Monthly Archives: February 2021

A Swiss company claims it used quantum computers to find weakness in encryption – HT Tech

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Security experts have long worried that advances in quantum computing could eventually make it easier to break encryption that protects the privacy of peoples data. Thats because these sophisticated machines can perform calculations at speeds impossible for conventional computers, potentially enabling them to crack codes previously thought indecipherable.

Now, a Swiss technology company says it has made a breakthrough by using quantum computers to uncover vulnerabilities in commonly used encryption. The company believes its found a security weakness that could jeopardize the confidentiality of the worlds internet data, banking transactions and emails.

Terra Quantum AG said its discovery upends the current understanding of what constitutes unbreakable encryption and could have major implications for the worlds leading technology companies, such as Alphabet Inc.s Google, Microsoft Corp., and International Business Machines Corp.

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But some other security experts said they arent nearly ready to declare a major breakthrough, at least not until the company publishes the full details of its research. If true, this would be a huge result, said Brent Waters, a computer science professor who specialises in cryptography at the University of Texas at Austin. It seems somewhat unlikely on the face of it. However, it is pretty hard for experts to weigh in on something without it being published.

IBM spokesman Christopher Sciacca said his company has known the risks for 20 years and is working on its own solutions to address the issue of post-quantum security. This is why the National Institute of Science & Technology (NIST) has been hosting a challenge to develop a new quantum safe crypto standard, he said in an email. IBM has several proposals for this new standard in the final round, which is expected in a few years.

Brian LaMacchia, distinguished engineer at Microsoft, said company cryptographers are collaborating with the global cryptographic community to prepare customers and data centers for a quantum future. Preparing for security in a post-quantum world is important not only to protect and secure data in the future but also to ensure that future quantum computers are not a threat to the long-term security of todays information.

Google didnt reply to a message seeking comment.

Terra Quantum AG has a team of about 80 quantum physicists, cryptographers and mathematicians, who are based in Switzerland, Russia, Finland and the US What currently is viewed as being post-quantum secure is not post-quantum secure, said Markus Pflitsch, chief executive officer and founder of Terra Quantum, in an interview. We can show and have proven that it isnt secure and is hackable.

Also read: Heres how an encrypted, locked Android and Apple phone gets bypassed

Pflitsch founded the company in 2019. Hes a former finance executive who began his career as a research scientist at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Terra Quantums research is led by two chief technology officers Gordey Lesovik, head of the Laboratory of Quantum Information Technology at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and Valerii Vinokur, a Chicago-based physicist who in 2020 won the Fritz London Memorial Prize for his work in condensed matter and theoretical physics.

The company said that its research found vulnerabilities that affect symmetric encryption ciphers, including the Advanced Encryption Standard, or AES, which is widely used to secure data transmitted over the internet and to encrypt files. Using a method known as quantum annealing, the company said its research found that even the strongest versions of AES encryption may be decipherable by quantum computers that could be available in a few years from now.

Vinokur said in an interview that Terra Quantums team made the discovery after figuring out how to invert whats called a hash function, a mathematical algorithm that converts a message or portion of data into a numerical value. The research will show that what was once believed unbreakable doesnt exist anymore, Vinokur said, adding that the finding means a thousand other ways can be found soon.

Read more: Chinese scientists make world's first light-based quantum computer: Report

The company, which is backed by the Zurich-based venture capital firm Lakestar LP, has developed a new encryption protocol that it says cant be broken by quantum computers. Vinokur said the new protocol utilizes a method known as quantum key distribution.

Terra Quantum is currently pursuing a patent for the new protocol. But the company will make it available for free, according to Pflitsch. We will open up access to our protocol to make sure we have a safe and secure environment, said Pflitsch. We feel obliged to share it with the world and the quantum community.

The US government, like China, has made research in quantum computing research an economic and national security priority, saying that the world is on the cusp of what it calls a new quantum revolution. In addition, technology companies including Google, Microsoft, and IBM have made large investments in quantum computing in recent years.

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A Swiss company claims it used quantum computers to find weakness in encryption - HT Tech

Microsoft Scientists Build Chip That Can Handle Thousands Of Qubits – Analytics India Magazine

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Scientists and engineers at the University of Sydney and Microsoft Corporation have developed a device that can handle thousands of qubits. To put things in perspective, the current state-of-the-art quantum computer can control only 50 qubits at a time.

Scaled-up quantum computers require control interfaces to manipulate or readout a large number of qubits, which usually operate at temperatures close to absolute zero (1 Kelvin or -273 degrees celsius).

The complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology has its limitations due to high thermodynamic dissipation, leading to heating of the fragile quantum bits. Overheating of quantum bits compromises its quantumness, the property of being in two states at the same time (also called superposition).

The current architecture uses multiple connections as every qubit is controlled by external circuitry with a separate electrical connection, generating a lot of heat.

The scientists from the University of Sydney built a CMOS interface between the qubits and the external circuitry, in such a way that the CMOS chip can generate control pulses for multiple qubits, with just four low-bandwidth wires, at 0.1 Kelvin, a temperature 30 times colder than deep space, with ultralow power dissipation.

The interface consists of four low-bandwidth wires at room temperature to provide input signals to the chip, which then configures 32 analogue circuit blocks to control the qubits that use dynamic voltage signals.

Analogue circuit boards use the low leakage of the transistors to generate dynamic voltage signals for manipulating qubits, consuming significantly less power.

Quantum computers are at a similar stage that classical computers were in their 40s when machines needed control rooms to function.

However, this chip, according to the scientists, is the most advanced integrated circuit ever built to operate at deep cryogenic temperatures.

The quantum computers that we have now are still lab prototypes and are not commercially relevant yet. Hence, this is definitely a big step towards building practical and commercially relevant quantum computers, said Mr Viraj Kulkarni, But I think that we are still far away from it.

This is because of the Error Correction. Any computing device always has errors in it and no electronic device can be completely perfect. There are various techniques that computers use to correct those errors.

Now the problem with quantum computing is that qubits are very fragile. Even a slight increase in temperature, vibrations, or even cosmic rays can make qubits lose their quantumness, and this introduces errors. So the key question of whether we can really control these errors is still relevant.

Nivedita Dey, research coordinator at Quantum Research and Development Labs, said the qubit noise is still a roadblock in developing quantum computers.

One of the biggest challenges in implementing a quantum circuit in this Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) era is qubit noise, which causes hindrance in commercial availability of fault-tolerant full-scale quantum computers, said Ms Dey.

This approach can be well suited for practical quantum applications and might reduce the number of error-correcting qubits to be associated with noisy qubits, she added.

If quantum computing does prove to be commercially viable, it will open up completely new avenues.

A plane is not just faster than a car, it can also fly, said Mr Kulkarni, drawing an analogy between quantum computers and conventional computers. The idea is that quantum computers are not just faster, but at the same time will provide us with solutions that are better, especially in AI.

Hence, many applications in AI including complex mathematical equations, drug discovery by enabling chemical simulations, or building financial applications to come up with a better strategy will be solved in a faster and efficient way.

In the end its a tool, so any function a conventional computer can achieve, quantum computers will be able to do it faster and better.

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Microsoft Scientists Build Chip That Can Handle Thousands Of Qubits - Analytics India Magazine

Fujitsu and Entanglement Solve Problems Related to COVID-19 and Other Previously Unsolvable Problems through Quantum-Inspired Technology – PRNewswire

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SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Fujitsu partnered with Entanglement, Inc. to demonstrate and validate the capabilities of the Digital Annealer (DA), a quantum-inspired computing platform and related services, to address large scale logistical combinatorial optimization challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other intractable challenges facing humankind.

From the beginning of the pandemic, provisioning Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to high demand areas continues to pose an enormous logistical challenge. Through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Department of Defense, Fujitsu and Entanglement offered to deliver a theoretical nationwide optimization model to solve the challenge, optimizing the equitable resource allocation of the potentially available stock of PPE in the United States, while minimizing the mileage and time traveled to emerging hotspots.

A report prepared by the CRADA validated that this highly complex, combinatorial challenge is solvable in seconds using the DA solution, versus days or weeks for other traditional computing algorithms. In fact, one metric in the report the efficiency of overall supply and demand allocation showed the DA outperformed a comparative Evolutionary Algorithm by 90 percent. Using real-time data from an array of public and private sources, Digital Annealer efficiency increases exponentially with the addition of diverse variables and larger datasets.

