WASHINGTON — U.S. government agencies held a classified briefing for all senators on Wednesday on China’s alleged efforts known as Salt Typhoon to burrow deep into American telecommunications companies and steal data about U.S. calls. The FBI, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the National Security Council and the…
Check out what my colleague Elizabeth Lilly has to say about this: “I snagged this backpack after hearing my colleague Chelsea Stuart sing its praises. I had a trusty (now discontinued) InCase backpack I used as a personal item and served me well on dozens of trips for about five years. But I wanted a bag for some upcoming travel (2.5 weeks in Europe with *just* carry-on for five flights) that opens up like a suitcase for easier packing. Since buying, I’ve taken it on two long weekend trips (Amtrak to Newport, Rhode Island, for a wedding and regional train to a Connecticut country lake house) with no complaints. In fact, for both of those trips I packed MORE than I needed. Inside, you’ll find a mesh zippered pocket and a plastic pocket perfect for your toiletries. I can fit enough wet toilet toiletries in the second pocket as I’d be allowed to carry-on for a plane. In the mesh pocket I put other necessities like cotton swabs, medicine, eye glasses, etc. The main compartment is deceptively deep so you can easily roll clothes and Lego-fit them in together without using packing cubes. In fact, I fit all of the stuff in the second picture in that section (a romper, PJs, a bikini, sunscreen, five pairs of undies, a pair of jean shorts, nap dress, three pairs of socks, two pairs of sandals, two T-shirts, a slip skirt, sleep mask, curling iron, mini flat iron, makeup bag, and tote bag). AND it has stretchy X-straps to keep it all secure like you’d see in a roller suitcase so when I unzip it, everything stays put. But before I forget, there’s a separate cushioned laptop pocket close to the backpack straps that I found works well for books or a Kindle if your travel leaves you laptop-less. I love that this backpack has DEEP side pockets so your umbrella or water bottle won’t fall out. In fact, I stuck a flashlight and an umbrella in one side pocket. (You could always use a flashlight.) Plus! It has a generously sized pocket on the front of the backpack with easy access for sunglasses, snacks, writing pens…all sorts of those little extras you need to access quickly. To top it all off, the backpack straps and top handle are STURDY. I felt totally secure toting it around and slinging it into overhead storage compartments on the trains. I love the look and construction of it with faux leather and sturdy black canvas, and the trolley passthrough to easily fit on my roller suitcase I’m about to drag through a bunch of airports. At nearly $90, this isn’t the cheapest backpack option but if you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll get so much mileage on it and seriously save on some baggage fees, making it well worth the cost. This backpack and I are going places, for sure.”Get it from Beis Travel for $88 (available in eight colors).
Check out what my colleague Elizabeth Lilly has to say about this: “I snagged this backpack after hearing my colleague Chelsea Stuart sing its praises. I had a trusty (now discontinued) InCase backpack I used as a personal item and served me well on dozens of trips for about five years. But I wanted a bag for some upcoming travel (2.5 weeks in Europe with *just* carry-on for five flights) that opens up like a suitcase for easier packing. Since buying, I’ve taken it on two long weekend trips (Amtrak to Newport, Rhode Island, for a wedding and regional train to a Connecticut country lake house) with no complaints. In fact, for both of those trips I packed MORE than I needed. Inside, you’ll find a mesh zippered pocket and a plastic pocket perfect for your toiletries. I can fit enough wet toilet toiletries in the second pocket as I’d be allowed to carry-on for a plane. In the mesh pocket I put other necessities like cotton swabs, medicine, eye glasses, etc. The main compartment is deceptively deep so you can easily roll clothes and Lego-fit them in together without using packing cubes. In fact, I fit all of the stuff in the second picture in that section (a romper, PJs, a bikini, sunscreen, five pairs of undies, a pair of jean shorts, nap dress, three pairs of socks, two pairs of sandals, two T-shirts, a slip skirt, sleep mask, curling iron, mini flat iron, makeup bag, and tote bag). AND it has stretchy X-straps to keep it all secure like you’d see in a roller suitcase so when I unzip it, everything stays put. But before I forget, there’s a separate cushioned laptop pocket close to the backpack straps that I found works well for books or a Kindle if your travel leaves you laptop-less. I love that this backpack has DEEP side pockets so your umbrella or water bottle won’t fall out. In fact, I stuck a flashlight and an umbrella in one side pocket. (You could always use a flashlight.) Plus! It has a generously sized pocket on the front of the backpack with easy access for sunglasses, snacks, writing pens…all sorts of those little extras you need to access quickly. To top it all off, the backpack straps and top handle are STURDY. I felt totally secure toting it around and slinging it into overhead storage compartments on the trains. I love the look and construction of it with faux leather and sturdy black canvas, and the trolley passthrough to easily fit on my roller suitcase I’m about to drag through a bunch of airports. At nearly $90, this isn’t the cheapest backpack option but if you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll get so much mileage on it and seriously save on some baggage fees, making it well worth the cost. This backpack and I are going places, for sure.”Get it from Beis Travel for $88 (available in eight colors).
