The UN secretary-general has warned the world could be facing further conflict - as North Korea steps up its preparedness. As the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches, Antonio Guterres said he fears the world is "sleepwalking into a wider war" with its "eyes wide open". He pointed to the war in Ukraine as having undermined global solidarity and trust, and urged all countries to recommit to the UN Charter, which calls for the peaceful settlement of disputes. After experts set the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight - the closest it has ever been to "global catastrophe" - Mr Guterres urged the general assembly's 193 member nations to change their mindset to decision-making and look at "what will happen to all of us tomorrow - and act". This is instead of near-term thinking, which he called "irresponsible" and "immoral". "The so-called 'tactical' use of nuclear weapons is absurd," he said, calling for nuclear-armed countries to renounce the … [Read more...] about UN chief fears world ‘sleepwalking into wider war’ – as North Korea steps up preparedness
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N.Korean Balloon Crosses into S.Korea
February 07, 2023 09:51 A North Korean balloon flew into the South Korean airspace and floated around in the sky for a few hours before being blown towards the East Sea on Sunday. The military here kept close track of the incursion, which seems to echo a huge Chinese spy balloon that invaded U.S. airspace until it was shut down on Sunday. A military spokesman said on Monday, "We didn't take any other action because we believe it was a North Korean weather balloon that didn't intrude on our airspace on purpose." According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, the balloon crossed the border to Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province around 6:30 p.m. Sunday. It floated in at such a low altitude that it was detected by a thermal observation device. "North Korean weather balloons often cross the military demarcation line, and so do our weather balloons," the spokesman added. "But we have increased surveillance given the recent flyover of a Chinese spy balloon in the U.S." UN … [Read more...] about N.Korean Balloon Crosses into S.Korea
North Carolina substation attack raises security concerns for U.S. electric grid
The recent attack on two North Carolina substations that cut power to thousands of people has raised concerns about security standards for the country’s electric grid and its numerous power stations, which have faced greater threats in recent years . Outside of weather, suspected and confirmed physical attacks on electric grid infrastructure have been the largest cause of electrical disturbance events since 2014 when, in response to an attack in California the year before, private companies that run power stations were required to increase security standards, according to an NBC News analysis of public Department of Energy reports. Nearly 600 electric emergency incidents and disturbances were caused by suspected and confirmed physical attacks and vandalism on the electric grid in those nine years, the reports show. There have been 106 attack or vandalism incidents from January through August 2022, which is the latest the Energy Department data tracks. Among the years … [Read more...] about North Carolina substation attack raises security concerns for U.S. electric grid
All power restored in North Carolina four days after gunfire led to massive outages
All power has been restored in central North Carolina, where gunfire led to massive power outages, officials said Wednesday as a $75,000 reward was offered for information that leads to the shooter or shooters. By 6 p.m. all homes and businesses in Moore County that had been plunged into darkness had power back on, four days after someone shot up two substations, Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said. Earlier Wednesday, officials said work crews were on a "final push" to get all lights turned on again. At its peak, around 45,000 Moore County customers were left without power, the utility has said. "Today I'm happy to say that we began the final push to completion," Brooks told reporters in Carthage then. "We began bringing in customers a few thousand at a time. It was a phased approach, very manual." Gov. Roy Cooper has called the shootings at two substations in Moore County, population 100,000, about 50 miles southwest of Raleigh, a “criminal attack.” A $75,000 … [Read more...] about All power restored in North Carolina four days after gunfire led to massive outages
Parties trade accusations during interpellation session
Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, left, chats with Interior Minister Lee Sang-min during a parliamentary interpellation session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Monday. [NEWS1] The People Power Party (PPP) and Democratic Party (DP) locked horns in a grueling parliamentary interpellation session Monday, with conservative lawmakers slamming DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung for alleged misdeeds and liberals criticizing the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's gaffes. The National Assembly on Monday kicked off its three-day interpellation session to question government officials on politics, foreign affairs, unification and security issues. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, Foreign Minister Park Jin and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min were some of the senior government officials questioned on the first day. Asked if prosecutors plan on arresting DP chairman Lee, Justice Minister Han said that a "fair investigation" will be conducted according to the … [Read more...] about Parties trade accusations during interpellation session
