CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

Not as it seems: Rise of deepfakes throughout the Crypto sector

By Dr. Tim Sandle


PublishedDecember 22, 2024


The authorisation of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund in the United States would make it easier for investors to trade in the cryptocurrency - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

 Jemal Countess

Regula, global developer of identity verification solutions, has been reviewing fraud trends in the Crypto industry. In this sector, deepfakes have become a threat, probably surpassing traditional document fraud.

Deepfakes can be used to spread disinformation and to promote crimes like fraud. It is currently a largely unregulated technology.

The survey finds that 57 percent of crypto companies have reported audio deepfake attacks, the highest among all surveyed sectors. Following this, 53 percent face video deepfake fraud, surpassing the 45 percent impacted by fake documents.

The study also shows that while the Crypto industry experiences an average loss of $440,000 from advanced fraud techniques like deepfakes, in terms of the most concentrated impact of the financial fall-out, 37 percent of firms lose over $500,000 per attack, with an average loss of $440,000.

Crypto organizations are not only more frequently targeted by deepfake fraud but also rely on unique defense strategies. According to the study:

• 57% rely on multi-factor authentication (MFA), for instance email token verification.
• 53% use biometric facial recognition.
• 37% leverage fingerprint biometrics, compared to a global average of 52%.
• 45% adopt digital document verification combined with liveness checks.

To combat some of the adverse impacts of cyberattacks and to address some of the weaknesses with standard practices, 90 percent of crypto firms are relying on live video interviews with document checks. A mix of biometric verification and online document verification remains the second most dominant choice, with 93 percent support.

As indicated above, only 37 percent of companies in the sector use fingerprint biometrics, trailing the global average of 52%. Gaps such as these potentially leave the industry vulnerable.

Is regulation the answer for tackling these trends? 39 percent of Crypto companies advocate for the establishment of a dedicated regulatory body to monitor and combat deepfake-related threats – well above the global average of 29 percent.

Commenting on this, Henry Patishman, Executive Vice President of Identity Verification Solutions at Regula states: “Crypto is facing a new frontier in fraud, where deepfake attacks have surpassed traditional threats in prevalence.”

He adds: “This shift calls for a reevaluation of identity verification – not just as an onboarding tool, but as a critical defense measure, emphasizing real-time liveness detection and robust, multi-layered security.”

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina’s family


By AFP
December 23, 2024

The alleged $5 billion embezzlement was linked to the Russian-backed Rooppur nuclear power plant, Bangladesh's first - Copyright AFP/File

 Abdul GONI

Bangladesh has launched a probe into the alleged $5 billion embezzlement connected to a Russian-backed nuclear power plant by ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, the anti-corruption commission said Monday.

Along with Hasina, the now-former prime minster who fled to India after being toppled by a revolution in August, those subject to the inquiry include her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece, Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker and government minister.

The allegations were raised by a writ seeking an investigation filed in the high court by Hasina’s political opponent, Bobby Hajjaj, chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement party.

“We seek justice through our court”, Hajjaj told AFP on Monday.

Key allegations are connected to the funding of the $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear plant, the South Asian country’s first, which is bankrolled by Moscow with a 90 percent loan.

A statement Monday from the commission said it had launched an inquiry into allegations that Hasina and family members had “embezzled $5 billion” from the Rooppur plant via “various offshore bank accounts in Malaysia”.

It said its investigations were examining “questionable procurement practices related to the overpriced construction” of the plant.

“The claims of kickbacks, mismanagement, money laundering, and potential abuse of power raise significant concerns about the integrity of the project and the use of public funds”, the commission said.

Graft allegations also include theft from a government building scheme for the homeless.

Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter on August 5 into exile in India, infuriating many Bangladeshis determined that she face trial for alleged “mass murder”.

It was not possible to contact Hasina for comment.

Siddiq has “denied any involvement in the claims” accusing her of involvement in embezzlement, according to a statement from the British prime minister’s office.

Joy, who is understood to be based in the United States, was also unavailable for comment.

