Hacker arrested for Collins Aerospace cyber attack
London — British police said on Wednesday a man had been arrested as part of an investigation into a cyber attack last week that hit Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in systems at airports, causing major disruption across Europe.
The National Crime Agency said in a statement that the man, in his 40s, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act and had since been released on conditional bail. Reuters
One killed in shooting at Dallas immigration office
Chicago/Atlanta — A shooter killed at least one person and wounded others in a shooting on Wednesday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, local and federal authorities said.
Police responded to reports of the shooting at the office in northwest Dallas at about 6:40am local time (1140 GMT), the Dallas police department said on X.
The suspect opened fire on the office from an adjacent building, according to the preliminary investigation, police said. Two people were transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds, while a third person died at the scene.
ICE officers were not injured, but it was not clear whether the victims included ICE detainees, local security or local law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an interview on Fox News' “Fox & Friends.” Reuters
EU wants tech companies to tackle online fraud
Brussels — Apple, Google and Microsoft have been asked by EU tech regulators about the measures they are taking to prevent their platforms being used for financial scams, underscoring Europe's concern about the cost of online fraud.
The EU is increasing its regulatory scrutiny of major US technology companies via the Digital Services Act (DSA), landmark legislation that requires Big Tech to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms.”
Today, we sent requests for information, under the DSA, to Apple, Booking.com, Google and Microsoft on how they identify and manage risks related to financial scams,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen wrote on X on Wednesday. Reuters
Malawi president concedes defeat in election
Lilongwe — Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday conceded defeat in the Southern African country's presidential election, less than two hours before the final result was due to be announced.
Official results released so far show former president Peter Mutharika, Chakwera’s predecessor, has built a commanding lead in the September 16 election.
“It is only right that I concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens and out of respect for the constitution,” Chakwera said in an address to the nation.
“I am fully committed to ... a peaceful transfer of power. Reuters
Lake burst its banks after typhoon hits Taiwan
Hualien — Residents in a Taiwan town where flooding from a typhoon killed 17 people sought shelter on Wednesday fearing further disaster after a lake burst its banks, as Premier Cho Jung-tai called for an inquiry into what went wrong with evacuation orders.
Sub-tropical Taiwan, frequently hit by typhoons, normally has a well-oiled disaster mechanism that averts mass casualties by moving people out of potential danger zones quickly.
But many residents in Guangfu, an eastern town in the beauty spot of Hualien, thronged by tourists, said there was insufficient warning when a lake overflowed during Tuesday’s torrential rains brought by Super Typhoon Ragasa.
The barrier lake, formed by landslides triggered by earlier heavy rain in the island’s sparsely populated east, burst and sent a wall of water into Guangfu. Reuters
Spanish aircraft suffers GPS attack near Kaliningrad
Madrid — A Spanish military jet with defence minister Margarita Robles on-board suffered a GPS “disturbance” on Wednesday morning while flying near Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave on its way to Lithuania, the ministry said, without providing further details.
As well as Robles, the plane was carrying relatives of Spanish airmen forming part of the new Nato air defence mission on its eastern flank launched earlier this month after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace.
The Spanish contingent, known as the Vilkas mission meaning wolf in Lithuanian, last week intercepted eight Russian aircraft operating over the Baltic Sea, Spain’s defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Robles was due to have a bilateral meeting with her Lithuanian counterpart Dovile Sakaliene during a visit to the Siauliai airbase on Wednesday morning, according to the Spanish government’s agenda. Reuters
Tehran ‘has no intention of building a nuclear bomb’
New York — Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, just days before international sanctions could be reimposed on his country over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian said.
On August 28, Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions that ends on September 27, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The European powers have offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months to allow space for talks. Pezeshkian criticised the move by European powers as “illegal”, saying it was made at “the behest of the US of America”. Reuters
NZ names Riksbank’s Anna Breman to lead Bank
Wellington — New Zealand on Wednesday named Swedish national Anna Breman as its new central bank governor, the first woman in the role who joins after a major shake-up at the bank amid criticism over its management of the economy.
Finance minister Nicola Willis said Breman, the first deputy governor of Sweden’s Riksbank will take up her role at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand on December 1.
“Dr Breman comes to New Zealand with an impressive blend of technical skills and organisational leadership experience,” Willis told a press conference in Wellington.
Breman used her first remarks to praise the New Zealand bank’s reputation, after the surprise departure of its previous governor who repeatedly clashed with the government.
“The Reserve Bank is an excellent institution: it’s known globally for being the first to develop inflation targeting,” she told reporters. Reuters
Guinea voters back new constitution
Conakry — A new constitution in Guinea that could permit junta leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for office was backed by 89% of voters, according to complete provisional results released late Tuesday.
According to provisional figures, subject to confirmation by the Constitutional Court, 89.38% of voters backed the proposed constitution, with a turnout of 86.42% from the 6.7-million registered voters, territorial administration minister Ibrahima Kalil Conde announced.
The new charter replaces the transitional framework that had barred members of the ruling junta from contesting elections, opening the door for Doumbouya’s candidacy in the coming presidential vote, expected in December 2025, though Doumbouya has not said whether he will run. Reuters
Bobi Wine cleared to challenge Museveni again
Ugandan opposition leader, pop star turned politician Bobi Wine, was cleared on Wednesday to stand for president, pitting him against Yoweri Museveni for a second time during a career in which he has been arrested and jailed multiple times for his opposition to the long-serving incumbent.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, first challenged Museveni in the 2021 polls but came in second place. The 43-year-old, however, rejected the results and said his victory had been stolen through pre-ticked ballots, intimidation by security forces, falsification of results and voter bribery.
Museveni, 81, who has ruled the East African country since 1986, was cleared to seek another term on Tuesday. If he wins, his rule will span nearly half a century. Reuters
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