US government websites hacked with pro-Islamic State rant

Government websites, many of them in Ohio, were hacked Sunday with a message that purports to be supportive of the Islamic State terrorist group.
A message posted on the website of Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said, "You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries."
The message, left by "Team System Dz," also ended, "I love the Islamic state."
The same message also infiltrated government websites in the town of Brookhaven, New York, according to news reports in that state, as well as the website for Howard County, Maryland. In the past, the group also claimed responsibility for similar hacks in the past in Richland County, Wisconsin, and in places such as Aberdeen, Scotland, and Sweden.
Several other government websites were hacked in Ohio, including that of first lady Karen Kasich, Medicaid, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Casino Control Commission.

'ALL AFFECTED SERVERS TAKEN OFFLINE'
Tom Hoyt, chief communications officer for Ohio's Department of Administrative Services, was among Ohio officials who confirmed the hack.
"All affected servers have been taken offline and we are investigating how these hackers were able to deface these websites," he said. "We also are working with law enforcement to better understand what happened."
He said the hacking in Ohio happened at about 11 am EDT. He hoped the websites would be up and running sometime Monday.
The websites in Brookhaven and Howard County also remained down on Sunday. When asked about the outage on the Brookhaven site, a spokeswoman who answered the phone at the New York town's police department simply offered a "no comment."
The hack is part of ongoing cyberterrorism that has impacted governments and corporations across the globe.
Some see these types of hacks - sometimes called "defacement" - as simply a nuisance, though in some instances, they have been disruptive to work and government life.
But others see cause for alarm. "Wake up freedom-loving Americans. Radical Islam infiltrating the heartland," Josh Mandel, the Ohio treasurer and a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a tweet Sunday.
Authors of the website "Cryptosphere," which tracks hackers worldwide, have detailed dozens, if not hundreds, of similar hacks in recent years by the so-called Team System DZ, which they called a "pro-ISIS hacker crew" and claim are based in Algeria.
Impacted websites, they said, have included those for a synagogue in Florida, the student union at the University of New Brunswick in Canada, for UK Rugby and a number of websites on Wordpress.

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After meeting Modi, Google's Sundar Pichai says excited for GST July 1 rollout

After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the CEOs' Round Table in the United States on Sunday, Google's Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said everyone is excited to invest in India and so is he.
Speaking about the discussing Modi held with top US business leaders, Pichai said, "It (the discussion) was very good. I think it was a discussion across many countries and I think the prime minister was looking for insights into how India can attract more foreign investment and I think there were many many good ideas to discuss. But I think everyone is excited to more invest in India and I am excited we can all do it together."
Pichai also said that he is also looking forward to the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), slated for this Friday midnight, and called it a testimony to the fact that reforms can be pushed through. "We are all looking forward to the July 1 rollout. I know it has been a very difficult thing to so. So, I am excited to see it happen. It shows that you can achieve reform by pushing hard for it and I hope its just the beginning."
GST will be rolled out on July 1, during a special midnight session of Parliament that will be held on the intervening night of June 30-July 1.
On the first day of his two-day US tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed India's growth story in a meeting with top American CEOs of global giants. The CEOs round table was attended by Apple chief Tim Cook, Walmart head Doug McMillon, Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Google head Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella.
While addressing the roundtable meeting with US Business leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that landmark initiative of GST could be a subject of studies in US business schools. He added that growth of India presents win-win partnership for India and US as companies in US have a great opportunity to contribute to that. PM Modi also added that world is looking at India at present.
"The whole world is looking at India... India's growth presents a win-win partnership for India and US both. US companies have a great opportunity to contribute to that," Modi said.
"7,000 reforms alone by GOI for ease of business and minimum government  and maximum governance," said PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Donald Trump today. PM Modi is expected to have talks on a host of strategic issues. Official sources said that the leaders are likely to discuss 2008 civil nuclear deal, however, agreement on nuclear reactor projects are unlikely.

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A day after the big announcement, BJP gears up for Ram Nath Kovind's nomination

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday hunkered down to get the formalities of getting its choice of candidate for the presidential polls, Ram Nath Kovind, elected. While the candidate himself was busy making and receiving calls at Bihar Nivas, Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi along with the BJP’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Rakesh Singh and Rajasthan MP Om Birla have been busy shepherding MPs and MLAs for signatures on the four sets of nomination papers that Mr. Kovind will be filing. Each set has to have 50 legislators as proposers. BJP MPs and MLAs have been summoned to Delhi to do the needful, as Tuesday is the self imposed deadline to complete the process.

