Israeli spyware was used against US diplomats in Uganda

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Bz-jY4XMw2NELjgtcI2YxI5xrqA=/0x0:6271x3283/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23063156/1236496832.jpg" /></div> <p>The advanced spyware Pegasus, created by Israeli firm NSO Group and used by governments like Saudi Arabia to gather intelligence on those it deems terrorists or criminals, has reportedly been detected on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/03/israel-nso-pegasus-hack-us-diplomats/">at least 11 iPhones</a> used by US officials in Uganda or conducting business related to the country, as well as locals working for the embassy.</p> <p>That news — <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-us-state-department-phones-hacked-with-israeli-company-spyware-sources-2021-12-03/">first reported Friday by Reuters</a> — will likely exacerbate NSO Group’s fraught relationship with the US government; while the company claims that Pegasus can’t be used on phones with US numbers, the recent hack shows there are loopholes which allow foreign governments to spy on US citizens and government employees. It’s the first known incident of the technology being used against American officials, although it’s not yet known which of NSO Group’s clients hacked the devices.</p> <p>NSO Group has long claimed that its clients — which run the gamut from from monarchies like the UAE to democratic nations like Germany and Mexico — are closely vetted, but there is a long record of its technology being misused for nefarious purposes, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/world/middleeast/saudi-khashoggi-spyware-israel.html">like spying on dissidents</a> or estranged spouses, as the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/nso-ended-pegasus-contract-with-uae-over-dubai-leaders-hacking-2021-10-06/">ruler of Dubai</a> is alleged to have done.</p> <p>NSO Group scandals also pose a diplomatic problem; though NSO is a private company, it’s closely linked to the Israeli government, and Israel’s defense ministry has to sign off on the export license for the technology, ostensibly ensuring that it’s used only for the purposes “of preventing and investigating crime and counterterrorism,” according to an Israeli defense spokesperson who spoke to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/nso-spyware-pegasus-cellphones/">Washington Post</a> in July.</p> <p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/07/18/takeaways-nso-pegasus-project/">Extensive reporting</a> from 17 outlets and more than 80 journalists proves, however, that that hasn’t always been the case: Among other incidents, Pegasus was allegedly used to surveil Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi before his murder in October 2018.</p> <p>More recently, the US has started to take action against the company. In November, NSO Group was placed on the Commerce Department’s “<a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2021/11/commerce-adds-nso-group-and-other-foreign-companies-entity-list">entity list</a>,” which severely restricts the export of American technologies that could be used by NSO Group to support Pegasus and similar projects.</p> <p>Now, given the recent reporting on Pegasus’s use against State Department employees, harsher crackdowns on NSO and similar technology could be on the horizon. On Thursday, the Biden administration announced plans for a US-led initiative on the use of surveillance technology — like Pegasus — by authoritarian regimes. The aim, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-us-china-export-surveillance-human-rights-11638471880">according to the Wall Street Journal</a>, is to create a framework around the export and licensing controls of such technology, as well as create an information-sharing network to detect and report on its misuse.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/03/israel-nso-pegasus-hack-us-diplomats/">Washington Post</a>, 11 people connected to the US embassy in the Ugandan capital Kampala — including some US citizens working as foreign service officers — were notified by Apple that their devices had been hacked.</p> <p>While NSO has previously said Pegasus can’t be used against US-based devices, Americans working overseas can — and often do — <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/07/19/us-phone-numbers-nso/">acquire local phone numbers</a>, which may be vulnerable to Pegasus attacks.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/us/politics/phone-hack-nso-group-israel-uganda.html">New York Times</a>, the targets were easily identifiable as State Department employees — they had used their professional email addresses to create their Apple IDs. While it’s not clear who perpetrated the attack, and there is no indication it was NSO Group or the state of Israel, using the Pegasus exploit, hackers could look at and copy files from targets’ devices, as well as track their movements and record conversations.</p> <p>NSO Group maintains that governments that purchase Pegasus are carefully vetted and are not to use the product besides for specific purposes; however, the company has repeatedly sold Pegasus to <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2018/09/hide-and-seek-tracking-nso-groups-pegasus-spyware-to-operations-in-45-countries/">countries known to use surveillance technology to track dissidents</a>, lawyers, journalists, and other members of civil society.