"No future conflict is likely to be fought without a cyber element," a NATO publication has warned.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation officially recognised cyberwarfare as an operational domain of war in 2016, and now it is exploring "norms" for peacetime and wartime activities.
Norms, which NATO uses to judge hostile activities, define which aggressive activities could be considered acts of war, says Professor Martin Libicki in a paper for the organisation.
Developing these norms is increasingly important in the cyber domain because state activities that were previously acceptable - especially cyber espionage - could now be precursors to cyberattacks.
One incident - the data breach at the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) - was cited as as one of the most notorious security breaches of recent years.
OPM held information on all federal workers in the US, including those working in intelligence. Roughly 21.5 million public sector workers' information was stolen in the breach.
The hack was attributed to the Chinese but despite complaints from some public figures, the former National Security Agency and CIA director Michael Hayden said that he "would not have thought twice" about seizing similar information from China.
According to Prof Libicki's paper, such espionage is always going to be considered a norm, but it could become unacceptable if the Chinese delivered this information to cybercriminals.
While there is "scant evidence" of such a handover, according to the professor, cybersecurity professional Chris Kubecka told Sky News that she had seen OPM data for sale on darknet marketplaces.
"Establishing a norm that holds some forms of cyber espionage to be acceptable and others not would raise issues," wrote Prof Libicki.
"First, can the United States and its friends define such norms in ways that render unacceptable (many of) those practices it finds objectionable, but do not prevent its own practices from being deemed unacceptable?"
One of the most fraught areas of debate regards cyber espionage on critical national infrastructure. An adversary could use implants on an infrastructure system to not just take information from it, but also to attack it.
Because of this, establishing the cyber equivalent of demilitarised zones has been suggested by Mr Hayden - but it would be very difficult to enforce such an agreement, Prof Libicki wrote.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Huge fire engulfs west London tower block
Two hundred firefighters and 40 fire engines are battling a large fire on a west London estate.
At least two people have been injured and flats at the 27-storey Grenfell Tower are being evacuated.
Footage on social media showed the building engulfed in fire, with flames stretching over a number of floors.
The fire brigade said the fire had spread throughout the entire building.
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Dan Daly said: "Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire.
"This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances."
One witness, Reo, told Sky News: "I was in my kitchen and heard smoke alarms.
"I could see the whole right side of the building was on fire."
Image:The fire at Grenfell Tower is in Latimer Road in west London
Celeste Thomas lives across the road from the tower and said residents and families were "trying to find each other" following the evacuation.
She said: "Police have moved everyone back out of direct sight but I can hear cracking and debris falling."
The tower block is on the Lancaster West Estate, between Latimer Road Underground station and Westfield's White City shopping centre.
Police said: "At this stage we are aware of two people being treated at the scene for smoke inhalation."
At least two people have been injured and flats at the 27-storey Grenfell Tower are being evacuated.
Footage on social media showed the building engulfed in fire, with flames stretching over a number of floors.
The fire brigade said the fire had spread throughout the entire building.
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Dan Daly said: "Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire.
"This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances."
One witness, Reo, told Sky News: "I was in my kitchen and heard smoke alarms.
"I could see the whole right side of the building was on fire."
Image:The fire at Grenfell Tower is in Latimer Road in west LondonCeleste Thomas lives across the road from the tower and said residents and families were "trying to find each other" following the evacuation.
She said: "Police have moved everyone back out of direct sight but I can hear cracking and debris falling."
The tower block is on the Lancaster West Estate, between Latimer Road Underground station and Westfield's White City shopping centre.
Police said: "At this stage we are aware of two people being treated at the scene for smoke inhalation."
Trump, take note: Britain’s May seems to have saved her job — for now — by saying ‘I’m sorry’
They are not usually words associated with Theresa May. But when the British prime minister faced a group of her own party members for the first time since last week’s shock election, the tone she struck was one of humility.
“I got us into this mess and I’m going to get us out of it,” she told a meeting with Conservative Party lawmakers Monday night. “I’ll serve as long as you want me.”
It seems to have saved her job — for now. In the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s election, May’s position looked extremely precarious. She ran a presidential-style campaign that centered largely on herself as a “strong and stable” leader, and instead of winning big, she threw away her party’s parliamentary majority.
But on Tuesday, she was still very much in her job. She met with a small hard-right party in Northern Ireland to finalize a deal that would see the party prop up May’s minority government. May is seeking the support of the party’s 10 lawmakers so that the Conservatives can pass legislation on key issues like the budget.
The potential alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is controversial. John Major, a former British prime minister and one of the architects of peace settlement in Northern Ireland, told the BBC he was "concerned" that a deal could undermine the fragile peace process in Northern Ireland.