\

Op-Ed: AGI — Not mad science or bad science, but way too much spin in the market

ByPaul Wallis
December 22, 2024

DIGITAL JOURNAL


A blockbuster funding round for San Francisco-based startup Databricks is another sign of hunger by investors for companies poised to cash in on generative artificial intelligence — © AFP Josep LAGO

Artificial General Intelligence is the one everybody’s scared of. This is the “human” level of AI, or better, according to some. Hype and hope are spending far too much time being seen on the same page. They’re not even in the same book yet.

The current state of testing of OpenAI’s o3 model has definitely got the chickens cackling. Testing outcomes were a mix of fab and fail. The definitive description of the outcomes is in this article in New Scientist, which you do need to read.

Every article on AI should come with a chaperone and a guy with a red flag walking about 20 paces in front, warning of its approach. The sheer opacity of this information normally doesn’t help.

“Tests were done. The AI passed or failed the tests, …etc.” is the usual format.

This uninformative blurriness is due to both sheer volume of data and the turgidity of wading through it.

Fortunately, New Scientist has condensed a lot of info into something actually readable. Please do read it, because it clarifies a lot of issues.

OK, so briefly, this is what’s happened:

OpenAI’s o3 did pretty well and outperformed its predecessors. It did very well on the benchmark test for AGI, a thing called ARC or Abstract and Reasoning Corpus (ARC).

…But it’s still not AGI. It didn’t meet multiple criteria. It failed some tests and didn’t achieve cost parameters to many people’s liking.

This is where things get picky, with good reason. The easiest example is to compare a chess computer to AGI expectations. Chess computers use “brute force”, processing millions of possible moves and choosing the best.

Ironically, that is exactly what people expect all AI in games to do, but that doesn’t even approach AGI ARC requirements. AI is supposed to reason its way through challenges.

Another problem as I see it is the inbuilt cost paradigm. Brute force is inefficient, costly and not as good in performance terms. (It’s pretty ancient and outmoded tech in processing terms, too.)

It’s reasonable enough to set a value for computing tasks, so you have a functional metric. That can hardly be the whole story, though.

If you set $20 for the cost of a task, how do you value the outcome?

In real terms, any range of tasks will have different values for outcomes. You spend $20 for a $20 task outcome, OK.

But, and it’s a big but –

You spend the same $20 for a $200,000 task outcome, are you measuring cost efficiency or not using this metric? You can see why people might get interested.

You must value the outcomes directly, not just “pass or fail”. Otherwise, you don’t even have a cost benefit analysis.

Meanwhile, it’s very debatable how much these core valuations are getting through to the market. This level of hype is too dangerous. Everybody who actually works in the AI sector is wary of the hype. Current market-level AI is nowhere near the o3 level, and o3 is nowhere near the AGI ARC level.

The market obviously doesn’t care. That’s not stopping vast amounts of dollars jumping in with or without any understanding at all of the absolute basics. It’s not stopping people replacing staff with AI.

Even if you just mindlessly assume these very early-stage AIs are capable of doing these jobs, whose money and credibility is at risk?

Irresponsibility is such fun, isn’t it? The risk levels are incredible.

The other critical point here is this:

The market will have to apply something very like ARC standards or probably better to AGI when it does arrive. These standards will need to be universal.

ARC could well be the ancestral “does this thing work or not” test vehicle for future AI.

The sales guys have been doing their jobs too well. Now is the time for the hardheads and tech heads to make a difference.

The market has been far too accepting of AI as an idea. Even the simple reality that people will have to work with perhaps millions of AIs, specialist AIs, and “niche” AIs isn’t getting much attention.

How will AGI fit into a shifting sands museum of old practices, technologies, and human perceptions? Probably very badly. The wheel was invented when there were no carts, horse attachments, or even clear ideas of what a wheel was.

See any possible wheel-like problems with AGI?

AGI needs to be idiot-proof. It must be manageable.

___________________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

MERRY XMAS

Stellantis backtracks on plan to lay off 1,100 at US Jeep plant


By AFP
December 22, 2024

Stellantis has struggled to get rid of inventory in the United States 

- Copyright AFP

 Bryan R. SMITH

Stellantis confirmed Saturday it was reversing a decision to lay off 1,100 workers at its Jeep plant in the US state of Ohio, following the ouster of embattled chief executive Carlos Tavares.

“No employees will be placed on indefinite layoff on January 5, 2025, due to the previously announced shift reduction. Employees are expected to return to work as scheduled after the new year,” a Stellantis spokesperson told AFP.