It’s one of the most visited holiday destinations in the world but now Italian authorities are clamping down on the explosion of vacation properties advertised online with travel apps by banning key boxes. The Mediterranean nation welcomes almost the same number of tourists each year as the country’s own population, but the sheer number coming in is putting pressure on local communities.In Rome, protesters gathered outside the offices of Confedilizia, the Italian Confederation of Building Ownership, on Tuesday (December 3) to demand a stop to what they see is overtourism taking over homes that could be used by permanent residents.Across several cities, including the capital and Florence and Milan, a large number of lock boxes used outside properties advertised on sites like Airbnb and Booking were vandalised. Key boxes mean tourists can enter the holiday lets without having to meet the owner in person, with guests simply being given the code to get the entry tools online when they book a property. But now, according to Euronews, the Italian government has brought in a ban on the self-check-in system citing “public order and safety risks”.The Italian Interior Ministry said the ban, which came into force on November 18, will “prevent public order and safety risks in relation to the possible accommodation of dangerous individuals or those linked to criminal or terrorist organisations”.The statement added “the automated management of check-in and entry to a property without visual identification of guests” means there is a risk it “could be occupied by one or more individuals whose identities remain unknown to the relevant police authorities posing a potential danger to the community”.Under the new rules tourists can no longer independently check in to holiday lets and must be met by the rental owners or managers who will verify identity documents. The rental owner must also send details and identity documents of the travellers staying at the property to the police 24 hours before the guests arrive. The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gaultieri, called the ban “good news for everyone” and said it would mark the end of “the padlocks and boxes that disfigure our streets and prevent adequate security checks”.
It’s one of the most visited holiday destinations in the world but now Italian authorities are clamping down on the explosion of vacation properties advertised online with travel apps by banning key boxes. The Mediterranean nation welcomes almost the same number of tourists each year as the country’s own population, but the sheer number coming in is putting pressure on local communities.In Rome, protesters gathered outside the offices of Confedilizia, the Italian Confederation of Building Ownership, on Tuesday (December 3) to demand a stop to what they see is overtourism taking over homes that could be used by permanent residents.Across several cities, including the capital and Florence and Milan, a large number of lock boxes used outside properties advertised on sites like Airbnb and Booking were vandalised. Key boxes mean tourists can enter the holiday lets without having to meet the owner in person, with guests simply being given the code to get the entry tools online when they book a property. But now, according to Euronews, the Italian government has brought in a ban on the self-check-in system citing “public order and safety risks”.The Italian Interior Ministry said the ban, which came into force on November 18, will “prevent public order and safety risks in relation to the possible accommodation of dangerous individuals or those linked to criminal or terrorist organisations”.The statement added “the automated management of check-in and entry to a property without visual identification of guests” means there is a risk it “could be occupied by one or more individuals whose identities remain unknown to the relevant police authorities posing a potential danger to the community”.Under the new rules tourists can no longer independently check in to holiday lets and must be met by the rental owners or managers who will verify identity documents. The rental owner must also send details and identity documents of the travellers staying at the property to the police 24 hours before the guests arrive. The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gaultieri, called the ban “good news for everyone” and said it would mark the end of “the padlocks and boxes that disfigure our streets and prevent adequate security checks”.
The 2024 Telstra Best of Business Awards National Gala was held in Melbourne with seven businesses recognised for their achievements in their respective categories.
Among the awardees, the Business of the Year distinction was given to DJAARA, the representative body of the Dja Dja Wurrung of Central Victoria that has built a successful enterprise by tapping into ancient knowledge and traditional practices to modern agriculture and aquaculture. DIARRA also won the Indigenous Excellence award.
