Nigerian Senator and Wife Charged in Plot to Harvest a Child's Organs in U.K.

SICK

He and his wife will stand trial for conspiracy to arrange the travel of a child into Britain “with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting,” authorities said.


Dan Ladden-Hall


Darren Baker/Getty

British authorities say they have rescued a child who was targeted in a disturbing international organ-harvesting plot.

A top Nigerian senator and his wife have been charged with conspiracy over a plan to bring the child to the U.K. in order to harvest their organs, London’s Metropolitan Police announced Thursday. No details were immediately available on the age and gender of the child.

People's Democratic Party politician Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, will stand trial for conspiracy to arrange or facilitate travel of another person “with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting,” police said in a statement. Both defendants are set to appear in court in west London on Thursday.

Ekweremadu—who has been a senator since 2003 and served three terms as Nigeria's deputy speaker of the senate from 2007 to 2019—was a lawyer before entering politics. Both he and his wife are high-profile figures in their African homeland.

A spokesperson for Ekweremadu confirmed his arrest to the BBC.

The horrific allegations come after an investigation by the Specialist Crime team at Scotland Yard, which deals with serious offenses in the English capital. Cops launched their inquiry last month, leading to the duo’s arrest after police were alerted to possible crimes being committed under modern slavery legislation.

The child, who has not been identified, has been “safeguarded,” the Met said, adding that the force was “working closely with partners on continued support.” British court rules mean the police are unable to divulge any further details while criminal proceedings are underway.

Forced organ harvesting—in which organs are surgically removed from a victim against their will—has been addressed by recent legislation in the U.K. A law passed in April partly aims to disrupt the black market organ trade by making it illegal for Brits to travel overseas to purchase an organ, a practice known as “organ tourism.” Although the sale and trafficking of organs in the U.K. was already outlawed, the new rules came amid worrying reports of a booming organ trade around the world in recent years.

In London’s Chinatown, a years-long protest has been staged against alleged forced organ harvesting from political prisoners in China. The practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners is legal in China, but an article published in the American Journal of Transplantation in April claimed to have found 71 cases in which prisoners were operated on while they were still alive.

And sadly, because human organs are a valuable commodity, some people even consider voluntarily selling their own organs when conditions are desperate enough. Just this week, a hospital in Kenya had to issue a public declaration telling people to stop asking staff how much they could get for their kidneys. And in Afghanistan—where a devastating combination of widespread famine and international sanctions have pushed millions of people to the edge of starvation—dreadful reports emerged in early 2022 that people were selling kidneys for as little as $1,500 to feed their families.

SEE

BODY SNATCHERS

 LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Gothic Capitalism Redux 

Kazakhstan Uses Spyware Against Its Own Citizens

In the wake of a protest movement which swept Kazakhstan in January, the Kazakh government deployed a spyware to surveil activists, a cybersecurity research group found.

The program, dubbed Hermit, is functionally similar to the Israeli-made Pegasus program. (Photo: Piqusels, License)

WRITTEN BY DAVID KLEIN

The program, dubbed ‘Hermit’ by the Lookout Threat Lab, is functionally similar to the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, though it is believed to have been designed by the Italian group, RCS labs.

The sample detected is designed specifically for Android devices, though Lookout believes that an IOS version also exists.

“Named after a distinct server path used by the attacker’s command and control (C2), Hermit is a modular surveillanceware that hides its malicious capabilities in packages downloaded after it’s deployed,” Lookout said in their report.

The January protests in Kazakhstan were triggered by the rise of fuel prices and have quickly turned violent. The focus of the people’s anger was former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, who ruled the former Soviet country since its independence in 1991.

His family is believed to control much of the country’s economy. Nazarbayev resigned in 2019 and handpicked his successor but remained until January in power behind the scene.

Kazakhstan isn’t the only country the spyware had been deployed to. The lab also found evidence of its use in Rojava, the Kurdish majority region of Northern Syria which has been under siege by both the Turkish military and the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad.

