North Korea believed behind DoS attacks

South Korean officials are investigating an apparent cyber attack that has paralyzed websites of major government agencies, banks and Internet service providers.

The websites belonging to the presidential Blue House, South Korea's defence ministry and Shinhan Bank are among several sites that have been hit in suspected attacks that began at around 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday this week. Access to Naver, a leading Internet portal, has also been disrupted.

In a statement released by South Korea's Communications Commission, they said the attacks consisted of "massive harmful traffic to specific sites causing access slowdown or disablement." The commission said that national institutions, banks and media sites were among the apparent targets.

The attack was also reported to have targeted Auction.com, The South Korean site of online auctioneer Ebay, Auction.com also appeared to have been disrupted by the cyber-attacks.

Ahn Jeong-eun, a spokeswoman for the government's Korea Information Security Agency, said the attacks appeared to be linked to an ongoing and unusually resilient attack against government websites in the United States, including sites for the US treasury and the Secret Service.

Attacks against US sites began on July 4, the US Independence Day holiday, and continued to affect access to several sites well into Tuesday.

Ahn said that preliminary investigations seemed to show the attacks were aimed only at paralyzing access to the sites, rather than hacking into secure networks or stealing information.

Access to some websites appeared normal by Wednesday this week, though the South Korean president and defence ministry remained unobtainable.

The attack involves so-called Denial of Service or DoS attacks in which a large number of computers all attempt access to a single website at the same time. The increased traffic overwhelms servers and effectively shuts down the website concerned.

There has been no indication as to who may be behind the South Korean attack, but it comes just weeks after the country's military announced it was setting up a special cyber warfare command to fend off attacks from North Korea and other countries.

According to a report released in May, South Korea's military networks experience an average of tens of thousands of hacking and virus attacks every day. While some fingers have pointed at North Korea, there has been no substantive proof they were behind the attacks. Denial of Service attacks are often undertaken by placing net-bots onto other unsuspecting users' computers before triggering them to launch in simultaneous attacks. So far authorities have said attacks came from at least 16 different countries.

Recent years have seen governments around the world ramp up investment in cyber warfare and cyber defence as part of their security and military programmes. Last year, in the weeks leading up to the war between Russia and Georgia, Georgian government and corporate websites began to experience a sudden string of "denial of service" attacks. Russian government officials denied involvement, but after investigating domain names and website registration data, a group of independent Western computer experts concluded that the Russian security and military intelligence agencies were involved.

 

tvnewswatch, Beijing, China

6.0 magnitude quake hits Yunnan, China

An earthquake measuring up to 6.0 on the Richter scale has struck central Yunnan province in China destroying more than 10,000 homes. The quake hit some 150 km north-east of the Yunnan capital Kunming, close to the popular destination of Dali.

The tremor occurred at 19:19 local time [11:19 GMT] Thursday injuring more than 300 people. Xinhua News Agency reported the quake as having a 6.0-magnitude, while the U.S. Geological Survey gave a figure of 5.7.

Thirty people are said to have suffered severe injuries, and another 305 were slightly injured.

Tents, medicine and food are being distributed by relief authorities.

Thursday's earthquake comes more than a year after a massive quake struck Sichuan province in China. The 8.0 magnitude quake on 12th May 2008 killed more than 68,000 people and left nearly 18,000 more missing as well as displacing 15 million others. 

Coffe is good for you, a study says

Coffee drinkers may be rejoicing after new research suggested that coffee may reverse the effects of Alzheimer's disease. Dr Gary Arendash of the University of Florida showed that coffee not only helped reverse symptoms in mice but also staved off production in the brain of abnormal protein plaques, which are the hallmark of Alzheimer's.

In the UK the Alzheimer's Society is anxious not to suggest that everyone develop a caffeine habit but says that if further research confirms its benefits, coffee could become part of a lifestyle prevention plan for the disease.

It is not the first time that research has shown coffee to be a health benefit. Last year a study showed that consumption of the caffeinated drink, even lin large amounts, may even help one live longer.

Coffee drinkers in that study had slightly lower death rates than non-coffee drinkers over time, whether their drink of choice had caffeine or not. However, while the findings did not prove that coffee is protective, they strongly suggested that drinking coffee in large amounts was not harmful if you are healthy. Researcher Esther Lopez-Garcia, Ph.D., of the University of Madrid, told WebMD that among women, drinking two to three cups of coffee a day was associated with an 18 percent reduction in death from all causes, while drinking four to five cups was associated with a 26 percent reduction in risk. The risk reduction in men was smaller and could have been due to chance.