The decision comes as “Stellantis continues to reassess its strategy in North America,” the spokesperson added.

The automaker had announced the job cuts at the plant in Toledo, Ohio in early November, saying it was part of an effort to “regain its competitive edge” amid struggles with falling sales.

Stellantis, a 14-brand group that includes Chrysler, Peugeot and Fiat, had planned to trim operations at the Toledo South Assembly Plant from two shifts to one.

Another 400 employees were to be transferred to a “third-party service provider.”

Stellantis sales sank in the third quarter, with a 42 percent drop in North America alone. The group offered promotional deals as US dealerships struggled to reduce their inventories.

But Stellantis has significantly revised its approach since Tavares’s December 1 exit, with the new interim CEO giving guarantees to the French and Italian governments on maintaining its production and investments in both countries.

The French-Italian-American company had 258,000 employees worldwide at the end of 2003.

 

Can drinking coffee or tea help prevent head and neck cancer?

Pooled analysis of numerous studies suggests a potentially protective effect.

Wiley

In a recent analysis of data from more than a dozen studies, coffee and tea consumption was linked with lower risks of developing head and neck cancer, including cancers of the mouth and throat. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide, and rates are rising in low- and middle-income countries. Many studies have assessed whether drinking coffee or tea is associated with head and neck cancer, with inconsistent results.

To provide additional insight, investigators examined data from 14 studies by different scientists associated with the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium, a collaboration of research groups around the globe. Study participants completed questionnaires about their prior consumption of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea in cups per day/week/month/year.

When investigators pooled information on 9,548 patients with head and neck cancer and 15,783 controls without cancer, they found that compared with non-coffee-drinkers, individuals who drank more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee daily had 17% lower odds of having head and neck cancer overall, 30% lower odds of having cancer of the oral cavity, and 22% lower odds of having throat cancer. Drinking 3–4 cups of caffeinated coffee was linked with a 41% lower risk of having hypopharyngeal cancer (a type of cancer at the bottom of the throat).

Drinking decaffeinated coffee was associated with 25% lower odds of oral cavity cancer. Drinking tea was linked with 29% lower odds of hypopharyngeal cancer. Also, drinking 1 cup or less of tea daily was linked with a 9% lower risk of head and neck cancer overall and a 27% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer, but drinking more than 1 cup was associated with 38% higher odds of laryngeal cancer.

“While there has been prior research on coffee and tea consumption and reduced risk of cancer, this study highlighted their varying effects with different sub-sites of head and neck cancer, including the observation that even decaffeinated coffee had some positive impact,” said senior author Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, PhD, of Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah School of Medicine. “Coffee and tea habits are fairly complex, and these findings support the need for more data and further studies around the impact that coffee and tea can have on reducing cancer risk.”

 

Additional information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the CANCER Newsroom upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com

Full Citation:
“Coffee and Tea Consumption and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: An Updated Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium.” Timothy Nguyen, Alzina Koric, Chun-Pin Chang, Christine Barul, Loredana Radoi, Diego Serraino, Mark P. Purdue, Karl T. Kelsey, Michael D. McClean, Eva Negri, Valeria Edefonti, Kirsten Moysich Zuo-Feng Zhang, Hal Morgenstern, Fabio Levi, Thomas L. Vaughan, Carlo La Vecchia, Werner Garavello, Richard B. Hayes, Simone Benhamou, Stimson P. Schantz, Guo-Pei Yu, Hermann Brenner, Shu-Chun Chuang, Paolo Boffetta, Mia Hashibe, and Yuan-Chin Amy Lee. CANCER; Published Online: December 23, 2024 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35620).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/cncr.35620

Author Contact: Heather Simonsen, of the public affairs office at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, at heather.simonsen@hci.utah.edu

About the Journal     
CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow CANCER on X @JournalCancer and Instagram @ACSJournalCancer, and stay up to date with the American Cancer Society Journals on LinkedIn.

