hang from the rough limestone ceiling.

This is one of the last remaining limestone cave temples in Malaysia. It sits nestled into the foot of Mount Kanthan, one of 12 limestone hills that rise up from the Kinta Valley in the Malaysian state of Perak. There are currently some 15 Buddhist monks living and practicing their faith in these caves.

But the peace here is fragile. Outside the monastery, explosions can be heard echoing through the valley like gunfire. This is the sound of the mountain — and neighboring peaks — being blasted with dynamite to extract limestone that will be used to make cement.


The untouched karst ecosystem is lush and green, compared to the neighboring quarried site

The Perak state government has leased Mount Kanthan to Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) for quarrying since the early 1960s. The mountain has been divided into four zones, two of which are already being quarried. The contrast is dramatic: The richly forested southerly two zones butt against the barren expanse of pale rock and rubble of the quarried zones to the north.

AMPC is in the process of applying for permits to begin work in one of the so-far untouched zones, where the monastery is situated. But first it has to evict the monks, whom it says have no legal right to be there.
A spiritual sanctuary

Mount Kanthan is an impressive example of karst topography, where soft, porous limestone has naturally eroded to create sculptural networks of valleys, caves and sinkholes. These are home to a great diversity of specially adapted plants and animals — and have long drawn human inhabitants, too.


Bhante Kusala says few people want to live in caves but hopes the sanctuary will be designated a cultural heritage site

Bhante Kusala runs the monastery with the help of other monks and volunteers. He says it was founded a century ago by a Master Fu, who was drawn to Mount Kanthan because its form resembled the figure of a reclining Buddha.

"Our founder chose to mediate here because of its serene, quiet environment," Kusala says, adding that there is an ancient tradition of Buddhist monks seeking peace in the natural world.

The monastery echoes with the gentle sound of water dripping from the stalactites that hang from the ceiling. A system of pipes catches this water so the monks can use it to bathe, wash their clothes and clean the temple's floors.

Seongyee is a volunteer who has been helping out at the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery with cleaning and maintenance work for the last five years. "To us, this is a spiritual sanctuary," she says. "We depend on it; this is part of the spiritual journey we are seeking."


The monks collect water from the dripping stalactites and use it for washing and cleaning
Endemic species under threat

But it is not just this religious community that is at risk of losing its way of life if the cement company wins its case against them. Ruth Kiew, a botanist who works with the non-profit Malaysian Cave & Karst Conservancy, among other organizations, told DW that critically endangered fauna such as trapdoor spiders and bent-toed geckos may be driven to extinction if the entire mountain is blasted.

In 2014, Kiew published a study of the flora threatened by quarrying at Mount Kanthan, finding some 32 flora species of conservational importance, including 12 endangered species and three recently identified species of tree believed to grow only on Mount Kanthan.

APMC and its parent company, construction corporation YTL, declined to be interviewed for this story. But according to YTL's website, the company has been working with Malaysian non-profit the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC) to nurture threatened flora from Mount Kanthan at a dedicated plant nursery.


Botanist Ruth Kiew's study showed quarrying is threatening a number of flora species at Mount Kanthan

A spokesperson for TRCRC told DW the goal of the project was to train a team from YTL "on how to run their own conservation nursery, conduct seed collection, and have the basics of tree planting — all goals that were achieved."

Whether YTL is using the know-how gained from the project to continue conservation efforts is unclear. But scientists say that destruction of even a part of the remaining Kathan Mountain habitat could see unique species lost forever.

"Even different parts of the hill, due to varied and rugged topography, still harbor unique habitats and specialist species," Kiew said, adding that "plants, animals, and microorganisms are not uniformly distributed over the karst hills."

Yong Kien Thai is a botanist at the University of Malaya who has visited the mountain several times to survey its biodiversity.

"They may eventually grow some of the many different species originating from the limestone, but they didn't explain where they will replant this," he says. "Reintroduction is also an issue because different limestone hills have their own set of diversity."

A meditation chamber within the cave system

Cultural heritage hangs in the balance

Living in harmony with these unique ecosystems, Kusala sees his community of monks and devotees as "custodians of this mountain."

When APMC filed an order with the local court to evict Mount Kanthan's residents in January 2021, it referred to the monks as "unidentified occupants occupying the land," and stated they were there "without the consent, authorization and/or permission" of the company.

Leong Cheok Keng, a spokesperson for the monastery, told DW six of the monks have now successfully filed to be recognized as official parties in the case, meaning they have more of a say over how their legal argument is shaped.

At the same time, they are campaigning to have the monastery officially designated as a cultural heritage site. Before the pandemic, devotees would flock to the Sakyamuni Caves from cities like Kuala Lumpur to take part in cave meditation.


