UK cyber spies unearth hundreds of thousands of get rich quick fraudulent scamming criminal web sites

Illegal ventures by online fraudsters are believed to have cost the British public around £200 million in 2018 alone, as the criminals go to great lengths to lure gullible citizens to their phishing websites.
UK cybersecurity pros have blocked or outright removed hundreds of thousands of "get-rich-quick" sites that boast of bogus endorsements from celebrities like billionaire investor Sir Richard Branson and singer Ed Sheeran, The Times reported.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, combed through and finally took down over 300,000 malicious links to bogus schemes in four months, with the agency warning the public to be wary of them.
Emails and paid-for digital ads lure users into clicking on hyperlinks to hoax websites featuring fake "get-rich-quick" offers, the specialists explained. In particular, netizens are encouraged to click a link to invest or donate, but the money automatically goes to cybercriminals.
"These scams are a striking example of the kind of methods cybercriminals are deploying", said Ciaran Martin, the NCSC's chief executive officer, adding their goal is "to raise public awareness [and] show the criminals behind them that we know what they're up to and are taking action to stop it".
"I would urge the public to continue doing what they have been doing so brilliantly and forward anything they think doesn't look right to our suspicious email reporting service", Martin suggested.
The NCSC's email reporting service has so far received more than 1.8 million reports in the past few months, resulting in 16,800 phishing sites being blocked or taken down, with the the fraudsters' malicious activities having already cost the British public over £197 million in 2018 alone.
"These figures provide a stark warning that people need to be wary of fake investments on online platforms", urged Clinton Blackburn, from the City of London Police, cited by The Times.
"Criminals will do all they can to make their scams appear legitimate. It is vital [people] do research and carry out the necessary checks to ensure that an investment is legitimate", the officer insisted, arguing the public should take action not to be fooled by pictures of luxury goods, etc. promoted by celebrities.
"Celebrity endorsements are just one way criminals can promote bogus schemes", Blackburn warned.

Turkey will close its embassy and recall its ambassador from Abu Dhabi because of the deal UAE made with israel

The landmark trilateral deal paving the way for a normalisation of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was announced by US President Donald Trump. The accord commits Israel to forego its plans to extend sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
Turkey is looking at suspending its diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, close the Turkish Embassy in the capital Abu Dhabi, and recall its ambassador over the deal that the UAE made with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on this Friday.

A banned plane crashed with 4 on board in south kivu

Governor of South Kivu province, Théo Kasi, who announced the news in a tweet, late on the night of Thursday, August 13, 2020.
"I have just learned of the crash of an Agefreco Company plane which was coming from Kalima to Bukavu with 4 people on board. The investigation will determine the causes of the accident. », Theo Kasi tweeted.https://mobile.twitter.com/TheoKASI/status/1294026419379544067?p=v
He also concluded by consoling all he relatives of the deceased:
"I share the pain with the grieving families and offer my most saddened condolences."
For the moment, the causes of this crash are not well known, so it should be noted that this is not the first crash associated with the name of the company Agefreco.
Already on January 31, 2012 the Okapi radio headlined "Maniema: crash of an Antonov in Namoya", an Antonov 28 chartered by Agefreco, from Bukavu in South Kivu, with 5 people on board who will be killed on Monday January 30, 2020 in this crash.
And even quite recently, on May 18, 2020 in an article from laprunellerdc.info, the alarm bells were sounded in the midst of Covid-19: "the Fillimbi citizen movement denounces the inaction of the provincial government of Maniema, in the face of passenger air traffic , of the travel agency, AGEFRECO despite the ban by the Head of State ”.
According to our sources, the authorities in Kinshasa are expected to rule on this matter shortly.