</p> <p>Extensive reporting in July showed that security services and law enforcement agencies in places like Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Azerbaijan, and Morocco appeared to have purchased the technology, according to reporting by the <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/the-pegasus-project/where-nso-group-came-from-and-why-its-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg">Pegasus Project</a>, a consortium of 17 news outlets including the Washington Post, the Guardian, Die Zeit, and French outlet Forbidden Stories.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/nso-spyware-pegasus-cellphones/">Pegasus Project</a>, a list of 50,000 potential target phone numbers was hacked, apparently from servers in Cyprus, and leaked to Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, who shared it with journalists. They were able to identify 1,000 different potential targets from the phone numbers, including politicians like French President <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-in-call-with-bennett-macron-expresses-concern-over-alleged-targeting-using-pegasus-1.10026374">Emmanuel Macron</a>, a key US ally, as well as journalists, activists, and lawyers from around the world.</p> <p>Pegasus is so useful — or so dangerous, depending on one’s perspective — because it can <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22583617/apple-iphones-pegasus-nso-hacks">access a target’s phone</a> completely undetected. While the spyware can infect via a link sent through a messaging service like WhatsApp, it’s also possible for users to access targets’ phones through a so-called “zero-day” exploit — a bug that the device manufacturer hasn’t yet detected. The exploit can be active and present on a device for months before the manufacturer finds the flaw and fixes it.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-us-state-department-phones-hacked-with-israeli-company-spyware-sources-2021-12-03/">Reuters</a>, the devices infected in the attacks against State Department officials were initiated through a graphics processing vulnerability which had been open to exploitation since at least February of this year, and wasn’t been patched until September. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-warns-thai-activists-state-sponsored-attackers-may-have-targeted-iphones-2021-11-24/">Other victims</a> include Thai dissidents and a Ugandan opposition leader.</p> <p>Once a device has been infected, Pegasus can access even encrypted messaging systems like Signal, as well as cameras and microphones — enabling the hacker to record conversations and turning the device into a secret surveillance tool in itself, according to the <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/the-pegasus-project/about-the-project">Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project</a>. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/jul/18/what-is-pegasus-spyware-and-how-does-it-hack-phones">The Guardian’s</a> reporting at the time suggested that in addition to attacking via widely-used messaging apps, Pegasus could potentially have the capability to attack through the Photos and Music apps on Apple devices.</p> <p>In November, the company and another Israeli tech manufacturer, Candiru, were added to the US Commerce Department’s entity list, a move which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/business/nso-group-spyware-blacklist.html">prohibits NSO Group</a> from purchasing US technology.</p> <p><a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2021/11/commerce-adds-nso-group-and-other-foreign-companies-entity-list">According to the Commerce Department</a>, the decision to do so was made “based on evidence that these entities developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers,” as well as evidence that the companies’ spyware was being used by governments to suppress dissent on a global scale.</p> <p>The decision puts NSO Group in the company of firms like <a href="http://=https//www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/21/2019-17921/addition-of-certain-entities-to-the-entity-list-and-revision-of-entries-on-the-entity-list">Huawei</a>, the Chinese technology manufacturer which many Western governments have accused of <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/03/uk-stands-fast-wont-ban-huawei-5g-gear-despite-us-warnings/155823/">digital espionage</a>. It’s an undesirable position for a company so closely tied to the government of a US ally — one whose military and defense industries are deeply entwined with the US.</p> <p>Shortly after NSO Group was added to the entity list last month, <a href="https://www.axios.com/cyberfirm-nso-asks-israel-make-us-lift-sanctions-8f3a892e-3056-46d2-a83b-7f8ea6724512.html">according to Axios</a>, former NSO Group CEO and co-founder Shalev Hulio wrote to Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, asking Israel to lobby Washington on NSO’s behalf. Hulio reportedly claimed that the addition of NSO Group to the entity list was a coordinated campaign by anti-Israeli organizations to damage the reputation of Israeli businesses, and NSO Group said publicly it was “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-foreign-minister-distances-government-blacklisted-nso-group-2021-11-06/?taid=6186e120dc5dd30001055512&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter">dismayed</a>” by the decision and had terminated contracts with government agencies which misuse its products.