About Wiley      
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today’s biggest obstacles into tomorrow’s brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

---

Journal

Cancer

DOI

10.1002/cncr.35620 

Article Title

Coffee and Tea Consumption and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: An Updated Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium

Article Publication Date

23-Dec-2024

Drinking coffee may help prevent mental decline in people with atrial fibrillation

Having up to or more than five cups of coffee daily may help cognitive function in people with the irregular heart rhythm, finds a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association

News Release 19-Dec-2024

American Heart Association

Research Highlights:

• A study of more than 2,400 people with atrial fibrillation, who had an average age of 73, found that drinking more than five cups of caffeinated coffee daily was associated with better performance on an array of cognitive tests than drinking less than one cup or avoiding coffee altogether.
• Based on screening tests for cognitive impairment, heavier coffee drinkers were estimated to be 6.7 years younger in cognitive age than those who drank little or no coffee.
• People with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk for mental decline. This study indicates that current coffee drinkers with atrial fibrillation should not be discouraged from drinking coffee and might benefit from it.

DALLAS, Dec. 19, 2024 — Drinking multiple cups of coffee a day may help prevent cognitive decline in people with atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF), according to new research published on Dec. 14, 2024 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

“Many myths are around, but our study found no reason to discourage or forbid a patient with AFib from drinking coffee. Instead, say, ‘Enjoy, it may even be good for you!’” said Jürg H. Beer, M.D., senior author of the study and professor of medicine and hematology at the University of Zürich in Switzerland.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in adults, affecting more than 5 million people in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. The 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation noted that abstaining from caffeine to prevent heart rhythm disturbances is of no benefit to people with AFib. The guideline also notes that abstaining from coffee could reduce symptoms in patients who report that caffeine triggers or worsens their AFib symptoms, which can include rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fatigue and more.

“It is known that regular coffee consumption benefits cognitive performance among healthy people. The most frequent cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, is known to independently increase the risk of dementia,” said Massimo Barbagallo, M.D., lead author of the study and a resident in the neuro intensive care unit at the University Hospital Zürich. “Thus, the question is whether coffee might offset the increased risk of cognitive impairment in people with AFib.”

According to the U.S. federal dietary guidelines, three to five 8-ounce cups of coffee per day can be part of a healthy diet, but that only refers to plain black coffee. The American Heart Association warns that popular coffee-based drinks such as lattes and macchiatos are often high in calories, added sugar and fat. 

The Swiss Atrial Fibrillation Cohort Study (Swiss-AF) follows more than 2,400 people in Switzerland diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Patients were enrolled between 2014 and 2017, completed several cognitive tests, and reported how many cups of caffeinated coffee they drank during the last 12 months—regardless of added sweeteners, creams or flavors. Cup size was not standardized.

In this study, researchers analyzed those cognitive assessments and examined whether drinking coffee might avoid the cognitive decline that is a known hazard of AFib. Because Alzheimer’s disease and AFib are associated with systemic inflammation, researchers also analyzed markers of inflammation.

The study found:

• Overall, higher cognitive test scores were associated with higher coffee consumption.
• Specifically, scores for processing speed, visuomotor coordination and attention improved significantly by 11% among coffee consumers compared to non-consumers.
• Cognitive age was calculated to be 6.7 years younger among those who drank the most coffee compared to those who drank the least.
• Inflammatory markers were more than 20% lower in participants drinking five cups daily than in participants drinking less than one cup daily.
• Researchers did not find any interaction between age, sex and coffee consumption.

“There was a very clear and consistent “dose-response” association between drinking more coffee and doing better on several different sophisticated cognitive tests,” Beer said. “Inflammatory markers decreased with higher coffee consumption, an association that remained after considering variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity and a history of stroke.”

Researchers noted that previous studies suggest that the protective effects of regular coffee consumption against cognitive decline in the elderly may be attributed to caffeine and other active ingredients including magnesium and vitamin B3 (Niacin); or, that it may be due to coffee’s role in reducing chemicals that cause inflammation.

José A. Joglar, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2023 joint guideline on the management of atrial fibrillation, cautioned that this observational study cannot conclude that coffee actually prevents long-term cognitive decline.

“Other studies have shown coffee has cognitive-enhancing functions across the board. This, however, is not specific to the AFib population. We cannot conclude that coffee prevents long-term cognitive decline,” said Joglar, professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Coffee does not seem to worsen AFib so there is no need to stop drinking it. However, we cannot say starting to drink coffee would prevent AFib or prevent long-term cognitive decline.”