“What stands out about this year’s winner is their connection to purpose which drives this organisation at its core. More than 20 years ago, 15 people gathered on a verandah and recognised their collective strength and the positive impact they could have on their people and community,” said Amanda Hutton, Group Executive, Telstra Business.
Entertainment
Taylor Swift fans lined up at Target to buy her self-published book. It turned out to be riddled with errors.
Samantha Grindell
2024-12-04T22:05:53Z
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Taylor Swift released “The Eras Tour Book” on Black Friday.
Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management/Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
AI
Palmer Luckey’s Anduril is partnering with OpenAI on AI defense tech
Kenneth Niemeyer
2024-12-04T23:08:33Z
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Palmer Luckey’s Anduril has partnered with Sam Altman’s OpenAI.
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More than 1,000 scientists worldwide, mainly psychologists and neuroscientists, have signed an open letter urging a ceasefire in Gaza and for the international community to pressure Israel to respect international humanitarian law, according to Spanish news agency, EFE.
Signatories include Nobel laureates, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser, from Norway and Susumu Tonegawa from Japan.
Several Spanish researchers, including Pablo Lanillos, a member of the Neuro Artificial Intelligence and Robotics group at the Cajal Institute, also signed the letter.
“This appeal is powerful because it comes from neuroscientists — people who study how the brain perceives and processes such conflicts,” Lanillos told EFE.
The letter is said to have condemned the violence committed by all sides, including the Hamas 7 October, 2023 attacks, the holding of hostages, and “innumerable war crimes” committed by Israel, which has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza since the start of the conflict more than a year ago.
Without international pressure, extremists in power feel emboldened to carry out lethal intentions, perpetuating hatred and violence, the letter warns.
The scientists say that the region is trapped in a destructive cycle of violence and vengeance that undermines the possibility of peaceful co-existence, adding that “hatred, death and destruction” are taking over.
According to EFE, the letter says human psychology often exaggerates differences between groups in conflict but also points to a universal capacity for empathy and cooperation.
The scientists called on the international community to press Israel to end the war, including through stopping arms sales or re-evaluating cooperation agreements.
“We are not against the Israeli people,” the letter says. “We are for all peoples — Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese.”
Israel’s current policies, they argue, have inflicted irreparable harm on Palestinians and jeopardised the safety of its own people.
The letter was started by researchers at the Sorbonne University in France and Princeton in the US.
READ: War crimes complaint filed against Israel’s military attaché in Belgium
In addition, the program’s accelerator locations are increasing in number. In the United States, the DIANA accelerators include: MassChallenge in Boston, Pacific Northwest and Mission Innovation X at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.And with Sweden and Finland, even though they just made history becoming new members of NATO, “they immediately jumped on board,” setting up DIANA accelerators in their own countries, Singleton shared. And the Estonian hub has already been matching entrepreneurs in its region to help Ukraine.
Next year, the alliance aims to set up test centers, including three based in the United States at existing DoD University Affiliated Research Centers.
“A lot of the technologies, they will get great experience and a great understanding of what the needs are from our test center network,” he offered. “You know, we haven’t really tapped into the test center network just yet, but we expect to start using those next year.”
As it grows, the DIANA program will have to get past several challenges, including how the alliance will certify new technologies and integrate them into existing systems. The program must also address how to transition successful innovations into actual military capabilities across the alliance.
The United States, meanwhile, has an unanswered policy decision in regard to DIANA, as it is has not signed up to be one of the 24 participating nations in the 1 billion euro NATO Innovation Fund, or NIF. This creates some limitations, Singleton explained.
“The NIF cannot invest in U.S.-based companies,” he noted. “It is a little bit of a challenge, and it’s a policy question sitting at very high levels: Congress, the White House and upper levels of DoD policymakers,” he clarified. The United States does have “a couple” of other programs that can help advance dual-use technologies, including the DoD’s own Office of Strategic Capital.
The DIANA effort, announced at NATO’s Madrid Summit in June 2023, represents a strategic shift in how the alliance is approaching emerging and disruptive technologies, Singleton concluded. And he expects more progress to be announced at the coming NATO Summit in The Hague in 2025.
“We really want to strengthen that ecosystem across the alliance,” Singleton said. “It is incredibly important.”
TechNet Transatlantic is organized by AFCEA International in conjunction with the AFCEA Europe office. SIGNAL Media is the official media of AFCEA International.