There were some who doubted that May would even last this long. But after meeting with fellow Conservative Party lawmakers on Monday night, she seemed to buy herself time. She apologized to the group, said she was sorry for those who had lost their seats, and promised to work more inclusively. When the meeting concluded, lawmakers banged on the table as a sign of approval.
Boris Johnson, Britain’s foreign secretary and bookies’ favorite to succeed May, called her performance “stonking.”
The Conservative lawmaker Grant Shapps said it was “May unscripted.”
Heidi Allen, another Conservative lawmaker, had initially predicted that May wouldn’t last six months after the bungled election — and even then, she would only last that long because of imminent Brexit negotiations and the need for stability.
But after Monday night’s meeting, she said she was struck by May’s humility and leadership.
“I saw an incredibly humble woman who knows what she has to do, and that is be who she is and not what this job had turned her into,” she told the Guardian newspaper. “She has lost her armadillo shell and we have got a leader back.”
May’s mea culpa also highlights a difference between her and President Trump, whom May has gone out of her way to befriend — within the president’s first week in office, May extended an offer for a state visit to the U.K.
Unlike Trump — who has a reputation for not apologizing — May has responded to criticisms of her leadership by eating a slice of humble pie.
It’s unclear if May’s overall leadership style will change in the wake of the botched election. Her very first statement after the election was labeled “tone deaf” by fellow Tories after she failed to show contrition. One of the criticisms of May is that she is headstrong to the point where she doesn’t admit U-turns even when others can hear the sound of screeching tires.
She did appear more relaxed on Tuesday, however, even making fun of herself in the House of Commons. After John Bercow was reelected unanimously as the speaker of the House of Commons, May joked: “At least someone got a landslide.”
Today's WorldView
What's most important from where the world meets Washington
Humility has clearly helped May, but there are other underlying calculations for keeping her in the post, not least because the timing of a new leadership campaign isn’t optimal, with Brexit talks scheduled to start next week.
European Union officials say that Britain needs to start negotiations. In March, May triggered a two-year countdown for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union but negotiations have yet to begin. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, tweeted on Tuesday that the “current uncertainty cannot continue.”
But May is also not out of the woods. She could fall next week, next month, next year.
She is a diminished leader and there are few who think she will complete a five-year parliamentary term: May called an election she was under no pressure to call and she and her party ended up considerably weakened.
“I got us into this mess and I’m going to get us out of it,” she told a meeting with Conservative Party lawmakers Monday night. “I’ll serve as long as you want me.”
It seems to have saved her job — for now. In the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s election, May’s position looked extremely precarious. She ran a presidential-style campaign that centered largely on herself as a “strong and stable” leader, and instead of winning big, she threw away her party’s parliamentary majority.
But on Tuesday, she was still very much in her job. She met with a small hard-right party in Northern Ireland to finalize a deal that would see the party prop up May’s minority government. May is seeking the support of the party’s 10 lawmakers so that the Conservatives can pass legislation on key issues like the budget.
The potential alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is controversial. John Major, a former British prime minister and one of the architects of peace settlement in Northern Ireland, told the BBC he was "concerned" that a deal could undermine the fragile peace process in Northern Ireland.
There were some who doubted that May would even last this long. But after meeting with fellow Conservative Party lawmakers on Monday night, she seemed to buy herself time. She apologized to the group, said she was sorry for those who had lost their seats, and promised to work more inclusively. When the meeting concluded, lawmakers banged on the table as a sign of approval.
Boris Johnson, Britain’s foreign secretary and bookies’ favorite to succeed May, called her performance “stonking.”
The Conservative lawmaker Grant Shapps said it was “May unscripted.”
Heidi Allen, another Conservative lawmaker, had initially predicted that May wouldn’t last six months after the bungled election — and even then, she would only last that long because of imminent Brexit negotiations and the need for stability.
But after Monday night’s meeting, she said she was struck by May’s humility and leadership.
“I saw an incredibly humble woman who knows what she has to do, and that is be who she is and not what this job had turned her into,” she told the Guardian newspaper. “She has lost her armadillo shell and we have got a leader back.”
May’s mea culpa also highlights a difference between her and President Trump, whom May has gone out of her way to befriend — within the president’s first week in office, May extended an offer for a state visit to the U.K.
Unlike Trump — who has a reputation for not apologizing — May has responded to criticisms of her leadership by eating a slice of humble pie.
It’s unclear if May’s overall leadership style will change in the wake of the botched election. Her very first statement after the election was labeled “tone deaf” by fellow Tories after she failed to show contrition. One of the criticisms of May is that she is headstrong to the point where she doesn’t admit U-turns even when others can hear the sound of screeching tires.
