live U.S. restricts staff use of Saudi airports after deadly Houthi attacks
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It com...
Microsoft has ceased using China-based engineers to support U.S. Defense Department cloud systems, following a ProPublica investigation. Pentagon leadership and Congress reacted swiftly, prompting a two-week review of all such cloud contracts by Defense Secretary Hegseth.
Microsoft has announced that it will immediately stop using engineers based in China to support its cloud services for the U.S. military. The decision follows a ProPublica investigation that raised concerns over cybersecurity and triggered swift reactions from U.S. lawmakers and defence officials.
According to the exposé, engineers in China had access to Pentagon cloud systems through a little-known "digital escort" programme. In this setup, U.S.-based staff—often lacking sufficient expertise—were assigned to oversee remote sessions where Chinese engineers provided technical support, potentially exposing critical military infrastructure to risk.
The revelations drew sharp criticism from Senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who demanded answers on contractor oversight and security protocols. In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a two-week review of all Defense Department cloud service contracts. He publicly declared that China would no longer be involved in any U.S. military cloud services.
Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw confirmed the policy change in a statement on X, stating that no China-based engineering teams would support Defense Department systems going forward.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions with Washington over energy strikes and U.S. military support.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continuing from Russia and Ukraine as media reports say Ukraine has almost run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Romanian rescuers resumed their search for seven missing sailors on Friday (16 October) after a drone strike set a chemical tanker ablaze near the country’s Black Sea coast. The attacks have raised fresh security concerns along a vital regional trade route.
Students, lecturers and university staff marched on Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires on Thursday to demand President Javier Milei’s government implement a university funding law which would boost staff salaries and increase financial support to institutions to cover operating costs
A 16-year-old shooter opened fire on Thursday at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon in the United States, killing four people, including three children, before being killed by an armed member of the community who had pursued the assailant into the school, police said.
France is preparing for a fresh wave of nationwide demonstrations this weekend as rising living costs, education concerns and growing political tensions converge into one of the most significant protest movements seen in the country in recent years.
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