IF iDir.com

The Russian authorities deny allegations from Microsoft that hackers linked to Russia's government tried to target the websites of two right-wing U.S. think-tanks, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday. Interfax cited an unnamed Russian diplomatic source on Tuesday as describing Microsoft's allegations as part of a political game. "Microsoft is playing political games," it cited the source as saying.

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 06:34:30 -0400

The software giant said it thwarted the attempts last week by taking control of sites that hackers had designed to mimic the pages of The International Republican Institute and The Hudson Institute. There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities, but the Kremlin was expected to address the report later on Tuesday. Casting such allegations as part of an anti-Russian campaign designed to justify new sanctions on Russia, it says it wants to improve not worsen ties with Washington.

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 05:30:59 -0400

About 300 demonstrators gathered at the base of Silent Sam, a memorial to the Confederate soldiers killed during the Civil War, at about 7 p.m. (2300 GMT) to hold a protest and march. About two hours later, the statue, which had been standing on the Chapel Hill campus since 1913, was on the ground, local media reported. Protesters pulled the statue with rope and threw dirt on it, local media reported.

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:18:39 -0400

Less rain and longer droughts are the major cause behind larger and more intense wildfires in the U.S. West, not higher temperatures and early snowmelt as previously thought, according to research released on Monday. The findings by the U.S. Forest Service and University of Montana could help scientists better predict the severity of fire seasons, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. California is marking one of the most destructive fire seasons on record.

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 22:06:00 -0400

Chris Watts, who had been involved in an extramarital affair with a co-worker, said during a police interrogation that his wife, Shannan, strangled their daughters Bella and Celeste after he announced that he wanted a separation, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the sensational case. "While in the bedroom, via a baby monitor located on Shannan's night stand, he observed Bella 'sprawled' out on her bed, blue, and Shannan actively strangling Celeste," Frederick Police Officer Matthew James wrote in the affidavit. "Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shannan to death," James wrote.

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 19:42:13 -0400