Skip to main content

Australia sanctions North Koreans over 'fraudulent' IT work, cybercrime

Australia said on Friday it had sanctioned two North Korean individuals and companies over the use of "fraudulent" IT workers and cybercrime to earn cash for the isolated nuclear-armed state. The two men are alleged to be key operators in Pyongyang's cybercriminal activities overseas, estimated by analysts to bring in billions for the country's weapons programme. "The North Korean entities and individuals sanctioned today facilitate North Korea's use of fraudulent IT workers to raise revenue for the regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes," the office of Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong said. Read: North Korea threatens South with 'most horrible' consequences, announces border countermeasures North Korea faces a slew of international sanctions over its weapons and nuclear programmes. It stands accused of seeking to skirt those sanctions by employing thousands of IT workers impersonating nationals...
Post a Comment

From tech giants to anonymous nonprofits, the biggest donors in US midterms

The 15 largest contributors in the upcoming United States midterm elections have donated over $1.5 billion, an AFP analysis of Federal Election Commission data shows, as the race shapes up to be the most expensive midterms to date. The biggest donors, as of October 21, have made contributions to both parties and to special interest groups, such as super political action committees (PACs) lobbying for deregulated AI and cryptocurrency. World's richest man and Republican ally Elon Musk has donated over $365 million, including $278 million since July 1. According to campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets, this makes him the largest individual contributor in a federal election cycle since unlimited election spending was allowed in 2010. Read: Trump's approval falls to record low of 31% as midterms near, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds "We're on track to have the most expensive midterm elections in US history", Michael Beckel, director of money in politics reform at bipartisan advocacy organisation Issue One, told AFP. AFP analysed contributions since November 6, 2024, counting businesses and their leaders, as well as business partners and/or spouses as a single contributor where relevant, based on a New York Times methodology to track campaign finances. Tech giants Of the top 15 biggest contributors, five are in tech, particularly in the AI and cryptocurrency sectors. These donors, who tend to favour deregulation in their industries, are "pumping massive sums of money into US elections hoping to elect politicians who will advance their preferred policy positions," Beckel said. Venture capitalists and business partners Marc Andreessen and Benjamin Horowitz have spent over $113 million so far. They donated $50 million to the pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future and $46.8 million to Fairshake, a cryptocurrency super PAC. They also donated $12 million to US President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) Inc super PAC. Read More: Trump government ads draw scrutiny weeks before midterm elections Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has donated close to $57 million in total this election cycle, including donations from its CEO and co-founder Brian Armstrong. Ripple Labs, another crypto firm, and its co-founder Chris Larsen have donated over $68 million. The majority of those two companies' contributions were to Fairshake. The Winklevoss brothers Cameron and Tyler, major figures of the crypto landscape, donated to MAGA Inc and to their own pro-crypto super PAC. Musk's donations have mostly gone to his Republican-leaning America PAC, as well as to the Republican Senate Leadership Fund super PAC (SLF). The SLF used Musk's $158 million donations in September to support Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate in Texas. 'Dark money' Four anonymous nonprofit groups, known as 501C4 organisations or dark money groups, are amongst the top 15 donors this election cycle. These nonprofits fund campaign finance but are not legally required to publicly disclose their donors. "Dark money spending has been increasing year over year, and it is a troubling trend because voters should be able to know who is financing the ads that they see", Shanna Ports, Senior Legal Counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, told AFP. Also Read: Trump’s new AI-powered website says president lost 2020 election One Nation, a Republican nonprofit group, gave almost $138 million to the SLF. The American Action Network, another Republican dark money group, has contributed over $64 million to the Republican Congressional Leadership Fund, which is the SLF's counterpart for electing Republicans to the House. Two Democratic nonprofit groups — House Majority Forward and Majority Forward — respectively contributed $95 million to the House Majority PAC and $104 million to the Senate Majority PAC. Both focus on getting Democratic candidates elected to Congress. Historic donors Some historic donors have continued giving this election cycle. Billionaire couple Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein donated over $135 million this election cycle to support Republicans. George Soros, a longtime Democratic donor, has contributed at least $102 million. The Israeli American businesswomen and conservative political donor Miriam Adelson gave close to $67 million to various Republican PACs. Other big donors on the list are billionaire businessman Jeff Yass, who has donated $109 million so far, mostly to Republican groups, as well as hedge fund manager Paul Singer, who donated over $52 million, also to Republican groups. Billionaire ex-mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has spent $52.6 million so far, including around $30 million in contributions made after September 1. His team told the New York Times he will spend $80 million in September and October.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/zQR0WfX
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Arab countries, Pakistan likely to observe Eid on same day

The International Astronomy Centre confirmed on Wednesday that the crescent moon of Shawwal will be impossible to sight on Saturday, March 29, across all regions of the Arab and Islamic world. This is due to the moon setting before the sun, with the conjunction occurring after sunset. As a result, observing the crescent moon, whether by the naked eye, telescopes, or other means, will be unfeasible on March 29. For countries requiring an actual sighting to mark the start of Shawwal, Ramadan will likely extend to 30 days, with Eid Al Fitr falling on Monday, March 31. However, in some regions where the conjunction occurs before sunset, allowing the moon to set after sunset, some countries may choose to declare Eid on Sunday, March 30, following traditional moon-sighting practices. Notably, a partial solar eclipse will be visible at noon on Saturday in parts of the western Arab world, including Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. This event serves as definitive proof that the cresce...
Post a Comment
Read more

Climate damage fund hailed, but 'needs billions rather than millions'

The launch of a climate "loss and damage" fund drew praise and hundreds of millions of dollars in pledges at the UN's COP28 talks on Thursday but also warnings that much more is needed to help vulnerable nations. "We have delivered history today," the UAE's COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber told delegates who stood and applauded after the decision's adoption in Dubai. The announcement was followed immediately by financial pledges, including 225 million euros ($246 million) from the European Union, $100 million from the United Arab Emirates, another $100 million from Germany, $40 million from Britain, $17.5 million from the United States and $10 million from Japan. After years of dragging their feet on the issue, wealthy nations backed the fund in a landmark agreement at the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last year. Its launch on the first day of COP28 follows fraught negotiations on the mechanics of the fund, which will be housed at the World Bank...
Post a Comment
Read more