"Traditional logistics tools are simply too slow and incapable of managing the complexities of these huge combinatorial problems," said Jason Turner, CEO of Entanglement, Inc. "Fujitsu's Digital Annealing technology and related services, in combination with our advanced computational and quantum computing expertise, not only solve these problems quickly, but do so in a way that is scalable, effective, iterative, equitable, and transparent. The best part? The more complex the problem, the more it shines, producing evermore accurate and efficient results the more its stressed."

Fujitsu and Entanglement formed their partnership in May of 2020 based on their common core values, which together aim to deliver advanced technology ecosystems that assist in solving large-scale, human-centric problems for end users. Fujitsu intellectual property and DA technology, combined with Entanglement's intellectual property, domain experience and commitment to demonstrate and accelerate quantum information science and artificial intelligence, created an optimum environment for the two companies to spotlight computing capabilities beyond the reach of traditional computing systems in the market today, and make a significant impact.

"While our initial collaborations centered on commercial prospects leveraging the emerging mobility ecosystem, the COVID-19 pandemic made it abundantly clear we needed to redeploy our conceptual thinking and quickly offer new models that accelerated our response to the virus," said Paul Warburton, Global Head of Mobility DX business at Fujitsu. "Both companies felt and embraced a deep responsibility to use our capabilities for good, and there is no area of greater need today than fighting this pandemic."

The DA solution, related consultancy and professional services, together with the advanced research, experienced team and purpose-built laboratory capabilities from Entanglement, make the particular use case for PPE optimization highly transferrable to a number of different applications in a variety of public and private sector endeavors. Agile and adaptive, the quantum-inspired model is designed to tackle a variety of linear parallel processes including predictive modeling for financial markets and portfolio optimization; supply chain logistics; transport and mobility; drug discovery; diagnosing, preventing and treating disease; predicting and preventing cyber threats; and modeling simulations, to name a few. The DA also adapts to fast-moving environments and integrates with existing systems, making it non-disruptive to ongoing and transforming operations.

Online Resources- More on the Fujitsu Digital Annealer: https://www.fujitsu.com/global/services/business-services/digital-annealer/- Read the Fujitsu blog: http://blog.ts.fujitsu.com- Follow Fujitsu on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FujitsuAmerica- Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/fujitsu-america- Find Fujitsu on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Fujitsu- Fujitsu pictures and media server: http://mediaportal.ts.fujitsu.com/pages/portal.php- For regular news updates, bookmark the Fujitsu newsroom: http://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/resources/news/

About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 130,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.9 trillion yen (US$35 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu AmericasFujitsu America, Inc. is the parent and/or management company of a group of Fujitsu-owned companies operating in North, Central and South America and Caribbean, dedicated to delivering a comprehensive range of digital transformation solutions and services to clients in the Western Hemisphere. These companies are collectively referred to as Fujitsu Americas. Fujitsu enables clients to meet their business objectives through integrated offerings and solutions, including consulting and professional services, systems integration, managed services, outsourcing and cloud services for infrastructure, platforms and applications; AI and data analytics; and quantum-inspired computing solutions. For more information, please visit: http://fujitsu.com/us and http://twitter.com/fujitsuamerica.

About Entanglement, Inc.Entanglement is an early-stage deep technology company dedicated, inter alia, to providing unprecedented commercial access to diverse and advanced computing systems (including quantum computing, high-performance / super- computing and purpose-built computing systems) to a broad range of customers. Focused to accelerate the development of quantum information science (QIS) and artificial intelligence (AI) without enormous up-front capital investment, Entanglement has designed an environment for rapid experimentation and breakthroughs. Through the democratization of these integrated computing capabilities and the experience of its team, the company lowers the barriers to entry for solving seemingly unsolvable real-world problems today. It provides a bridge from classical to quantum computation. Entanglement, together with its partners and customers, push "Beyond Binary." For more information, please visit: https://www.entanglement.ai

All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.

SOURCE Fujitsu America, Inc.

http://www.fujitsu.com

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Fujitsu and Entanglement Solve Problems Related to COVID-19 and Other Previously Unsolvable Problems through Quantum-Inspired Technology - PRNewswire

University of Exeter: University of Exeter partnership develops novel algorithms with the power to transform the use of quantum computers – India…

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With the development of quantum hardware, this new approach will provide a cheaper and quicker way of solving complex differential equations

University of Exeter partnership develops novel algorithms with the power to transform the use of quantum computersDr Oleksandr Kyriienko, lead of the University of Exeters Quantum Dynamics, Optics, and Simulation group (QuDOS) is working in close partnership with Dutch start-up Qu & Co to develop quantum software with the potential to transform the way we use the huge power of quantum computers in industry.

Working with the University of Exeter, Qu & Co have created a novel algorithm, which offers a way to solve complex nonlinear differential equations using quantum computers and devices.

Nonlinear differential equations are used in all branches of science, including chemistry, biology and epidemiology. The new algorithm has already been used in fluid dynamics, to accurately predict the airflow in a nozzle of a prototype rocket turbine. Qu & Co are now investigating further industrial applications.

Classical methods require a large and complex network of conventional computers. With the development of quantum hardware, this new approach will provide a cheaper and quicker way of solving complex differential equations. The approach has just been published and is now under peer review.

Dr Oleksandr Kyriienko explains: Quantum computing has rapidly progressed from a purely theoretical concept to a disrupting computational tool. We know it is capable of solving problems that a classical computer cannot. Yet, finding real-world applications that can benefit from near-term quantum computers remains an outstanding challenge. With the deep industrial knowledge of Qu & Co, we focus on and solve problems that prove the value of quantum computing.

Qu & Co have also sponsored major part of the PhD studies of Annie Paine under the supervision of Dr Oleksandr Kyriienko. Annie conducts pioneering research in the field of differential equations, and develops programmes for quantum chips.

Vincent E. Elfving, Chief Technology Officer at Qu & Co said: In partnership with the University of Exeter we develop cutting-edge algorithms for near-term quantum computers, and we expect rapid progress in this evolving field. The research conducted at University of Exeter has a significant impact on relevant applications and business development. We are happy to continue our fruitful collaboration in the future.

The partnership is managed by the Innovation, Impact and Business team at the University of Exeter, who match organisations with the academic expertise required to solve industrial challenges.

Sean Fielding, Director of Innovation, Impact and Business said: The University of Exeter is proud to support cutting edge quantum research which will make a real difference in the world. This partnership has the potential to create a step change in the way quantum computers can be used, and were delighted to see it already delivering such great results another fantastic example of academia and industry working together.

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John McAfee Net Worth 2021 | Wife (Janice Dyson …

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John McAfee is an English-American businessman and computer programmer who is best known as the founder of McAfee Associates.

In 2016, McAfee launched an unsuccessful bid for the Libertarian Partys presidential nomination during the election.

He was born on September 18, 1945, in Cinderford, England, UK, as John David McAfee.

His parents moved to Roanoke, Virginia, when he was young.

John described his father as ~an alcoholic and abusive. His father committed suicide when McAfee was 15 years old.

From 1968 to 1970, he was employed as a programmer by NASAs Institute for Space Studies in NYC.

In the early 1980s, McAfee worked on a classified voice-recognition program for Lockheed.

In 1986, the first computer virus hit PCs. About one year later, he founded McAfee Associates, a computer anti-virus company. The company created the first commercial antivirus software.

McAfee says he wrote the antivirus program in a day and a half.John also said that eight months after I started, there was $10m in the bank.

In the mid-1990s, he sold his shares in the software company and reportedly made $100 million.

Later, McAfee founded Tribal Voice, a company that developed the instant messaging program, called PowWow.

In 2001, he published the book Into the Heart of Truth: The Spirit of Relational Yoga. In the book, McAfee provides practices to help the reader develop in-depth self-awareness and alsowrites about the history of yoga.

In 2009, John started a company that he said would manufacture plants from the Belize jungle into antibiotics.

In 2012, he was considered a person of interest when his neighbor Gregory Faull was shot to death. Raphael Martinez, a police spokesperson, told FT: He is still just a person of interests the investigation. Later, McAfee left Belize for Guatemala, where he was arrested on charges of entering the country illegally. John was about to be deported back to Belize when he faked a heart attack.

On December 12, 2012, he was released from detention in Guatemala and deported to the US. Faulls death still remains unsolved.

In 2013, John started a company called Future Tense Central to produce a secure computer network.

In September 2015, McAfee decided to start a new political party called The Cyber Party. In December 2015, he announcedthat he would instead seek the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party.He lost to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.

In May 2016, John was appointed as the CEO of the technology holding company, MGT Capital Investments (he left the company in early 2018). Also in 2016, he was the subject of filmmaker Nanette Bursteins Showtime documentary, Gringo. McAfee described the documentary as fiction.

On August 13, 2018, he took the position of CEO with the cryptocurrency company, Luxcore.