"We can't say from this one study that coffee extends your life, but it does appear that it doesn't increase the risk for death for people who are healthy," she said.There have been several studies on the health benefits for coffee with some linking regular consumption to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even health conditions like Parkinson's disease and colon cancer.

But there are others who suggest drinking caffeinated coffee increased the risk of a heart attack and stroke in people who already have heart disease. The American Heart Association says much of the evidence is conflicting. Coffee appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver and gout, but increases the risk of acid reflux and associated diseases.

Other studies have linked the drinking of coffee with higher cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, though these risks are more associated with the caffeine content.

tvnewswatch quarantined in H1N1 scare

Last weekend writers for tvnewswatch found themselves in quarantine and being tested for swine flu after showing flu like symptoms. Besides being outside the 7 day quarantine period, imposed on new arrivals from abroad, Chinese authorities deemed it necessary to carry out tests.

 

But the arrival of two ambulances with medical staff wearing staff masks and a driver wearing a full NBC suit concerned many local residents. It is not clear why the taking of blood samples could not be done in situ, but further concern was raised as the doctors took away mask wearing foreigners who had been living in their midst. With National Day approaching some were worried the entire block might be quarantined.

 

Tests were carried out at one of Beijing's hospitals, including blood and saliva. However after several hours waiting for the results we were told we may have to stay overnight.

 

Food was supplied, but at a small cost to the patient. But attempting to choose from a menu written entirely Chinese proved a little daunting, though one of the tvnewswatch team does read the language. For many westerners finding themselves caught up in quarantine with such a menu, there would be some difficulties. The quality of the food was adequate; not haute cuisine, but neither was it inedible. One dish consisted of bamboo shoots cooked with shiitake mushrooms while others consisted of Chinese cabbage and black fungi.

 

What was more uncomfortable was the long wait for the results as time ticked slowly away towards Monday. The long wait increased the nervousness amongst the community amongst whom we had been living this past week. There were already fears the whole residential block may have to be quarantined. This was despite reassurances that the tests were precautionary.

 

It's not unusual to contract a cold or flu when being in a new climate. But with heightened fears over the threat of A/H1N1, the authorities in China are taking no chances. What cannot be criticised is there general efficiency. After what felt like eternity, but in fact was less than 6 hours the tests were returned. The result was negative as regards swine flu and pointed to a bacterial infection in the throat according to doctors.

 

Forms and certificates were stamped and issued before everyone was discharged. Then came the phone calls necessary to inform the community leaders and others that the situation was OK. "That'll be something you will never forget," said a member of staff at where one of tvnewswatch's team was to begin work on Monday. It sure wasn't, but one was also not looking forward to less then 6 hours sleep before heading to work in central Beijing. The positive note is that everyone here is H1N1 free and except for being very hot due to the weather, we're all quite comfortable.

 

Authorities however continue to take the threat of swine flu very seriously. Back in the UK over 7,000 people have contracted the virus and as far as tvnewswatch understands, 3 people have died. In China the numbers have barely topped 800 with one death reported so far. The woman from Zhejiang province, who was suffering from the effects of the A/H1N1 virus, is not thought to have died from the disease. It is believed she was killed after sustaining injuries in a fall whilst visiting the toilet.

Bodies found after Yemeni plane crash

An Airbus 310 has crashed into the Indian Ocean with 150 people on board. The aircraft capable of carrying 240 people took off from Moroni in Comoros at 1 a.m. local time and was en-route to Sana'a in Yemen. Authorities say there were 157 on board Yemenia Airlines flight 626/7, the wreckage of which was found at approximately 05:00 GMT. By around 06:00 GMT some bodies had been recovered

 

On June 1 a French Airbus 330 went down off the coast of Brazil killing all 228 on board. The cause for that crash is still unclear but investigators believe air speed indicators may be to blame.

China defends H1N1 quarantine policy

China has been accused by the United States of implementing draconian measures to thwart the spread of the A/H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu. But the advised and sometimes enforced quarantines of people arriving in China is seen by the country's authorities as necessary to prevent a widespread health problem.

 

Arrival

 

On arrival in China passengers are not allowed to leave the plane until everyone has had their temperatures checked. Shortly after touchdown health workers wearing face masks and gloves test everyone on board for signs of fever with hand held electronic thermometers. Even before landing everybody is required to fill in forms declaring whether or not they have experienced symptoms commonly associated with the A/H1N1 virus.