The study's limitations include the fact that researchers measured participants’ cognitive ability and coffee consumption at the same point in time. This means that the study could not evaluate differences in cognitive decline with age, and that the reported current coffee drinking may not reflect changes in consumption over the previous years. As a cross-sectional study taking place at one point, it cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship between drinking coffee and cognitive performance. Additionally, the study may not be generalizable to other populations as it included a mostly white population in Switzerland, where people tend to drink espressos.

“To detect a relevant cognitive decline, a follow-up of at least 5-10 years is required. However, the nutritive habits including coffee consumption reported by participants reflect exposure over many years and we likely see here the results of this,” Barbagallo said.

Study details, background or design:

• The study included 2,413 people (average age 73; 27% women) with atrial fibrillation enrolled in Swiss Atrial Fibrillation Cohort Study (Swiss-AF) between 2014 and 2017. Swiss-AF is ongoing at 14 centers across all language regions in Switzerland.
• Participants had undergone at least eight years of monitoring for stroke, mini-stroke, inflammation blood markers and blood-clotting, brain imaging and repeated cognitive testing. Patients were excluded from the analysis if they had experienced only brief episodes of AFib that had resolved without treatment, or if they were unable to give informed consent.
• At enrollment, participants reported their caffeinated coffee consumption over the past year, with responses summarized as less than one cup a day, one cup a day, two- to three-cups a day, four- to five-cups a day and more than five cups a day. Size of cup or concentration of caffeine per cup was not quantified. The addition of creams, sugars or flavors was not considered.
• At enrollment, participants completed various cognitive tests measuring verbal skills, executive functioning, memory, processing speed, visual-motor coordination and attention. These were combined into an overall rating of cognitive ability called the Cognitive Construct (CoCo). Participants also completed a 30-point screening test for cognitive impairment, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, gauging visuospatial and executive functions, naming objects, memory, attention, language and abstraction abilities.
• Participants were also evaluated for depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale so researchers could evaluate whether cognitive performance had likely been altered by depression.

Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia is available on the right column of release link.
• View the manuscript online.
• AHA news release: Heart failure, atrial fibrillation & coronary heart disease linked to cognitive impairment (Oct. 2024)
• AHA news release: Drinking caffeinated coffee has both beneficial and harmful short-term health effects (Nov. 2021)
• AHA news release: Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking more coffee associated with decreased heart failure risk (Feb. 2021)
• AHA health information: Why Atrial Fibrillation Matters
• AHA health information: Video: Learn about AFib and your heart
• Follow AHA/ASA news on X @HeartNews
• Follow news from the Journal of the American Heart Association @JAHA_AHA

###

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

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Journal

Journal of the American Heart Association

DOI

10.1161/JAHA.124.034365 

Article Title

Coffee Consumption Correlates With Better Cognitive Performance in Patients With a High Incidence for Stroke

 

Cryptographic protocol enables secure data sharing in the floating wind energy sector

This breakthrough seeks to foster collaboration between industry and academia, driving innovation in floating wind technologies.

IMDEA Software Institute

 

image: 

Secure communication between parties (OEMs, developers and academia) in floating wind technologies.

view more 

Credit: Claudia Bartoli (IMDEA Software Institute) and Irene Rivera-Arreba (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).

Floating wind power offers enormous potential for deepwater offshore energy development. However, the management and secure exchange of data between stakeholders represents a key challenge for its evolution. A new cryptographic framework, proposed by researchers Claudia Bartoli (IMDEA Software) and Irene Rivera-Arreba (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU), presented at WindTech 2024 Conference, tries to solve this problem with a data sharing scheme that guarantees data integrity without compromising privacy. This breakthrough seeks to foster collaboration between industries and academia, driving innovation in floating wind technologies.

Context

Floating wind power is positioned as a promising frontier in the renewable energy sector, enabling the expansion of offshore wind power to areas of greater depth. To harness this potential, it is essential to share reliable data between parties such as companies and academics.

Access to datasets is crucial at all stages of development, from site selection to maintenance. In addition, sharing data fosters innovation, attracts investment and strengthens trust among stakeholders. However, handling large volumes of data and protecting intellectual property pose significant challenges.