Kusala says his community lives in harmony with the unique karst ecosystem

In late December 2021, the monastery received a letter of support from Ipoh City Council, the administrative capital of Perak. The council voiced its support for designating the land a cultural heritage site.

"If the monastery achieves the status of a heritage site, it means nobody can change the structures on the site and the site is protected from being interfered with," Leong says.

Kusala radiates equanimous good humor. But he's aware that this way of life hangs in the balance as the values his monastery represents compete with economic interests. "Nowadays, not many people want to become monks," he laughs. "They don't want to stay in caves or a forest... we are the real rare species!"

Edited by: Ruby Russell

Petition: Save Gunung Kanthan

CLIMATE CHANGE IS THREATENING THE WORLD'S MOUNTAIN REGIONS

Highly susceptible to climate change

The world's mountains are rugged, but delicate. They have a huge impact on even distant lowlands but are highly sensitive to climate change. Temperatures are rising significantly faster in mountain areas, well outpacing other habitats. As a result, snow and glaciers are disappearing with consequences for water systems, biodiversity, natural disasters, agriculture and tourism.

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Karst - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. …

Rare Roman wooden figure found in the UK

Dating from the early Roman era, the figure carved from a single piece of wood joins the list of notable archaeological finds from the past months.




A rare Roman-era wooden figure
In a field near Twyford, west of London, a well-preserved 67-centimeter (26-inch) wooden figure from Roman times was found during digs along the planned HS2 rail route. Based on the carving style and the figure's dress, archaeologists estimate it to be nearly 2,000 years old. It is a rare find, as wood usually rots easily. The Romans occupied Great Britain for around 400 years.
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CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Judge orders Martin Shkreli to pay $65M for hiking drug price

MILLENIAL HUBRIS

Former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli must pay $65 million for hiking the cost of Daraprim by 4,000%. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 14 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday ordered former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli to pay $64.6 million for illegally ballooning the price of a drug to treat parasitic diseases.

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York also barred Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for life.

"Banning an individual from an entire industry and limiting his future capacity to make a living in that field is a serious remedy and must be done with care and only if equity demands," she wrote in her ruling.

"Shkreli's egregious, deliberate, repetitive, long-running and ultimately dangerous illegal conduct warrants imposition of an injunction of this scope."

Shkreli is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in an unrelated fraud cause. A jury convicted him in August 2017 on charges he ran a Ponzi scheme from 2009 to 2014 and bilked investors out of $11 million.

Shkreli came to notoriety in 2015 after his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, hiked the price of anti-parasite medication Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. The drug is often used to treat HIV patients and others with compromised immune systems.

Friday's ruling was in response to a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission and the state of New York, accusing Shkreli and his company -- which is now known as Yvera Pharmaceuticals -- of concocting an elaborate competition-fixing scheme to maintain his monopoly over Daraprim.

After purchasing the drug in 2015, the complaint said Shkreli prevented other companies from developing a generic equivalent of the drug through drawing up restrictive distribution agreements that barred them from buying samples of the medication while also limiting their access to a necessary ingredient used in its manufacturing.

The $65 million Shkreli was ordered to pay Friday is on top of the $40 million Vyera agreed in December to pay to settle separate charges with the FTC.

New York Attorney General Letitia James welcomed the court's ruling, saying Shkreli was motivated by "envy, greed, lust and hate.

"Americans can rest easy because Martin Shkreli is a pharma bro no more," she said, referencing Shkreli's infamous nickname. "The rich and powerful don't get to play by their own set of rules, so I it seems that cash doesn't rule everything around Mr. Shkreli."

Federal judge bans Martin Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for life, orders him to pay $64.6 million fine

jepstein@insider.com (Jake Epstein,Taiyler Simone Mitchell) 

© Drew Angerer / Getty Images Martin Shkreli during his wire fraud trial in New York in 2017. Drew Angerer / Getty Images

A judge reached a ruling in a lawsuit against former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli Friday.

Shkreli was accused of hiking up the price of a life-saving drug.

He is now banned from the pharmaceutical industry and faces another suit from health insurers.

Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was handed a lifetime ban from the industry and ordered to pay a $64.6 million fine, according to a federal judge's ruling on Friday.

Shkreli was sued in January 2020 for allegedly violating antitrust rules over fixing the price of the anti-parasitic drug Daraprim and delaying "the entry of generic competition for at least eighteen months," according to the ruling.

US District Judge Denise Cote said in a 135-page ruling that Shkreli's "egregious, deliberate, repetitive, long-running, and ultimately dangerous illegal conduct" warranted the stiff penalty.

The so-called "Pharma Bro" — who was also a former hedge fund manager before launching his career in pharmaceuticals — was previously convicted of securities fraud and is serving seven years in prison.