“Prior to detecting the Kazakhstan samples, we found a reference to “Rojava,” a Kurdish-speaking region in northeastern Syria, in the passive DNS records of Hermit,” Lookout said. “The domain we found (rojavanetwork[.]info) specifically imitates “Rojava Network,” a social media brand on Facebook and Twitter that provides news coverage and political analysis of the region, often in support of SDF operations.” SDF stands for Syrian Democratic Forces.

The software has also been deployed in its home country of Italy, the Italian parliament revealed in 2021.

“Italian authorities potentially misused it in an anti-corruption operation,” the report said.

In Addition to Kazakhstan and Syria, RCS lab also has ties with Pakistan, Chile, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar and Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan is considered one of the world’s most repressive states and Myanmar has been accused of engaging in genocide against their Rohingya minority since at least 2016.

Published: 23 June 2022
https://www.occrp.org/

An Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Behalf of Science for Peace

BY NUCLEAR WEAPONS WORKING GROUPFacebookTwitter

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We write to you today as one last attempt to convince your government to adopt a policy in line with the preference of the vast majority of your citizens, with respect to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which came into effect last year. It was only a few months ago that the P5 countries (all nuclear powers including China and Russia) issued a joint statement that a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought. Nonetheless, as I am sure you are aware, the danger of a nuclear war has never been greater than at this moment and none of the current nuclear states, or Canada, have signed on to the treaty. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has kept its Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight (the closest we have ever been to nuclear self-destruction of our species) since January 2020, in response to the abrogation by the U.S. of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Agreement and the Open Skies Treaty — after the administration of George W. Bush abandoned the U.S. commitment to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. As Angela Kane, the former UN High Representative for Disarmament and Undersecretary General starkly put it: “The arms control architecture which constituted a strong pillar of strategic stability even in the highly rivalrous Cold War environment has crumbled.” 

All of this was before Russia invaded Ukraine, raising tensions between the two largest nuclear powers on the planet to unprecedented levels. With president Putin warning of “consequences the likes of which have never been seen” for any country doing what NATO is currently doing: arming Ukraine, how long until a tactical nuclear weapon is deployed or a NATO country supplying arms is attacked, leading to a tit for tat escalation to a full nuclear exchange? We are in fact already in a nuclear war if we accept that the mere threat of nuclear attack (implicit in Putin’s warning) is use of nuclear weapons. We would argue that a state’s mere possession of nuclear weapons is an implicit threat to use them. Neither the use, threat or possession of nuclear weapons are in keeping with existing international humanitarian law or basic morality. International law unambiguously outlaws the targeting of civilian populations. Clearly nuclear weapons, by the scale of their destructive powers are contrary to this prohibition, quite independently from the TPNW.

If ever the precautionary principle was appropriate, this would seem to be the time: it advises that in the context of a potentially catastrophic risk, reducing that risk must take precedence over all secondary considerations. It is this concern, in particular the call of humanitarian empathy, that prompted the international community to negotiate the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while having slowed the spread of nuclear weapons, has clearly failed in getting the existing nuclear powers to live up to their commitment to work toward the elimination of their stockpiles. While the TPNW is unlikely to compel nuclear states to surrender their arsenals, it is an important step in delegitimizing nuclear weapons as a tool of statecraft and making those holdout states pariahs.

Canada is not a nuclear state. Does your government really believe that the possession of nuclear weapons by other powers around the world makes Canada safer? If so, how? If not, what possible reason would prevent Canada from signing on to the TPNW? More than 70% of Canadians support doing so. The claim that our NATO membership precludes signing the treaty has already been debunked by an extensive study by Harvard Law School. While none of the NATO members have signed the treaty, several are at least attending the first meeting of parties to the treaty rescheduled for June 21-23. It is your duty, dear ministers, to assure the safety of our country and its citizens and to reflect the opinions of the majority of those who elected you. Both of these duties compel you to reconsider your rejection of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

 JUNE 22, 2022

Fears for wolf population after ‘catastrophic’ wildfire in Spain


Blaze in Sierra de la Culebra mountains in Zamora province destroyed 30,000 hectares of woodland

The aftermath of the Sierra de la Culebra wildfire, one of Spain’s largest in several decades.

