US senator wants Musk to block use of Starlink in Southeast Asia
Senator Maggie Hassan cited recent reports that Starlink is being used to facilitate fraud against Americans by a broad range of transnational criminal organizations operating "scam compounds" in Southeast Asia. The U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said these groups defrauded Americans out of billions of dollars, she added.
The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.
"Scam networks in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, however, have apparently continued to use Starlink despite service rules permitting SpaceX to terminate access for fraudulent activity," Hassan wrote in a letter to Musk seen by Reuters. "SpaceX has a responsibility to block criminals from using the service to target Americans."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
43 minutes ago
- Roya News
Netanyahu says 'Israel' must complete defeat of Hamas to free captives
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that 'Israel' must "complete" the defeat of Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of captives, ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss an updated war plan. "It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said during a visit to an army training facility. 'Israeli' media said the premier was considering ordering the total occupation of the Palestinian territory, with public broadcaster Kan reporting that "Netanyahu wants the Israeli army to conquer the entire Gaza Strip." Netanyahu's office said he held a three-hour "security discussion" on Tuesday with army chief Eyal Zamir, but did not disclose any new war plans. The premier's office earlier said the army was prepared to implement any decision made by the security cabinet, which is due to convene later in the week to approve new instructions. Citing cabinet members, Kan reported that Netanyahu had "decided to extend the fight to areas where hostages might be held" inside Gaza. But some major media outlets such as Channel 12 have suggested that the rumoured expansion of military operations may only be a negotiating tactic. While there was no official confirmation for a plan to occupy Gaza -- from which 'Israel' withdrew troops and settlers two decades ago -- it has drawn angry reactions from the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas-run government. Hamas insisted such an 'Israeli' plan would not shift its position in ceasefire talks, demanding the withdrawal of troops from Gaza. "The ball is in the hands of... (Israel) and the Americans," senior Hamas official Hossam Badran told AFP, adding that the group wanted to "end the war and the famine". 'Agreement must be reached' Over the war's 22 months, 'Israeli' forces have devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip, where repeated warnings of famine have increased pressure on Netanyahu's government to halt the fighting. Humanitarian agencies say the territory's 2.4 million people are slipping into a catastrophic famine. Netanyahu has faced growing pressure on several fronts. Domestically, families of captives are demanding a ceasefire to bring their loved ones home. Around the world, there are increasing calls for a truce to allow in food to the starving in Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday said it was "prepared and ready to bring in medicine, food and family news for the hostages in Gaza", and to "scale up the delivery of life-saving aid safely to civilians". But "to do this, an agreement must be reached between Israel and Hamas," it said.
Ammon
7 hours ago
- Ammon
U.S. may require some travelers to post $15,000 for visas
Ammon News - The U.S. Department of State is set to roll out a pilot program that may require foreign nationals from certain countries seeking business or tourism visas to post a bond of up to $15,000, according to a public notice set to be published Tuesday. The notice lays out the details of a 12-month "visa bond pilot program" that would allow consular officers to require visa bonds. Under the program, the bonds may be required for travelers from countries that the State Department says have high rates of visa overstays, or where screening and vetting information is considered deficient, according to the document. The notice does not specify the countries covered by the pilot program, but said the State Department will announce the list at least 15 days before it takes effect. The agency will also provide an explanation of why the bonds are required, according to the listing, which will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. The program will take effect 15 days after the notice is officially published and will run through August 2026, the document states. The program comes in response to an executive order issued by President Trump on the first day of his second term that sought to stem illegal immigration into the U.S., a major focus of the president's policy agenda. The measure directed the treasury secretary, along with the secretaries of state and homeland security, to take action to implement a visa bond program. The pilot program will focus on countries that have high visa overstay rates among those allowed into the U.S. for business or pleasure — through B-1 or B-2 visas, according to the notice. A B-1 visa is for those temporarily traveling to the U.S. for business activities. A B-2 visa is for foreign nationals who want to come to the U.S. temporarily for tourism or pleasure. Travelers entering the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program will not have to post a bond, according to the State Department's notice. That program allows residents of more than 40 countries to enter the U.S. for fewer than 90 days without a visa. While the countries subject to the program will be announced in the future, the list may also be modified on a rolling basis, the State Department said. The countries with the highest overstay rates for people with business and tourism visas in fiscal year 2023 were Chad, Laos, Haiti and Congo, according to the Department of Homeland Security's report. Only foreign nationals who are applying for B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant visas, and who are from the countries identified by the State Department, may be required to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 as a condition of receiving a visa. The bond can be canceled if the person meets certain criteria, including leaving the U.S. by the date their authorization expires, according to the terms of the program detailed in the notice.
Ammon
8 hours ago
- Ammon
OpenAI says ChatGPT is on track to reach 700M weekly users
Ammon News - ChatGPT's impressive growth as a consumer app continues as the chatbot is on track to hit 700 million weekly active users this week, the company says. The app had earlier reached 500 million weekly active users as of the end of March, noted Nick Turley, OpenAI VP and head of ChatGPT's app, in a post on X. He also said the app has grown 4x since last year. 'Every day, people and teams are learning, creating, and solving harder problems. Big week ahead. Grateful to the team for making ChatGPT more useful and delivering on our mission so everyone can benefit from AI,' he posted. The app's popularity increased after OpenAI launched an upgraded image-generation feature, powered by the GPT-4 model, in March. In early April, the company's COO, Brad Lightcap, said that more than 130 million users had created over 700 million images in just a few days after the launch. The company has also seen an increase in subscribers. Last week, Lightcap said that ChatGPT had 5 million paying business users, up from 3 million in June. In a recent report, market intelligence firm Sensor Tower noted that users are using ChatGPT for more than 12 days a month on average, only behind Google and X. The report also said that in H1 2025, users spent an average of 16 minutes per day on the app. TechCrunch
