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AndyTheAbsurd writes:

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AP story BBC story

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takyon writes:

CNN reports on the downing of a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 fighter-bomber jet that reportedly violated Turkish airspace:

One of the world's most volatile regions was roiled further Tuesday when a Russian warplane was shot down near the Turkish-Syria border. Turkey said it shot down a plane after the aircraft repeatedly violated its airspace and ignored several warnings.

Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency quoted Turkish presidential sources in reporting that the Russian SU-24 was "hit within the framework of engagement rules" in Syria's Bayirbucak area, near the border with Turkey.

But Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency said that "According to preliminary reports, the plane was gunned down from the ground."

Russian officials denied that the plane had violated Turkish airspace. Both pilots ejected from the plane, but their fate is unknown, Sputnik said.

NYT, Reuters. Also BBC Live Reporting and The Guardian live updates:

Turkey has released flight radar images appearing to show that the Russian jet briefly flew over southern Turkey before it as shot down, CNN Turk reports.

[...] Graphic video purporting to show a dead Russian pilot is being widely circulated, but we cannot verify its authenticity. BrookingsDoha analyst Charles Lister says the video shows the dead pilot wearing Russian uniform and equipment. He says the dead pilot is now reported to be in the hands of anti-Assad rebels from the Alwiya Al-'Ashar group.

Update #1

Reuters reports:

A video sent to Reuters by a Syrian rebel group on Tuesday appeared to show a Russian pilot immobile and badly wounded on the ground, and an official from the group said he was dead.

"A Russian pilot," a voice is heard saying as a group of men gather around him. "God is great," a voice is heard saying.

The video was sent to Reuters by a rebel group operating in the northwestern area of Syria, where groups including Free Syrian Army are operating but Islamic State has no known presence.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Various Dell laptops and desktops are shipping with a pre-installed root certificate:

The US IT titan installs a powerful root CA certificate, including its private key, on its Windows notebooks and desktops. These can be abused by eavesdropping miscreants to silently decrypt encrypted web browser traffic without victims noticing.

If you try to remove the dodgy certificate, the file is automatically reinstalled during or after the next boot up. The root CA cert appears to have been created in early April this year, and expires in the year 2039.

How can this certificate be abused? Well, an attacker could, for example, set up a malicious Wi-Fi hotspot in a cafe or hospital, intercept connections from Dell machines, and then automatically strip away the encryption – a classic man-in-the-middle attack, all enabled by Dell's security blunder. The decrypted traffic will include usernames, passwords, session cookies, and other sensitive information. The root CA certificate – eDellRoot – can even be used to sign programs, allowing scumbags to dress up malware as legit apps.

The problem was spotted by Joe Nord (Reddit). Reaching this page without a privacy error means your machine is affected, and this page includes a test for the certificate. Mozilla Firefox ignores (does not trust) the Dell certificate, and thus should be safe to use. To remove:

According to an analysis [PDF] by Duo Security, a bundled plugin reinstalls the root CA file if it is removed. First, you must delete Dell.Foundation.Agent.Plugins.eDell.dll from your system (search for it) and then remove the eDellRoot root CA certificate.

Dell has admitted the mistake and will provide its own guide to fixing it soon (the above information):

The recent situation raised is related to an on-the-box support certificate intended to provide a better, faster and easier customer support experience. Unfortunately, the certificate introduced an unintended security vulnerability.

How about a little comedy courtesy of Reuters?

Dell said it would provide customers with instructions to permanently remove the certificate by email and on its support website, a process that will likely be highly technical.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/20/456758931/radisson-hotel-in-mali-attacked-gunmen-take-170-hostages

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34877069

Malian special forces have entered the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, to end a siege by gunmen who had been holding 170 people hostage. The gunmen stormed the US-owned hotel, which is popular with foreign businesses and airline crews, shooting and shouting "God is great!" in Arabic. Malian state TV is reporting that 80 people have now been freed. At least three people are reported to have been killed in the siege that started around 07:00 GMT. Six staff from Turkish Airlines were at the hotel when it was attacked, and a Chinese guest told China's state news agency Xinhua he was among about seven Chinese tourists trapped there. A French presidential source said French citizens were also at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Reuters news agency reports.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali
Official languages: French

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders after at least 40 people were killed in multiple shootings in Paris.

At least 15 people were killed near the Bataclan arts centre, where up to 60 people are being held hostage. Explosions and gunfire are reported.

Three people were killed in an attack near the Stade de France, with some reports suggesting a suicide blast.

Paris authorities have urged people to stay indoors.

Military personnel are being deployed across Paris.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/13/455943961/violence-reported-in-paris
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/world/paris-shooting/index.html

Update #1 [BBC updates]:

Scores of people have been killed in multiple gun and bomb attacks in Paris

At least 100 people are reported to have died inside the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris

Others died in attacks near the Stade de France, where France were playing Germany, and at restaurants

France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders

Paris residents have been asked to stay indoors and military personnel are being deployed across the city

[...] Reuters. quoting an un-named official at Paris City Hall, says the current death toll in Paris is around 140.

