In brief
FBI says warrant errors minor
The FBI said yesterday that errors in more than two dozen applications for surveillance warrants were not as severe as the Justice Department inspector general made them out to be. The Justice Department watchdog has issued a series of critical reports on the topic over the past year, identifying errors and omissions in applications the FBI submitted to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in the Russia investigation. A December report from the watchdog office claimed there were significant errors and omissions during applications submitted to eavesdrop on former Trump campaign associate Carter Page.
Indian Navy steps up patrols
The Indian Navy will step up patrols to counter increased Chinese Navy presence in the strategically important Indian Ocean. Tensions between the two nuclear superpowers remains high after China annexed at least 60sq km of Indian territory in Ladakh in May. The Indian navy will base additional military personnel and assets, including warships and surveillance aircraft, on the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal. A strong military presence on the islands is seen as a key bulwark against Beijing, which imports 80 per cent of its oil through the Strait of Malacca.
EU imposes cyber sanctions
The European Union yesterday slapped sanctions on six people and three organisations, including Russia’s military intelligence agency, accusing them of responsibility for several cyber-attacks that threatened EU interests. EU headquarters said in a statement that those targeted include people considered to be involved in the 2017 “WannaCry” ransomware attack, the “NotPetya” strike that notably caused havoc in Ukraine, and the “Operation Cloud Hopper” hacking campaign. The sanctions are the first that the EU has ever imposed for cyber-attacks.
Brazil first lady infected
Brazil’s first lady and a fifth member of President Jair Bolsonaro’s Cabinet have tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said yesterday. Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes announced that he tested positive after experiencing flulike symptoms and headache. The 57-year-old is now in isolation. The presidency’s press office said in a statement later that Michelle Bolsonaro, 38, also tested positive. The statement said she appeared to be in good health, but would follow established protocols.
‘Pro-Biden’ article probed
The head of a US-funded global media has ordered an investigation into the posting of a video package featuring former Vice President Joe Biden on a Voice of America website and affiliated social media accounts. Agency for Global Media chief Michael Pack said his staff is looking into the segment that it called “pro-Biden” and weighing disciplinary action against those responsible. Pack has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for initiating a major shake-up of the agency that oversees VOA and its sister networks. Many Democrats fear he wants to turn the outlets into Trump propaganda machines.
Yemeni rebels free 6 prisoners
Yemen’s Houthi rebels freed six prominent members of the Baha’i religious minority whose years-long incarceration on charges of espionage and heresy had drawn worldwide condemnation, their lawyer said. The release of the six came four months after the Shiite Houthis, who control most of northern Yemen and the capital, Sanaa, announced they had commuted the death sentence of Bahai leader Hamed bin Haydara and ordered his release, as well as that of the other five detainees.
Effort to silence Cohen dropped
The US government dropped its effort to silence President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer yesterday, saying it will no longer demand that Michael Cohen not speak with the media in the weeks before his book critical of his former boss is released. An agreement between lawyers for the government and Cohen attorney Danya Perry lifting the media ban that had prevented Cohen from speaking publicly awaited a signature by a federal judge. Cohen is completing the last two years of a three-year prison sentence at home after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress. He was released from prison in May amid coronavirus fears in US prisons, only to be returned earlier this month after making it known that he planned to publish a book critical of the president.