Did IoT cyberattacks cause NY power transformers to explode?

Officials blamed a power surge for the blackout on Dec. 28th that left LaGuardia airport in the dark for about 45 minutes, grounding flights. A look at the trend of power outages at American airports shows a disturbing pattern and possibly sinister cause.

Attacking an adversary’s infrastructure is asymmetrical warfare. It causes a lot of damage for a very small cost. Cyberattacks are an ideal weapon as they disguise who might be behind them, making retaliation much harder. Attacks on the power grid for airports are especially devastating as they ground flights, stranding passengers and disrupting business nationwide. Just take a look at recent power outages

Dec 28, 2018: New York sky turns bright blue after transformer explosion.

Jun 13, 2018: Power outages at Las Vegas airport cause delays

Aug 16, 2018: Power restored at Reagan National after ‘airport wide’ outage

Nov 15, 2018: Power restored at Bradley International Airport following multiple outages

Dec 27, 2017: Power restored at Disneyland after outage halts rides

Dec 18, 2017: Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport restores power after crippling outage

https://www.networkworld.com/article/3330646/internet-of-things/did-iot-cyberattacks-cause-ny-power-transformers-to-explode.html#tk.rss_all

Microsoft and Adaptive Biotechnologies go live with AI engine for universal diagnostic blood test

It’s been one day short of a year since Microsoft partnered with Adaptive Biotechnologies to create a blood test with the promise of diagnosing dozens of diseases at once. The idea is to take hold of the body’s own diagnostic powers by mapping the immune system’s response to toxins and foreign substances. To do that, the team needs lots of data and the ability to sort through it.

That’s where artificial intelligence comes in.

The companies announced Thursday that the AI system they built is up and running and will initially focus on diagnosing type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and Lyme disease.

To generate the data, Adaptive and Microsoft placed an open call for collaborators to work toward their goal of sequencing immune data from 25,000 people with the five diseases. “Our AI systems are now ready. So please join us in decoding what ‘story’ the immune system is telling us,” wrote Peter Lee, Microsoft Corporate VP of AI and Research, on Twitter.

https://www.geekwire.com/2019/microsoft-adaptive-biotechnologies-go-live-ai-engine-universal-diagnostic-blood-test/

Argentina court sentences ex-Ford executives on torture, kidnapping charges

Two former executives of automaker Ford were handed lengthy jail sentences by an Argentine court on Tuesday. The move marks the first time that high-level corporate leaders have headed to prison over crimes committed during Argentina's "Dirty War."

After a year on trial, Hector Sibilla, the former head of security at Ford's Buenos Aires factory, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. His co-defendant, manufacturing manager Pedro Muller, was given 10 years.

The court declared that both men "were necessary participants in the illegal deprivation of liberty, aggravated by the use of violence and threats," against labor leaders and union advocates. Sibilla was also found to have been present during at least one torture session.

https://en.sindonews.com/dw/news/argentina-court-sentences-ex-ford-executives-on-torture-kidnapping-charges

Brazil's Bolsonaro begins starts firing 'left-wing' public servants

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's administration on Thursday launched a purge of government officials who don't share its far-right ideology.

Bolsonaro authorized the dismissal of some 300 officials on temporary contracts.

The government "will clean the house," Chief of Staff Onyx Lorenzoni told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting headed by Bolsonaro, who took office this week.

"It's the only way to govern with our ideas, our concepts and to carry out what Brazil's society decided in its majority," said Lorenzoni, who is seen as the second most powerful member of the executive after Bolsonaro.

The sweep will target officials who are seen as sympathetic to the centrist and left-wing parties that have ruled Brazil since 1985, when the country got rid of military dictatorship.

https://en.sindonews.com/dw/news/brazil-s-bolsonaro-begins-starts-firing-left-wing-public-servants

>>4587901

That is always their MO , every time they do anything to gain moar control over our lives and take away any freedoms is always sold to us as for our benefit.. and only because they care so much and know whats better for us then we do

Former Moscow region official accused of $200 MILLION fraud extradited to Russia

France has extradited the former Moscow regional finance minister to Russia. The once high-ranking official and his American wife stand accused of embezzling billions of rubles from the regional budget.

The French law enforcement “have complied with the extradition request,” the Russian Prosecutor General's office said in a statement, adding that the former official, identified as Aleksey Kuznetsov, arrived to Russia on January 3, accompanied by the Russian Interpol agents and the officers of the Federal Penal Correction Service.

Kuznetsov's case dates back to 2010, when he was charged with 10 counts of fraud, 3 counts of embezzlement, as well as with legalization of criminal assets. The damage his criminal actions inflicted to the Moscow region government, local housing and utility services as well as some local businesses amounted to an astonishing 14 billion rubles ($200mn).

According to the prosecutors, he committed his crimes together with his wife, a US citizen called Janna Bullock. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia in Russia over complicity in Kuznetsov's crimes in January 2018. However, her whereabouts are unknown at the moment. It is also unclear if she and Kuznetsov got divorced since then.

https://www.rt.com/news/448036-official-millions-fraud-extradited-russia/