“As of now this is the priority,” said one senior general secretary of the party, anxiously keeping an eye on the news, for any indications on the opposition’s strategy. “We have the numbers, but it will be important to see who the opposition chooses as candidate,” he said. “A tour plan to visit different state capitals for Ram Nathji will be drawn up after June 23rd, when he files his nominations. First proposers for these four sets of nominations papers will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal, and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu,” said the source.

Police pickets and security scanners also came up outside a tiny flat in North Avenue, coincidentally flanking Rashtrapati Bhawan. This is the flat that Mr. Kovind was allotted as guest accommodation as ex-MP, from the Rajya Sabha’s housing pool. A truck with chairs and a folded tent stands parked outside, as Mr. Kovind’s many visitors have been trying their luck to effect a meeting, either here or at Bihar Niwas, and seating them while they wait is to sorted out. Mr Kovind’s immediate family heard the news of his candidature over television in New Delhi while he was in Patna, and has been dealing with increased security and a brand new hoarding that has popped up overnight outside the flat.
BJP leaders, dealing with these niggling details are still anxious over the larger political play of the polls. The big elephant in the room, apart from an opposition candidate propped up by the Congress, is the Shiv Sena.

Prospects of Janata Dal (U) chief Nitish Kumar supporting Mr Kovind’s candidature is the other side of this contest, imperilling opposition unity.

The presidential polls it seems is forcing parties to take a call on more than who would be the next President of India.

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Yoga has played big role in uniting the world: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said yoga, akin to its capacity to unite the body, mind and soul, has played a “big role” in binding the world, cutting across linguistic and cultural barriers.

Addressing a huge gathering at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan on the occasion of the third International Yoga Day celebrations here, he also asserted that the traditional practice has now become part of every person’s life.

“Many countries which do not know our language, tradition, or culture, are now connecting to India through Yoga. The practice, which connects body, mind and soul, has played a big role in binding the world too,” he said.
Clad in a white T-shirt and loose trousers, Mr. Modi also performed asanas along with over 50,000 yoga enthusiasts braving early morning drizzles.

“Earlier, Yoga was only restricted to saints and seers in the Himalayan mountains. Now, it has become part of every person’s life,” he said in his address.

He also asserted that attaining “wellness” through yoga was more important than simply being physically fit.
“It is not important to perform yoga for 24 hours. 50 or 60 minutes (is fine) because it lends harmony to the body, mind and intellect. If 1.25 billion Indians and people around the world can attain this state of well-being, then humankind can also tide over problems born out of human thoughts,” he said.

He also explained the importance of Yoga using an analogy of salt.

“Just as the importance of salt is not only to lend taste to food, but also ensure well-being of the body, similarly Yoga can have the same importance as salt has in life,” he said.

He said yoga is about health assurance. “It is not even expensive to practice,” he said.

“I urge everyone to make yoga a part of their lives,” he said, adding that he was glad to see several yoga institutes take shape over the last three years.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath joined the prime minister in performing yoga at the sprawling venue.

In his address, Mr. Adityanath thanked Mr. Modi for enhancing Yoga’s reputation globally.

Intermittent rains since morning failed to deter thousands of yoga enthusiasts, who enjoyed performing asanas fully drenched.
Three years ago, Mr. Modi had persuaded the United Nations to declare June 21 as the International Yoga Day.

Since then, thousands of people hold yoga programmes across the world on this day.

A tight security cordon was put in place around the venue, while all arterial roads were under strict CCTV vigil.

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Trump: appreciate China but it’s efforts on N. Korea “have not worked out

China’s efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear programme “have not worked” out, United States President Donald Trump has said but appreciated Beijing for its attempts.

“While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!,” Mr. Trump said in a tweet which came hours before the U.S. and China were set to meet in Washington to talk about North Korea.

In a report, The New York Times said that the tweet is “an extraordinary admission of failure in his strategy” for dealing with the rogue regime of Kim Jong-un.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the Defence Secretary James Mattis met in Washington for their diplomatic and security dialogue.

US has been very forceful: Spicer

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the United States has been very forceful in its political and economic pressure that has been applied in North Korea.