</p> <p>Indeed, it’s an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/03/pegasus-nso-entity-list-spyware/">unusually forceful move</a> for the US to place such severe restrictions on businesses in a closely allied country; however, Friday’s reports of the hacks on the phones of US officials in Uganda said the spying had been going on for months, a fact which could have influenced the decision to punish NSO Group so severely.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2021/11/commerce-adds-nso-group-and-other-foreign-companies-entity-list">November statement</a> announcing NSO Group’s addition to the entity list, the Commerce Department specifically cited embassy workers as a potential target for Pegasus.</p> <p>“We have been acutely concerned that commercial spyware like NSO Group’s software poses a serious counterintelligence and security risk to US personnel, which is one of the reasons the Biden-Harris Administration has placed several companies involved in the development and proliferation of these tools on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List,” the National Security Council <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/03/israel-nso-pegasus-hack-us-diplomats/">said in a statement to the Washington Post on Friday</a>.</p> <p>In response to NSO Group’s inclusion on the entity list, Israel’s government has sharply limited the number of nations that NSO Group and other spyware vendors are allowed to sell to, from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/29/wild-west-cyberspace-just-got-little-less-wild/">102 to 37</a>.</p> <p>Some groups, however, say it’s not far enough. On Friday, 81 human rights organizations from around the world, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/12/03/eu-sanction-nso-group-over-abusive-spyware#">called on the European Union</a> to impose sanctions on the company for its repeated enabling of human rights abuses, including the recent targeting of Palestinian activists.</p> <p>“There is overwhelming evidence that Pegasus spyware has been repeatedly used by abusive governments to clamp down on peaceful human rights defenders, activists and perceived critics,” <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/12/03/eu-sanction-nso-group-over-abusive-spyware#">Deborah Brown, a senior digital researcher and advocate for Human Rights Watch, said</a>. “The EU should immediately sanction NSO Group and ban any use of its technologies.”</p> <p>This summer, after the Pegasus Project reporting came out, the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27379&LangID=E">UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner</a> also called for a moratorium on the sale of such surveillance technology until an international framework on the safeguarding of human rights and the use of surveillance tech like Pegasus is in place.</p> <p>Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/03/pegasus-nso-entity-list-spyware/">repeatedly and forcefully condemned</a> NSO Group, saying that the US should “[cut] them off from the American financial system and investors by issuing sanctions under the <a href="https://www.state.gov/global-magnitsky-act/">Global Magnitsky Act</a>,” which targets corruption and human rights abuses.</p> <p>International opprobrium isn’t NSO Group’s only problem, either: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-22/israeli-spyware-firm-nso-seen-at-risk-of-default-as-sales-drop">According to recent reports</a>, the firm is $500 million in debt, and risks defaulting. As <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-22/israeli-spyware-firm-nso-seen-at-risk-of-default-as-sales-drop">Bloomberg</a> reported in November, Moody’s dropped the company’s credit rating to Caa2 — eight grades below <a href="https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/investment-grade-bond-or-high-grade-bond">investment grade</a>, indicating that Moody’s believes NSO highly likely to default on its debts.</p> <p>The downgrade and low cashflow are due to lower revenue and the payment of dividends to shareholders, but the consistent bad press and placement on the entity list will likely only contribute to NSO Group’s problems.</p> <p>“Who will want to work with a company that’s been so publicly sanctioned by the U.S. government?” David Kaye, a former UN special rapporteur on the promotion of free speech and freedom of expression, told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/03/pegasus-nso-entity-list-spyware/">Washington Post in November.</a> “Who would invest in a company with this kind of black mark?”</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/4/22817236/nso-group-israeli-spyware-pegasus-hack-us-diplomats-uganda">https://www.vox.com/2021/12/4/22817236/nso-group-israeli-spyware-pegasus-hack-us-diplomats-uganda</a>

