From our newsroom:
Russia's biggest oil company, Rosneft, has reportedly called on President Vladimir Putin to impose a series of sanctions on the West in retaliation for measures applied to Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis.
The Russian daily "Kommersant" reported on October 29 that state-run Rosneft's proposals include limiting cooperation aboard the International Space Station, prohibiting burial of U.S. and EU nuclear waste in Russia, and possible confiscation of property in Russia owned by Western countries or their citizens.
Western governments have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The sanctions target key Russian industries and individuals close to Putin, including Rosneft and its head, Igor Sechin.
IN a sign that Rosneft has been affected by the sanctions, British oil company BP reported on October 28 that its income from its operations with Rosneft dropped from $808 million in the third quarter of 2013 to $110 million in the sme period this year.
With Reuters reporting
Seems unlikely, to say the least...
"The Washington Post" points a finger at Russia in a story titled "Hackers Breach Some White House Computers."
It was unclassified networks, and the hacks are said to have occurred "in recent weeks." The report adds:
“In the course of assessing recent threats, we identified activity of concern on the unclassified Executive Office of the President network,” said one White House official. “We took immediate measures to evaluate and mitigate the activity. . . . Unfortunately, some of that resulted in the disruption of regular services to users. But people were on it and are dealing with it.”
And:
U.S. officials were alerted to the breach by an ally, sources said.
Recent reports by security firms have identified cyber-espionage campaigns by Russian hackers thought to be working for the government. Targets have included NATO, the Ukrainian government and U.S. defense contractors. Russia is regarded by U.S. officials as being in the top tier of states with cyber-capabilities.
In the case of the White House, the nature of the target is consistent with a state-sponsored campaign, sources said.