Section: VICE News (USA)
Ukraine bans Russian social media sites in an attempt to punish the Kremlin
Ukraine banned two popular social media sites Tuesday, in a new attempt to purge Russian influence in the country. The move to block these Russian websites is an extension of sanctions against Russia that have been in place since it annexed Crimea in 2014. Personally announced by President Petro Poroshenko, the order affects individuals and...
Friday’s massive ransomware cyberattack will probably get worse, experts warn
A massive cyberattack infected some 200,000 computers in at least 150 countries Friday with ransomware — malicious software that encrypts the computer’s files and demands a payment to regain access to them. The attack was “unprecedented in scale,” Europol’s chief Rob Wainwright told the BBC. This attack is likely the most widespread...
Donald Trump’s highly abnormal presidency: a running guide for May
Click here to sign up for a weekly newsletter about President Donald Trump to be delivered to your inbox every Friday. Donald Trump made it clear at the beginning of his campaign that he wasn’t going to follow the normal rules or tone of politics. We’re keeping track of all the ways his presidency veers from the norm in terms of...
A small number of people are fleeing Canada for the U.S.
In case there was any doubt, barely anybody flees Canada for the U.S. Just 466 asylum seekers — including 55 Canadians — left Canada to apply for refugee status at the U.S. border under exceptions to the Safe Third Country Agreement since 2004. The number of asylum seekers fleeing the U.S. for Canada has skyrocketed since President Donald...
One German soldier’s fake Syrian refugee terror plot stokes fears of hidden military extremism
A German military officer with far-right beliefs created a fake identity as a Syrian refugee — successfully gaining political asylum and claiming monthly benefits — with the intention of carrying out a terror attack in his home country and framing it on his fictitious alter ego. The 28-year-old lieutenant, named in German media as Franco A, was...
A Russian spy ship sunk near Turkey after colliding with a freighter carrying livestock
A Russian navy intelligence ship sunk Thursday morning off the coast of Turkey, after colliding with a freighter carrying livestock. All 78 crew members were rescued and uninjured. The Liman, which is part of the Kremlin’s Black Sea Fleet, was hit by the Togo-flagged Youzarsif-H cargo ship, according to Turkey’s coastal safety...
Russia is trying to “sow chaos” in Europe by betting big on Marine Le Pen and France’s far right
Less than a month before the fiercely contested French presidential election, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen was campaigning not in Nantes or Lyon but in Moscow, where she had an unannounced meeting with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. After exchanging pleasantries with Russia’s leader, a politician for whom she is not shy in expressing...
Russia’s fake news machine is now targeting the French election
In early April, the Russian state media outlet Sputnik published a story suggesting Emmanuel Macron, centrist candidate for the French presidency, was “a U.S. agent” and possibly “acting in the interests of the U.S. financial market in France.” Another article, published in French, claimed Macron’s campaign was being financed by Saudi...
Russia could soon take over a chunk of U.S. oil infrastructure
Russia may soon take control of American oil and gasoline infrastructure in a deal U.S. lawmakers warn represents a threat to energy security. Rosneft, Russia’s state-controlled oil company, could end up with a majority stake in Texas-based Citgo after the entity that owns Citgo, Venezuela’s state-owned oil and natural gas company...
Former Trump campaign adviser says allegations he acted as a Russian agent are “such a joke”
Former Trump adviser Carter Page — reportedly the subject of a secret FBI surveillance warrant linked to his dealings with Russia — repeatedly denied wrongdoing during a Wednesday face-off with CNN’s Jake Tapper. “This is such a joke that it’s beyond words,” Page said of the news, which broke Tuesday in the Washington Post, that the...
