Tuesday #sgroundup: North Korea suffers complete internet outage
Here are the top trending stories for today in case you missed them:
North Korea's internet links restored amid U.S. hacking dispute
North Korea, at the center of a confrontation with the United States over the hacking of Sony Pictures, experienced a complete Internet outage for hours before links were restored on Tuesday, but U.S. officials said Washington was not involved.
U.S.-based Dyn, a company that monitors Internet infrastructure, said the reason for the outage was not known but could range from technological glitches to a hacking attack. Several U.S. officials close to the investigations of the attack on Sony Pictures said the U.S. government had not taken any cyber action against Pyongyang.
Australia fears fresh attacks as Sydney mourns siege victims
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Tuesday warned of heightened "terrorist chatter" in the aftermath of the fatal Sydney cafe siege and said another attack was likely, as tearful mourners paid tribute to the victims.
"A briefing from the security agencies today indicated that there has been a heightened level of terrorist chatter in the aftermath of the Martin Place siege," Abbott said after a meeting of his National Security Committee.
"That's why it's important that people remain alert and aware as well as reassured that our police and security agencies are doing everything they humanly can to keep us safe."
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sydney-siege-victims-remembered-floral-tributes-removed-025324283.html
Ten injured as attacker rams van into French Christmas market
A driver ploughed into a Christmas market in western France, injuring 10 people before stabbing himself, a day after a similar attack in another French city, as authorities played down fears of a terrorist motive.
At least four people were badly hurt, one of whom was critical, after the latest incident in the city of Nantes, the third attack in three days by individuals against civilians or security forces in France, sparking fears of possible copycat action.
Authorities were quick to stress there were no apparent terrorist motives in the latest attack, describing the perpetrator as "unbalanced".
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ten-injured-driver-ploughs-french-christmas-market-192313531.html
Sex slavery pushes Iraq IS victims to suicide: Amnesty
Women and girls from Iraq's Yazidi religious minority forced into sexual slavery by the Islamic State jihadist group have committed suicide or tried to, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
IS militants have overrun swathes of Iraq since June, declared a cross-border caliphate also encompassing parts of neighbouring Syria, and carried out a litany of abuses in both countries.
The group has targeted Yazidis and other minorities in north Iraq in a campaign that rights group Amnesty said amounted to ethnic cleansing, murdering civilians and enslaving others for a fate that some captives consider even worse than death.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sex-slavery-pushes-iraq-victims-031748873.html
Satellite images show 290 heritage sites in Syria damaged by war — UN
Satellite imagery indicate that 290 cultural heritage sites in Syria, whose history stretches back to the dawn of civilization, have been damaged by its ongoing civil war, the United Nations' training and research arm (UNITAR) said on Tuesday.
Syria's heritage spans the great empires of the Middle East but cultural sites and buildings around the country, such as Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque, have been looted, damaged or destroyed in the three-year-old conflict.
Using commercially available satellite pictures, UNITAR found that 24 sites were completely destroyed, 189 severely or moderately damaged and a further 77 possibly damaged.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/satellite-images-show-290-heritage-sites-syria-damaged-080959359.html