vox Israeli spyware was used against US diplomats in Uganda

The advanced spyware Pegasus, created by Israeli firm NSO Group and used by governments like Saudi Arabia to gather intelligence on those i...

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US, West Blast Taliban Over Reported 'Killings' Of Ex-Security Forces

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US, West Blast Taliban Over Reported 'Killings' Of Ex-Security Forces" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-09/pj2oh72_us-flag_625x300_18_September_19.jpg" title="US, West Blast Taliban Over Reported 'Killings' Of Ex-Security Forces" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Washington:</b> <p>The United States on Saturday led a group of Western nations and allies in condemnation of the Taliban over the "summary killings" of former members of the Afghan security forces reported by rights groups, demanding quick investigations.</p> <p>"We are deeply concerned by reports of summary killings and enforced disappearances of former members of the Afghan security forces as documented by Human Rights Watch and others," read a statement by the United States, the European Union, Australia, Britain, Japan and others, which was released by the State Department.</p> <p>"We underline that the alleged actions constitute serious human rights abuses and contradict the Taliban's announced amnesty," the group of nations said, as it called on Afghanistan's new rulers to ensure the amnesty is enforced and "upheld across the country and throughout their ranks."</p> <p>Early this week Human Rights Watch released a report that it says documents the summary execution or enforced disappearance of 47 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), other military personnel, police and intelligence agents "who had surrendered to or were apprehended by Taliban forces" from mid-August through October.</p> <p>"Reported cases must be investigated promptly and in a transparent manner, those responsible must be held accountable, and these steps must be clearly publicized as an immediate deterrent to further killings and disappearances," the countries -- which include Canada, New Zealand, Romania, Ukraine and several European nations -- said in their statement.</p> <p>The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August as the US-backed government in Kabul and the country's military collapsed.</p> <p>Washington held talks with Taliban officials earlier this week when it urged the hardline Islamist group to provide access to education for women and girls across the country.</p> <p>It also "expressed deep concern regarding allegations of human rights abuses," a US spokesman said.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-west-blast-taliban-over-reported-killings-of-ex-security-forces-2637662">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-west-blast-taliban-over-reported-killings-of-ex-security-forces-2637662</a>

news world US, West Blast Taliban Over Reported 'Killings' Of Ex-Security Forces

The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August Washington: The United States on Saturday led a group of Western nations and allies in ...

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Germany's Angela Merkel's Legacy Is Marked By Both Light And Shadows