Olympic bans and boycotts go back a century
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Ukraine and the three Baltic countries, all former Soviet republics, moved a step closer Friday to boycotting next year’s Paris Olympics because of the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Olympic Committee plans to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as “neutral athletes” despite their invasion of Ukraine, saying it can't discriminate athletes based on their citizenship. However, countries have been excluded in the past. The Olympics also have a history of countries choosing to boycott rather than compete against athletes they believed should not have been invited. 1920 — Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey are not invited to the 1920 Antwerp Olympics after defeat in World War I. Host nation Belgium was one of the countries Germany occupied. After the … [Read more...] about Olympic bans and boycotts go back a century
Concerning Chinese project near U.S. military base faces day of reckoning
A Chinese company's proposed redevelopment of a grain milling facility near a U.S Air Force base in North Dakota has all but collapsed after Air Force officials warned that the project presents a "significant threat" to national security. In late 2021, the Chinese bio-fermentation company Fufeng USA announced it would be establishing its first U.S.-based wet corn milling processing plant in the North Dakota city of Grand Forks, bringing with it nearly 800 high-paying jobs and unprecedented market potential for the state's 13,000 corn growers. At the time, it seemed like a win for everyone involved. "I think it puts the city on the map in a big way," Mayor Brandon Bochenski told the Grand Forks Herald at the time. There also were glowing quotes from local economic development officials who had fought months for the city to emerge victorious in the company's competitive selection process. A little more than one year later, however, the project once deemed a game-changer … [Read more...] about Concerning Chinese project near U.S. military base faces day of reckoning
Reporters Desperately Try To Keep Trump-Russia Collusion Narrative Alive, Even As Evidence Fades
Some White House reporters have been pushing the Trump-Russia Collusion narrative for two years now, and many of them are not willing to let it go despite the fact that there’s still no “there there.” The Daily Caller’s Stephanie Hamill, Vince Coglianese and Henry Rodgers call them out on it, while highlighting other absurd and biased questions. “Fact-Checking The White House ‘Truth Seekers'” is a weekly program that dissects what’s going on at White House press briefings. The White House press corps is supposed to be made up of unbiased journalists who cover the president and anything White House-related. But in the Trump era, some of these journalists have turned more into activists, regularly posing biased questions that advance a largely left-leaning agenda. The Daily Caller team is keeping close tabs on what’s happening during the briefings. While there are some solid, fair White House reporters, there are others who we can’t say the same about. TheDC highlights the … [Read more...] about Reporters Desperately Try To Keep Trump-Russia Collusion Narrative Alive, Even As Evidence Fades
Classified U.S. Report Highlights Foreign Power Aerial Spying With Advanced Tech
Live updates: The U.S. has shot down the Chinese spy balloon. WASHINGTON — The Chinese spy balloon that floated across the continental United States before it was shot down by the U.S. military generated deep concern on Capitol Hill in part because it came on the heels of a classified report that outlined incidents of American adversaries potentially using advanced aerial technology to spy on the country. The classified report to Congress last month discussed at least two incidents of a rival power conducting aerial surveillance with what appeared to be unknown cutting-edge technology, according to U.S. officials. While the report did not attribute the incidents to any country, two American officials familiar with the research said the surveillance probably was conducted by China. The report on what the intelligence agencies call unidentified aerial phenomena focused on several incidents believed to be surveillance. Some of those incidents have involved balloons, while others … [Read more...] about Classified U.S. Report Highlights Foreign Power Aerial Spying With Advanced Tech
How we got into the messiest war in our history
See the article in its original context from November 12, 1972 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. “The Best and the Brightest;” Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam's latest, most important and impressive book, sets out to discover why America got involved in the worst and messiest war in our history. “What was it about the men, their attitudes, the country, its institutions and above all the era which had allowed this tragedy to take place?” They were, after all, “the best and … [Read more...] about How we got into the messiest war in our history