VOA NEWS - 210719

 

VOA NEWS

July 19, 2021

This is VOA News. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. The Washington Post and 16 other media organizations are reporting that military-grade spyware licensed to governments by the Israeli firm NSO group [an...] may have been used in the hacks of 37 [spar...] smartphones used by journalists, human rights activists, business executives and two women close to the murdered Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. The phones were on a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers and countries known to engage in surveillance of their citizens. The findings suggest that the NSO group has allowed spyware meant to be used on criminals and terror suspects, to be used to hack into the cell phone accounts of journalists, activists and politicians in nations, such as Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Hungary. A Paris-based journalism nonprofit group and Amnesty International shared the list with the media organizations who then did further research. NSO has called the findings exaggerated and baseless. It says it has no insight into how its clients use its spyware for intelligence activities. ----- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday the recent flooding in Europe is "terrifying" and promised swift financial assistance for one of the hardest-hit regions in her country. As the death toll reached 184 across Europe, including 157 in Germany, Merkel said "the [der...] German language could barely describe the devastation" that had taken place. As rescue workers continued their search for missing people, a district in Bavaria in southern Germany was hit by flash flooding that killed at least one person. In the worst-hit Ahrweiler district south of Cologne, about 110 people have been killed, with more bodies expected to be found there as flood waters recede, according to police. You can find more on this and all the stories we're covering at our website voanews.com. This is VOA News. ---- The death toll in the landslide that hit the Japanese resort town of [atan...] Atami on July 3rd has risen to 15. Hundreds of rescuers are continuing to search for 14 missing residents. Dozens of homes were swept away when a landslide descended on the resort town in several violent waves on July 3rd. It came after days of intense downpours in and around Atami, which lies about 90 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Japan was in its rainy season when the floods struck, with many parts of the country vulnerable to landslide(s). Homes are built on slopes where ground loosen and collapse suddenly after heavy downpours. Scientists say climate change is also intensifying the country's rainy seasons because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. Rescue and recovery efforts involving about 1,300 police officers, firefighters, soldiers and coast guard members are continuing. ---- Afghanistan said Sunday it has asked all of its diplomats in Pakistan to return to Kabul until Islamabad addresses all security risks to them and brings to justice those behind last week's abduction of the Afghan ambassador's daughter. The announcement came a day after the Afghan government said the daughter of the Afghan envoy who was briefly taken hostage for several hours and, quote, "severely tortured" by unknown assailants in the Pakistani capital on Friday afternoon before being set free. Islamabad said a high-level, thorough investigation was launched into what it called the "disturbing incident" immediately after the Afghan embassy reported to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry that the woman was "assaulted." A hospital medical [*refort] report confirmed that the victim was physically assaulted. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack which has dealt a fresh blow to the fragile relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. ---- Protesters against coronavirus measures and vaccines attacked a Cypriot television station and torched cars outside the building in Nicosia on Sunday evening. Police confirmed the incident at Sigma TV and said around 2,500 protesters went to the network after a larger protest outside the presidential palace. They were protesting what they called forced vaccinations against COVID-19. An AFP reporter saw thousands of people in the area near Sigma TV carrying posters protesting the "safepass" - a certificate showing proof of coronavirus vaccine - that became effective earlier this week in the Republic of Cyprus. Sigma is seen as having a hardline stance against anti-vaccination activists. It's been targeted and several previous protests against anti-COVID measures. Cyprus has recorded over 90,000 cases of coronavirus and 384 deaths. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton, VOA News.