 Photograph: Mariam A Montesinos/EPA


Stephen Burgen

in Barcelona

Thu 23 Jun 2022 

The Spanish government has declared the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range in Zamora province a catastrophe zone after a fire destroyed 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of woodland, raising fears for the future of the local wolf population.

The decision gives the Castilla y León region immediate access to €2m (£1.7m) in economic recovery funds to help make good the damage caused by the worst fire in a decade, which destroyed a huge swathe of the 600 sq km biosphere reserve in north-west Spain.

The fire broke out a week ago and spread quickly, fanned by high winds and unseasonably high temperatures. More than 650 firefighters from all over Spain battled to contain the blaze aided by planes and helicopters before it was finally brought under control on Sunday.

“The main problem now is soil erosion caused by the wind and rain,” Luis Suárez of WWF said. “It’s fundamental that we stabilise the soil and restore the area in a way that will make it more resistant to fire in the future, which involves sustainable activities such as traditional livestock grazing and responsible forest management.”

As well as the loss of around 25,000 hectares of woodland, there are fears for the future of the local wolf population, one of Spain’s largest. It is thought the adults will have escaped the flames, but the young were only a few weeks old and may not have survived.

“The females usually give birth in mid-May and so the cubs wouldn’t be very mobile,” Suárez said. “It’s very unlikely that the females would have been able to get all the young out of the lairs but it’s too early to say for sure.”

It is thought that the area was home to 10 wolf packs, each occupying its own large territory, much of which has now been destroyed.

Zamora has been held up as a role model for the co-existence between farmers with wolves. A ban on hunting the animals in north-west Spain, where most of the packs are concentrated, only became law last month, despite opposition from rightwing legislators.

There are about 300 packs in Spain, each made up of up to eight wolves, the largest population in western Europe.

The sierra is also home to large populations of deer, wild boar, mountain cats, otters and golden eagles. Observation towers have been built, giving visitors a rare opportunity to watch wolves in the wild.

WORLD BANK
Small islands in Southeast Asia: Awash in a sea of plastic

KATE PHILP|

Environmental Engineer

With nearly 10,000 inhabited islands, there are thousands of diverse island communities across Southeast Asia facing the challenge of beaches covered in plastic. 

Photo: Shutterstock / Mario De Moya F


Imagine standing on a beautiful island beach - soft sand, blue water, palm trees swaying in the breeze – gentle waves from the sea are lapping at your feet... but with each wave comes plastic bags, bottles and wrappers. The beach is covered in plastic.

This is the situation facing islands and archipelagic countries across the world, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Islands and islands off the coasts of Africa. But nowhere is it more noticeable than in Southeast Asia. The region is a hotspot for plastic pollution, making up half of the top 10 contributors to plastic waste washed into the ocean. With nearly 10,000 inhabited islands, there are thousands of diverse island communities across Southeast Asia facing the challenge of beaches covered in plastic.

Managing plastic waste on small and remote islands can be particularly challenging. There are often limited waste collection and treatment options on the islands, resulting in much plastic waste dumped or burned in the open, with serious risks to community health and the environment. The lack of easy transport connections to other islands and the mainland mean that it is expensive to treat the waste elsewhere, where there may be larger populations and better treatment options available.

So how can plastic waste management on small and remote islands be improved? We need to consider opportunities for plastic recycling and innovative technological solutions that can help. But technology will not provide an easy fix, it is also essential to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced in the first place.

Having access to markets for recycled plastic is a key factor in determining opportunities for plastic recycling. If the recyclable plastics can be transported along with other valuable recyclables to the mainland or a nearby island recycling hub at a reasonable cost, then these should be fed into existing recycling infrastructure to be effectively and responsibly processed. Small-scale artisanal recycling to produce souvenirs may be able to be implemented on islands where there is a tourist market.

Photo: Shutterstock / Yusnizam Yusof

Unfortunately, there is no single ‘silver bullet’ technological solution to the problem of plastic waste on islands. All recycling technologies require specific types and quality of plastic waste. These technologies must therefore be integrated into a broader waste management system with incentives for separation and pre-treatment of plastic waste. This is a challenge in small and remote island contexts. And even then, recycling technologies cannot be used to treat all plastic waste – a combination of technologies and other solutions is required. This could include disposing of plastic waste in a controlled manner, such as into a sanitary landfill on the mainland or a small, controlled landfill on the island.

