Donald Trump, the US president-elect, has claimed that „no computer is safe“ from hacking, as he expressed continued scepticism that Russia interfered in the election.
Mr Trump said he knew „things that other people don’t know“ about alleged Russian cyber attacks, which he would reveal „on Tuesday or Wednesday“.
„Hacking is a very hard thing to prove,“ he told reporters at his New Year’s Eve party in his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida. „So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation. “
Yesterday, Russian diplomats expelled by President Barack Obama left Washington.
„The plane has taken off, everyone is on board,“ said the Russian embassy, quoted by Russian news agencies.
The expulsions were part of a package of sanctions ordered by Mr Obama over Moscow’s alleged interference in the US election. The Russian government denied all allegations.
Mr Obama also closed two Russian-owned compounds and ordered sanctions against two Russian intelligence agencies.
But Mr Trump questioned the reliability of US intelligence, pointing to failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the 2003 invasion.
„If you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong,“ he said. „So I want them to be sure. “
Despite being a prolific user of Twitter, Mr Trump rarely uses computers or email. He advised people to avoid modern communications when dealing with important information.
„You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way,“ he said.
„Because I’ll tell you what: no computer is safe. “
Hundreds of guests attended the party at the Mar-a-Lago grand ballroom, including actor Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio.
Earlier in the day, Mr Trump left his press pool, travelling to play golf at one of his clubs and leaving journalists and the public with no knowledge of his whereabouts.
Yesterday, three former White House press secretaries criticised his treatment of the press.
Nicolle Wallace, communications director for former president George W Bush, said Mr Trump doesn’t need the press, but wants it „like an addict craves their drugs“.
Ari Fleischer, who also worked for Mr Bush, said there was a „double-barrelled hostility“ between the president-elect and the press.
Joe Lockhart, the White House press secretary under president Bill Clinton, accused Mr Trump of creating his own facts. „It’s somewhat Orwellian,“ he said in an interview with NBC. „You redefine the past, which means you can define the present and the future. “
A member of Mr Trump’s golf club in Jupiter, Florida, posted a photo on Twitter of Mr Trump on the greens on Saturday morning and said about 25 US secret service agents accompanied the president-elect. Reporters had not been advised of the visit to the club.
Transition aide Stephanie Grisham confirmed that Mr Trump had made a „last-minute trip“ to Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, which is about a half-hour drive from Mar-a-Lago, where Mr Trump has been spending the holidays.
Ms Grisham said that she and other aides weren’t aware of the trip and „appreciate everyone’s understanding. “
„We are in the home stretch of this transition period and don’t anticipate any additional situations like this between now and inauguration,“ she said in a statement.
Before he went golfing on Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted an unusual New Year’s message to friends and foes: „Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love! “
With the arrival of 2017, another New Year’s message moved on Mr Trump’s Twitter account at about midnight.
This one was decidedly more upbeat, addressed to all Americans, and included an abbreviation for his campaign slogan: ‚Make America Great Again‘.
„To all Americans- HappyNewYear & many blessings to you all! Looking forward to a wonderful & prosperous 2017 as we work together to #MAGA. “ (© Daily Telegraph London)