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Germany's Angela Merkel's Legacy Is Marked By Both Light And Shadows" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/7kte585g_angela-merkel-berlinafp_625x300_04_December_21.jpg" title="Germany's Angela Merkel's Legacy Is Marked By Both Light And Shadows" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">At the zenith of her popularity, Merkel led the conservatives to a thumping win in 2013.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Berlin, Germany:</b> <p>Crises have a knack for felling leaders. Not Chancellor Angela Merkel.</p> <p>During 16 years in power, the veteran navigated Germany through the 2008 financial turmoil and ensuing eurozone debt crisis, the 2015 refugee influx, and then the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>While largely admired at home and abroad even in the final days of her reign, the legacy she leaves behind is marked both by light and shadows.</p> <p><strong>Party in crisis</strong></p> <p>Merkel scraped to a narrow win in 2005 against incumbent chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Social Democrats, putting her conservative CDU-CSU alliance on the path of power for over a decade.</p> <p>At the zenith of her popularity, Merkel led the conservatives to a thumping win with 41.5 percent of the vote in 2013.</p> <p>With her track record, she was able to end a crucial TV election debate that year with the simple closing words "you know me".</p> <p>But her exit from politics was marred by a succession crisis in her party, culminating in a humiliating loss at September's general elections that sent it into the opposition for the next four years.</p> <p><strong>Budget dogma</strong></p> <p>Once dismissed as the sick man of Europe, Germany cemented its reputation as the continent's economic engine on Merkel's watch.</p> <p>Unemployment is at record lows -- 5.3 percent in November even as the economy is struggling with the impact of the pandemic.</p> <p>Budget surpluses chalked up from 2012 also allowed the ageing nation to pay down a huge debt mountain, giving it a buffer against the impact of the health emergency.</p> <p>But Germany's fixation with balanced budgets has left a sour taste, particularly among southern Europeans battered by the financial and eurozone debt crises.</p> <p>Merkel appeared to ignore pleas for debt relief when Greece was on the brink of economic collapse, triggering huge demonstrations in the country.</p> <p>While credited with securing huge European bailouts that saved Greece from crashing out of the euro, it was achieved at a heavy social cost including massive job losses.</p> <p>But it was Covid-19 that forced her to make a drastic U-turn on her resistance to mutualising European debt.</p> <p>Instead, Merkel spearheaded the 800-billion-euro ($950-billion) EU recovery fund, which sees the European Commission raising money by issuing bonds on behalf of all 27 members.</p> <p><strong>Climate chancellor?</strong></p> <p>Merkel made the startling decision to shut Germany's nuclear power plants in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, triggering the "Energiewende" -- the shift to sustainable energy.</p> <p>But the sudden policy shift forced greater reliance on coal energy in the transition period as the country battled to ramp up wind and biomass energy output.</p> <p>Merkel's government was accused of protecting Germany's vital automobile industry by watering down emissions regulation reforms, and its refusal to advance a 2038 deadline to quit coal energy also irked green activists.</p> <p>In a humiliating ruling against the government's flagship environmental protection plan, Germany's highest court in April ordered Merkel's coalition to draw up an improved plan.</p> <p>Her government subsequently brought forward targets to slash CO2 emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, from an earlier goal of 55 percent.</p> <p>"When I look at the situation, no one can say that we have done enough" for the environment, admitted Merkel in June.</p> <p>"Time is pressing. I can understand the impatience of young people."</p> <p>Business as usual?</p> <p>Merkel was lauded by human rights activists in 2015 for keeping Germany's borders open to hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war in Syria and Iraq.</p> <p>But on China's mass incarceration of Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang, Merkel was accused of lacking bite.</p> <p>Critics said she was hamstrung by huge economic interests in China.</p> <p>Likewise, while Merkel spoke out firmly against Russia over the poisoning and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, she stuck to her guns on completing a controversial gas pipeline called Nord Stream 2.</p> <p>Far right, Europe fault lines</p> <p>The arrival of more than a million asylum seekers in Germany further fractured the political landscape.</p> <p>Popular anger over the mass influx sent a far-right bloc, the anti-immigration AfD, to parliament in 2017 for the first time since World War II, making it the biggest opposition force.</p> <p>It also opened up a fault line with former Eastern bloc nations including Hungary and Poland, which have dug in their heels against the new arrivals.</p> <p>Six years on, the European Union has been unable to agree on unified migration policies.</p> <p><strong>Legacy for women</strong></p> <p>As Germany's first female chancellor, Merkel smashed the glass ceiling and became a role model for women politicians around the world.</p> <p>But it was only at the very end of her time in office that she declared herself a feminist, having long resisted the term -- too little, too late for some in Germany.</p> <p>Critics say her government failed to make structural changes to benefit women in German society, such as reforming Germany's tax system for married couples -- a long-standing feminist plea.</p> <p>The country's gender pay gap also remains among the highest in the European Union and stood at 19 percent in 2019.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/germany-angela-merkel-legacy-is-marked-by-both-light-and-shadows-2637660">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/germany-angela-merkel-legacy-is-marked-by-both-light-and-shadows-2637660</a>

news world Germany's Angela Merkel's Legacy Is Marked By Both Light And Shadows

At the zenith of her popularity, Merkel led the conservatives to a thumping win in 2013. Berlin, Germany: Crises have a knack for felli...

