Lost seal rescued 30km from the sea
LONDON (AFP): British emergency services rescued an “exhausted” lost seal stranded in a muddy field about 30 kilometres (over 18 miles) from the sea in northern England on Monday. Spotted by a woman walking her dog, photos of the incongruous marine creature lying on the grass spread quickly on social media and curious onlookers gathered at the field in Newton-le-Willows to see it. The young grey male seal is thought to have travelled up the River Mersey from the Irish Sea to reach the landlocked village. Aided by a local farmer, rescue services crowded around the seal with brooms, urging it toward a trailer as it pushed itself along the grass with its flippers, snapping occasionally at the rescuers. Tempted by fish, the seal was successfully herded into a trailer and brought to a wildlife hospital for assessment, police said.
“Its condition is described as being exhausted,” police said in a statement. “Once fully recovered they hope to release the seal back into its natural habitat.”
Analysis reveals Mars held ‘small seas’
California (DM): An ancient rock, found on Earth 30 years ago, is believed to have been created from a Martian volcano that erupted four billion years ago. The meteorite fell on Antarctica around 13,000 years ago, and has since been analysed to discover whether life once flourished on the now barren landscape of the red planet. Now, a new study of the oldest meteorite from Mars has added evidence to the theory that the red planet likely held smaller seas that allowed life to flourish. Scientists from the University of California, San Diego, Nasa and the Smithsonian Institution recently took a fresh look at the minerals within the ALH84001 rock.
Sony threatens Twitter
LOS ANGELES(AFP): Sony Pictures has threatened Twitter with legal action unless it removes confidential material stolen from the movie company’s computers that someone has posted on the social networking site. The threat is the latest fallout from the hacking of the movie studio, which US officials have blamed on North Korea. A group calling itself “Guardians of Peace” took credit for infiltrating Sony’s computer systems in retribution for plans to release the film “The Interview”, which mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The hackers destroyed numerous Sony computer files and published several embarrassing emails containing unflattering remarks about movie stars and confidential celebrity pay information. Some of that material now has been posted on Twitter, said an attorney for Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), David Boies, in a December 22 letter to the company’s lawyer, demanding that it be removed.
“Someone using the Twitter account name: @bikinirobotarmy is in possession of, and is using this Twitter account to publish SPE’s stolen documents and information,” Boies said in a copy of the letter posted on the Scribd.com website. In the letter addressed to Twitter’s general counsel Vijaya Gadde, Boies asked that the Twitter account be suspended. If the company fails to comply, Boies wrote, “SPE will have no choice but to hold Twitter responsible for any damage or loss arising from such use or dissemination by Twitter, including any damages or loss to SPE or others, and including, but not limited to, any loss of value of intellectual property and trade secrets resulting from Twitter’s actions.” Meanwhile, in a separate development, some 250 independent movie theater owners expressed “solidarity” with Sony Pictures on the change.org website. The art house cinema owners “reaffirm clearly our dedication to the value of freedom and the absolute necessity to keep our film industry free of restriction, censorship and violent intimidation,” they wrote, encouraging independent movie houses to dare to show the film. Just last week, Hollywood star George Clooney slammed the industry for failing to stand up against the cyber threats that ultimately led Sony Pictures to cancel The Interview’s planned Christmas Day release. No one, the actor said, was brave enough to sign the petition, fearing that doing so could make them vulnerable to a hacking attack like the one that befell Sony. S Korea heightens cyber security watch on hacking (snip23kor) AFP SEOUL (AFP): South Korea has heightened its security readiness against cyber attacks as concerns grew over a series of online information leaks at nuclear power plants, officials said Tuesday. Seoul’s defence ministry said its cyber warfare unit increased its watch level against attacks from North Korean and other hackers, after the publication last week of a variety of information about the South’s nuclear power plant operator on Twitter. The 400-member unit was set up in 2010 as part of efforts to expand South Korea’s cyber warfare capability to counter hacking threats from North Korea. “In line with the heightened status of our national cyber security, the military has stepped up its readiness,” defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters. The energy ministry, which is in charge of nuclear power plants, and other related state bodies have also beefed up cyber security. The information posted on Twitter included designs and manuals for two reactors, as well as personal information on some 10,000 workers at Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), which operates 23 nuclear reactors and supplies about 30 percent of the country’s electricity. On Sunday the hacker suspected of being behind the leaks threatened to release more information unless the government shut down three reactors from December 25 and warned residents living near the plants to stay away for the coming months. KHNP said the leaks would not affect the safety of its reactors but it nevertheless launched a two-day drill from Monday to test its ability to thwart a cyber attack. More information was disclosed Tuesday, including what appeared to be diagrams of the nuclear reactors in Gori and Wolsong, southeast of Seoul, with a message scoffing at the drill. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye urged her cabinet on Tuesday to beef up cyber security for nuclear power plants and other key infrastructure facilities. “We must maintain a tight defence against cyber terrorism targeting nuclear power plants and other key facilities,” she said. Information leaks at nuclear power plants were serious crimes affecting “public safety”, Park said, calling for a “thorough” investigation into who was responsible.