The World Bank, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia, has produced the Technology Options for Plastic waste in Island Contexts (TOPIC) Toolbox. The TOPIC Toolbox was developed by a team from cyclos and Lasaju. Funding was provided by PROBLUE, an umbrella multi-donor trust fund, administered by the World Bank, that supports the sustainable and integrated development of marine and coastal resources in healthy oceans. The TOPIC Toolbox helps island decision makers identify potentially viable technologies and other solutions for treating plastic waste on their islands, empowering them to make effective investment and policy decisions on treatment options.

Using tools such as the TOPIC Toolbox to understand viable treatment options is necessary to manage the plastic waste that will inevitably be produced. But for beaches in Southeast Asia to be free of plastic, upstream solutions are essential to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced in the first place. Upstream solutions can include policies to reduce the import and use of specific problematic plastic items on islands and encourage the use of alternatives, such as the plastic bag and straw ban introduced in Samoa in 2019. Key island sectors, such as tourism, play an important role in implementing these upstream solutions.

 

Photo: Shutterstock / Alen Thien

The World Bank is working with countries across Southeast Asia on marine plastics, including on strengthening countries’ upstream plastics policies. The new Southeast Asia Regional Program on Combating Marine Plastics (SEA-MaP) Regional Project with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will implement many actions in the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States. This will support innovative solutions and plastics policy harmonization across the region, including upstream solutions to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced.

By working together at the regional, national and island level to reduce plastic waste, we can imagine a day when it will be possible to stand on an island beach anywhere in Southeast Asia and enjoy the sand and the sea without waves filled with plastic bags, bottles and wrappers.

Russian oil tankers get India safety cover via Dubai company


The logo of Russian state shipping company Sovcomflot is seen on the multifunctional icebreaking standby vessel "Yevgeny Primakov" moored in central St. Petersburg

By Nidhi Verma and Jonathan Saul

NEW DELHI/LONDON (Reuters) -India is providing safety certification for dozens of ships managed by a Dubai subsidiary of top Russian shipping group Sovcomflot, official data showed, enabling oil exports to India and elsewhere after Western certifiers withdrew their services due to global sanctions against Moscow.

Certification by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), one of the world's top classification companies, provides a final link in the paperwork chain - after insurance coverage - needed to keep state-owned Sovcomflot's tanker fleet afloat and delivering Russian crude oil to overseas markets.

Data compiled from the IRClass website shows that it has certified more than 80 ships managed by SCF Management Services (Dubai) Ltd, a Dubai-based entity listed as a subsidiary on Sovcomflot's website.

An Indian shipping source familiar with the certification process said most of Sovcomflot's vessels had now migrated to IRClass, via the Dubai arm.

Shipping industry publication TradeWinds reported last week that most of the Sovcomflot international tanker fleet that was declassified due to sanctions had been transferred to IRClass in April and May.

Classification societies certify that ships are safe and seaworthy, which is essential for securing insurance and for gaining access to ports.

Russia's crude oil sector, hit by strict sanctions due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, has been forced to seek buyers outside the West while turning to Russian transporters and insurers to handle its exports.

India, which has refrained from condemning Russia given its longstanding security ties, has sharply boosted Russian crude oil purchases in recent months.

Western sanctions against Russia prompted many oil importers to shun trade with Moscow, pushing spot prices for Russian crude to record discounts against other grades.

That provided Indian refiners, which rarely used to buy Russian oil due to high freight costs, an opportunity to snap up low-priced crude. Russian grades accounted for about 16.5% of India's overall oil imports in May, compared with about 1% in all of 2021.

TOP TIER

India's ship certifier is one of 11 members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), top-tier certifiers that account for more than 90% of the world's cargo-carrying tonnage.

The Russia Maritime Register of Shipping was also part of the group until March, when its membership was withdrawn following a vote by 75% of IACS' members. Membership in IACS, which sets technical standards, typically makes a certifier more attractive for insurers, ports, flag registries and shipowners seeking safety assurances.

