Russian Hackers 'Accessed President Obama's Unclassified Emails'

Russian hackers who gained access to the White House computer system last year were able to read President Obama's unclassified emails, the New York Times has reported.

It said the breach was far more intrusive than previously admitted.

Officials have conceded that sensitive information was in the unclassified system the hackers accessed.

The discovery of the hacking in October led to a partial shutdown of the White House email system.

Highly secure

"The hackers, who also got deeply into the State Department's unclassified system, do not appear to have penetrated closely guarded servers that control the message traffic from Mr Obama's BlackBerry, which he or an aide carries constantly," the New York Times said.

The hackers are not believed to have penetrated closely guarded servers that control the message traffic from Mr Obama's BlackBerry

"But they obtained access to the email archives of people inside the White House, and perhaps some outside, with whom Mr Obama regularly communicated. From those accounts, they reached emails that the president had sent and received."

The paper quoted White House officials as saying that no classified networks were compromised, and that the hackers accessed no classified information.

Many senior officials have two computers in their offices, one which works on a highly secure classified network and another for unclassified communications, the paper said.

But it said that officials have conceded that the unclassified system often contains information that is considered highly sensitive, including schedules, email exchanges with ambassadors and diplomats, debate about policy and forthcoming personnel deployments and legislation.

Source:
BBC

President Obama Outlines New Cybersecurity Initiatives To Protect Consumers

Pres. Barack Obama

Barack Obama on Monday unveiled a slew of initiatives to improve Americans’ data security.

In a speech at the Federal Trade Commission, the president outlined proposals aimed at improving student data protection and protecting Americans’ financial health. They will, however, require approval from the Republican-majority Congress, which has already received three veto threats from the White House in less than a week in session.

United States Policy - Number One Driver of Terrorism In The Mideast, Around The World’ - Eric Draitser

US President - Barack Obama

If the US was serious about re-evaluating not only how it fights terrorism but how terrorism is spread, it would begin by looking in the mirror as its counter-terrorism strategy that foments terrorism abroad, geopolitical analyst Eric Draitser told RT.

U.S Secret Service Director - Julia Pierson Resigns Aftermath of High Profile Security Lapses

The head of the US Secret Service, tasked with guarding US President Barack Obama, has resigned following several high-profile security lapses.

Obama, Jonathan, Others Meet On Security, Power

Security as well as regular power supply under “Power Africa” will top the agenda of the meetings that United States president Mr Barrack Obama will hold with President Goodluck Jonathan and other African leaders in Washington, DC, from today to Wednesday.

The White House will push initiatives like “Power Africa”, a privately funded plan to bring electricity to 20 million households across sub-Saharan Africa.
Six African countries have been selected for the project and Nigeria is first on the list. Companies have pledged $9 billion, and the White House is likely to announce more support at the summit meeting.

The four-day meeting which is tagged
“Investing in the Next Generation” will
include a civil society forum with
discussions on investments in health,
women, food security and power. There would be a high-octane conference to stimulate trade and investments.

According to Professor Adebowale
Adefuye, Nigeria’s ambassador to the
United States, President Jonathan and his counterparts will be brought in contact with American companies’ chief executives to discuss investment opportunities in Africa and conclude deals.

Adefuye added that other activities on
economy development were the
discussions on the issue of re-
authorization of AGOA, stressing that it was an American government system of preferential access to goods produced in Africa as a way of stimulating trade in the continent.

President Jonathan, who arrived in
Washington yesterday with his delegation,.is expected to meet congressional and business leaders as well as the media. He will address members of the Nigerian community and will be hosted to a reception by the two leading American business conglomerates, the US Chambers of Commerce and the Cooperate Council for Africa, after the meeting of African leaders with Obama.

The strategic importance of Nigeria
makes President Jonathan’s personal
attendance important. Nigeria is the
largest economy in Africa, America’s
largest trading partner and the country described by Vice President Joe Biden as America’s anchor in Africa. America is actively assisting Nigeria in coping with its current security challenges.

According to Ambassador Adefuye, the Embassy of Nigeria has been able to effectively counter negative perception about Nigeria on government’s reactions and activities to contain Boko Haram and end the kidnap of Chibok girls.
He noted that the key stakeholders in
business, politics, and think-tanks were now convinced that the government did all that it could to deal with Boko Haram and get the girls freed, adding that a series of well-coordinated actions to deal
with the menace of Boko Haram in
perpetuity was on.