 

At Beijing's International Airport each passenger is screened, passing through three check points where temperatures are once again monitored and each passenger is given a leaflet advising of precautionary self-imposed quarantine.

 

Advice

 

Although not everyone arriving in the country is put into isolation, each new arrival is encouraged to "self monitor" their health status for seven days and "avoid going to populous public areas or taking public transportation". Every passenger is required to give details of where they are residing and a telephone number where they can be reached.

 

A health official may call giving the new arrival information leaflets as well as a thermometer and tablets in which to dissolve in water to disinfect surfaces.

 

For many foreigners the procedures are a little daunting, and perhaps even worrisome, but it considered by Chinese authorities as absolutely necessary to protect a dense and massive population. The country still has memory of the SARS virus which killed hundreds in China around a decade ago.

 

With a global pandemic now declared by the World Health Organization, and with more than 500 declared cases of H1N1 infection in China, the authorities are taking no chances.

 

Criticism

 

Such measures have however come in for criticism by some western governments after the enforced quarantine of some arrivals. The US State Department has said that the seven day quarantines made travel to the country "unpredictable" and advised its citizens to be cautious about making plans to travel into China.

 

"Although the proportion of arriving Americans being quarantined remains low, the random nature of the selection process increases the uncertainty surrounding travel to China," the US State Department said in an alert issued over the weekend.

Several Australians who found themselves under enforced quarantine have meanwhile criticized their own government for not representing their concerns.

 

While there has been some measure of criticism, there are some signs even in the West, that the precautions were necessary given the widespread health risk. In Britain, where more than 1,500 cases of the virus have so far been detected, one doctor of more than 30 years experience told tvnewswatch that the procedures "left Britain standing".

 

A week after arriving in China, tvnewswatch has learned that anyone not following advice and subsequently affecting others if they develop symptoms may be subject to a fine of between 50,000 and 200,000 RMB. It is thus surely good advice to keep monitoring temperatures and report any illness immediately.

 

tvnewswatch reporting from Beijing, China

tvnewswatch leaving the UK

After 16 years working as a photo-journalist, and more than 4 years blogging, tvnewswatch is leaving the UK to work in China. Regular readers will know that tvnewswatch has been to China several times in the past three years but has managed to continue to post stories. Working there on a permanent basis will pose its own challenges, but tvnewswatch will endeavour to keep the site going. Of course there is no easy access to foreign media, especially broadcast television news, so posts will focus on events as seen from within China itself as well as through channels which are able to be accessed. Having joined Twitter in 2008, tvnewswatch will also continue to keep its feed going.

Making such a move has resulted in much preparation, hence the fewer number of posts in recent weeks. Hopefully, once settled, tvnewswatch will have more time to post updates.

Thank you to all those who have continued to follow tvnewswatch’s blog and on Twitter for the last few years and hope you continue to follow updates and posts in the future.

H1N1 - BMA & GPs clash over opinions

British authorities have insisted that the risk to public health from the A/H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as Swine Flu, remains low despite the first death being reported on Sunday [14th June] [BBC]. But there are mounting fears in some medical circles that increasing numbers of cases may create problems for doctors and the NHS.

In the UK, 1,320 people have so far been identified as having contracted the virus including 59 cases confirmed on Monday.

The fatality is the first reported within Europe, but British health officials have stressed it is not an indication the virus was becoming more virulent. The victim, 38 year old Jacqueline Fleming, had suffered from pre-existing health conditions, authorities have said. She had also recently given birth prematurely but health officials said the baby had not contracted Swine Flu but had subsequently died from unrelated medical problems [BBC].

BMA warns of increasing problems

As the virus spreads across Britain, there are increasing concerns that General Practitioners (GP), also known as primary healthcare physicians or family doctors, may be subject to mounting pressures. The British Medical Association (BMA) has warned that some GPs may be forced to withdraw their services should the risks to themselves increase [BBC].

The medical body says that GPs may be at risk not only from the virus, but also from patients angry at what they might perceive as a lack of care.

If the numbers of patients suffering from A/H1N1 increase, hospitals may also be overwhelmed by admissions, the BMA says. This in turn would leave family doctors with a dilemma as to where to send other patients, who may suffer as a result. Such situations may result in a doctor being sued, something the BMA says it is extremely concerned about.

Effectively many family doctors are self-employed and have their own insurance. And this may not cover themselves or their family if they were to die or be sued by a patient, the BMA fears.

