How China's growing cyber-hacking capabilities have raised alarm around the world
China's government has consistently denied that they have sponsored such attacks.
- In October 2024, US authorities said that a China-linked cyber group called Salt Typhoon was targeting critical American infrastructure,
including major telecommunications operators.
The aim was to obtain private communications of US President Donald Trump and his then running mate JD Vance, as well as communications made by staffers of Ms Kamala Harris's presidential campaign in 2024.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
26 minutes ago
- CNA
US Treasury chief says Fed's performance must be examined
WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday (July 21) that the role and performance of the Federal Reserve should be scrutinised, as President Donald Trump intensified pressure on the independent central bank. Fed Chair Jerome Powell's term ends in May 2026, but Trump has recently targeted the Fed's US$2.5 billion renovation project as a potential justification for removing him. The fresh criticism follows months of attacks on Powell for keeping interest rates steady this year, despite Trump's push for aggressive cuts to offset the economic impact of his tariffs. Asked whether he supported firing Powell, Bessent told CNBC: 'I think that what we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve institution and whether they have been successful.' Bessent added he would speak later Monday on regulatory issues, another area in which the Fed plays a key role, one day before the opening of a Fed-hosted conference. He did not respond to a Wall Street Journal report claiming he had privately advised Trump against firing Powell, citing risks to financial markets, economic stability and the legal hurdles such a move would face. Bessent told CNBC there had been 'very little, if any, inflation' from Trump's sweeping tariffs and suggested Fed officials 'appear unable to break out of a certain mindset.' Since returning to office in January, Trump has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on goods from most trading partners and higher duties on imports of steel, aluminium and automobiles. While inflation has remained muted so far, partly because Trump delayed some of the harshest measures, economists say price data over the summer will offer clearer insight into the tariffs' full impact.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine conducts widespread searches, arrests of anti-corruption officials
Find out what's new on ST website and app. KYIV - Ukrainian security services arrested officials from the country's main anti-corruption agency on Monday and conducted dozens of searches, in a crackdown that the agency said went too far and had effectively shut down its entire mission. The SBU security body said it had arrested one official at the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine as a suspected Russian spy and another over suspected business ties to Russia. Other NABU officials had ties to a fugitive Ukrainian politician's banned party, the SBU said. But NABU, which has embarrassed senior government officials with corruption allegations, said the crackdown went beyond state security issues to cover unrelated allegations such as years-old traffic accidents. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said the searches showed that the authorities were exerting "massive pressure" on Ukraine's corruption fighters. NABU said at least 70 searches had been conducted by various Ukrainian law enforcement and security agencies in connection with 15 of its employees, and that these had taken place without the approval of a court. "In the vast majority of cases, the grounds for these actions are the involvement of individuals in road traffic accidents," the statement said, although it also added that some of the cases were about links to Russia. Although the risk of Russian infiltration "remained relevant," this could not be a justification to "halt the work of the entire institution", NABU said in a statement. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Asia At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes at college campus Singapore ST Explains: What does it mean for etomidate to be listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act? Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Singapore NTU to have compulsory cadaver dissection classes for medical students from 2026 World US authorities probing passenger jet's close call with B-52 bomber over North Dakota Singapore Jail for man who conspired with another to bribe MOH agency employee with $18k Paris trip Singapore New research institute will grow S'pore's talent in nuclear energy, safety 'PRESSURE' Anti-corruption campaigners have been alarmed since Vitaliy Shabunin, a top anti-corruption activist, was charged earlier this month with fraud and evading military service. Shabunin and his allies have cast those charges as politically motivated retribution from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office for exposing corrupt officials. On Monday, Shabunin condemned the searches of NABU personnel. Zelenskiy's office denies that prosecutions in Ukraine are politically motivated. The SBU said it had arrested a mole working for Russian intelligence inside NABU, who had passed information to his handler on at least 60 occasions. Separately, it had detained a senior NABU detective on suspicion of acting as an intermediary in his father's sales of industrial hemp to Russia. A third SBU statement said some senior NABU officials had ties to lawmaker Fedir Khrystenko, believed to have fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion in 2022. A separate law enforcement body, the State Bureau of Investigations, said it had served suspicion notices to three NABU employees for road accidents that had resulted in injuries. NABU said the road traffic accident cases were between two and four years old. Transparency International said conducting the searches without court orders "demonstrates the massive nature of the pressure by the SBU and (Prosecutor General's Office) on anti-corruption law enforcement agencies". It called on Zelenskiy to guarantee the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies. REUTERS

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Brazil to establish tax advisory office in China amid deepening ties
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after a signing ceremony and a joint press conference, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo BRASILIA - Brazil will establish a tax advisory office in China, the Brazilian Finance Ministry said, highlighting the strategic importance of the move as the two nations deepen their ties. The decision underscores Brazil's growing focus on its relationship with China, its largest trading partner, as tariffs introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump escalate global tensions. A draft was seen by Reuters of the presidential decree that will create the new post in Beijing, as well as preparatory documents that cite the "growing complexity" of bilateral trade and the need to enhance cooperation on tax and customs matters. The move coincides with mounting trade tensions between the U.S. and Brazil, after Trump linked fresh 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports to the prosecution of his ally and former President Jair Bolsonaro, leaving limited options for Latin America's largest economy to negotiate a deal. Tax advisory offices or attaches play a "strategic role" in international cooperation by exchanging information critical to combating tax and customs violations, the ministry said. They also provide technical guidance on Brazilian legislation to foreign investors and citizens abroad, helping to improve legal certainty and the business environment, it added. While Brazil's trade overtures to the U.S. have gone unanswered so far, relations with China have deepened. Since taking office in 2023, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has met with President Xi Jinping three times. The two countries have also agreed to explore transportation integration, including a proposed bi-oceanic rail corridor linking Brazil to the Chinese-built port of Chancay in Peru. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Asia At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes at college campus Singapore ST Explains: What does it mean for etomidate to be listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act? Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Singapore NTU to have compulsory cadaver dissection classes for medical students from 2026 World US authorities probing passenger jet's close call with B-52 bomber over North Dakota Singapore Jail for man who conspired with another to bribe MOH agency employee with $18k Paris trip Singapore New research institute will grow S'pore's talent in nuclear energy, safety Asked why Brazil is only now establishing a tax office in China - its top trading partner since 2009 - the ministry denied any link to the ongoing trade war. "There is no political motivation," said the ministry, noting that the initiative reflects the importance of bilateral trade and the need for deeper cooperation on tax and customs issues. Brazil currently has four tax and customs attachés abroad - in Washington and Buenos Aires, both set up in 2000, and in Asuncion and Montevideo, established in 2002. The United States remains Brazil's top source of foreign direct investment, while Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay are its Mercosur bloc co-founders. The Finance Ministry said discussions around the attaché in Beijing began in 2023 and have involved technical reviews by multiple ministries since January 6 this year. REUTERS