In March 2019, McAfee ordered to pay $25 million over Gregory Faulls murder. Later that year, he was arrested by the Dominican Republic Armed Forces while docking his yacht in Puerto Plata. He left detention after four days of confinement.

In December 2019, he announced his intentions to run for president in the US 2020 elections. John tweeted: The McAfee 2020 US Presidential Campaign has now formally begun.

In July 2020, McAfee tweeted that Intel corporation is suing him due to the use of the name GhostbyMcAfee.

On October 6, 2020, he was arrested in Spain over tax evasion charges.

John McAfee married Janice Dyson in 2013. She is more than 30 years younger than him. He reportedly met his wife in Miami on his first day back on US soil.

Janice said in an interview about their first meeting: It was, I dont know how to say it, magical cause he saw the hurt that was there.

The couple lives in a gun-filled mansion in Tennessee. His personal bodyguard John Pool is always at their side.

He was previously married to Judy McAfee.

READ MORE: Who is Troy Blakelys wife?

If you read just one book of Jiddu Krishnamurti, you will be a different human being.

If the majority holds some thing of value, you can be certain it has none.

Im a mad man to some people because I dont follow the normal rules.

A good example is more irritating than a bad one.

One never knows what the future holds.

You must believe theres nothing that happens electronically that I cant find out about.

In 2013, he uploaded a video titled How To Uninstall McAfee Antivirus.

READ MORE: Seamus Blackley Net Worth

McAfee earned most of his wealth from founding the company McAfee Associates. By the end of the 1980s, McAfee Associates was making $5 million a year. It was acquired by Intel in 2010 for $7.68 billion. John sold his shares in McAfee Associates for $100 million.

He also founded Tribal Voice, which developed the instant messaging program Pow Wow.

McAfee has also been involved in leadership positions in other companies, including Luxcore, MGT Capital Investments, and Everykey. In addition, John founded Future Tense Central and QuorumEx.

His investments suffered in the global crisis of 2007. The New York Times reported that his personal fortune had declined to $4 million in August 2009. However, John later said he had lied about the loss of his fortune.

In 2019, McAfee said that he is charging $105,000 for tweets promoting ICOs. Therefore, computer programmer John McAfee has an estimated net worth of $10 million.

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John McAfee prison interview: I plan to never return to …

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Imprisoned software tycoon John McAfee has described his ongoing experience locked inside a Spanish prison as a fascinating adventure and says he plans to never return to the US.

Nearly two years after fleeing the US with his wife and a handful of bodyguards, Spanish police arrested McAfee last month at the request of the US Department of Justice. Prosecutors are currently seeking to extradite him to face tax fraud charges.

It is the latest in a string of controversies for McAfee, who has been arrested numerous times since founding the eponymous antivirus company more than 30 years ago. He has previously been suspected of unlicensed drug manufacturing, carrying illegal weapons, and in 2012 police in Belize named him a person of interest in connection to the murder of his neighbour though he was never charged and strongly denies any involvement.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent from the Brians 1 prison just outside Barcelona, where he has been incarcerated since early October, 75-year-old McAfee describes the latest stint as by far the most entertaining of all his stays behind bars.

I am constantly amused and sometimes moved. The graffiti alone could fill a thousand-page thriller, he says. A few of my fellow prisoners have confided in me small pieces of their lives.

One young man from Senegal confided that he is a guest here for stabbing random people. They were bad people, he explained. Another confessed to accidentally strangling his wife. He did not explain why it was an accident but you must admit accidents do happen.

All in all, its fascinating to watch and an adventure to experience.

Prisoners and guards recognised him when he first went in, with some even asking him for his autograph. He is distinguished not only by his infamy and foreignness, but also by his tendency to wear a suit and tie.

One nice aspect of Spanish prisons is that prison uniforms are not required. You may dress according to your means and desires, he says. I was issued an orange jumpsuit on arrival, as all are, and occasionally wear it when the mood strikes me. At other times I wear everything from a suit and tie to lounge wear.

McAfee pictured at an undisclosed location in Europe earlier this year

(Janice McAfee)

McAfees main point of contact with the outside world is his wife Janice, who remains in Spain but has so far been unable to visit him in person. Instead, she keeps in touch through eight-minute phone calls, providing updates about ongoing legal matters and other news.

She has started the #FreeJohnMcAfee and #FreeMcAfee campaigns on social media in an effort to raise awareness about his situation, while also offering support behind the scenes.

Right now we are playing this situation close to our chests and I dont want to reveal any details on how we are working to secure Johns release, she tells The Independent. This is an obvious political scheme on the part of the US government and we are working on strategies to reveal this obvious scam.

The controversial libertarian has claimed in recent years that he has been pursued by various branches of federal law enforcement agencies, including the CIA and FBI. The latest arrest relates to the Inland Revenue Service.

Prosecutors in Tennessee, where McAfee lived before leaving the US, claim McAfee hid property, a yacht and other assets from the IRS. When McAfee fled the country in January 2019 with his wife and bodyguards, he took the yacht to the Carribean but soon faced further troubles with local police. After hopping from the Bahamas to Cuba, his entourage was detained in the Dominican Republic for carrying high-calibre weapons, ammunition and military-style gear without declaring them.

McAfee says they were arrested before they even had a chance to declare them, and were threatened with deportation to the US. A couple of decent lawyers prevented that, at which point they asked us where we wanted to go. I said England, thats where they sent us, he says.

The Centre Penitenciari Brians 1 in Catalonia where McAfee is incarcerated

(Europris)

A June indictment, unsealed last month, accused McAfee of tax evasion and wilful failure to file tax returns between 2014 and 2018. McAfee freely admits this, saying he has not in fact paid taxes for 10 years and informed the IRS of his refusal to file returns in principle. The agencys decision to pursue his case only came after he announced his intention to run for president under the Libertarian banner, he claims.

McAfee came close to winning the Libertarian Party candidacy in 2016, losing out to Gary Johnson, and planned to run again in 2020. Instead, he was forced to follow this years US elections from prison, drip fed morsels through phone calls with his wife.

His refusal to pay tax aligns with the Libertarian Partys policy on the issue, which states, forcing people to pay taxes is inherently wrong. The Libertarian Party did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent about whether it was assisting McAfee in any way with his legal situation.

If convicted in the US of all charges, McAfee faces up to 30 years in prison. However, he claims there is zero chance that Spain will extradite him. The courts will see the clear resentment of the American government toward my public condemnation," he says, adding that the possibility of him ever returning to the US is extremely unlikely.

Court dates remain pending.

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John McAfee, antivirus software pioneer, arrested in Spain …

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The antivirus software entrepreneur John McAfee, who has been indicted for tax evasion in the US after allegedly failing to declare earnings running into millions of dollars, has been arrested by Spanish police while attempting to board a flight from Barcelona to Istanbul.

A June indictment charging McAfee with tax evasion and wilful failure to file tax returns was unsealed in federal court in Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday after McAfees arrest in Spain, where extradition is pending, the US attorneys office said.

McAfee, 75, has been charged with evading taxes after failing to report millions earned promoting cryptocurrencies, consulting work, speaking engagements and the sale of the rights to his life story for a documentary.

According to prosecutors, he hid assets from the Internal Revenue Service, including real estate property, a vehicle and a yacht, in the names of other people.

The securities and exchange commission has also brought civil charges against McAfee, alleging he made more than $23.1m (18m) in undisclosed compensation from false and misleading cryptocurrency recommendations.

A Spanish police source said McAfee had been arrested at Barcelonas El Prat airport on 3 October.

He was travelling to Istanbul and when his documents were run through the database, it emerged that he was the subject of a US warrant on fraud charges, said the source.

Judicial sources told Reuters McAfee had appeared before a high court judge via videolink after his arrest and had been remanded in custody in a Catalan jail pending the extradition process.

Following his detention, McAfees official Instagram account posted a Free McAfee message accompanied by a photo of him.

The US indictment alleges that McAfee failed to file tax returns from 2014 to 2018, despite receiving considerable income from several sources. The indictment does not allege that McAfee received any income or had any connection with the antivirus software company bearing his name during those years, prosecutors said.

If convicted of all charges, he could face up to 30 years in prison.

Since making a fortune with the antivirus software in the 1980s that still bears his name, McAfee has become a self-styled crypto-currency guru, and has 1 million followers on Twitter.

But in recent years, his personal life had drawn as much interest as his professional achievements. He became the subject of frenzied media scrutiny following the unsolved 2012 murder of a neighbour in Belize. McAfee said he knew nothing about the murder, but was worried he may have been the attackers intended target.