He also faces a new lawsuit filed last year by health insurers accusing him of illegally hiking the price of Daraprim from $17.50 to $750 per tablet once acquiring the rights to the drug in 2015.

Daraprim, according to the lawsuit, is "an essential, life-saving drug used in the treatment of toxoplasmosis."

The 38-year-old got his start in the pharmaceutical industry in 2011 as the founder of biotech firm Retrophin, according to BBC, but was soon removed from the company in 2014 following legal disputes.

"Americans can rest easy because Martin Shkreli is a 'pharma bro' no more," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a Friday statement.

Shkreli's attorney, Christopher Casey, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

Russia dismantles REvil hacker group at US request


A Gulf service station runs out of gasoline on May 11, 2021 in Atlanta following a hacking attack on the Colonial Pipeline blamed on Russian hackers (AFP/Megan Varner)

Fri, January 14, 2022, 5:55 AM·2 min read

Russia Friday said it had dismantled the prominent hacking group REvil, which carried out a high-profile attack last year on US software firm Kaseya, following a request from Washington.

The announcement came on the same day that Ukrainian government sites were hit by hackers in an attack that Kyiv linked to Moscow, which has amassed tens of thousands of troops on the border.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement that it had "suppressed the illegal activities" of members of the group during raids on 25 addresses that swept up 14 people.

The searches were carried out following an "appeal from the relevant US authorities".

Cybersecurity was one of the main issues on the agenda of a summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden last June.

In Washington, a US official praised the arrests, saying that one suspect was behind the disruptive hack of the Colonial Pipeline, but separated the issue from tensions on Ukraine.

"I want to be very clear – in our mind, this is not related to what's happening with Russia and Ukraine," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"I don't speak for the Kremlin's motives, but we're pleased with these initial actions," she said.

"We've also been very clear -- if Russia further invades Ukraine... we will impose a severe cost on Russia in coordination with our allies."

The FSB said members of the group had "developed malware, organised the embezzlement of funds from the bank accounts of foreign citizens".

The equivalent of 426 million rubles ($5.5 million or 4.8 million euros) and 20 luxury cars were seized in the operation, the statement added.

During a phone call in July, Biden told Putin to "take action" against ransomware groups operating in Russia, warning that otherwise Washington will take "any necessary actions" to defend Americans.

The unprecedented attack targeting the US software firm Kaseya affected an estimated 1,500 businesses.

The Kaseya attack, which was reported on July 2, shut down a major Swedish supermarket chain and ricocheted around the world, impacting businesses in at least 17 countries, from pharmacies to gas stations, as well as dozens of New Zealand kindergartens.

Shortly after the attack, the "dark web" page of REvil went offline, sparking speculation about whether the move was the result of a government-led action.

jbr-acl/jbr-sct/ah

US 'welcomes' Russian arrests of REvil ransomware gang

Russia's Federal Security Service has announced a major crackdown on the REvil ransomware hacking group. One of the arrested individuals was allegedly responsible for the attack on the Colonial Pipeline last year.


At the request of the United States, Russia has detained a group of hackers who sent ransomware viruses

The US said it "welcomes" news out of Russia on Friday that security forces there arrested hackers tied to the devastating REvil ransomware gang, officials in both countries confirmed.

"We understand that one of the individuals who was arrested today was responsible for the attack against Colonial Pipeline last spring," a senior Biden administration official said about an incident that caused gas shortages on the eastern coast of the US.

Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB, announced the hackers' arrests. In addition to the pipeline hack, REvil was said to be behind the cyberattack on Kaseya over the Fourth of July holiday weekend last year that devastated over 1,000 businesses around the world including a Swedish supermarket chain.

A source told the Reuters news agency the group could also be tied to a cyberattack last year targeting Brazil-based meat processor JBS S.A.

What did the FSB do?

The FSB raided 25 addresses and arrested 14 hackers involved with REvil.

In the process, the FSB seized more than 426 million rubles ($5.6 million or €4.9 million) worth of cash, cryptocurrency, computers, and cars.

The REvil hackers arrested by the FSB have been charged with "illegal circulation of means of payment," and could face up to seven years in prison.

The Russian REN TV network aired footage of officers pushing suspects down and seizing piles of cash in dollars and rubles before carting them off during the raids.

While the FSB did not name those they arrested, a Moscow court named two of those charged as Roman Muromsky and Andrei Bessonov. Both were ordered to remain in custody for two months.

The FSB said the operation was carried out at the behest of US authorities who sought the arrest of the group's leader. It is the first such action since Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden met last summer in Geneva.
ReEvil members have taken millions in ransom payments

When announcing charges against two REvil members in November of last year, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said that cyberattacks carried out by REvil have cost computer users worldwide a minimum of $200 million in ransom payments.