According to the US national security
adviser, Ms Susan Rice, the meeting is intended to build a deeper relationship with Africa based on mutual interests and mutual respect. In each of the sessions, there will be some very straight talks, and give and take. Invitations were sent to 50 heads of state.

Also, American officials emphasized that it is not a meeting with the AU even though the chairperson of the AU is invited. This is the justification of the exclusion of some African countries with which America does not enjoy good relations for a variety of reasons.

Leadership Newspaper

United States 'To work With Germany' To Resolve Spy Row

A White House spokesman said he could not comment directly but efforts were being made to solve the problem.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced her concerns about the alleged US spy in German intelligence, while on a visit to China.

"It would be a clear contradiction of what I consider to be trusting co-operation" with the US, she said.

She said that if the allegations about a double agent were true, it would constitute a serious breach of trust.

"If the reports are correct, it would be a serious case," Ms Merkel said on Monday while at a news conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

It is the second day of her three-day visit, which is dominated by trade issues.

The latest twist in the ongoing spying row between the two countries happened last week when a German employee of the country's foreign intelligence service (BND) was arrested.

The man is suspected of having handed over more than 200 documents over a two-year period in exchange for 25,000 euros (£20,000; $34,000).

Questioned by reporters on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest praised the "valuable" relationship the US had with Germany and said: "We are going to work with the Germans to resolve this situation appropriately,"

Analysis - Stephen Evans, BBC News, Berlin

Spying is particularly sensitive in Germany, whether it's listening in to Chancellor Merkel's phone or reading secret documents meant for a parliamentary committee. Mrs Merkel grew up in East Germany where the intrusions of the secret police - the Stasi - were pervasive and poisonous. And democracy has something of a sacred quality in Germany today because of the Nazi and then the Communist years.

"Outrage" runs across the political spectrum - it's not just a "chattering class" issue. Wolfgang Bosbach, for example, who is the Christian Democrat [centre-right] head of the Bundestag committee which oversees interior affairs, questioned whether the US and Germany could be considered as "partners" any more.

The first allegation of spying came just after President Obama's visit to Berlin where he was greeted as a long-lost friend. And this latest one concerns material for the very parliamentary committee set up to investigate the previous allegation. Spies spy, and no doubt spies spy on friends, but there are political consequences when they are caught at it, even if it's just in terms of a loss of goodwill.

German-US relations have been strained since it emerged that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been monitoring Ms Merkel's mobile phone calls.

The scale of NSA surveillance was revealed by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor who remains a fugitive in Russia.

Courtesy

BBC

Dick Cheney Predicts Attack This Decade ‘Far Deadlier’ Than 9/11

Former vice president Dick Cheney predicted Tuesday that the U.S. will face a catastrophic attack before the end of the decade that will be worse than the Sept. 11, 2001 bombings.

"I think there will be another attack," Cheney said on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. "And next time, I think it’s likely to be far deadlier than the last one. You can just imagine what would happen if somebody could smuggle a nuclear device, put it in a shipping container, and drive it down the Beltway outside of Washington, D.C."

Cheney, a hawkish Republican, has been an outspoken critic of President Obama's national security and foreign policy. He recently started a new group with his daughter Liz Cheney that aims to educate the public about their positions.

The Washington Post

President Obama sends CIA to UK to probe terrorist 'breeding ground' and growing 'lone wolf' terrorism

President Obama has sent  a special unit of CIA officers to the UK to investigate British Muslim extremists amid growing fears in Washington that we are becoming a ‘breeding ground’ for terrorism.

In a pointed snub to MI5, the agents arrived on a ‘lone wolf’ mission to interrogate senior security experts about the radicalisation of UK Muslims.

The mission has been revealed as UK security services have been forced to admit they are struggling to keep track of the estimated 500 Britons who have travelled to the Middle East to fight alongside the Islamic  Isis forces in Syria and Iraq.

It is unusual for the CIA to send a team to the UK: the agency usually relies on information passed to it by  MI5 or MI6 or by its agents stationed at the American Embassy in London.

Sources have told The Mail on Sunday that the agents were keen to establish the ‘stability’ of the relationship between the Sunni and Shia branches of Muslims in the UK. The fighters going out to join Isis have been British-based Sunnis, causing deepening tensions within the community.

Professor Anthony Glees, of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham University, said the mission, which took place earlier this year, showed the level of concern in Washington over the issue, which he claimed was rooted in the UK’s ‘lax’ immigration policies.