When the police found him living with a 17-year-old girl and discovered a large arsenal of weapons in his home in the Central American country, McAfee disappeared on a month-long flight that drew breathless media coverage.

The dead neighbours family later filed a wrongful death suit against McAfee and last year a court in Florida found against him, ordering him to pay the family more than $25m.

In 2015, McAfee was arrested in the US for driving under the influence and possession of a gun while under the influence.

He was released from detention in the Dominican Republic in July 2019 after he and five others were suspected of travelling on a yacht carrying high-calibre weapons, ammunition and military-style gear, officials in the Caribbean island said at the time.

Reuters and AFP contributed to this report

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John McAfee is Doing Great in Prison: It’s Like The Hilton

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For a lot of us, prison is a dark and scary place where no one wants to be But we are not John McAfee.

The software developer, tax evader, crypto-shiller, drugs user, whale-fucker, former US presidential candidate and crypto-shiller sent a statement to his followers sharing his experience in the Spanish prison after his arrest.

And things arent so bad In fact, according to his own words, at 75 years old, John McAfee is having a fascinating time there:

Hello from prison my friends. I am having a fascinating time. Spanish prison is not that bad. We can wear whatever clothes we want. We can smoke and socialize. Its like the Hilton without turn down service.

John McAfee continued to explain in his message how he has adapted to life inside the prison, and how he is making new friends:

My cell mate is an ambassadors drug dealer, I wish I would have known him before. The prison yard is full of murderers but mostly nice people. I spend most of my time with my back to the wall. I miss and love you all. I will update you more when I am able.

This isnt the first time John McAfee has been in jail, and of course its not his first encounter with the law. On July 24, 2019, authorities in the Dominican Republic apprehended him and part of his team after they found several large-caliber weapons without proper documentation.

However, not only did he come out unharmed, but he also claimed that he was treated very well, and published several smiling photos with some security officials.

John McAfee was arrested in Spain after years of investigation on charges ranging from tax evasion to fradulent promotion of ICOs. If he were extradited and prosecuted in the United States, he would face not only financial penalties but also a significant amount of time in a U.S. prison And those are not like the Hilton.

During 2017, John McAfee used to promote altcoins on a daily basis. Tron (TRX), Verge (XVG), Reddcoin and other projects passed through his hands as he talked about them and how he believed such initiatives could revolutionize the world. He kept doing that even after the ICO hype was over.

However, it was later discovered that McAfee received payments for these promotions, and was not transparent when separating advice from opinions and paid promotions. This may have been a fraudulent way of attracting investors and is punishable under US law.

Thats one of the reasons he is at the Hilton today.

McAfees statement was shared by the official account of his wife, Janice. She confirmed the news of his arrest on October 6. She assured that McAfee was well and thanked the entire crypto community for their support.

Janice McAfee added that his husband has always sticked true to his beliefs: Regardless of whatever John may may not have done, he has spent most of his retirement fighting not only for his freedom but for everyones freedom, she said.

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John McAfee is Doing Great in Prison: It's Like The Hilton

Janice Dyson McAfee John McAfee’s Wife …

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Check out Janice Dyson McAfee aka Janice McAfee; she is the wife of John McAfee, the computer programmer, businessman, nd 2016 Libertarian Party presidential candidate. H i th developer f th firt commercial anti-virus program. Thi bore th McAfee brand-name fr years until it w bought b Intel nd givn th Intel name. Hi wealth peaked t $100 million, bfr hi investments suffered in th global crisis f 2007.

McAfee l h interests in smartphone apps, yoga, nd all-natural antibiotics. H resided fr a number f years in Belize; but ftr vrl disputes with th authorities in Belize nd Guatemala; h returned t th United States in 2013.

Janice Dyson McAfees hubby started a nw company in 2013, Future Tense Central; t produce a secure computer network device called th D-Central. In February 2014; McAfee announced Cognizant, n application fr smartphones, whih displays information but th permissions f thr installed applications. On April 3, 2014, John McAfee rebranded Cognizant DCentral 1, nd released n Android version fr free n Google Play.

At th DEF CON conference in L Vegas, Nevada in August 2014, h warned Americans nt t u smartphones, suggesting apps r ud t spy n clueless consumers wh d nt rd privacy user agreements.

A f January 2016, McAfee i running n incubator called Future Tense Central nd h i l th chief evangelist fr security startup Everykey.On February 2016, McAfee received mdi attention b publicly volunteering t decrypt th iPhone ud b th San Bernardino shooters, avoiding th nd fr Apple t build a backdoor.

On September 8, 2015, McAfee announced tht h wuld seek th office f President f th United States in th 2016 presidential election; th candidate f a newly formed political party called th Cyber Party. On December 24, 2015, h re-announced hi candidacy bid, ing tht h wuld intd seek th presidential nomination f th Libertarian Party. The world anticipated meeting the possible first lady, Janice Dyson McAfee.

John McAfee created hi empire with th computer antivirus nd varies scanner tht carried hi name McAfee, ftr 2009 he had a net worth estimated at $100 million, later decreased t $4 M nd he turned his back to computers and moved to Belize.

It w in Belize, the craziest stories but John McAfee took place, frm gtting hi house raid b Belizes Gang Suppression Unit whil hi 17-year-old girlfriend frm Belize w there, th GSU accused him f unlicensed drug manufacturing nd possession f n unlicensed weapon, and becoming a person of interest in relation to the murder of his neighbor,American expatriate Gregory Viant Faull, whowas found dead of a gunshot wound on November 11, 2012, at his home on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Furthermore, John McAfee h bn married thr times, hi firt wife i w n f hi students h started dating whil h studied math in college nd graduate school, whn thir relationship w revealed, h w forced t leave. Not ur wht w hr nm nr whn th divorced, we do know she left him in the early 1980s.

But thn h mt hi nd wife Judy, wh helped him build hi company, Judith R. McAfee w born n January 3, 1954; m f Judy McAfees previous addresses wr in Bremerton, WA., Woodland Park, CO., nd Watsonville, CA.

Whil h w still with hr husband th resided with thir ix cats in Santa Clara, C.A.; w knw tht h w a yoga enthusiast, and frmr flight attendant t American airlines; she helped hr husbands business in hr free time. Th split u nd th divorced in 2002.

Moreover, in lt 90s h w dating 46-year-old Jennifer Irwin; th lt pictures f thm tgthr wr tkn btwn 2009 nd 2010. Th dated fr 14 years.

Rumors but a ibl romantic relationship btwn McAfee nd Allison Adonizio th stunning young Harvard biologist wh moved t Belize t work with him in hi lab, however, bth denied th allegations.

Whil in Belize John McAfee dated vrl local women, m wr vr young nd spoke freely but thir relationship with th famous British mogul, two of these girls are Amy Emshwiller and then 20 something-year-old Samantha Vanegas who flew with him from Belize to Guatemala; they eventually split up after he was deported back to the US and Samantha stayed behind.

Nowadays, McAfee i a married man; hi wife #3 is Janice Dyson McAfee, a 35-year-old frmr ****** nd dancer h mt in Miami, th night h w deported frm Guatemala. They got married in 2013 and live together in Lexington, Tennessee.

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Janice Dyson McAfee John McAfee's Wife ...

Cryptocurrency $1 Trillion Dollar Market Cap Prediction Comes True as Thomas Carter Shares Insights on Digital Assets for 2021: Imperium Group…

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DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 9, 2021 / Fueled by unprecedented institutional investment activity, the cryptocurrency market recently breached $1 trillion in market capitalization.

If you're familiar with the Who's Who in the cryptocurrency space, you've likely heard of John McAfee's gonzo wager where he promised to ingest his, ahem... "membrum virile," if Bitcoin didn't reach a price of $1 million by December 31, 2020 -- also referred to as, "The Great Dickening."

As far as we know, neither of those propositions came to fruition, however, a less salacious prediction was made by digital asset visionary Thomas Carter in February of 2020. At the time of the prediction, the price of Bitcoin was roughly of today's price.

The market cap prediction is one of many astute forecasts in the fintech & crypto space made by Carter over the past several years, solidifying his position in the market as a digital assets innovator and thought leader.

Carter was ahead of the curve with his flagship venture, DealBox's pioneering digital securities platform, in 2018. Since that time, DealBox has become the leading regulatory compliant tokenized securities issuance and investment platform on the market.

DealBox provides a feature-rich and robust platform using the Tezos blockchain technology. The groundbreaking platform gives issuers and investors a savvy approach to being first-in-line to invest and raise capital via smart securities issuance technologies.

