New Zealand’s government expressed Tuesday about China’s alleged involvement in a cyberattack that targeted New Zealand’s parliament. According to New Zealand’s intelligence agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), the cyberattack dates back to August 2021 when the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) that the networks of both the Parliamentary Council Office and the Parliamentary Service were targeted by “malicious cyber activity.” Investigations later revealed that a group backed by the People’s Republic of
China (PRC), known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 or APT 40, was behind the attack. The GCSB Director-General Andrew Clark said that the link between the Chinese government and the mentioned group was “reinforced by analysis from international partners of similar events in their own jurisdictions,” with no further details on the kind of data that was taken in the attack. Foreign Minister Winston Peters referred to the cyberattacks as “unacceptable foreign interference” and sent senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss the matter with the Chinese ambassador. Peters added that officials “urged” China to refrain from conducting malicious activities again and pointed out that the government will continue to “speak out” about similar behaviours or potential threats in the future. However, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in
New Zealand declared in a that the PRC “rejects such groundless and irresponsible accusations” which are more part of a “politicization” or “weaponization” of cybersecurity issues than a serious investigation based on objective and adequate evidence. He also added that “non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs is a fundamental principle of Chinese diplomacy” and that New Zealand’s government should stick to its “proud independent foreign policy” by “independently making its judgements and decisions” that serve its interests rather than “blindly following other’s words and actions at the expense of New Zealand’s own credibility and interests.” New Zealand’s accusations against China come one day after the
UK held a Chinese state-affiliated organization, identified as Advanced Persistent Threat Group 31 (APT 31), responsible for two against
British Democratic institutions and parliamentarians. Khrushchev becomes USSR leader On March 27, 1958, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev became the new Premier of the USSR, replacing Joseph Stalin as the Soviet leader. During his rise to power, Khruschev denounced crimes of the Stalinist regime and the "cult of personality" surrounding his predecessor. While in office as Soviet Premier, Khruschev oversaw some of the most famous and influential events of the Cold War: the launch of Sputnik, the Sino-Soviet split, the U-2 Spy Plan incident, and finally the Cuban
missile Crisis in 1963, which led to his ouster by reactionary elements the following year. The conspirators forced Khruschev's resignation on October 15, 1964 and replaced him with Leonid Brezhnev. Read the
New York Times . President Andrew Johnson vetoed citizenship for slaves On March 27, 1866, President Andrew Johnson vetoed a civil rights bill that would later become the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, conferring full US citizenship on all slaves. Read , transmitted to the US
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