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The Justice Department charges seven Russian spies in another global hacking stunt, while Saudi Arabia and Turkey continue to clash over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist.
Another Russian hack
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Win McNamee/Getty Images- The US has indicted seven Russian military intelligence officers in connection with the hacking of data on 250 athletes and several anti-doping agencies in a series of global cyberattacks, the Justice Department announced on Thursday. [Al Jazeera]
- Officials said hackers conspired to steal data that exposes and delegitimizes these organizations because they had previously revealed Russia’s state-sponsored doping program that gifted the country’s athletes with dozens of Olympic medals. [USA Today / Bart Jansen]
- Other targets of the alleged conspiracy include an international chemical weapons watchdog based in the Netherlands and a Pennsylvania nuclear energy company. [Military Times / Gregory Katz and Raphael Satter]
- A joint statement between the leaders of the Netherlands and the UK said the cyberattack shows Russia’s “disregard for the global values and rules that keep us all safe.” [US News & World Report / Alexa Lardieri]
- What’s more, three of the Russian spies were also tied to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee that resulted in a 2016 US presidential election scandal. [CNN / Laura Jarrett and Caroline Kelly]
- US Defense Secretary James Mattis called for an immediate investigation into Moscow and its global hacking efforts, in remarks delivered after a NATO meeting in Brussels. [Independent / Mythili Sampathkumar]
A journalist’s missing trail in Turkey
- Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul is investigating the sudden disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is said to have gone missing after entering the building Tuesday to file some paperwork. [Arab News]
- The two countries involved have provided contradicting report’s on the journalist’s whereabouts: Turkey claims Khashoggi is detained in the building, while Saudis insist he left shortly after he came in. [Atlantic / Krishnadev Calamur]
- Khashoggi, an established critic of the Saudi government, was on self-imposed exile. He is also a contributor for the Washington Post and wrote in a article last year that he could potentially “face arrest” if he returned home. [Washington Post / Jamal Khashoggi]
- The disappearance has deepened the rift between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, as the two nations are already on opposite sides on several regional crises, including a boycott of Qatar. [AP / Jon Gambrell and Ayse Wieting]
Miscellaneous
- Set during the 2008 Democratic primaries, a new play about the Clintons is arriving on Broadway next season, with Tony Award winners John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf getting star billing. [Hollywood Reporter / David Rooney]
- A Nobel Prize-winning experimental physicist who passed away Wednesday had sold his medal three years prior for $765,000 to afford his mounting medical bills. [Vox / Sarah Kliff]
- Local police in a small Minnesota town have warned its residents to look out for “tipsy” birds flying into windows and looking confused — the younger birds can’t handle the toxins released from the fermentation of berries. [Fox News / Madeline Farber]
- Mariah Carey might have jumped to stardom in the ’90s with a rendition of the track “Without You,” but her latest single from a soon-to-be-released album is titled “With You.” So which one is it, Mariah? With, or without you? [Pitchfork / Madison Bloom]
Verbatim
“I didn’t realize I was to ask a simple question and then let the gentlemen go at each other.” [After being panned for his performance as a moderator at a Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek apologizes for acting “naive” and misunderstanding his role / Philadelphia Inquirer]
Watch this: How Jackson Pollock became so overrated
There’s an overlooked reason for Pollock’s fame. Even if you love him, you might not know the name of the man who made him famous. [YouTube / Phil Edwards]
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Author: Stavros Agorakis