As with traditional securities, these tokenized assets fall under the regulatory auspices of the SEC and CFTC and are rigorously vetted. Unlike traditional securities, however, they are much more efficient, affordable, secure, and easier to regulate due to the novel features of blockchain technology.

Parlaying off the success of DealBox, Carter's Fintech innovation team recently kicked off a better usability initiative with its "Make Crypto Easy" campaign.

Leading this campaign is flagship project, and DealBox issuer, Total Network Service Corp (TNS), is making the sending and receiving of cryptocurrency easier with its product Digital Names by allowing its users to create a simple, human-readable name to replace the long, alpha-numerical addresses used in digital wallets.

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Digital Names for cryptocurrency and digital wallets do what domain names did for the internet back in the 90s. Rather than remember a numerical IP address for a website, you can simply type in http://www.google.com and arrive at the desired destination.

The projected growth of this nascent industry is potentially larger than the Domain Name Service Industry, which currently grosses about $6 billion a year.

GoDaddy, one of the major DNS providers, has a market cap today of around $12 billion. This new industry and market opportunity will mint the next round of companies like this, of which Total Network Service is in position to take advantage of.

Most recently, TNS, under Carter's leadership, has been working closely with a consortium of telco and manufacturing companies on a stealth project aimed at delivering an interoperable solution that would bring an entirely new spectrum of networked communication between the traditional internet, blockchains, and IoT (Internet of Things) enabled devices.

Thomas Carter had this to say on the current state of the crypto market --

" The significance of the crypto space breaching $1 Trillion in market cap isn't so much the number as that certainly will fluctuate over time. I think the takeaway for investors and entrepreneurs is in realizing that the market cap milestone was fueled by institutional investment activity, which seems to validate the intrinsic value and utility of blockchain technology I've been evangelizing for the past several years.

Blockchain is truly novel. There are things you can do with blockchain that you just can't do with any other technology. The things you can do only with blockchain technology have one thing in common, and that is the empowerment of the individual and democratization of transactional activities, whether that be in logistics, finance, communications, etc.

My career focus has been on empowerment and providing value in the fintech space. The advent of blockchain tech has increased that capability 1000x and represents a generational disruption across all the industries that can benefit from distributed ledger technology. I'm excited to be among those leading the charge. "

Thomas Carter, founder and Chairman of DealBox, Inc; read about Thomas: "This FinTech Veteran Is Making Cryptocurrency Startup Funding Legitimate"; connect on LinkedIn and Instagram.

The post-Fintech Mogul Thomas Carter Predicts Trillion Dollar Cryptocurrency Market Cap in 2020 appeared first on Yahoo News.

About DealBox

Deal Box, Inc.'s mission is to "Democratize Wealth for All" as the World's First Democratized Venture Capital Firm. Deal Box, Inc. is The new standard for venture investment and funding. We are a specialty capital markets consulting firm focusing on traditional and digital securities industries utilizing blockchain-based technologies, enhancing capital formation for entrepreneurs, and early ventures to growth-stage companies.

CONTACT:Imperium Group

imperiumgrouppr.com

getstarted@imperium-pr.com

SOURCE: DealBox

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Cryptocurrency $1 Trillion Dollar Market Cap Prediction Comes True as Thomas Carter Shares Insights on Digital Assets for 2021: Imperium Group...

UAE Tech Podcast: Mathew Yarger on Cybersecurity, Decentralization and the ‘Machine Economy’ – Al-Bawaba

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Popularized in sci-fi movies like the Terminator, the Matrix and others is the concept of a machine-age, or what Matthew Yarger and others refer to as the machine economy. Weve seen this debate in regard to ethical AI, or "fairness in algorithms, but a new frontier is appearing in regard to centralization, walled gardens and networks with a single point of failure.

In a centralized system, there are fears automation could allow Skynet scenario - machines making decisions so complex, that meaningful human control is no longer necessary or perhaps even possible.

In a DLT, or decentralized ledger system, information is no longer owned by a single platform. A malicious AI, non-state actor or cyber-criminal has no central location to hack - at least in theory, the attack surface is reduced from billions, right down to 1.

Automation & DLT technologies are changing philosophy and ideation in the cyber-security sector. But are decentralized systems really the future? Will these systems be permissioned or permissionless? And can Decentralized Ledger Technology allow automated systems to scale into our economies and personal work lives, without compromising our safety, privacy and security?

Today were talking with Mathew Yarger, Head of Mobility and Automotive at the IOTA Foundation, on the machine economy, and cybersecurity.

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UAE Tech Podcast: Mathew Yarger on Cybersecurity, Decentralization and the 'Machine Economy' - Al-Bawaba

Governments Supply-Chain Vulnerabilities and What to Do About Them – Governing

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The recently exposed SolarWinds cybersecurity incident has highlighted something those of us in the information-security business have long worried about: that the supply chain is a black box most of us have very little visibility into. It is a vast and diverse aggregation of both physical and virtual components of almost impenetrable origin and complexity.

The opaque nature of this conglomeration of systems results in digital security vulnerabilities that very few organizations have even tried to fathom, yet unwittingly accept. That may be changing. Jennifer Bisceglie, CEO of the supply-chain resilience company Interos, spends a lot of time talking with government organizations about supply-chain issues. "Given the unprecedented wave of supply-chain shocks we witnessed in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic, the SolarWinds cyberattack and the impact of escalating trade wars with China organizations are beginning to realize they need to devote more attention to supply-chain risk," she says.

Supply chains are the backbone of today's global economy, and any organization public or private that relies on one to accomplish its business goals is a player in supply-chain cybersecurity risk management. Cyber-enabled supply-chain attacks can now result in vastly disproportionate harm compared to the minimal resources required to execute an attack. The good news is that robust, ever-improving technology is available today to provide organizations with the tools to identify their extended supply chains and monitor their risk factors. But software is only one part of a strong risk-mitigation strategy.

People often think of the supply chain as the logistical framework for getting a physical product from point A to point B, including activities involved in the sourcing and conversion of products and the collaboration among suppliers, intermediaries and customers. But the exploding global digital transformation has altered supply-chain risks dramatically to include a mystifying accumulation of software code and application relationships that generate perplexing cybersecurity risk-management challenges.

Supply-chain cybersecurity is taking an increasingly prominent role in many organizations because divining the provenance of components and software, and the relationships between systems critical to government and business operations, is crucial to knowing how to protect those systems. "If an organization doesn't understand which third parties have access to its network and present the greatest risk to its data, its digital ecosystem becomes a ticking time bomb just waiting to be exploited," says Fred Kneip, CEO of the security software company CyberGRX. This is especially true for government organizations where citizen privacy is at risk and in those sectors of the economy from energy to communications to water systems that are designated as essential critical infrastructure.

Supply-chain cybersecurity risk management is focused on the threats to disrupt, degrade or destroy IT systems, software and network infrastructure. Cyber-related disruptions can impact all of the multi-tier organizational relationships in the supply chain. What happened to the Maersk shipping company is instructive. Maersk is responsible for 20 percent of the world's shipping capacity, and when it was infected with the NotPetya malware in 2017, its 800-ship fleet, which is supported by 80,000 employees in 574 offices across 130 countries, was quite literally dead in the water. That was bad news for Maersk of course, but even worse news for the millions of customers who depend on the company for fresh and frozen food products, raw materials for manufacturing and products destined for the retail market.

A 2017 Wired article highlighted several other examples of hackers exploiting the digital supply chain, including one case in which a fake version of an Apple developer tool popular with Chinese app-builders resulted in the (at the time) largest-ever outbreak of malware on Apple devices.

And in October 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek raised the specter of a long-feared hardware attack on the supply chain, reporting that spy chips that could be used to alter or steal data had been discovered on components supplied by a Chinese subcontractor to Supermicro, a major U.S. supplier of servers and motherboards.

While all of the companies involved disputed the Bloomberg report, the value of Supermicro's stock dropped by more than 40 percent. For the public sector, the risks are far greater, bringing the potential for disruptions to everything from public health and safety to essential infrastructure. So what can your government organization do to understand and mitigate supply-chain cybersecurity risks? Some essential steps:

Map your supply chain and identify high-priority vendors most critical to your organization's ability to function.

Identify sub-tier suppliers whose critical IT components or software are embedded in your systems.

Create diversity in your supply chain so you don't have any single-point-of-failure vendors.

Know, without a doubt, what information systems your vendors can access via your own networks.

Establish baseline security controls to which you can hold all of your vendors accountable. To identify potential insider threats, make sure these security controls encompass their personnel employment practices.

Ensure that your organization's security team is integrated into the procurement process, including vendor assessments and vendor management.