The current approach relies on data certified by certification bodies (Certification Body), but these often lack critical details to optimize system performance. In response, the researchers have described a cryptographic protocol that enables the secure exchange of critical data, ensuring privacy and integrity through advanced tools such as zero-knowledge proofs.

The study

The protocol proposed by Bartoli and Rivera-Arreba has been designed to facilitate interactions between the various parties involved in offshore wind energy development. It has the potential to transform data sharing in the wind energy sector, improving collaboration between industry and academia since it ensures data integrity between parties without disclosing additional information. With the implementation of this protocol, “Through the use of techniques such as Multi Party Computation (MPC), this approach allows the analysis of encrypted data, ensuring the confidentiality of the information while sharing the results obtained by such analysis” assures Claudia, lead researcher of the article.

In addition, the system incorporates cryptographic signatures and succinct commitment schemes to reduce costs and facilitate the management of large databases. These innovations open up new possibilities to overcome current limitations in data availability without compromising data privacy.

Conclusion

The implementation of this cryptographic protocol could mark a step forward in the development of floating wind power. By enabling the confidential exchange of data, it fosters innovation and contributes to bridging the gap between privacy and availability. This breakthrough represents a promising solution to address technological and regulatory challenges on the road to a sustainable future in the renewable energy sector and paves the way for future research in this regard.

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Article Title

Secure Data Sharing Protocol for Advancing Floating Wind Energy: A Cryptographic Approach

MONOPOLY CAPITALI$M

Nissan, Honda announce merger, creating world’s third-largest carmaker

Plans, which include Mitsubishi, announced as Japan tries to gain foothold in electric vehicle market.

Nissan President Makoto Uchida and his counterpart at Honda, Toshihiro Mibe, hold a joint news conference on their merger plans, in Tokyo, Japan, on December 23, 2024 

[Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters]

Published On 23 Dec 2024


Japan’s Honda and Nissan are planning a merger, which would create the world’s third-largest carmaker as the industry pivots away from fossil fuels.

The company’s two presidents, Toshihiro Mibe of Honda and Makoto Uchida of Nissan, signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, projecting the establishment of a holding company by August 2026, which could potentially position them third in the market after Toyota and Volkswagen.

Honda, currently Japan’s second-largest carmaker, is widely viewed as the only national partner able to rescue Nissan, which has struggled since former chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets in 2018.

Ghosn, who denied the charges and fled to Lebanon after being released on bail, derided the planned merger as a “desperate move” in a video call to reporters on Monday.

Nissan, valued at about $10bn, said in November it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or 6 percent of its global workforce, and reducing its global production capacity by 20 percent after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($60m).
Advertisement

But the merger, which would also include smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors, could result in a behemoth worth more than $50bn based on the market capitalisation of all three automakers.

Honda’s Mibe said the company, currently valued at more than $40bn, would initially lead the new management of the merged entity.
Next gen

Carmakers in Japan have lagged behind their big rivals in electric vehicles and are trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

The three companies, which announced in August that they would share components for electric vehicles (EVs) like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving, would make about 8 million vehicles.

In 2023, Honda made 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just more than 1 million.

Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions, a global automotive forecaster, said Nissan’s experience building batteries, electric vehicles and gas-electric hybrid powertrains could help Honda develop its own EVs and next-gen hybrids.

The integration of the two storied Japanese brands would mark the biggest reshaping in the global auto industry since Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA merged in 2021 to create Stellantis in a $52bn deal.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

“Monopoly is the natural opposite of competition... but as soon as competition is necessary, it implies the idea of monopoly, since monopoly is, as it were, the seat of each competing individuality.”

Karl Marx. The Poverty of Philosophy, Chapter 2.3

Marxists Internet Archive

https://www.marxists.org › archive › marx › works › po...

WWIII

Philippines says it will acquire U.S. Typhon missile system, sparking warnings from China

December 23, 2024 

A Chinese Coast Guard ship with hull number 4203 is seen closely shadowing the convoy of Filipino fishing boats and a Philippine Coast Guard ship, on May 16, 2024, less 80 Nautical Miles from the island of Luzon, in the Philippines.

The Philippines said Monday it planned to acquire the U.S. Typhon missile system as part of a push to secure its maritime interests, sparking warnings from China of a regional "arms race."

