WORLD
US lawmakers begin probe into Bitcoin miners' high energy use
The US Senators have sent letters to six companies that mine Bitcoin in the US, asking them about how much electricity they use, where it comes from, and how they plan to grow. "Given the extraordinarily high energy usage and carbon emissions associated with Bitcoin mining, mining operations raise concerns about their impacts on the global environment, local ecosystems, and consumer electricity costs," according to the letters.
Mandatory Olympics iOS, Android app spying on athletes for China: Report
According to AppleInsider, researcher Jonathan Scott had posted his findings after reverse-engineering the mandatory MY2022 Olympics app. As it turns out, the app is capable of spying on Olympians and attendees and sending the audio to Chinese servers to be analysed, the report said. MY2022 is a non-optional app that must be used by both athletes and attendees of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
'Gujarati family's death in Canada puts human trafficking in focus'
"Our Missions in Canada and US have been following this tragic case of death of four people whose bodies were recovered near the Canada-US border in Manitoba," the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. On longer term issues that this tragedy has brought into focus is the need to ensure that migration and mobility are made safe and legal and that such tragedies do not recur in future.
Iran warns against re-emergence of IS militants in Syria
Referring to the recent attack by the IS militants on the Kurdish-run Ghwayran jail in Hasakah, Zahra Ershadi described the event as a wake-up call that once again showed "the foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists" remain a significant threat to regional security and stability, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the state TV's reports on Friday. Ershadi made the remarks at a UN Security Council session in New York on Thursday, said the report.
Putin, Macron discuss security guarantees over phone
Putin told Macron that Russia will carefully study the written responses from the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to Moscow's draft agreements on security guarantees, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by Kremlin. Putin stressed that the US and NATO responses did not take into account such fundamental concerns of Russia as stopping NATO's expansion and refraining from deploying offensive weapons near Russian borders, among others.
Iran nuke talks paused, 'political decisions' needed: EU
The European External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement that the 8th round of negotiations in Vienna will "take a break," giving participants time to go back to their capitals for consultations with their respective governments, Xinhua news agency reported. "The talks will reconvene next week," it said.
President Biden, Zelensky discuss Ukraine tensions over phone
In a statement following the call on Thursday, the White House said that Biden also "underscored the commitment of the US to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity". "President Biden noted the US has provided Ukraine with over half a billion dollars in development and humanitarian assistance in the last year, and is exploring additional macro-economic support to help Ukraine's economy amidst pressure resulting from Russia's military build-up," it said.
Gujarati family that froze to death on Canada-US border identified
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which discovered the bodies on the Canadian side of the border, identified the four as Jagdishkumar Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37, daughter Vihangi Patel, 11 and son Dharmik Patel, 3. The family belonged to Dingucha village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district. Jagdish Patel reportedly paid Rs 70 lakhs to human smugglers to help him cross into the US from Canada.
N.Korean envoy says recent weapons tests don't pose threat to neighbours
"The recent test fire of the new-type weapons was part of activities for carrying out the medium- and long-term plan for the development of defence science, and it does not pose any threat or damage to the security of the neighbouring countries and the region," Han was quoted by the Ministry as saying. The Ambassador then called on the US to withdraw its "hostile policy" and "double standards" toward the North.
10 Pakistani soldiers killed in militant attack on checkpost
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the "fire raid" by militants occurred on the night of January 25-26, Dawn news reported. During the intense exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed and several injured. While repulsing terrorists' fire raid, 10 soldiers were killed, said the ISPR statement. It added that three terrorists were apprehended in the follow-up clearance operation, which it said was still in progress to hunt down the perpetrators of the incident.
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