John McAfee, the founder of the security software company that bears his name, is known for making wild and outlandish statements. But he hit the nail on the head when he said that "any logical structure that humans can conceive will be susceptible to hacking, and the more complex the structure, the more certain that it can be hacked." Our global supply-chain infrastructure is perhaps one of the most complex digital organisms to ever evolve, and government organizations need to be proactively diligent in recognizing the cybersecurity risks it presents.

Governing's opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing's editors or management.

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Governments Supply-Chain Vulnerabilities and What to Do About Them - Governing

Russian Navy joins major multinational AMAN-2021 drills in Pakistan, NATO countries also expected to attend (VIDEO) – RT

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11 Feb, 2021 17:39

Russias navy ships have arrived in Pakistan to take part in the multinational exercise AMAN-2021. The drills are expected to see China and several NATO nations in attendance.

Russian vessels arrived in Karachi on Thursday. They were greeted by Pakistans military officials, as well as the Russian diplomats working there, and they took a brief tour of the ships. RTs footage from the scene shows the vessels being prepared for the drills, expected to kick off on Friday.

The Russian Navy is represented by the countrys Black Sea Fleet, which dispatched frigate Admiral Grigorovich and patrol vessel Dmitriy Rogachev for the exercise. The combat ships are accompanied by a tug boat, a naval helicopter, as well as by marine and demining units.

AMAN-2021 is a rare exercise that brings together countries from all across the globe, including those that do not exactly enjoy amicable relations.

Exercise AMAN is about bridging gaps and making it possible to operate together in pursuance of common objectives, Rear Adm. Naveed Ashraf, commander of the Pakistani fleet, said on Monday.

This will be the seventh of the biennial drills, and Pakistan had invited some 45 nations to participate. These include China, the US and Turkey, as well as several other NATO nations.

The goal of the Aman-2021 exercise is to strengthen and develop military cooperation between the countries participating in the maneuvers, reinforcing security and stability at seas, as well as the experience exchange between sailors in countering threats of piracy in areas of high maritime traffic, Russias military said in a statement.

It remains unclear to what extent the invited nations will participate in the drills, either sending in naval ships or merely being represented by military observers. The drills will continue until next Thursday, with the forces in attendance honing their skills both on land and at sea.

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Russian Navy joins major multinational AMAN-2021 drills in Pakistan, NATO countries also expected to attend (VIDEO) - RT

France and Germany spend more on military than the UK, new report reveals – Telegraph.co.uk

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However the report acknowledges that due to the significant differences in definitions regarding defence expenditure used by Sipri and Nato, the internationally recognised figures for defence spending, it complicates international comparisons.

The figures also do not take into account the multi-year settlement worth an extra 24billion that was awarded to the Ministry of Defence by Boris Johnson last November.

In comparison Nato figures for 2019 show UK spending was $59billion, Germany was $52 billion and France $50 billion.

Nicolas Baverez, economist and lawyer who contributes to the Institut Montaigne, said the 16 billion investment was a strong announcement by British government, but said they needed to clearly understand where these spendings will be made.

Mr Baverez also acknowledged that the Sipri data used in the report for France integrated pensions schemes and Gendamari. However, he cautioned that under French law the Gendarmerie has a military regime and is not governed by the same laws as the police.

Mr Baverez added that the decision to use Sipri instead of Nato data had been in order to show a world vision, and not one that is exclusive to Nato members.

Fundamentally, I believe its not a competition, its just to know if one country or the other is spending more on defence, Mr Baverez told The Daily Telegraph.

We dont have to fight on figures of GDP, we dont have to fight to know if its France, Germany or the UK who is spending more, the important thing is what do we have to do to secure security for European citizens and French citizens and for British citizens.

Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute, said based on NATO figures, Germany was increasing its military expenditure from a point where its behind.

If current trends continue Germany may overtake the UK sometime in the next three or four years, he said.

Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Analysis, said the UK needs to make sure we are not resting on our laurels. He added: The French are coming up on the inside very quickly.

An MOD Spokesperson said:We do not recognise the figures in this report. Based on official NATO rankings, the UK is the biggest European defence spender in the alliance with a budget of over 48bn this year.

The Ministry of Defences budget has also been strengthened with a substantial investment uplift of more than 24bn over the next four years agreed last November.

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France and Germany spend more on military than the UK, new report reveals - Telegraph.co.uk

2 Confederate statues were removed in Georgia within 3 days – CNN

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One such vandalism was the catalyst for the removal of the Confederate monument that stood outside the Gwinnett County Courthouse in Lawrenceville.

According to the release, the 28-year-old monument was vandalized during protests in June 2020, prompting a lawsuit filed by Gwinnett County Solicitor-General Brian Whiteside that sought to have the monument declared a public nuisance and have it removed.

It was vandalized again on Thanksgiving, which led to the board making the decision to put it in "an appropriate storage facility for protection and preservation until the court provides further direction or the lawsuit is resolved," the release said.

"A monument celebrating the Confederacy on county property is inconsistent with the message of welcome and inclusion that the County is sending to the world. We should place it in storage to avoid further provocation and to help the cause of tranquility for the benefit of all," Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said in the press release.

Commissioner Kirkland Carden said in the release that it was "time to remove this monument of hate that has been a stain on Gwinnett County since it was erected in 1993," adding that "removing this monument is a step in the right direction."

Statue moved to historic house

A statue of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was relocated from downtown Dalton to the historic Huff House Saturday by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who own the statue, city of Dalton spokesman Bruce Frazier told CNN.

Dalton sits just 16 miles south of the Tennessee border in the northwest corner of Georgia.

"The statue of General Johnston is the property of the United Daughters of the Confederacy which commissioned it and placed it downtown in 1912," Dalton told CNN.

The historic Huff House was the headquarters of General Johnston "during the Confederate Army of Tennessee's winter encampment in Dalton for about six months from December 1863 to May 1864," Robert D. Jenkins, Sr., attorney for the United Daughters of the Confederacy, said in a statement to CNN.

"It is a logical place for the statue where the history of the man, the statue and the house may all be interpreted and visited," Jenkins explained.

Jenkins said that the removal process didn't require any votes or come after any attempts to destroy the statue.

"No one involved in this process has intimated or attempted to tear down or destroy the statue or the history of it," he said, adding that the United Daughters of the Confederacy "simply wanted it moved from a public property and were willing to pay for its relocation."

"In many communities across our country, unfortunately, similar circumstances have led to violence," said Jenkins. "In Dalton, however, the various parties have worked together to find and to carry out a good solution. We hope that the new location of the statue will lead to greater interest to and support of the Huff House," Jenkins said.

Frazier confirmed to CNN that the measure was never voted on by a mayor or council and "the issue never appeared on any city agenda."

Confederate monument to be replaced with John Lewis statue

These are not the first Confederate monuments in the state of Georgia to be removed.

The city had argued the statue had become a threat to public safety during recent protests and wanted it to be put in storage until they could find another place to put it.

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2 Confederate statues were removed in Georgia within 3 days - CNN

An Atlanta Suburb Removed a Confederate Monument That Featured an Apparently Fake Winston Churchill Quote About Heritage – artnet News

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A county in the Atlanta suburbs has removed a Confederate monument that stood on the grounds of the Gwinnett County Historic Courthouse in Lawrenceville.

The decision is the latest win for the growing movement to remove monuments to hate. But this particular monument had two especially dubious distinctions. First, it was put in place exceptionally late. According to Michael Diaz-Griffiths Anti-Racist Preservationists Guide to Confederate Monuments, a great many monuments to the Lost Cause of the Confederacy were erected between 1890 and 1920, decades after the Civil War, and in the 1950s and 60speriods marked by advances in civil rights. The Lawrenceville monument was erected in 1993 by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. (Sadly, it is not the most recent.)

Second, it bears a quote supposedly from Sir Winston Churchill: Any people with contempt for their heritage have lost faith in themselves and no nation can long survive without pride in its [sic] traditions.But one expert in misinformation says those words never came out of Churchills mouth.

Loren Collins, an Atlanta lawyer and author of Bullspotting: Finding Facts in the Age of Misinformation, questioned the quote as soon as he heard of it. Theres a whole chapter on spurious quotations in my book, he said, so that set off some alarms for me. When I searched online, most of the results were just neo-Confederate sites, which doesnt necessarily prove its not legit, of course, but I just couldnt find any credible source.

Among the earliest appearances of the phrase that he can find comes from Southerners Left a Legacy of Courage, a 1990 editorial in VirginiasDaily Press defending Civil War reenactments. Another, from around the same time, comes from a newspaper ad placed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. That makes me wonder, he said, whether it was just circulating among those groups in their newsletters and pamphlets or whatnot.