The four leading IACS members, from the UK, Norway, France and the United States, have stopped services to Russian companies due to the sanctions.

A spokesperson for IRClass, however, when asked about the certification data for Sovcomflot's fleet, responded: "Indian Register of Shipping, as an international ship classification society, reiterates that we have not classed vessels which are owned, flagged or managed by Russian companies."

The spokesperson declined to comment further on the matter, including on the Dubai unit's connection to its Russian parent.

Sovcomflot is subject to sanctions and other restrictions by the UK and the European Union, while Washington has restricted its financial activities. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An IACS spokesman said that IRClass' actions were not a matter for discussion by the association.

"IACS is not involved in the operational and commercial activities of its members, including appraisal, approval surveying and testing of vessels and equipment and the issuing of classification and statutory certificates where authorised," he said.

"As such, these developments do not get discussed within the association."

Sovcomflot's chief executive told reporters last week that the group had insured all its cargo ships with Russian insurers and the cover met international rules.

People familiar with the situation told Reuters this month that state-controlled Russian National Reinsurance Company had become the main reinsurer of Russian ships, including Sovcomflot's fleet.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Jonathan Saul and Reuters reporters; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

'Superwasp' Threatens America's Forests With Females Capable of Producing 1,000 Offspring

BY JOSEPH GOLDER, ZENGER NEWS 

ON 6/23/22 

A super wasp able to produce 1,000 offspring is threatening vast forests in North America, a new study has revealed.

The Sirex woodwasp (Sirex noctilio) lays its eggs on pine trees in a mucus and a fungus that are both deadly to the host.

The species, native to Asia, Europe, and North Africa, has already wiped out forests in New Zealand, South America, and Australia.

Now the wasp, which can measure up to one and a half inches, is threatening North American pine forests.

The Sirex woodwasp lays its eggs on pine trees in a mucus and a fungus that are both deadly to the host.

MATTHEW AYRES/ZENGER

In the U.S. climate, a single female would be able to produce more than 1,000 offspring - 100 times more than in the southern hemisphere.

Zenger News obtained a statement from Dartmouth College on June 16 that read: "While a single female Sirex wood wasp in Spain has the potential to generate about 10 offspring over five subsequent generations, in North America each female could potentially produce 1,000 offspring."

The statement, referencing a Dartmouth College study, also stressed that "nature's defenses are currently keeping the insect under control."

The Dartmouth College study, funded by the U.S. Forest Service and published in the academic journal NeoBiota, says America needs to be constantly on alert.

The statement warns that the breed "has the potential to reproduce at rates 2-3-times higher in North America than in its native range in Europe, Asia and North Africa."

It went on: "While the wasp's impacts have been limited so far, it could pose a threat under the right conditions as it spreads throughout its newly adopted continent."

Flora Krivak-Tetley, a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth and first author of the paper, said: "Understanding why invasive species are destructive in some places and not in others gives us the tools to respond to them quickly."

She added: "The Sirex wood wasp is perfect for exploring this question because its impacts on forests vary in different parts of the world."

The statement explained: "Unlike yellow jackets and other common wasps, Sirex wood wasps eat wood rather than fruit and meat.

"The insect injects a fungus and a dose of venom into trees to weaken and even kill them.

"They also place their eggs in the trees, where the larvae hatch and feed on wood that is pre-digested by the fungi."

Krivak-Tetley said: "These wasps are cool, and a bit different than wasps many of us are familiar with."

Krivak-Tetley, who conducted the research as a Ph.D. candidate at Dartmouth, added: "The larvae tunnel through tree trunks, mature inside the wood, and emerge as adults. They don't sting people, they sting trees."

The Dartmouth College statement said: "The Sirex wood wasp is considered to be a minor tree-eating scavenger in its native range. In those areas, it is kept in check by natural enemies and the limited availability of suitable pine trees to serve as hosts."

But the study stressed that the insect is able to "kill large numbers of trees and be expensive to manage in non-native areas."

It gave the examples of New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere, saying that these are places where the wasp "has no natural enemies."

The statement said that "the invasive is responsible for major attacks against stands of pine trees that were imported for commercial plantations."