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Dinosaur Tail Found In Chile Could Point To Discovery Of New Species

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Dinosaur Tail Found In Chile Could Point To Discovery Of New Species" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/ihe6vs8g_dinosaur-species-chile-dinosaur-tail_625x300_05_December_21.jpeg" title="Dinosaur Tail Found In Chile Could Point To Discovery Of New Species" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Paleontologists have discovered 80 percent of the dinosaur's skeleton.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Santiago:</b> <p>Chilean paleontologists on Wednesday presented their findings on a dinosaur discovered three years ago in Patagonia which they said had a highly unusual tail that has stumped researchers.</p> <p>The remains of the Stegouros elengassen were discovered during excavations in 2018 at Cerro Guido, a site known to harbor numerous fossils, by a team who believed they were dealing with an already known species of dinosaur until they examined its tail.</p> <p>"That was the main surprise," said Alexander Vargas, one of the paleontologists. "This structure is absolutely amazing."</p> <p>"The tail was covered with seven pairs of osteoderms ... producing a weapon absolutely different from anything we know in any dinosaur," added the researcher during a presentation of the discovery at the University of Chile.</p> <p>The osteoderms -- structures of bony plaques located in the dermal layers of the skin - were aligned on either side of the tail, making it resemble a large fern.</p> <p>Paleontologists have discovered 80 percent of the dinosaur's skeleton and estimate that the animal lived in the area 71 to 74.9 million years ago. It was about two meters (almost seven feet) long, weighed 150 kilograms (330 pounds) and was a herbivore.</p> <p>According to the scientists, who published their research in the journal Nature, the animal could represent a hitherto unknown lineage of armored dinosaur never seen in the southern hemisphere but already identified in the northern part of the continent.</p> <p>"We don't know why (the tail) evolved. We do know that within armored dinosaur groups there seems to be a tendency to independently develop different osteoderm-based defense mechanisms," said Sergio Soto, another member of the team.</p> <p>The Cerro Guido area, in the Las Chinas valley 3,000 km (1,800 miles) south of Santiago, stretches for 15 kilometers. Various rock outcrops contain numerous fossils.</p> <p>The finds there allowed the scientists to surmise that present-day America and Antarctica were close to each other millions of years ago.</p> <p>"There is strong evidence that there is a biogeographic link with other parts of the planet, in this case Antarctica and Australia, because we have two armored dinosaurs there closely related" to the Stegouros, said Soto.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/dinosaur-tail-found-in-chile-could-point-to-discovery-of-new-species-2637638">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/dinosaur-tail-found-in-chile-could-point-to-discovery-of-new-species-2637638</a>

news world Dinosaur Tail Found In Chile Could Point To Discovery Of New Species

Paleontologists have discovered 80 percent of the dinosaur's skeleton. Santiago: Chilean paleontologists on Wednesday presented the...

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Donald Trump's Media Venture Says It Has $1 Billion Investment Pledge