Though the Russian government claimed responsibility for dismantling the REvil ransomware gang, cybersecurity experts say the group effectively did so on its own last year. Members of the group moved on to new grifts and the arrests in no way signal a broader crackdown on hackers in Russia, those experts said.

The news comes the same day Ukrainian government websites were defaced and separately US officials warned Russia may stage a "false flag" incident as a pretext to invade of Ukraine.

While the US and the EU did not attribute Friday's cyberattack, Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, said the initial findings of their investigation pointed to "hacker groups linked to Russia's intelligence services."

The events come at the end of a long week of intense diplomacy focused on Russia and Ukraine with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov meeting with US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman in Geneva earlier in the week before continuing to Brussels to meet with NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

ar/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)

North Korea fired railway-borne missiles in third test this year
Agence France-Presse
January 15, 2022 |

This picture taken on Jan. 14, 2022 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on January 15 shows a firing drill of railway-borne missile regiment is held in North Pyongan Province.
STR / KCNA via KNS / AFP

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired two railway-borne tactical guided missiles, state media reported Saturday, the country's third weapons test this month despite a volley of new United States sanctions.

South Korea's military said it had detected the launch of two short-range ballistic missiles Friday afternoon, just hours after Pyongyang accused the United States of "provocation" over fresh sanctions.

The tests were held to "check and judge the proficiency in the action procedures of the railway-borne regiment," Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency said.

North Korea test fired missiles from a train for the first time in September 2021.

Friday's launch "demonstrated high manoeuvrability and rate of hits," KCNA said.

"Issues were discussed to set up proper railway-borne missile operating system across the country," the report added.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday's launches flew a distance of 430 kilometres (270 miles) at an altitude of 36 kilometres.

It was Pyongyang's third weapons test this month, following what it called two successful tests of hypersonic missiles on January 5 and January 11.

In response, the United States imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang this week, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying North Korea was likely "trying to get attention" with the string of missile launches.

Dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains stalled, and impoverished North Korea is also under a rigid self-imposed coronavirus blockade that has hammered its economy.

At a key meeting of North Korea's ruling party last month, leader Kim Jong Un vowed to continue building up the country's defence capabilities.

In response to the newly imposed sanctions, Pyongyang accused Washington of "intentionally escalating" the situation, saying it had a "legitimate right" to self-defence, a foreign ministry spokesman told state media.

Ecuador expands sea life protections around Galapagos



Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso shows the decree for the expansion of the Galapagos marine reserve (AFP/Rodrigo BUENDIA)

Fri, January 14, 2022,

Ecuador created a massive new marine reserve Friday north of its Galapagos islands, forming a Pacific corridor up to Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park to preserve species of migratory fauna, such as sharks.

President Guillermo Lasso, on board a scientific vessel from the Galapagos National Park (PNG) anchored in the bay of Puerto Ayora off Santa Cruz Island, signed the decree creating the new reserve called "Hermandad" (Brotherhood).

To mark the opening of the marine reserve, he then cut a ribbon made out of materials collected during coastal cleanups conducted in the Galapagos.

The new reserve is incorporated into the 138,000 square kilometers (50,200 square miles) of reserve that have existed since March 1998.

So the archipelago that inspired English naturalist Charles Darwin has now expanded to an impressive 198,000 square kilometers of protected marine area.

The Galapagos marine reserve, in which industrial fishing is prohibited, is the second-largest in the world. More than 2,900 marine species have been reported within the archipelago, which is a Natural World Heritage Site.

Authorities are planning for protected areas in adjacent Colombia and Panama to join later, creating an international marine biosphere reserve.

The leaders of those two countries also signed the decree along with Lasso.

Lasso announced the expansion of the Galapagos marine reserve, which has unique flora and fauna and fragile ecosystems, in November in Glasgow, on the occasion of the COP 26 climate summit.

The project was in exchange for a reduction in Ecuador's international debt.

- A 'clear message' -

The creation of the "Brotherhood" reserve is a "clear message for the world," said Lasso Friday, describing it as a "new relationship with the Earth, a new understanding of what constitutes progress for humanity."

Colombian President Ivan Duque and former US president Bill Clinton attended the event, together with government officials from Costa Rica and Panama.

Duque said that eventually adding Colombia's Malpelo islands and Panama's Coiba islands to the vast marine reserve will allow for the migration of species such as sea turtles, whales, sharks and manta rays.

This new reserve "will guarantee the survival of 40 percent of the world's marine species," Duque said.

"We may be a small territory... but the planet is also ours," said Lasso.

"The seas are great regulators of the global climate," he said, adding that "taking care of them is not naive idealism, it is a vital necessity."

Located in the Pacific some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are a protected wildlife area and home to unique species of flora and fauna.

The archipelago was made famous by British geologist and naturalist Charles Darwin's observations on evolution there.

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