Dr Dean Marshall, from the BMA said that doctors “will be putting their lives on the line” and that it was important that they were “properly covered if anything goes wrong.”

GPs unconcerned

However, some GPs have been critical of the medical body. One GP, who preferred not to be named, told tvnewswatch, “I had not heard this report myself since I’ve been working today [Monday], but I’m surprised the BMA should be focused on such a narrow issue of self interest.”

“I don’t care for myself. I took a Hippocratic Oath to help people to best of my ability, so as regards insurance I am not concerned,” he said. “I think they’re missing the centre of the target,” he added. “The BMA should be more focused on what can be done to keep doctors well enough to treat their patients,” the GP said, expressing surprise that the BMA should raise such issues.

If a pandemic were to occur, he said he believed doctors and their teams would work together in what he described as the “Battle of Britain spirit”.

“No one was going to sue in those days,” he said. “Britain invented the queue and people know how to wait their turn,” he added. “I’ve been a doctor for 30 years, and I’m not cynical about how the vast majority of people can work together.”

As regards to publicity, he told tvnewswatch that his surgery had made the decision not to put up posters warning about the spread of Swine Flu. Such measures often had a negative effect, he said, and many people were suffering from “Swine Flu fatigue”. However information pamphlets were available.

Measures to protect staff and patients had been implemented, he stressed. “We do have gloves, masks and alcohol gel in stock as standard. But we have also ordered extra supplies,” the doctor added, “In addition we do take measures to reduce our own chances of getting the flu.”

If visiting patients suffering from flu-like symptoms, he said they might be asked to go to a different room and open the window before the doctor’s arrival. Even the issue of a prescription may be completed in a different room to reduce risks of contamination, he explained.

Strain on health service

The BMA has said the number of admissions to hospital will rise significantly if a pandemic takes hold, putting further strain on the National Health Service (NHS) as a whole.

For every 100 patients with flu symptoms up to four of them may require hospital admission, if there are beds available, the BMA says in a 61 page report issued to GPs.

Around 25 percent may require critical care with an average length of stay in hospital of up to ten days. The BMA also says that scientific models suggest that up to 2.5 percent of all flu victims may die.

In a recent statement, Director-General of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan described the virus as “unstoppable”. There are also estimates that half of the UK population could contract the disease. Given the BMA’s estimate that 25 in every thousand affected could die, swine flu could account for around 750,000 deaths in Britain alone.

Already the effects of the disease have been felt with dozens of schools being periodically closed across the country as pupils contract the virus.

Meanwhile, the British government continues in its effort to stockpile flu treatments such as Roche’s Tamiflu, and Relenza, which is made by British pharmaceutical giant Glaxosmithkline.

Additionally, efforts are being made to prepare a vaccine, though it may be many months before it becomes available to the general public [BBC].

Global threat

The World Health Organisation last week declared a global pandemic of level 6, for some an indication of the seriousness of the situation.

At least 75 countries around the world are now affected, and some have implemented more stringent health controls. Apart from Mexico, where the virus appeared to originate, Britain, the United States, Canada, Chile and Australia have shown the highest numbers of affected individuals [Map].

However, it is not clear whether the high numbers are more down to a better system of health checks and identification. While some countries have implemented health checks at airports and even quarantine procedures for some visitors, international travel has so far been unrestricted.

Domestically, various governments have launched health campaigns to advise the public on the risks. In Britain, leaflets have been delivered to every household giving information on how the virus is spread and advising how best to protect oneself from it. There has also been a large publicity campaign launched on television and radio in an attempt to persuade people to be more careful when they sneeze.

The main advice to the public is to “catch it, bin it, kill it”, by using a tissue, disposing of it quickly and by washing hands regularly.

While there is an obvious concern from the risks of A/H1N1, so far the virus has not shown itself to be as deadly a threat as some have feared.

An estimated 12,000 people, mainly in the older age group, die every year from seasonal flu in the UK, according to the BMA. In the U.S. tens of thousands die annually from seasonal flu. But so far the entire global death rate from A/H1N1 remains well below 1,000, with the WHO confirming only 146 deaths.

Many of those affected by A/H1N1 are in a much younger age group, and some are otherwise healthy individuals. The greatest fear amongst medical experts is the virus could mutate and become ever more deadly.

In the past, pandemics have killed more than a million around the world. Between 1918 and 1919, the so-called Spanish Flu was responsible for an estimated 20 to 40 million deaths. And in more recent history the Asian Flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu of 1968 killed up to 4 million between them.