She did appear more relaxed on Tuesday, however, even making fun of herself in the House of Commons. After John Bercow was reelected unanimously as the speaker of the House of Commons, May joked: “At least someone got a landslide.”
Today's WorldView
What's most important from where the world meets Washington
Humility has clearly helped May, but there are other underlying calculations for keeping her in the post, not least because the timing of a new leadership campaign isn’t optimal, with Brexit talks scheduled to start next week.
European Union officials say that Britain needs to start negotiations. In March, May triggered a two-year countdown for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union but negotiations have yet to begin. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, tweeted on Tuesday that the “current uncertainty cannot continue.”
But May is also not out of the woods. She could fall next week, next month, next year.
She is a diminished leader and there are few who think she will complete a five-year parliamentary term: May called an election she was under no pressure to call and she and her party ended up considerably weakened.
Covfefe bill aims to stop Trump deleting presidential tweets
Donald Trump is facing action aimed at preventing him deleting his tweets - in a bill named after his infamous "covfefe" post.
The Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement or COVFEFE bill was introduced to the US House of Representatives on Monday.
Mike Quigley, a Democratic congressman from Illinois, presented the proposed legislation as a means of making the US President accountable for every social media post he makes.
The bill hopes to amend the Presidential Record Act to ensure Mr Trump's Twitter posts are archived as part of the official record of his time in office.
It would also make the deletion of posts a violation of the presidential record.
Mr Trump has regularly deleted his tweets since taking office, leading to the creation of a number of websites keeping a record of his erased posts.
The US President, who has tweeted more than 35,000 times since joining Twitter in 2009, recently sparked worldwide bemusement by posting the word "covfefe".
In a tweet that stayed online for hours before he deleted it, Mr Trump wrote: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe"
Following huge speculation - and mockery - at what his likely typo was meant to say, the US President wrote: "Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!"
The White House press secretary Sean Spicer refused to admit the President had made a typo, telling reporters "the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant".
Mr Trump's fondness for tweeting about his policies backfired on him this week.
Judges cited one of his posts within their reasoning for upholding a decision to block his travel ban on certain Muslim-majority countries.
Commenting on his COVFEFE act, Mr Quigley said: "In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets.
"If the President is going to take to social media to make sudden public policy proclamations, we must ensure that these statements are documented and preserved for future reference.
"Tweets are powerful, and the President must be held accountable for every post."
The Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement or COVFEFE bill was introduced to the US House of Representatives on Monday.
Mike Quigley, a Democratic congressman from Illinois, presented the proposed legislation as a means of making the US President accountable for every social media post he makes.
The bill hopes to amend the Presidential Record Act to ensure Mr Trump's Twitter posts are archived as part of the official record of his time in office.
It would also make the deletion of posts a violation of the presidential record.
Mr Trump has regularly deleted his tweets since taking office, leading to the creation of a number of websites keeping a record of his erased posts.
The US President, who has tweeted more than 35,000 times since joining Twitter in 2009, recently sparked worldwide bemusement by posting the word "covfefe".
In a tweet that stayed online for hours before he deleted it, Mr Trump wrote: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe"
Following huge speculation - and mockery - at what his likely typo was meant to say, the US President wrote: "Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!"
The White House press secretary Sean Spicer refused to admit the President had made a typo, telling reporters "the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant".
Mr Trump's fondness for tweeting about his policies backfired on him this week.
Judges cited one of his posts within their reasoning for upholding a decision to block his travel ban on certain Muslim-majority countries.
Commenting on his COVFEFE act, Mr Quigley said: "In order to maintain public trust in government, elected officials must answer for what they do and say; this includes 140-character tweets.
"If the President is going to take to social media to make sudden public policy proclamations, we must ensure that these statements are documented and preserved for future reference.
"Tweets are powerful, and the President must be held accountable for every post."
Putin warns Gulf crisis imperils Syria peace efforts
Putin met the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month [File: Pavel Golovkin/Pool/Reuters]Russia's President Vladimir Putin has warned in a phone conversation with the king of Saudi Arabia that the blockade against Qatar by its neighbours would make it harder to reach a peaceful end to the war in Syria.
The comment came in a statement issued by the Kremlin after the call on Tuesday, more than a week after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and closed their air, sea and land borders for the country, accusing it of supporting "extremists" and Iran, charges Qatar calls "baseless".
Qatar hires law firm to counter terrorism accusations
Putin and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud "touched on the aggravated situation around Qatar, which unfortunately does not help consolidate joint efforts in resolving the conflict in Syria and fighting the terrorist threat," the Kremlin said.
Syrian conflict
Russia is involved in the Syrian conflict, providing military support to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab states support the rebels who want to see Assad removed from power.