More recently, he says, I came across a 1992 article about the monument in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Memorial Issue Resurrects Painful Past. It includes several letters from readers, and one of them uses this quote, which makes me wonder whether thats the way it ended up on the monument!

The5,800-pound granite monument features an early Confederate flag as part of its imagery.Protesters calling for the removal of the monument pointed out that Charles H. Hale, a Black man, was lynched just a few yards from the site in 1911. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had previously called on Governor Nathan Deal to tear it down in 2017 after the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

It has been placed in storage, according to the county, while court proceedings decide its fate. A state law prohibits the removal of Confederate monuments except for reasons of preservation, protection, and interpretation, according to ABC. A new Democratic majority of county commissioners found that two recent acts of vandalism made the monument a threat to public safety.

It will not remove 150 years of hatred and white supremacy, but its a damn good start, said commissioner Kirkland Carden of the decision. This has no place in a modern-day Gwinnett County.

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An Atlanta Suburb Removed a Confederate Monument That Featured an Apparently Fake Winston Churchill Quote About Heritage - artnet News

The Real Reason the Confederate Flag Bothers Me | Opinion – Harvard Crimson

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As I watched the insurrection at the United States Capitol unfold last month, I was surprised at the amount of diversity I saw throughout the crowd. Im not talking about cultural, racial, or even religious diversity, but rather the myriad of different flags and related political symbols littered across the Capitol. On the one hand, some of these flags were familiar: The Betsy Ross flag of the original 13 colonies and the generic Trump 2020 and MAGA banners were all strewn across Capitol Hill. On the other hand, I saw many I didn't recognize. There was a white flag with a red cross, a yellow flag with three red stripes, a green flag with black and white stripes, and many more.

However, one flag stood out to me from among the rest, and it was the one I had seen countless times before. With its sharp red background and intersecting blue stripes filled with white stars, the Confederate flag stuck out from the sea of colors. I eventually learned that many of the unfamiliar flags represented various far-right movements that I detest, ranging from QAnon to the Proud Boys. Still, the presence of the Confederate flag bothered me the most.

Why? So many of these movements start from the same misinformed hate, but that specific flag bothered me more.

This is the question I asked myself as I struggled to understand the reasoning behind the flag's appearance at the Capitol. As a Black person, that Confederate flag has always represented the beliefs of a people who fought to uphold the enslavement of my entire race. And while not everyone has this same background, what has always confused me is that it seems that the most outwardly patriotic Americans are the same ones who fly the Confederate flag with pride. Its paradoxical the Confederates took up arms against the beloved Union, so their existence should be hated, right? Clearly not, and for many, it is the exact opposite.

A poll taken by the Morning Consult and Politico in July of 2020 found that 43 percent of voters still believe that the Confederate flag represents Southern pride including 74 percent of Republicans. Its unnerving. And this revision of history doesnt seem to just stop with the flag. There seems to be a prevailing theme throughout America that the United States Civil War was about anything but slavery.

For example, in December of last year, a popular conservative media company, PragerU, posted a now-deleted video defending Confederate general Robert E. Lees legacy, going so far as to imply that one of his greatest accomplishments was crushing an attempted slave rebellion by radical abolitionist John Brown. PragerU isnt a small company; it has more than 2.86 million subscribers on Youtube and has amassed over a billion views on its videos. Millions of people are consuming and further spreading this material, and it only continues the cycle of misinformation.

Still, many people who understand the history of the Civil War do believe that it is an important enough reason to put away the Confederate flag, but to them, the issue just seems trivial. Ive heard many comments like, Why are we worrying about this, arent there much more prevalent issues in the world right now? and The Civil War ended ages ago things can change, right? Or, ironically, Most Black people dont even care that much, so lets just move on.

And surprisingly, I somewhat agree. The Confederate flag itself isnt the most pressing issue in the world, and it isnt even too common in urban areas where most Americans live. However, the real issue is that the flag represents the distrust many Americans have of scientific and historical consensus.

It doesnt surprise me that 15 percent of Americans believe we have currently taken enough steps to fight climate change or that 10 percent of us believe vaccines cause autism, with 46 percent unsure. If issues like these remain contested, what do we expect to do for more layered problems like healthcare, immigration, and education reform? These people are our voting population and when 43 percent of them still cannot recognize what the Confederate flag truly stands for, its not surprising that America is extremely slow to move forward.

So to answer my own question, the Confederate flag bothers me because it represents the deep dissemination of falsehoods into society that powerful actors don't do enough to dismantle. Harvard affiliates benefit from the social clout the school carries, and that should come with the responsibility to push back against false information. Many Harvard graduates go on to fill powerful leadership roles within society, and their voices all hold weight. As a collective, we can fight against many of the false narratives pushed in society.

We live in a democracy, and the people themselves have to agree on our history before any meaningful social change can occur. This just hasnt happened yet. While I continue to be optimistic, something tells me that America is in for a very long ride towards reunification with fact.

Julius E. Ewungkem 24 is a Crimson Editorial editor.

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Review: How an ex-slave and a Confederate hero joined forces during the Jim Crow era – Waterbury Republican American

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About 500 St. Louisans gathered in 1914 for the dedication of a Confederate memorial in Forest Park, where Bennett H. Young, commander-in-chief of the United Confederate Veterans Association, eulogized the bravery and bitter determination of the 600,000 Southern men who fought for a cause they believed to be right. Young, an apologist for the Confederacy, played a key role in littering the country with memorials to the Lost Cause, but, as in all things, his story is complicated.

Just 15 years earlier, this man who rode during the war with John Hunt Morgan and later authored a paean to Confederate horsemen, including Nathan Bedford Forrest, represented a formerly enslaved person in one of the most sensational trials of the Jim Crow era.

Its a story retold, with riveting details and context, in A Shot in the Moonlight, a new book by Ben Montgomery, former enterprise reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.

The story begins in 1897, when a group of white farmers in Simpson County, Ky., paid a nighttime visit to the home of George Dinning, a poor Black farmer, and accused him of stealing. They gave Dinning and his family 10 days to leave the county and abandon his 125-acre farm. Dinning insisted he was no thief, and reputable white men would back him up, but these night riders shot into the house, and Dinning was wounded. He returned fire, they unloaded their guns, then retreated. One of the party, a wealthy farmers son named Jodie Conn, was mortally wounded. Dinning turned himself in to the sheriff. While he was in custody, the vigilantes returned to his home, forced his wife and children to flee, then burned everything to the ground.

Dinning likely would have been lynched, except the sheriff quickly got him out of town. When Dinning was brought back to Franklin to stand trial, Gov. William O. Bradley, a Republican and outspoken foe of racial violence and lynching, ordered the Kentucky militia to protect the jail and courtroom.

Dinning was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years hard labor. But Dinnings cause, by then, had aroused statewide and even national sympathy and Bradley granted Dinning a full pardon, saying Dinning did no more than any other man would or should have done under the same circumstances.

Now a free man, Dinning and his family relocated to Jeffersonville, Ind. across the Ohio River from Louisville. Bennett Young, who had followed newspaper coverage of the Simpson County trial and who was among those who called on Bradley to pardon Dinning, agreed to take Dinnings case against his assailants to federal court. By testifying in the Simpson County case, Dinnings white neighbors had succeeded in implicating themselves.

Youngs courtroom performance, eviscerating the defenses arguments, was carried widely by sympathetic papers, including the Post-Dispatch, which said the old Confederate delivered a speech rarely equaled for passionate earnestness. On May 5, 1899, an all-white jury returned a verdict of $50,000 in Dinnings favor an astounding result, given the times and widely reported at the time.

Montgomery does more than resurrect this old story; he digs deep into trial testimony, newspaper records and archives and weaves a richly textured and dramatic story that underscores a truth of the Jim Crow era that Black people faced oppression with great courage and resilience, and that their fearlessness and moral rectitude made even unreconstructed apologists for an unjust system bend. But only to a point Youngs crowning lifetime achievement was the erection of a 351-foot obelisk honoring Jefferson Davis in Fairview, Ky., Davis birthplace.

Dinning, who at some point changed the spelling of his surname to Denning, died in obscurity in 1930 and is buried in a now-unmarked grave in Jeffersonville. He only received a fraction of the money he was awarded and never recovered his Kentucky property. Twenty years ago, part of his story was featured in an Associated Press series about Black farmers being driven off their land.

Asked recently whether Dinning and his family actually received justice, his great-grandson, Anthony Denning, paused a moment.

Thats a tough question. For me, no. He was forced to leave the farm he had farmed for 14 years, Denning said in an online discussion hosted by the Topeka, Kan., public library. He did sue, and he did win. But you have to read the book to get the rest of the story.

