On Friday, May 13th, there were over 75,000 ransomware (cyber) attacks in over 100 countries. It is now being called one of the "broadest and most damaging cyberattacks in history" (CNN). The majority of the attacks targeted Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan. However, the attacks went after more specific things in other countries. For example, in China, the universities were targeted, and in the UK, the health system was targeted.
The program used for the cyber attack was a Microsoft Program used by the United States' NSA (National Security Agency). The software was leaked, and was then used to hack into programs in countries worldwide. The software would "lock" the users out of their own programs/files, and would demand ransom money for access to their files. Many of the companies and firms targeted lost all of their information due to the fact that they could not, or would not, pay the money. An issue with paying the ransom money is the fact that the hacking program, now being called "wannacry" (because it made so many people cry) could easily be reprogrammed/tweaked. So, if someone managed to block the virus, a new version of the virus could easily be generated. I think this cyber attack is awful, and I hope that the people responsible for it are caught and imprisoned. The global attack has negatively affected millions of people, people who could lose everything due to the hack. The United States has some of the best technology in the world, so when their programs are hacked, the misuse of the information gained can be devastating, as seen through this attack. Source: http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/13/technology/ransomware-attack-nsa-microsoft/index.html
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France’s presidential election resulted with Emmanuel Macron coming out on top. On May 7th, the country voted for their next president, and Macron won with nearly 65.2% of the votes, beating out Marine Le Pen (with only 34.8% of the votes). She was the former leader of the National Front, one of France’s far-right political parties.
This election has been seen as a “clear rejection of France’s mainstream parties…voters turned to the 39-year-old (Macron) to help bring unity to a deeply fractured country” (CNN). This result was unexpected considering the fact that Macron is a centrist independent, meaning that he campaigned without a traditional party. He also had no experience of governing. The election caused many political divisions in the France, and he understands “the anger, the anxiety, the doubt which many of you have expressed and it is my responsibility to hear that” (Emmanuel Macron). I am so incredibly thankful that Macron won the election. I have a lot of family and friends in France, and I understand how upsetting this election has been. This election parallels the USA’s 2016 election, however this time, the right-wing party did not win. And I think that’s a good thing, because Le Pen’s political party has had a questionable past. In conclusion, I am happy that Macron won, despite his lack of experience. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/07/europe/macron-le-pen-french-election-results/index.html Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (left) with Marine Le Pen (Right)
On Friday March 29th, Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right presidential candidate, said she’d appoint former rival Nicolas Dupont-Aignan as her prime minister. Of course, this would only happen if she won the election. However, Le Pen has been gaining ground on Emmanuel Macron, her opponent in the election. Le Pen is the former leader of the National Front, a right-wing political party associated with anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Dupont-Aignan is not a member of the party, however was another of the far-right candidates. On Friday, he endorsed her, which essentially means that he is on her side of the election. The announcement is supposedly going to help bring nearly two million voters to Le Pen’s side on the day of the election, which is what she needs to beat Macron. A day after the announcement, the two appeared at a news conference in Paris, where Le Pen stated that they “will form a government of national unity that brings together people chosen for their competence and their love of France” (Marine Le Pen; NPR). I feel that this election parallels the 2016 USA elections. Le Pen is gaining ground fast, just like Donald Trump gained ground very quickly at the end of the election. As a French citizen, I hope the French election does not create the same turmoil and chaos that was created by the United States’ election. Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/29/526195277/marine-le-pen-aligns-with-mainstream-onetime-rival The tension between North Korea and the United States has been steadily rising for quite some time now. On Sunday, the Pentagon called on North Korea to “refrain from provocative, destabilizing actions and rhetoric, and to make the strategic choice to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks" (Gary Ross, Pentagon Spokesman). This statement came after one of North Korea’s newspapers staed that it was “ready to take out a US aircraft carrier conducting drills with Japanese destroyers near the Philipines” (CNN).
For many months now, North Korea (specifically their president, Kim Jong-Un) has been threatening the United States with missile launches. Last September, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear weapons test. A sixth one was scheduled to happen this month, but it went down in flames not long after it was launched. North Korea has continued to threaten US security and plans to continue to do this. I believe this is a very serious conflict, and I hope there is a peaceful solution. A war involving nuclear weapons would be catastrophic for people around the world. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/23/politics/pentagon-north-korea/index.html |
AuthorI'm a ninth grader at Woodside Priory School. Archives
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