‘The US is worried about the British situation. They fear there might be a knock-on effect for them,’ Prof Glees said.

‘The throat-cutting between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq and Syria has not yet spread to the UK, but it is a real threat. It is conceivable you could see Shia “hit squads” in Britain targeting Sunnis preparing to go out to the conflict zones to fight.’

He said: ‘The Americans regard the UK as a disaster because of our lax stance on immigration which has allowed this militancy to take hold.

‘Frankly, they would not be doing their jobs properly if it did not do this – forming an objective view of the situation outside of the reports they get from MI5 and their officers at the US Embassy in London.’

Last night a source at the CIA insisted British intelligence had been informed of ‘all outside contacts’ the agents made in  the UK.

However, the sources also admitted that the move revealed a growing lack of trust in Washington over MI5 and MI6’s ability to provide a reliable assessment of the security threat presented by young Muslims under the sway of imams who are radicalised and then recruited to fight in religious wars around the globe.

The Obama administration has become increasingly anxious that young American Muslims could follow the same pattern. There are strong links between British and American radicals and the sources say the CIA feels British efforts to identify and unmask them have been inadequate.

A CIA and a Home Office spokesman declined to comment.

Courtesy:
Daily Mail

Syria crisis: Obama asks Congress for $500m for rebels

President Barack Obama has asked the US Congress to approve $500m to train and equip what he described as "moderate" Syrian opposition forces.

The funds would help Syrians defend against forces aligned with President Bashar al-Assad, the White House said.

The aid would also counter Islamist militants such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), it added.

Isis's advance in neighbouring Iraq has led some in Congress to press Mr Obama to take action.

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced in three years of civil war in Syria, as rebels fight troops loyal to Mr Assad.

'Increase our support'

"This funding request would build on the administration's longstanding efforts to empower the moderate Syrian opposition, both civilian and armed," the White House said.

It will also "enable the Department of Defense to increase our support to vetted elements of the armed opposition".

The money will help stabilise areas under opposition control and counter terrorist threats, the White House said.

The rebels that would receive the funds would be vetted beforehand in order to alleviate concerns of equipment falling into the hands of militants hostile to the US and its allies, the White House said.

Mr Obama has been under strong pressure from some members of Congress to increase assistance in the area, although it is unclear whether and when Congress would act on his request.

Last month Mr Obama hinted at increased help for the Syrian opposition in a speech at the military academy at West Point.

He said he would work with Congress to "ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and a brutal dictator".

BBC

United States Captures Ahmed Abu Khattala, Suspected 'Ring Leader' In 2012 Benghazi Attack On US Consulate

The suspected ringleader of the September 2012 raid on a US diplomatic post in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which left four Americans dead, has been captured, the Pentagon says.

Ahmed Abu Khattala was taken into custody in a secret US military raid in Libya on 15 June.

He is now being held in a secure location outside the country, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed.

US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed in the attack.

"There were no civilian casualties related to this operation, and all US personnel involved in the operation have safely departed Libya," Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm John Kirby wrote in a statement.

He refused to give further details about the US raid, only to say it happened "near Benghazi" and on Sunday afternoon US east coast time.

Ahmed Abu Khattala
•Native of Benghazi in eastern Libya
•Construction worker by trade
•Spent several years in Col Muammar Gaddafi's notorious Abu Salim prison in Tripoli
•Formed his own small militia during the anti-Gaddafi uprising
•Denies any links to al-Qaeda but has expressed admiration for it
•Also denies any role in the attack on the US embassy in 2012, but eyewitnesses report him being there
•US state department says he is a senior leader in Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia

After the announcement, President Barack Obama praised the courage and professionalism of the military, law enforcement and intelligence personnel who tracked and captured Mr Abu Khattala, whom the US describes as a "key figure" in the attack.

"When Americans are attacked, no matter how long it takes we will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice," he said.

President Obama: "When Americans are attacked, no matter how long it takes, we will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice''
The FBI Director, James Comey, said his organisation would not stop searching until the other suspects were found.

"We never ever give up and we will work and work until justice is done. And I think this is a down payment on that statement."

Mr Abu Khattala has been charged in a federal court in Washington DC with killing a person in the course of an attack on a federal facility, providing material support to terrorists, and a firearms count, court records show.

He is currently being held on a US ship, Reuters reports. Some Republicans, including Senators Lindsay Graham and John McCain, have argued he should be sent to the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay. But US officials rejected that move.

"We have not added a single person to the GTMO population since President Obama took office, and we have had substantial success delivering swift justice to terrorists through our federal court system," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.

Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time and been criticised by Republicans over the embassy's security arrangements, said questioning Khatalla could shed some light on what happened and why.

On 11 September 2012, gunmen stormed the US consulate in Benghazi and set it on fire.

In addition to Mr Stevens, information technology specialist Sean Smith and security workers and ex-Navy Seals Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed.

The White House initially said the attack stemmed from anti-American protests over a crude video produced in the US that was deemed insulting to Islam.

Analysis
Rana Jawad, BBC News, Libya

This is the second raid of its kind to be carried out by American special forces on Libyan territory.

Ahmed Abu Khattala is an Islamist militia commander who heads the Benghazi-based Ansar Al Sharia group. A source close to the hard-line Islamist group told the BBC they knew he was captured two days ago but were not aware the Americans were going to take him.

He claims Abu Khattala's capture was carried out by forces led by the renegade Gen Khalifa Hefter in Benghazi. This could not be independently confirmed.

Gen Hefter has been leading a paramilitary operation in Benghazi against Islamist militias for a month. On 15 June his spokesman claimed they had captured three senior Islamist figures in the city. In October, an American-led operation captured the alleged al-Qaeda operative Abu Anas al-Libi from his home in Tripoli. He is now on trial in New York.

Government investigators soon determined it was an organised attack planned by local militias.

In subsequent years, the incident has become a political lightning rod, with Republicans accusing Mr Obama's administration of covering up the involvement of militant groups in the days after the attack in order to assist Mr Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.

In May, the Republican-led House of Representatives voted to establish what is believed to be the eighth inquiry on Benghazi.

Previous independent, cross-party and Republican-led inquiries have blamed the state department for inadequate security at the embassy.

The BBC

Obama Calls on Congress To Support New $5 Billion Fund To Fight Terrorism Globally

President Barack Obama Wednesday called on Congress to approve a $5 billion fund to fight terrorism around the world.
Speaking at the U.S. Military Academy's commencement, Obama said the $5 billion Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund would respond to terrorist threats internationally. The fund would also cover the expansion of Defense Department efforts, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and Special Operations activities, according to a White House statement.

Obama said the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan has given the U.S. the ability to refocus its resources and to work with allies to address new, evolving terrorist threats.
"For the foreseeable future, the most direct threat to America and home and abroad remains terrorism," Obama said, adding that today's principle threat no longer comes from a central al-Qaeda hub, but is decentralized and has expanded to include affiliates that operate in countries across the world.
Obama said the fund would be used to train and build capacity with countries dealing with terrorism. He said the U.S. would support training efforts and peacekeeping forces in such nations as Yemen, Somalia, Libya and Mali.
The class of 2014 is the first class "to graduate since 9/11 who may not be sent into combat in Iraq or Afghanistan," Obama said.

Source:
International Business Times

President Barack Obama Makes Surprise Afghan Visit

President Barack Obama has told US troops in Afghanistan that America's longest war will come to "a responsible end" at the end of 2014.

Mr Obama was cheered by soldiers during the unannounced visit to Bagram Airfield outside Kabul.

It comes on the eve of Memorial Day, when Americans commemorate troops who have died in service.

Foreign combat troops are due to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.

The US is seeking to keep a small number of troops there to train Afghan security forces. But that plan depends on the next Afghan president - due to be elected next month - signing a bilateral security agreement that incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to authorise.

President Obama had invited his Afghan counterpart to the base but Mr Karzai refused, saying he would only meet Mr Obama at his palace in Kabul, officials said.

Instead, Mr Obama called the Afghan leader from Air Force One on his way back to the US, officials said, saying he would be in touch before announcing any decision on the planned US troop presence after 2014.

Mr Obama praised US troops for reversing the momentum of the Taliban
"By the end of this year... Afghans will take full responsibility for their security and our combat mission will be over. America's war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end."

Mr Obama said the US would remain committed to Afghanistan provided the incoming president signed the security agreement.

Both of the candidates who will face each other in the second round of the Afghan election next month are committed to signing the security deal with the US that would allow a small force of some 10-15,000 US troops to remain next year.

Afghanistan was at a pivotal moment, he said, with US forces having decimated al-Qaeda, reversing the momentum of the Taliban, and leaving a legacy of better health and education and strong Afghan forces.

"After all the sacrifices we've made we want to preserve the gains that you have helped to win and we're going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again, ever, be used again to launch an attack against our country," he said.

Source:
BBC