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© Source: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/north-america/no-computer-safe-from-hacks-warns-trump-35335107.html
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California’s capital has emerged as a leading destination for Afghan refugees who were awarded special visas because of their service to coalition forces in the war. But life in the United States for them has proven a constant struggle.
These former translators, engineers and doctors awarded Special Immigrant Visas must start over in bug-infested, low-rent apartments with minimum-wage jobs while dealing with PTSD and other health problems, the Sacramento Bee reported (http://bit.ly/2hBy7yv).
More than 2,000 such visa holders and their family members have settled in Sacramento since October 2010, and many of them say they are struggling with anxiety and depression that have developed or been greatly exacerbated by their struggles in the United States. They say they feel helpless and abandoned, lacking decent jobs, housing or an understanding of U. S. culture.
One of them is Faisal Razmal, a former interpreter for U. S. soldiers battling the Taliban in Afghanistan who was shot in the face in front of his Sacramento apartment in August 2015 by an assailant wielding a flare gun. A neighborhood teenager and alleged member of a gang has been charged and is awaiting trial.
Razmal, 28, who lost the sight in one eye after the attack, said he feels like he also lost a piece of his soul.
„I feel like I’m drowning here,“ said Razmal, a father of two and whose wife is expecting. „I’m not mentally fixed. “
Before he was shot, Razmal worked as a security guard at a shopping center. Since then, he has tried working as a taxi driver, gas station attendant, security guard and dishwasher. But his limited vision and PTSD have compromised his ability to keep a job, said licensed clinical social worker Jason Swain, who has counseled Razmal 18 times since the assault.
Razmal’s fate and his ability to support his family remain uncertain. The state Department of Rehabilitation said a decision on his application for disability payments may take a year, Swain said.
Razmal, who survived roadside bombs and firefights during the war, said he was never evaluated for PTSD in Afghanistan or the United States.
Razmal’s therapist, Homeyra Ghaffari, said she thinks he was already afflicted with PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan, and he was „re-traumatized“ by his shooting here.
„People hear about America and think it is a dreamland and everything is law and order and they are going to be absolutely safe, and when they enter they are in shock as they try to find their way around,“ said Ghaffari, an Iranian marriage and family therapist in Sacramento who speaks the same Dari language as the Afghan refugees. She now counsels about 30 Afghans seeking help with mental health and domestic violence issues.
„They feel isolated, don’t have any clear direction,“ she said. „Their dream shatters right away. „

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© Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/news/article124079599.html
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The daughter of disgraced President Park Geun-hye’s long-time friend has been arrested in Denmark in connection with the huge political corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea.
Ms Park was impeached last month by MPs amid public fury over prosecutors‘ claims that she conspired to allow her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to extort companies and control the government.
Prosecutors said on Monday that police in Denmark arrested Ms Choi’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, at the weekend on suspicion of staying there illegally.
South Korea had asked Interpol to search for Ms Chung because she did not return home to answer questions about the scandal.
Yonhap news agency said Ms Chung, a former member of the national equestrian team, allegedly took advantage of her mother’s relationship with Ms Park to obtain favours from Seoul’s Ewha Womans University.
AP

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© Source: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/denmark-arrests-woman-wanted-over-south-korea-corruption-scandal-35335222.html
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A plane carrying expelled Russian diplomats took off from Washington early on New Year’s Day. Hours earlier, Donald Trump continued to openly dou…
Mr. Obama expelled the diplomats, saying they were really spies, and ordered new sanctions on Russian spy agencies for alleged Russian hacking of political sites during the presidential election.
The State Department said Sunday that the 35 Russian diplomats, along with their family members, have left the United States.
Mr. Obama also shuttered two Russian compounds in Maryland and New York. The U. S. said the two Cold War-era estates were being used for intelligence activities.
The 45-acre Maryland retreat boasts a brick mansion along the Corsica River in the bucolic Eastern Shore region. Reports indicate it was bought by the Soviet Union in 1972 and served as a getaway for its diplomats in nearby Washington.
The U. S. intelligence community is blaming Russia for cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman i…
In New York, Russian diplomatic staff members were evicted from a mansion on Long Island’s Gold Coast. The estate, once called Elmcroft, is in the town of Oyster Bay and was purchased by the Soviets in 1952.
Investigators say a hacking unit known as APT28 targeted Democratic Party officials by sending malicious emails last spring that tricked recipients into changing their passwords, CBS News homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues reported. U. S. intelligence officials believe that hack likely gave Russian operatives access to the information of senior Democratic Party officials, which was then leaked to the press and publicly disclosed.
President Obama announced the step Thursday as part of a raft of sanctions that included the expulsion of 35 Russians who the U. S. said were spies operating under diplomatic cover.

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© Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/35-russian-diplomats-ordered-out-by-president-obama-depart-us-state-department-says/
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