“I think we’ll continue to apply that. Obviously, China has played and can continue to play a greater role in helping to resolve this situation, and we will continue to hopefully build on the relationship and the dialogue that we’ve had with China,” Mr. Spicer said.

“I think there have been some positive steps that they’ve taken, both at the UN and economically, to help strengthen the case against North Korea. But I’m not going to get ahead of where we may or may not go. And obviously, we hope that those discussions with China are productive and continue to move us forward,” he said.

Mr. Trump had made clear earlier that his preference was to work with China on North Korea, but that he was willing to go after them alone.

“I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea. If they are unable to do so, the US, with its allies, will! U.S.A.,” he had tweeted in April.

Trump, Xi see thaw in ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mr. Trump at the President’s private Florida estate in April, a meeting that both leaders said warmed relations between the countries.

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L’Oreal to sell The Body Shop to Brazilian group Natura Cosmeticos for £880 million

L’Oreal said on Friday it had received a firm offer from Natura Cosmeticos, and that the proposed deal put an enterprise value of 1 billion euros on the four decades old beauty brand.

The Body Shop is a pioneer in mass marketing of cosmetics made without animal testing and with natural ingredients. L’Oreal had acquired the Body Shop for £ 652 million in 2006.

Today, The Body Shop operates in more than 60 countries through 3,000 stores, concessions and online shops. In 2016 it generated retail sales of around € 1.5 billion and net sales of € 921 million.

“I am very pleased to announce Natura as the potential new ‘home’ for The Body Shop. It is the best new owner we could imagine to nurture the brand DNA around naturality and ethics,” Chairman & CEO of L’Oreal, Jean-Paul Agon, was quoted as saying.

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AP Explains: Why can’t the Afghan government protect Kabul

A massive suicide truck bombing rocked a highly secured diplomatic area of Kabul, killing 90 people and wounding as many as 400. The attack left a scene of mayhem and destruction in the Afghan capital.

A look at some of the lingering issues after Wednesday’s attack:

Looking for answers

Investigators will seek to understand how insurgents managed to get an explosives-packed tanker truck into one of the best-protected areas of Kabul. The Wazir Akbar Khan district is home to most of the capital’s foreign embassies as well as several major government institutions, including the Presidential Palace.

“No one could even imagine that would take place in Wazir Akbar Khan,” said Gen. Mirza Mohammad Yarmand, a former deputy interior minister. “I would call it a security and intelligence error.”

Questions about ability to protect the capital

The bombing raises serious questions about the Afghan government’s ability to provide basic security. Insurgent groups have been on the offensive ever since the drawdown of NATO troops from the country in 2014.

The first half of 2017 has seen a particularly successful string of extremist attacks in the capital, including a twin suicide bombing March 1 that killed 22 people and a coordinated March 8 assault on a military hospital that killed 50 people.

No claim of responsibility

As of late Wednesday night in Kabul, no one had claimed responsibility. The vast majority of such devastating attacks recently have been undertaken by either the Taliban or the local affiliate of Islamic State group.

The Taliban has been waging a guerrilla war against Kabul for more than a decade ever since being ousted from power by a U.S. invasion in 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11. The Islamic State group is a more recent development, forming in the last few years and largely made up of dissident former Taliban militants. IS has been battling the Taliban for control of certain parts of Afghanistan while also regularly targeting the government.

Yarmand said he didn’t believe the Taliban were behind it, saying they “don’t have the ability to carry out such big attack, and if they did, they would have claimed responsibility.”

The former Interior Ministry official repeated a common belief among Afghan government officials that the Pakistani intelligence services have played a role in the string of extremist attacks plaguing Kabul. Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied such accusations.

Attempts at diplomacy

So far, it doesn’t appear likely.

There have been multiple attempts to launch peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, but all have faltered. The most recent initiative, brokered by Pakistan, collapsed and spawned even more public distrust and animosity between Kabul and Islamabad.

What’s more, as long as the Taliban and other insurgent groups can demonstrate the ability to strike deep in the heart of the most secure parts of Kabul, the impetus to negotiate will likely be reduced. Yarmand said there doesn’t appear to be much desire to negotiate on the part of the Taliban leadership or its rank and file.

“For now, their supporters need them to be in the fight with the Afghan government,” he said.

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