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Review: How an ex-slave and a Confederate hero joined forces during the Jim Crow era - Waterbury Republican American

The Europe cell and gene therapy market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 23% during the period 20212026 – GlobeNewswire

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New York, Feb. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Europe Cell and Gene Therapy Market - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2021-2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06021776/?utm_source=GNW

The global cell and gene therapy market is observing significant mergers and acquisition activities, product sales, and new market authorizations. In 2026, the market is expected to grow almost four times more than the current value, with new product approvals expected annually. Although initial product approvals have been for relatively small patient groups, the significant pipeline of cell & gene therapy studies for diseases such as hemophilia and various forms of blindness will significantly expand. In addition, the Europe market is witnessing steady growth due to the increased availability of funds from several public and private institutes. There is increased support from regulatory bodies for product approvals and fast-track product designations, which encourage vendors to manufacture products at a fast rate. Moreover, with over 237 regenerative medicines companies headquartered in Europe, the region is seen as the favorite destination for cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the Europe cell and gene therapy market during the forecast period: CMOs Offering Vector Manufacturing Services for Cell and Gene Therapy Companies Robust Cell & Gene Therapies in the Pipeline Increase in Strategic Acquisitions Regulatory Support for Cell and Gene Therapy Products

The study considers the present scenario of the Europe cell and gene therapy market and its market dynamics for the period 2020?2026. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.

Europe Cell and Gene Therapy Market Segmentation The Europe cell and gene therapy market research report includes a detailed segmentation by product, end-user, application, geography. A high potential to treat several chronic diseases, which cannot be effectively treated/cured through conventional methods otherwise, is propelling the growth of gene therapies. Gene therapies are regarded as a potential revolution in the health sciences and pharmaceutical fields. The number of clinical trials investigating gene therapies is increasing in Europe, despite the limited number of products that have successfully reached the market. However, gene therapies show slow progress and promising prospect in terms of treatments. High support from regulatory bodies to commercialize these products and make them affordable to patients is another important factor contributing the market growth.

Delivering cell and gene therapies requires specialized facilities, capabilities, and clinician skills. Therefore, manufacturers are working in tandem with chosen treatment centers (hospitals) to establish the protocols and procedures necessary to receive the product and therapies. While cell therapies represent a paradigm shift in the treatment of several incurable, chronic diseases, with durable responses and long-term disease control measures, hospitals appear an ideal location to carry out these procedures. Hospitals are growing at a significant rate due to the increasing target population in Europe. Tier-I hospitals are proving to be sought-after network partners for cell and gene therapy developers. They tend to be in major population centers, have adequate financial and personnel resources, and value the prestige that comes with being the first movers in an innovative treatment area.

Oncology accounted for a share of over 30% in 2020. While cancer treatments have evolved and undergone massive developments in recent years, it continues to be one of the deadliest diseases confronted by humans. Traditional cancer therapies have a curative effect in the short term; however, they have side effects, thereby decreasing the patients quality of life. Cell and gene therapies for certain types of cancers have been promising results. The chimeric antigen receptor- (CAR-) T cell therapy is one of the most recent innovative immunotherapies and is rapidly evolving. CAR-T cell therapies are developing rapidly, and many clinical trials have been established on a global scale, which has high commercial potential for the treatment of cancer. Immunotherapies based on CAR-T cells go one step further, engineering the T cells themselves to enhance the natural immune response against a specific tumor antigen. CAR-T clinical trials have shown high remission rates, up to 94%, in severe forms of blood cancer, thereby increasing the market growth.

Product Cell Therapies Gene Therapies End-user Hospitals Cancer Care Centers Wound Care Centers Others Application Oncology Dermatology Musculoskeletal Others

INSIGHTS BY GEOGRAPHY Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain play a significant role in the Europe cell and gene therapy market. Clinical trials and the number of manufacturing facilities are increasing slowly in the European region. The region has become a major R&D destination for several vendors as the funding for cell & gene therapies is increasing. Europe has supported collaborative efforts in gene transfer and gene therapy research. In addition, the target patient population is increasing across Europe; there were an estimated 3.9 million new cases of cancer and 1.9 million cancer deaths in Europe in 2018. In addition, the prevalence surveys in the UK and Denmark indicate that there are 34 people with one or more wounds per 1,000 people. Favorable government support in terms of product approvals, reimbursement and coverage, and high R&D funding to academic institutes that are involved in the development of cell and gene therapies are expected to boosting the market in Europe.

Geography Europe o UK o Germany o France o Italy o Spain o Switzerland o Netherlands

INSIGHTS BY VENDORS Novartis, Spark Therapeutics, Amgen, Gilead Sciences, and Organogenesis are the leading players in the Europe cell and gene therapy market. The market offers tremendous growth opportunities for existing and future/emerging players on account of the presence of a large pool of target patient population with chronic diseases such as cancer, wound disorders, diabetic foot ulcer, CVDs, and other genetic disorders. Recent approvals have prompted an unprecedented expansion among vendors. While a few vendors are opting for in-house production of cell and gene therapies, a substantial number of vendors are preferring third-party service providers, including CMOs.

Prominent Vendors Novartis Spark Therapeutics Amgen Gilead Sciences Organogenesis

Other Prominent Vendors APAC Biotech AVITA Medical bluebird bio CHIESI Farmaceutici CollPlant CO.DON Human Stem Cells Institute PJSC (HSCI) Medipost NuVasive Nipro Orchard Therapeutics RMS Regenerative Medical System Orthocell Osiris Therapeutics Sibino GeneTech Shanghai Sunway Biotech Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Terumo Vericel

Emerging Investigational Vendors In Europe Adaptimmune Therapeutics AgenTus Therapeutics Autolus Cellecits Celyad CombiGene EUKARS Freeline Therapeutics Innoskel PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd SparingVision uniQure

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED 1. What is the Europe cell and gene therapy market size and growth rate during the forecast period? 2. What are the factors driving the demand for CAR-T therapy in the European region? 3. How are strategic acquisitions aiding in market growth of cell and gene therapy products? 4. Which segments are expected to generate the highest revenues during the forecast period? 5. Who are the leading vendors in the European cell and gene therapy market?Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06021776/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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The Europe cell and gene therapy market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 23% during the period 20212026 - GlobeNewswire

Global Genes Announces New Multimedia Series Focused on Advances in Gene Therapy and Editing, in Collaboration with the National Institutes of Health…

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ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As gene therapies and editing technologies rapidly advance, it is more urgent than ever to provide updates and information to the rare disease community on how these technologies can be applied across multiple diseases. Global Genes, a leading rare disease patient advocacy organization, is pleased to announce they will be publishing a multimedia series, titled Platforms of Hope: Advances in Gene Therapy and Gene Editing, throughout 2021 regarding upcoming data announcements and information on gene therapy and editing technology advances with thought leaders from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the NIH Common Funds Somatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE) program and other leading voices in these fields.

In addition to ongoing coverage through Global Genes videos, online publication RARE Daily and RARECast podcast, the organization will be publishing a special report at the end of 2021 on gene therapy and gene editing innovation. This will address a wide range of topics, with a focus on efforts to accelerate the translation of discoveries into genetic medicines that benefit patients with rare diseases.

With more than 7,000 rare diseases, there is an urgent need to keep the rare disease community abreast of developments in the rapidly changing fields of gene therapy and genome editing, said P.J. Brooks, program director at the Office of Rare Diseases Research at the NCATS. In this collaboration, NIH will help Global Genes identify the ideas, technologies and advances that have broad implications for many patients and families affected by rare diseases and provide information that could positively impact their lives and care in the future.

This collaboration will bring visibility into cutting-edge science at the frontier of genetic medicines and provide the rare disease community with insights into emerging technologies and therapies in development for rare diseases, said Christian Rubio, vice president, strategic advancement at Global Genes. Its critically important to educate the rare disease community on these rapidly evolving events.

For more information, visit http://www.globalgenes.org/media-hub.

About Global Genes

Global Genes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the burdens and challenges of rare diseases for patients and families globally. In pursuit of our mission, we connect, empower, and inspire the rare disease community to stand up, stand out, and become more effective on their own behalf -- helping to spur innovation, meet essential needs, build capacity and knowledge, and drive progress within and across rare diseases. We serve the more than 400 million people around the globe and nearly one in 10 Americans affected by rare diseases. If you or someone you love has a rare disease, or are searching for a diagnosis, contact Global Genes at 949-248-RARE, or visit our resource hub.

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Global Genes Announces New Multimedia Series Focused on Advances in Gene Therapy and Editing, in Collaboration with the National Institutes of Health...