Sirex noctilio, also known as the Sirex woodwasp, is seen here in the larval stage. The Sirex woodwasp lays its eggs on pine trees in a mucus and a fungus that are both deadly to the host, meaning that forests could be threatened by the wasp's mass reproduction.

MATTHEW AYRES/ZENGER

They added: "Unlike other invasive insects that may be limited in range by sensitivity to temperature and other climatic conditions, Sirex wood wasps are not restricted by temperature extremes within their range. They are only constrained by the presence of predators, competitors and the availability of host pines."

Matthew Ayres, professor of biological studies at Dartmouth and senior researcher on the study, said: "This wasp will continue to expand its distribution in North America."

He added: "It can apparently tolerate the climate anywhere that pine trees occur."

The statement explained: "The insect's invasiveness is compounded in pine forests that are overstocked and water-stressed. Sirex wood wasps are also difficult to monitor, which makes them harder to control."

The wasp was first detected in North America in 2004, according to researchers, and "it is believed to have entered the continent inside wood packaging material used in shipping at a cargo port on Lake Ontario in upstate New York."


The Sirex woodwasp then migrated throughout the northeastern U.S. and parts of Quebec and Ontario in Canada.

"Non-native species arrive from distant lands all of the time," Ayres said.

"Sirex wood wasps arriving from Europe found forests that resembled their homeland, but that also included many of the same natural enemies – from nematodes to woodpeckers."

Sirex noctilio, also known as the Sirex woodwasp, was first spotted in North America in 2004.

FLORA KRIVAK-TETLEY/ZENGER

The study assessed the impact of the Sirex woodwasp in the U.S.' Northeast, comparing data to information on the species' activities in its native habitat of Galicia, Spain.

The statement said: "According to the research in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, the wood wasp has the potential to be over 150 percent more productive in the areas studied in the U.S. than in Spain. As a result, there is increased potential for rapid population growth and localized outbreaks of the wasp in North America than in the insect's native range.


"While a single female Sirex wood wasp in Spain has the potential to generate about 10 offspring over five subsequent generations, in North America each female could potentially produce 1,000 offspring."

Krivak-Tetley said: "When we first observed the Sirex wood wasp in North America, we said 'oh no, we better brace ourselves for this.'"

She added: "We are not sure how it will go in other parts of the continent but, for the moment, nature has rallied to its own defense against this wood wasp."


The experts expect "the population to expand south into the U.S.' 'wood basket' states — from North Carolina to East Texas—that contain large expanses of valuable, fast-growing pine forests."

The statement explained: "The U.S. West, with pines already at risk from drought, fire and beetles, could also be susceptible to the invasive species. The wildcard is whether natural competitors and predators will keep them in check, or if the larger resource base will allow them to spread."

Ayres said: "This wasp will continue to spread throughout North America and can be expected to eventually show up everywhere there are pine trees.

"The good fortune we've enjoyed so far with the Sirex wood wasp could change if the insect reaches areas with higher resource availability and fewer natural enemies."

The researchers are now working on comparing ways in which the wood wasp populations grow in the north and south of the country to "better understand the conditions that lead to impactful invasions."

The study was authored by Flora E. Krivak-Tetley, Jenna Sullivan-Stack, Jeff R. Garnas, Kelley E. Zylstra, Lars-Olaf Hoeger, María J. Lombardero, Andrew M. Liebhold, and Matthew P. Ayres.

CRIMINAL  CAPITALI$M
Singaporean who impersonated others to buy $7.5m of cloud services jailed

Ho Jun Jia at the State Courts in May. He had impersonated two people to deceive Amazon Web Services and Google. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Wong Shiying
PUBLISHED
JUN 23, 2022


SINGAPORE - A Singaporean impersonated two people to deceive Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google into providing about US$5.4 million (S$7.5 million) worth of cloud computing services so he could run a large-scale cryptocurrency mining operation.

Ho Jun Jia, 32, who had illegally obtained their personal information on the Dark Web, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail on Thursday (June 23).

One of his victims was Mr Marc Merrill, the American co-founder and co-chairman of Riot Games, known for developing popular games such as League of Legends and Valorant.