3 died in a clash between FARDC and maimai in villages of kithembe and kiyonga

Three died, Thursday, August 13, 2020, in a fight between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the Mai-Mai militiamen, in the villages of Kithembe and Buyonga, in the chiefdom of the Bashu, territory from Beni to North Kivu.
The new civil society speaks of the paralysis of socio-economic activities during this confrontation with heavy and light weapons.
Kiputulu Moïse indicates that a lull is observed in the region and the situation is under the control of the army of the Republic.
He adds that 3 people lost their lives during this exchange, including 2 Mai-Mai and FARDC element.

Civil society in beni confirms a new ADF attack onto their civilians

our civilians were shot dead Wednesday, August 12, during a new attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters in Kekelibo, in the village Kitevya, 12 kilometers west of the city of Oicha (territory from Beni) in North Kivu.
According to local civil society, the victims were surprised by the rebels while they were doing community service. This part is considered as an operational zone, specifies Janvier Kasairyo, one of the representatives of the civil society of Oicha.
Dozens of people do not answer the call after this attack. A motorcycle was also set on fire.
The bodies of the victims are in the mortuary in the city of Oicha. This attack comes after the one that claimed the life of a person last Tuesday in the village of Ntoma, in the Ruwenzori sector. At least 5 civilians have been killed since the start of this current week in Ben's territory.

3 congolese people dead in clashes between FARDC and a group of MAIMAI in bunyuka

Three  people died in clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and a group of Mai-Mai militiamen, in the Bunyuka group, in the Bashu chiefdom, in Beni-Territory ( North Kivu) this Thursday, August 13, 2020. The information is reported  by the New Congolese Civil Society (NSCC), territorial coordination of Beni. She explains that the people who died in the fighting included 2 Mai-Mai militiamen and a Congolese soldier. “It was early in the morning around 6 am that the clashes between FARDC and militiamen broke out. It was since yesterday that we had alerted the authorities to the circulation of this rebel movement and, early in the morning, the army met them on their way. On the attacking side, there were 2 deaths and war materials were recovered. On their passage, we also found traces of blood. And on the FARDC side, there was one death, ”said Moïse Kiputulu, coordinator of the said citizen structure. He also adds that these clashes created a psychosis in the head of some inhabitants who, for the most part, moved to other entities of the Bashu chiefdom before returning there on the evening of Thursday. Eastern and northeastern DRC still face rebel activism. Not long ago, the 3 governors of the east pleaded with the National Assembly in Kinshasa for the acceleration of the disarmament process of armed groups still active in the two Kivus as well as in Ituri. 

4 Congolese civilians killed in an alleged ADF ambush

4 civilians living in Oicha were killed in an ambush by the suspected ADF rebels, this Thursday, August 13, 2020, in Makele-Kithevya, an agglomeration located more or less 10 km from Oicha, capital of the territory of Beni, in the province of North Kivu. According to Nicolas Kikuku, bourgmestre of the commune of Oicha, who confirmed the nrws., the inhabitants who went to this region for community work (Salongo), this Thursday fell into the hands of the attackers. The information is confirmed by local civil society. For his part, Philippe Bonane speaks of the ambush which targeted civilians in order to discourage them from returning to their homes. The bodies of the victims, he continues, were deposited in the morgue of the Oicha referral hospital. It affirms so that a lively tension is observed in the major part of Oicha.

Rwanda and DRC have strengthened a joint management of the national parks in the Virunga mountains

Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda want to further strengthen their existing cooperation in the tourism sector. This strengthening involves joint management of the Virunga massifs that they share. This is the gist of the exchange on Wednesday August 12, 2020 between the Rwandan ambassador in the DRC, Vincent Karega and the Congolese Minister of Tourism, Yves Bunkulu Zola in Kinshasa.
For the Rwandan diplomat, this management will protect mountain gorillas, an endemic species currently on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“These cooperation talks will strengthen the existing cooperation and take it further in the field of tourism. The joint management of the heritage of the Virunga massifs which are home to mountain gorillas, rare animals that exist only there all over the world, ”said the Rwandan ambassador stationed in the DRC.
The strengthening of cooperation between the two countries will facilitate investments in the tourism sector in particular.
“When you are a tourist in Rwanda or Congo, you can have the ease of crossing over the border. Also when you are an investor in the tourism sector in one of the countries, have the possibility to go and invest in the other. It is in order to achieve a network more supplied with tourist products that the countries work together in the protection of flora and fauna, ”added Vincent Karega.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, security in protected areas, particularly Virunga Park, remains a major challenge following the activism of armed groups. Some Congolese gorillas had even fled insecurity to live in Rwanda. These animals have no boundary limits in the Virunga massifs. Traveling to countries in the region does not change their belonging to the country of origin.
The Virunga massifs are shared between the DRC (Virunga Park), Rwanda (Volkano national park) and Uganda (Bwindi national park).

Gorvenors of north kivu and ituri nzanzu kasivita and jean bamanisa wants the DRC gorvenment to put much efforts in control of COVID19 and other diseases

The Technical Secretary of the Multisectoral Unit for the Response to Covid-19 (CMR / Covid-19), Prof. Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, received this Wednesday August 12 in Kinshasa, Carly Nzanzu Kasivita and Jean Bamanisa Saidi, respectively governors of North Kivu and Ituri on a work mission in the capital. These two politico-administrative authorities presented to Dr Muyembe their wishes to have, among other things, laboratories in the provinces, not only for COVID-19 but also for other viral diseases.
“The teacher went through Bunia, not long ago, we must also say that in Ituri we did not have cases for a very long time and we had contamination which was made, and we are at more than 74 cases, there are a few hundred contact persons. And since the borders will be open soon, and trafficking will resume, we want to have INRB support within the province to detect in time and stop the disease in time. We would also like to have a laboratory in Bunia, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, as is done in Goma. Laboratories are needed to deal with the multiple diseases that are rife in the world, including Ebola, HIV, Covid-19, as well as so many other diseases of viral origin, "asked Governor Jean Bamanisa.
On August 5, Dr Jean Jacques Muyembe, CEO of the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), launched in Goma, the laboratory responsible for monitoring the diagnosis of Covid-19, Ebola and other diseases.
For her part, Carly Nzanzu Kasivita sees this visit to the INRB as an opportunity to obtain support to defeat the coronavirus, particularly in North Kivu where there are 498 confirmed cases.
“Back home in North Kivu province, we have 498 confirmed cases, and we need the doctor’s support as coordinator of the response. We came to visit the laboratory, to present some of the difficulties that we have in terms of supplying our munis laboratories, which we have in the provinces. We exchanged views on control strategies, as you know, this disease is new, we are adapting every day to strategies that can prevent us from having an outbreak, but what is known, all of us as authorities politico-administrative, we are engaged in awareness raising so that we can wrest community engagement, we would like everyone to be aware of the dangerousness of the disease, ”said the governor of North Kivu.

North kivu records the highest number of new Covid19 cases again

As of confirmed tests on wednesday,51 new confirmed cases (26 in North Kivu, 13 in Kinshasa, 7 in Ituri, 3 at Kongo Central, 1 in Upper Ulle and 1 in North Ubangi) out of 413 tested samples, 59 new people cured (42 in Kinshasa and 17 in the other provinces), 9 deaths.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulation of cases has been 9.589, including 9.588 confirmed cases and 1 probable cases:
• Kinshasa: 7.793 cases
• North Kivu: 498 cases
• Kongo-Central: 427 cases
• Haut-Katanga: 314 cases
• South Kivu: 295 cases
• Lualaba: 88 cases
• Ituri: 80 cases
• High Ulle: 40 cases
• Tshopo: 26 cases
• North Ubangi: 7 cases
• Kwilu: 6 cases
• Ecuador: 5 cases
• South Ubangi: 5 cases
• Haut-Lomami: 1 cases
• Kasai: 1 cases
• Kasai-Central: 1 cases
• Kwango: 1 cases