The U.S. Army deployed the mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines earlier this year for annual joint military exercises with its longtime ally and decided to leave it there despite criticism by Beijing that it was destabilizing to Asia.

Philippine Army Chief Lieutenant-General Roy Galido told a news conference on Monday that the missile system would be "acquired because we see its feasibility and its functionality in our concept of archipelagic defense implementation."

"I'm happy to report to our fellow countrymen that your army is developing this capability for the interest of protecting our sovereignty," he said, adding that the total cost of the acquisition would depend on "economics."

The presence of the U.S. missile launcher had angered Beijing, whose navy and coast guard forces have engaged in escalating confrontations in recent months with the Philippines over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea.


Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key global shipping route, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Manila and Washington, longstanding treaty allies, have deepened their defense cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing's claims to the South China Sea.

The U.S. lays no claims in the South China Sea but has warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines if its forces come under attack there, and has declared that freedom of navigation is among its core national interests.

And on Monday, China swiftly condemned the decision to acquire the system as a "provocative and dangerous move" and warned it risked triggering an "arms race."


"It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history of its own people and the people of Southeast Asia, as well as for regional security," China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Monday.

"The region needs peace and prosperity, not missiles and confrontation," she added, urging Manila to "correct its wrong practices as soon as possible."

As a rule, it takes at least two or more years for the Philippine military to acquire a new weapons system from the planning stage, Galido said Monday, adding it was not yet budgeted for 2025.

It took five years for Manila to take delivery of the BrahMos cruise missile last year, he added.

The land-based "mid-range capability" Typhon missile launcher, developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army, has a range of 300 miles, though a longer-range version is in development.

Galido said the Typhon system would enable the army to "project force" outwards up to 200 nautical miles, which is the limit of the archipelago nation's maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"You have to take note of the fact that at 200 nautical miles, there is no land there and the army cannot go there," he said.


The Typhon platform "will protect our floating assets," he said, a reference to ships of the Philippine navy and coast guard and other vessels.

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun warned in June that the Typhon deployment was "severely damaging regional security and stability."

But Galido dismissed the criticism of the Typhon system in the Philippines.

"We should not be bothered by others' seeming insecurities because we don't have any plans to go outside of our country's interests," he said

Kremlin denies media reports about Bashar al-Assad's wife seeking divorce

"No, they do not correspond to reality," Kremlin spokesman Peskov tells reporters on media reports about UK-born Asma, who reportedly wants to file for divorce from ousted Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad

Burc Eruygur |23.12.2024 - TRT/AA



ISTANBUL

The Kremlin on Monday denied media reports that the British-born wife of ousted Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad is seeking divorce and planning to leave Russia.

“No, they do not correspond to reality,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in the Russian capital of Moscow in response to a question on the matter.

On Sunday, multiple media reports said that Asma al-Assad, who was born in the UK, wanted to file for divorce in Russia, where the couple has been granted asylum by President Vladimir Putin after anti-regime forces took control of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 8.

According to reports, Asma al-Assad has expressed "discontent" with her life in Moscow and intends to relocate to London.

Assad, who was Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus, ending the 61-year Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Putin’s meeting with Slovak premier

Commenting on Putin’s talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Moscow late Sunday, Peskov said the Russian president conveyed his vision of the situation in Ukraine.

“It was possible to exchange opinions on Ukrainian affairs. President Putin conveyed to his interlocutor his vision of the current situation on the battlefield,” Peskov said.

The spokesman added that Putin and Fico also talked about bilateral relations, which he said “suffered significantly due to the actions of the previous authorities of Slovakia.”

Peskov said the two leaders also talked about energy issues, describing the situation around the supply of Russian gas to Europe as a “very complicated situation” that requires further attention.

“You (reporters) heard the statement from the Ukrainian side, and you know about the position of those European countries that continue to buy Russian gas and that consider this necessary for the normal operation of their economies,” he added.

On Jan. 1, 2025, a contract on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine will expire. Kyiv has voiced that it will not be renewing the contract when it expires at the end of the year.

VIDEO: Explosive eruption at Sakurajima Volcano in Japan

TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (MNA) – An explosive eruption at Sakurajima Volcano in Kagoshima, Japan, sent a volcanic ash column soaring 3,400 meters above the crater this morning.