The Syrian conflict has started in 2011 with peaceful anti-government protests. More than 465,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting and over 12 million Syrians - half the country's prewar population - have been displaced from their homes.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin said Putin and Salman also discussed developing ties in various areas and expressed an intention to "activate bilateral cooperation".
Late last month, Putin met the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Russian capital of Moscow for talks on the Syrian conflict as well as cutting oil production.
US student Otto Warmbier in a coma as he is released from North Korea jail
A US student jailed in North Korea is in a coma after being released from custody, his parents say.
Otto Warmbier, 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour in March 2016 after admitting he tried to steal a propaganda banner.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the release was secured "at the direction of the President", adding that Mr Warm bier was "en route to the US where he will be reunited with his family".
The 22-year-old was medically evacuated from North Korea, the Washington Post reported.
Image:Mr Warmbier broke down as he was jailed in March 2016
Citing privacy concerns, Mr Tillerson said he would not comment on Mr Warmbier's condition.
However, he noted that the State Department is continuing "to have discussions" with North Korea about the release of other three American citizens who are jailed there.
Mr Warmbier's release came during the first day of a visit to North Korea by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he was "trying to open a door" to the reclusive state.
Otto Warmbier, 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour in March 2016 after admitting he tried to steal a propaganda banner.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the release was secured "at the direction of the President", adding that Mr Warm bier was "en route to the US where he will be reunited with his family".
The 22-year-old was medically evacuated from North Korea, the Washington Post reported.
Image:Mr Warmbier broke down as he was jailed in March 2016Citing privacy concerns, Mr Tillerson said he would not comment on Mr Warmbier's condition.
However, he noted that the State Department is continuing "to have discussions" with North Korea about the release of other three American citizens who are jailed there.
Mr Warmbier's release came during the first day of a visit to North Korea by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he was "trying to open a door" to the reclusive state.
Nairobi apartment collapses trapping up to 15 people
About 15 people are feared trapped after a seven-storey building collapsed in a residential area in Kenya's capital.
Kenya Red Cross said the building, in Nairobi's Pipeline estate, had been vacated minutes before the collapse on Monday night but some people were missing and a search operation had begun.
As daylight came, excavators were sent in to begin removing the debris so a search could be carried out.
Image:The building was evacuated before it collapsed
Police said 121 people had been accounted for, but St John's Ambulance said it understood up to 15 were missing after the building went down.
Pius Masai, deputy head of communications at the National Disaster Management Unit, said: "It is believed that some people may have been trapped. Rescue efforts are ongoing,"
Witness Kamau Mwangi told Kenya's Star newspaper that people were told to leave the building when it showed signs of collapsing.
"But there are some people who sneaked back to collect some of their belongings before the building caved in," he said.
Image:Excavators move into clear the debris
"We haven't been able to scrutinise but we believe some people could be trapped."
Joas Nemati, a resident of the building, told the Daily Nation that on Monday workers and the caretaker repaired a massive crack on one of the staircases and assured them it was intact.
But Mr Nemati said that later his wife called him to say they had been ordered to leave immediately as the structure was about to come down.
Image:It is reported cracks were seen in the staircase before the collapse
The Daily Nation reported that a woman and her children had refused to leave their home and are among those unaccounted for.
The East African nation has seen similar tragedies in the past.
A total of 49 people died last year when another building collapsed during heavy night-time rain in Huruma estate, Nairobi.
Kenya Red Cross said the building, in Nairobi's Pipeline estate, had been vacated minutes before the collapse on Monday night but some people were missing and a search operation had begun.
As daylight came, excavators were sent in to begin removing the debris so a search could be carried out.
Image:The building was evacuated before it collapsedPolice said 121 people had been accounted for, but St John's Ambulance said it understood up to 15 were missing after the building went down.
Pius Masai, deputy head of communications at the National Disaster Management Unit, said: "It is believed that some people may have been trapped. Rescue efforts are ongoing,"
Witness Kamau Mwangi told Kenya's Star newspaper that people were told to leave the building when it showed signs of collapsing.
"But there are some people who sneaked back to collect some of their belongings before the building caved in," he said.
Image:Excavators move into clear the debris"We haven't been able to scrutinise but we believe some people could be trapped."
Joas Nemati, a resident of the building, told the Daily Nation that on Monday workers and the caretaker repaired a massive crack on one of the staircases and assured them it was intact.
But Mr Nemati said that later his wife called him to say they had been ordered to leave immediately as the structure was about to come down.
Image:It is reported cracks were seen in the staircase before the collapseThe Daily Nation reported that a woman and her children had refused to leave their home and are among those unaccounted for.
The East African nation has seen similar tragedies in the past.
A total of 49 people died last year when another building collapsed during heavy night-time rain in Huruma estate, Nairobi.
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