Ho had used Mr Merrill's details to open an account on AWS and charged about $7 million to the latter's American Express (Amex) card for cloud computing services to mine for cryptocurrency.

Ho had pleaded guilty earlier to 12 charges including cheating, unauthorised access to computer material and drug consumption.

Another 15 similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

He is out on a $180,000 bail paid for by his father after District Judge Brenda Tan allowed him to defer serving his sentence by a month to settle his personal affairs.

Ho's case was first reported in October 2019, when the United States Department of Justice issued a statement saying he had been charged with federal crimes including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

In 2017, he forged US driving licences for others using Photoshop and offered them on a Dark Web forum. In return, the forum owner gave him the names, addresses and credit card details of 70 people.

Mr Merrill's name caught Ho's attention as he knew of the developer's association with Riot Games.

He was able to get Mr Merrill's username and password to his Amex account. Upon logging in, he changed the e-mail address to a similar sounding one and took control of the account.

Ho then used Mr Merrill's details to register for a new account with AWS.

On at least 40 occasions between November 2017 and January 2018, he used Mr Merrill's Amex card to purchase about US$5.2 million in cloud computing services.

He persuaded AWS to continue providing the services even after not paying a bill worth US$1.8 million.

He also used Mr Merrill's details to register and buy cloud-computing services worth around US$250,000 through the Google cloud platform.

Mr Merrill ultimately did not lose any money as the services refunded the payments.

Ho went on to run the same scheme with AWS using the details of a man named Harold Borland, cheating the company into providing US$21 worth of cloud computing services.

Between November 2017 and March 2018, Ho mined about 1,470 units of cryptocurrency Ether. He later sold 203 units for around $350,000, which he spent on personal expenses.

Ho was also convicted of drug offences in 2019 for taking methamphetamine.

In sentencing, District Judge Tan said he had illegally obtained a massive value of services through the use of stolen identities.

"Given the magnitude of his offending, the extent of harm caused and the sophistication employed, deterrence is the dominant sentencing consideration," she said.

The district judge noted that he had not made any restitution to his victims.

For cheating by personation, Ho could have been jailed for up to five years and fined.

For each count of unauthorised access to computer material, Ho could have been fined $5,000 and jailed for up to two years.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Singaporean man, 29, charged in US for sophisticated identity theft and wire fraud

S'porean charged in US mined cryptocurrencies using stolen computing power: Why bitcoin mining saps power

PITIFUL CHUMP CHANGE

Canada renews its humanitarian contribution with CAD $16.8 million to assist millions of women and girls in the Arab States region

23 June 2022

New funding from Canada will help to respond to the urgent needs health and protection needs of women and girls in the Arab States region. © UNFPA Yemen

UNITED NATIONS, New York - New funding from Canada will help UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, respond to the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and girls, and prevent and respond to gender-based violence in the humanitarian settings in the Arab States region mainly in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Iraq and other countries where humanitarian needs continue to increase.

For more than a decade, protracted crises throughout the region – from Yemen to Libya and beyond – have taken a massive toll on every single person, but women and girls in particular have paid a very heavy price. They face increased risks of maternal death and unintended pregnancy, and life-threatening violence, including sexual violence, while at the same time lack access to essential health services. Existing gender inequalities have been exacerbated, and the extended erosion of protection mechanisms. In many occasions, the absence of legal accountability has led to a growing sense of acceptance of violence against women and girls as a social phenomenon - a worrying trend of ‘normalization’. Women and girls' health, rights and dignity are at risk on a daily basis and it is essential that their needs are put at the front and centre of the humanitarian response.

“Women and girls in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya face enormous challenges, including mounting risks to their health and safety,” said Dr. Luay Shabaneh, UNFPA Regional Director, Arab States. “We are grateful to the Government and People of Canada and their support to safeguard women and girls’ rights, including their right to give birth safely and to live free from violence.”

The bulk of Canada’s funding of CAD $15 million will support UNFPA to provide lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services, including emergency obstetric care; and preventive, protective, and responsive services for women and girls survivors of violence. Reproductive health supplies, including equipment and medicines, will be distributed to health facilities, while Dignity Kits, containing essential hygiene supplies, will be provided to the most vulnerable women and girls. This funding will support UNFPA’s continued humanitarian operations in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon Syria and Yemen for the next two years.