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Donald Trump's Media Venture Says It Has $1 Billion Investment Pledge" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/1rmsll4_donald-trump-reuters_625x300_02_December_21.jpg" title="Donald Trump's Media Venture Says It Has $1 Billion Investment Pledge" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Saturday's statement did not say who is investing $1 billion into Trump's venture. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">New York:</b> <p>Donald Trump's fledgling social media venture and an investment vehicle it is partnering with said Saturday that institutional investors have pledged $1 billion in funds for the former president's startup.</p> <p>This sum would be in addition to $293 million that Digital World Acquisition Corp raised in an initial public offering in September, the companies said in a statement.</p> <p>Digital World is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), sometimes called a "blank check" company because it is set up with the sole purpose of merging with another entity.</p> <p>It is set to merge with Trump's startup, Trump Media and Technology Group. Linking up with a SPAC is a short-cut way to sell shares publicly.</p> <p>The two companies say they plan to launch the social media platform "TRUTH Social" nationally early next year.</p> <p>Trump says it will be an alternative to Silicon Valley internet companies that he says are biased against him and other conservative voices.</p> <p>The 75-year-old was thrown off Twitter -- his preferred communications conduit while president -- as well as Facebook and YouTube after the January 6 insurrection in which a mob of Trump supporters, riled up by his repeated false claims the November 2020 election was stolen from him, assaulted the US Capitol.</p> <p>Saturday's statement did not say who is investing $1 billion into Trump's venture.</p> <p>Months ago, shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp shot up after it said it was teaming up with Trump, going from $10 to as much as $175 in two days.</p> <p>It has since come back down to earth after that initial euphoria, closing Friday at $45, which gave it a market value of $1.67 billion.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trumps-social-media-venture-says-it-has-1-billion-investment-pledge-2637629">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trumps-social-media-venture-says-it-has-1-billion-investment-pledge-2637629</a>

news world Donald Trump's Media Venture Says It Has $1 Billion Investment Pledge

Saturday's statement did not say who is investing $1 billion into Trump's venture. (File) New York: Donald Trump's fledglin...

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CNN Fires Chris Cuomo For Defending Brother Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="CNN Fires Chris Cuomo For Defending Brother Accused Of Sexual Misconduct" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/pg1abkto_chris-cuomo-afp_625x300_01_December_21.jpg" title="CNN Fires Chris Cuomo For Defending Brother Accused Of Sexual Misconduct" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Documents surfaced showing that Cuomo offered advice to his politician brother. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Washington:</b> <p>CNN fired veteran anchor and correspondent Chris Cuomo, the cable news channel said Saturday, amid an investigation into his involvement with helping defend brother Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, against sexual misconduct allegations.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/cnn-suspends-anchor-chris-cuomo-over-help-he-gave-his-governor-brother-andrew-cuomo-2631404" target="_self">Chris Cuomo had been suspended</a> from CNN over the matter just days before his termination.</p> <p>"We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately," a statement posted to CNN's official communications Twitter account said.</p> <p>"While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light."</p> <p>The termination comes after documents surfaced showing that Cuomo, who anchored the 9:00 pm news slot, offered advice to his politician brother that was deemed too close for comfort by his employer.</p> <p>"The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions," a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday, adding they "point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew."</p> <p>CNN on Saturday found itself in the awkward position of reporting on the firing of one of its own anchors.</p> <p>"This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother," Cuomo, 51, said in a text message statement read out on the air by CNN media reporter Brian Stelter.</p> <p>"So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at 'Cuomo Prime Time,'" Cuomo added. "I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work."</p> <p>Cuomo has spoken candidly of his strong bond with his older sibling.</p> <p>"He's my brother. And if I can help my brother, I do. If he wants me to hear something, I will. If he wants me to weigh in on something, I'll try," he told investigators in July when asked about the counsel he had offered.</p> <p>"He's my brother, and I love him to death no matter what."</p> <p>Democrat Andrew Cuomo was elected governor three times before resigning in August after New York's attorney general said an investigation concluded he had sexually harassed at least 11 women.</p> <p>In October, the former governor -- whose father Mario Cuomo had also been governor of New York -- was charged with a misdemeanor sex crime for forcible touching.</p> <p>At the start of the pandemic, the Cuomo brothers soared to new heights of popularity: Andrew, 63, earned praise for his frank daily briefings as the coronavirus ravaged New York, and his live exchanges with Chris on CNN were peppered with banter.</p> <p>The investigation into Chris Cuomo's conduct remains ongoing, CNN said.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/cnn-fires-chris-cuomo-for-defending-brother-andrew-cuomo-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-2637614">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/cnn-fires-chris-cuomo-for-defending-brother-andrew-cuomo-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-2637614</a>

news world CNN Fires Chris Cuomo For Defending Brother Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

Documents surfaced showing that Cuomo offered advice to his politician brother. (File) Washington: CNN fired veteran anchor and corresp...

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