International
Microsoft details Iran’s cyber operations to influence the US elections.
The American technology company Microsoft detailed this Friday in a report its latest findings on the cyber operations of the Iranian Government to influence the presidential elections of next November in the United States.
In the report, called ´Iran advances in the 2024 elections with cybernetically facilitated influence operations´, the company indicates that it has seen that activity in Tehran in the last three electoral cycles in the United States and “in recent months.”
Iranian operations are distinguished from Russian ones “because they appear later in the electoral season and use cyberattacks more inclined to electoral conduct than to influence voters,” explains the company, which also details activities of Russia and China.
Specifically, Iran has “laid the foundations” to make campaigns of influence on hot issues of the elections and has activated them to generate controversy among voters, “especially in hinge states”, key because they can lean towards one party or another.
For example, he cites websites “that pretend to be news” and that are “actively” attracting groups of voters at the extremes of the American political spectrum “with polarizing messages about presidential candidates, LGTBI rights or the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The group behind that activity, called Storm-2035, is part of a broad campaign that has been operating since at least 2020 and has a dozen undercover news websites that target audiences that speak French, Spanish, Arabic and English with social and political content, the report says.
Those false media, among which he cites EvenPolitics and Nio Thinker, use artificial intelligence (AI) and plagiarize part of their content from the country’s publications.
Another group, the company suggests, “could be preparing for even more extreme activities” such as intimidation or incitement of violence against political figures to induce chaos, “undermine the authorities and sow doubt about the integrity of the elections.”
It also cites a third group linked to the Revolutionary Guard that carried out “phishing” or phishing in emails in a presidential campaign, and a fourth group that hacked the account of a county official in a hinge state.
In its corporate blog, Microsoft explains that its objective in publishing the reports is to “underline the importance of combating ‘deepfakes’ (manipulated audiovisual material) and promoting education and learning about possible foreign interference.”
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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