Canada is also contributing CAD $1.8 million to support the coordination of the humanitarian response to gender-based violence in the region. Service providers’ skills to deliver quality sexual and reproductive health services, as well as services to address gender-based violence, will be strengthened, while robust data systems for the planning and monitoring of service delivery will be enhanced.

Canada’s renewed commitment to the women and girls of the Middle East will support UNFPA to ramp up its humanitarian response.

This grant is part of Canada’s overall support for UNFPA development and humanitarian activities, amounting to over CAD $85.4 million in 2021 alone.

AI Improves Robotic Performance in DARPA’s Machine Common Sense Program

by DefenceTalk
June 23, 2022
in Technology News


Researchers with DARPA’s Machine Common Sense (MCS) program demonstrated a series of improvements to robotic system performance over the course of multiple experiments. Just as infants must learn from experience, MCS seeks to construct computational models that mimic the core domains of child cognition for objects (intuitive physics), agents (intentional actors), and places (spatial navigation).

Using only simulated training, recent MCS experiments demonstrated advancements in systems’ abilities – ranging from understanding how to grasp objects and adapting to obstacles, to changing speed/gait for various goals.

“These experiments are important milestones that get us closer to building and fielding robust robotic systems with generalized movement capabilities,” said Dr. Howard Shrobe, MCS program manager in DARPA’s Information Innovation Office. “The prototype systems don’t need large sensor suites to deal with unexpected situations likely to occur in the real world.”

Rapidly Adapting to Changing Terrain

In one experiment, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley developed a rapid motor adaption (RMA) algorithm that allows quadruped robots to adapt rapidly to changing terrain. Using the RMA algorithm and proprioceptive feedback (the sense of self-movement and body position), the robots successfully navigated through a range of both real-world and simulated terrain.

The algorithm is trained completely in simulation without using any domain knowledge-like reference trajectories or predefined foot trajectory generators and is deployed without any fine-tuning. Real-time terrain adaption is essential for quadruped robots to help military units with load carrying and sensing.

Carrying Dynamic Loads

Oregon State researchers demonstrated the ability for a bipedal robot to learn how to carry dynamic loads with only proprioceptive feedback. The robot, known as Cassie, learned commonsense behaviors in a simulated-to-real learning environment. Cassie adapted its gait to account for changes in load dynamics, such as sloshing liquids or balancing weights. After training in simulation, Cassie was able to walk on a treadmill for several minutes with four different types of dynamic loads. In contrast, before the learned commonsense training, Cassie fell immediately.

Understanding How to Grasp Objects

In natural environments, humans encounter a vast variety of possible tools, tool variations, and objects. This variety presents a challenge for robots. They must foresee all possibilities to function, which is why it’s important that they’re equipped with a general grasping capability rather than a specialized capability, for a predefined set of objects.

University of Utah researchers as part of the Oregon State University MCS team developed an active, grasp-learning algorithm that allows robots with multi-fingered hands to dexterously grasp previously unseen objects when trained entirely in simulation.

The new approach enabled the robot to grasp with higher than 93% real-world success on novel objects compared to 78% of existing passive learning approaches.

Additional Research

Another technical area within MCS seeks to develop computational tools that learn from reading the web, like a research librarian, to construct a commonsense knowledge repository capable of answering natural language and image-based questions about commonsense phenomena.

MCS researchers from the University of Washington and two teams from the University of Southern California, Information Sciences Institute are currently using a variety of approaches, including hyperbolic learning. This technique learns the commonsense structure of human behavior and physics from large collections of videos to forecast human actions up to 30 seconds in the future.

The researchers are also building a scalable, machine-authored, symbolic knowledge base that will provide a higher quality, larger, and more diverse representation of the world.

“By focusing on commonsense, we are creating the possibility for systems to have the flexibility of human learning and the breadth of human knowledge,” Shrobe said. “Fusing this knowledge with advanced robotics could result in highly capable, mission-critical systems that humans will want to have as partners.”