A massive disruption in Microsoft's technology has affected banks, airports, media giants, and many other businesses around the world, according to media reports.
sputnikglobe.com
A massive disruption in Microsoft's technology has affected banks, airports, media giants, and many other businesses around the world, according to media reports.
The reason of the outage is considered to be a buggy update of a cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike. The update disconnects computers and servers from the network, forcing them into a recovery cycle that prevents the machines from booting properly.
However, Russian infrastructure is not largely affected by the outage.
Russian airlines long ago switched to a domestic booking system, and the global Microsoft outage did not affect them, Russian airline Red Wings said in a statement.
It was echoed by Moscow's
Domodedovo airport, which stated that it was also not affected by the massive IT failure, and offered a backup check-in system, Astra, which is fully Russian, to its foreign partners.
Multiple companies worldwide suffered consequences of the outage. US-based United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and
American Airlines issued a global ground stop on all flights due to communication problems. Residents of Alaska, Arizona, Ohio, and other US states are unable to call emergency services due to a major local communications failure, local television reports.
Britain's largest rail operator, Govia Thameslink Railway, said it was registering disruptions and possible train cancelations. Indian airline IndiGo said on Friday that its services have also been affected.
"Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. During this time, booking, check-in, access to your boarding pass, and some flights may be impacted. We appreciate your patience," Indigo said on X.
Germany's airline Lufthansa said on Friday there might be restrictions on access to profiles and bookings due to a technical glitch.
"Currently, the profile and booking retrieval functionality may be limited. We are working on a solution and apologize for any inconvenience caused," the airline said on its website.
The Australian government called an emergency meeting due to the global IT outage, local media reported.
Low-cost airline Jetstar Japan reported a glitch in its check-in system for domestic flights, resulting in flight cancelations and delays, the NHK broadcaster reported.
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
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Russian prosecutors initially sought a very significant 18-year prison sentence in the espionage case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. A verdict has been handed down by a court in Yekaterinburg on Friday in the late afternoon (local time), after the regional court's press service said that proceedings reached the final stage for the American journalist who has been behind bars since is March 2023 arrest.
Russian authorities
claim he was spying for the CIA while investigating a major Russian defense company in Yekaterinburg, a city which lies east of the Ural Mountains.
The court has convicted him, with a judge delivering a steep 16-year sentence.
A prior Russian state media statement asserted he was "attempting to obtain military secrets for the CIA". It described: "Investigators claimed in a statement that they have evidence proving the US citizen was acting on behalf of the foreign intelligence agency when he
tried to collect classified information about Uralvagonzavod, a major Russian producer of tanks and armored vehicles, in Ekaterinburg in March 2023."
This has made him the first American journalist to be imprisoned and convicted in Russia on such an allegation since the Cold War.
Friday witnessed closing arguments in the court, which allowed Gershkovich the opportunity to deliver close remarks, but it was done behind closed doors.
He along with the WSJ and the US government have decried the charges against him as a 'sham' and as trumped-up and politically motivated. Washington very quickly declared Gershkovich "wrongfully detained" which allows for the Biden administration to
pursue hostage negotiations to gain his release.
The WSJ previously reported in a
Friday update:
The Yekaterinburg court is widely expected to convict Gershkovich, as acquittals in Russian espionage cases are exceedingly rare. Gershkovich was tried in a secret proceeding over three days in which he received few of the protections accorded to defendants in the U.S. and other Western countries.
Russian authorities have produced no public evidence to support their allegations. Gershkovich is expected to be sentenced soon.
It is widely believed that Russia is using the case as a bargaining chip, in order to free high level Russian detainees in the West, just like the prisoner swap involving Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout played out. Likely this process will only intensify now that he has been sentenced.
BBC
US citizen Michael Travis Leake has been sentenced to 13 years in a Russian prison for "attempted drug smuggling", Moscow's court service said.
According to the prosecutor's office, Mr Leake, a former paratrooper and musician, tried to sell drugs he had obtained from an accomplice between January and June 2023.
It was not clear how Mr Leake, who is one of about a dozen Americans currently held in Russian detention, pleaded.
Washington has urged its citizens to leave Russia immediately, citing the threat of arrest amid the highest tensions between the two countries since the Cold War.
Mr Leake was accused of packaging the drugs for sale before giving them to another defendant in the case, a Russian woman named Veronika Grabanchuk.
Citing the investigation, Russian news agency Interfax reported that both Mr Leake and Ms Grabanchuk made four attempts to sell over 40g of mephedrone.
"In addition, Leake stored more than 1.6g of mephedrone and 0.54g of pills containing the narcotic drug MDMA at his apartment on Zaporozhskaya Street without the intention of selling them. The drugs were found and seized during operational activities," the report added.
In June, Russian state television
broadcast footage from Mr Leake's trial that showed him locked in a metal cage.
In a separate video shared online, he said he "didn't know" why he was detained.
Appearing confused, he said he did not believe he had done what he was accused of, because he did not know what the charges were.
In Russia, only 0.25% of all cases referred to court in 2018 ended with not-guilty verdicts. By comparison, the rate from 2017 to 2018 in UK magistrates' courts was approximately 15%, rising to 20% at Crown Court level.
Mr Leake is at least the third American detained in Russia in recent years amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow.
A musician and music producer in his early 50's, Mr Leake was a member of Lovi Noch, meaning catch the night, an "American fronted rock band" based in Moscow. He is reported to have lived in Russia for many years.
US media outlet CNN reported that he appeared on the travel show Parts Unknown - hosted by the late chef Anthony Bourdain - for an episode in 2014 that was filmed in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Darya Tarasova, who produced the episode, told CNN that Mr Leake was a "showman" who was "very articulate" and who "loved Russia". He often worked with local rock bands, Ms Tarasova said.
Russian local media had earlier reported his arrest at his flat in Moscow.
US officials have previously accused Russia of deliberately targeting American citizens for arrest.
In March, Russian authorities arrested US journalist Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, on espionage charges. He remains in pre-trial detention.
Mr Gershkovich's
trial started in June and closing arguments are scheduled for Friday.
Late last year, American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was jailed in Russia on drugs charges, was released in a prisoner swap for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
US marine Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year prison sentence on "spying" charges - he was sentenced before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has weakened relations between US and Russia.
Putin discusses security provision at mass events with Security Council members
The Russian president gave the floor to Federal Security Service (FSB) Head Alexander Bortnikov for a report
MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council via a video link on Friday to discuss security provision at mass events.
"Today we will discuss some issues related to providing internal security in the period of holding significant public and political events," the head of state said, opening the meeting.
The Russian president gave the floor to Federal Security Service (FSB) Head Alexander Bortnikov for a report.
The Security Council meeting was attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Presidential Administration Head Anton Vaino, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Foreign Intelligence Service Head Sergey Naryshkin and Presidential Aide Nikolay Patrushev.