Update #2:

According to the Paris prosecutor, of the four assailants who died during the sidge at the Bataclan, three committed suicide by detonating explosive vests. The prosecutor has warned that some of their accomplices may "still be on the loose".

[...] Here is what French president François Hollande told reporters outside the Bataclan concert hall just now: "To all those who have seen these awful things, I want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow."

Original Submission

frojack writes:

The story is being carried by USA Today and just about every major news outlet. There were some economic takes on the election as well.

takyon: Results at CBC and BBC. DeSmog Canada has an analysis focusing on potential shifts in environmental and science policies:

The Liberal party has taken a strong stance on the war on science in Canada, promising to free scientists to speak publicly about their work. Trudeau has also promised to instate a Parliamentary Science Officer to ensure transparency, expertise and independence of federal scientists. This position will mirror that of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

In addition to unmuzzling scientists, the party also wants to work collaboratively with the provinces, First Nations and other stakeholders when it comes to ocean management. This is significant in light of the Conservative government's de-funding of numerous marine science programs, including the only research being conducted into the effects of industrial pollutants on marine mammals. The Liberal party has promised to reinstate $40 million of funding for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin who was considered earlier this year to be one of the two frontrunners (along with Jeb Bush) for the Republican nomination, is quitting the race, according to several news organizations ahead of a scheduled news conference. Walker created controversy in Wisconsin with his union-busting policies, making him a conservative favorite; however, he was unable to create enthusiasm for his bid on the campaign trail.

At times, Walker seemed to be both overly cautious and dangerously misinformed at the same time.

Recent polls in Iowa showed that Walker's support there has almost evaporated during the two months he's been on the campaign trail. The Iowa caucuses, scheduled for next January, is by tradition the first event of the primary season that produces party convention delegates for the winner. It was considered a must-win event for Walker, who was already fairly well known in Iowa, a state bordering Wisconsin.

takyon: Check https://soylentnews.org/my/homepage to prevent "Breaking News" nexus stories from appearing on the homepage. Or to ensure that they do.

Original Submission

martyb writes:

Reports are coming in about a massive earthquake off the coast of Chile. A tsunami advisory has been issued for Hawaii:

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A MAJOR TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED TO STRIKE THE STATE OF HAWAII. HOWEVER...SEA LEVEL CHANGES AND STRONG CURRENTS MAY OCCUR ALONG ALL COASTS THAT COULD BE A HAZARD TO SWIMMERS AND BOATERS AS WELL AS TO PERSONS NEAR THE SHORE AT BEACHES AND IN HARBORS AND MARINAS.

Here is the USGS (US Geological Survey) page for the initial 8.3 earthquake. Aftershocks have also been reported.

According to the BBC:

The earthquake struck just off the coast at 19:54 local times (22:54 GMT), about 55km west of the city of Illapel, the US Geological Survey said. Officials said it was at the depth of about 10km.

The US Geological Survey initially reported the tremor as magnitude 7.9, but then quickly revised the reading to 8.3. Several strong aftershocks were reported just minutes later.

Illapel Mayor Denis Cortes reported that one person was killed by a collapsing wall, and 15 other people were injured.

[...] "Tsunami waves reaching more than three metres above the tide level are possible along some coasts of Chile," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned.

The earthquake struck as thousands of Chileans have been travelling to the coast ahead of a week of celebrations of the national holidays, or Fiestas Patrias. Tsunami alerts were also issued for Peru and Hawaii.

According to Wired:

The National Tsunami Warning Center has warned that Chile's shorelines could experience tsunamis exceeding nine feet. "That might not sound like much, but a tsunami wave has all the weight of the ocean behind it," says Scott Langley, an electronics technician with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska. "This isn't something you want to go out and ride with your surfboard."

Since the initial quake, the USGS has reported four aftershocks, ranging from 5.7 to 6.4 moment magnitude.

Separately, we reported back on April 26th that a Magnitude 7.8 Quake in Nepal Kills At Least 1800, Aftershocks Continue. I happened to speak with someone from Nepal yesterday who told me they are still receiving magnitude 6-plus aftershocks.

Original Submission

darnkitten writes:

The first library-hosted Tor node in the U.S. is to be reactivated, after a public meeting on Tuesday at the Kilton Public Library in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, in which area residents expressed support for the Board of Trustees and the Tor system. The Library had also conducted surveys which indicated strong support from both residents and non-residents alike.

The node had been set up as part of the Library Freedom Project's pilot program, following a unanimous decision by the Board in June; however, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had apparently contacted City officials and law enforcement, informing them that (FTA) "Tor sometimes is used by criminals to distribute child pornography or illegal drugs, among other abuses." After discussion with the Town, the Board had suspended the relay, pending discussion at Tuesday's public meeting.

City officials insisted that they had not intended to force the Board into a particular decision, but rather intended to educate the public about their concerns.

The Board Chair, Francis Oscadal, was quoted as saying, "I could vote in favor of the good ... or I could vote against the bad. I'd rather vote for the good because there is value to this."

See also: Concord Monitor .

Original Submission