Russia fears 'Chernobyl 2.0'? Putin, Xi warn Trump, Netanyahu on Iran war plans
Russia has issued a stern warning to the United States, calling any potential U.S. military intervention in the ongoing Iran-Israel war 'an extremely dangerous step.' The Kremlin also urged Israel to immediately halt strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, particularly the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where Russian specialists are present. Moscow cautioned that an attack on Bushehr could trigger a 'Chernobyl-style catastrophe,' with severe global consequences. Watch for more
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Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
Asian share markets faced uncertainty amid worries of a possible US-Iran conflict. Oil prices are likely to increase due to the escalating Israel-Iran tensions. Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran. Donald Trump will decide on US involvement in the next two weeks. Brent crude oil fell but is set for a weekly gain. Japan's core inflation rose. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week."The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG."Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation."Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%.China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%.Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%.
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
No limits, no trust: China mounts secret cyberwar on Russia, says report
Experts believe that while China is far wealthier than Russia, it feels its armed forces lack battlefield experience. Now, Beijing is likely seeking intelligence on Russia's activities in Ukraine read more In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China and opening of China-Russia Years of Culture at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 16, 2024. (Photo via AFP) China-backed groups have intensified hacking attempts on Russian companies and government agencies since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the New York Times has reported, citing 'cyberanalysts'. This cyber warfare has persisted despite both leaders, Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, publicly hailing their 'no limits' ties. Just last year, TeamT5, a Taiwan-based cybersecurity research firm, established that one of China-backed groups was behind a cyberattack on a major Russian engineering firm in the hunt for information on nuclear submarines. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Experts believe that while China is far wealthier than Russia, it feels its armed forces lack battlefield experience. Now, it might be hoping to plug some holes using Russia's experience in the Ukraine war. 'China likely seeks to gather intelligence on Russia's activities, including on its military operation in Ukraine, defence developments and other geopolitical manoeuvres,' the Times quoted TeamT5's Che Chang as saying. 'Leaked' Russian document dubs China as an 'enemy' The Times cites a classified counterintelligence document from Russia's domestic security agency, known as the FSB, to throw light on how the Russia-China partnership is plagued with deep mistrust. The document refers to China as an ' enemy ' and says that Beijing was actively looking for defence expertise and technology and is trying to learn from Russia's military experience in Ukraine. Notably, Russia has never acknowledged these concerns in public. 'Rostec targeted' The Times report says that even Rostec, which is Russia's state-owned powerful defence conglomerate, was targeted by one of China's state-backed group to seek information on satellite communications, radar and electronic warfare. Citing Palo Alto Networks, the paper notes that some groups use malicious files, intended to exploit vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word, to penetrate Russian aviation industry targets. In 2023, Positive Technologies, a Russian cybersecurity company, reported that multiple Russian entities, including those in the aerospace, private security, and defence sectors, were targeted by cyberattacks. The attacks utilised Deed RAT, a tool commonly associated with Chinese state-sponsored hackers. According to cybersecurity experts, Deed RAT is a 'proprietary' malware, exclusive to these groups and not available for purchase on the dark web, unlike other malicious tools. Notably, the reports of China-backed cyberattacks on Russian companies had emerged before the Ukraine war too. For example, Beijing hackers carried out a cyberattack on Russian submarine designers in 2021. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
‘Dictator approved' sculpture smashing Statue of Liberty in DC baffles internet: ‘Trump should take a selfie with it'
In another turn of events, the artists behind last year's controversial 'poop statue" are back with another masterpiece. This time, it is called 'Dictator Approved', a mocking nod to US President Donald Trump. The statue stands tall in the same spot on the National Mall near Third Street NW. The 8-foot-tall sculpture of a gold-painted hand gives a thumbs-up while crushing the seafoam green crown of the Statue of Liberty. According to a permit from the National Park Service, the artists created Dictator Approved as a response to the military parade held on June 14. 'Will feature imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regime, i.e. N. Korea, Russia, and China, marching through DC, " the application penned by the sculpture's architects states. According to the parade, the purpose of this artistic masterpiece is to bring to notice the 'the praising these types of oppressive leaders have given Donald Trump.' An all four sides of the artwork's base, quotes from world leaders are inscribed. One is from Russian President Vladimir Putin that states, 'President Trump is a very bright and talented man.' Another from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban which states, 'The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump.' The third side features a quote from former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, 'We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Trump.' The fourth quote is from no other than North Korea's Kim Jong Un, ''Your Excellency.' A 'special' relationship. 'The extraordinary courage of President Trump.'' The permit lists Mary Harris as the applicant which allows the artwork to be in place until 5:00 PM of June 22, The Washington Post reported citing permit documents. Its placement was authorised from 7:00 AM of June 16. Social media users were in a frenzy on seeing the 'Dictator Approved' artwork and flooded the internet with hilarious reactions. A user stated, 'This is more beautiful than the statue of liberty itself.' Another user remarked, 'Trump is dictator-approved.' A third user stated, 'This is hilarious!' A fourth user quipped, 'Trump needs to do a selfie next to it.' A fifth user remarked, 'Art as protest—love it. A bold statement against authoritarianism right on the Mall.'
