Six Russian intelligence hackers indicted by US prosecutors

The US Justice Department read out charges Monday against Russian intelligence officers for wide-ranging cyberattacks [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Russian military intel hackers accused of cyberattacks [A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers is displayed as Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers, left, takes the podium to speak at a news conference at the Department of Justice, Oct. 19, 2020.]( Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP/Pool The US Justice Department [unsealed charges]( Monday against Russian intelligence officers for wide-ranging cyberattacks. The indictment [accuses six defendants of hacking incidents]( that targeted a French presidential election, American companies and the opening ceremony of the 2018 Olympics, among other targets. The defendants’ unit is the same Kremlin team that staged the 2016 US presidential election interference and is part of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence branch. While US election interference is not part of the indictment, one of the defendants was also named in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. But Assistant Attorney General John Demers said the timing was [not related to the upcoming US election](. Prosecutors allege that the crimes — which caused billions of dollars in losses — were attempts [to promote Russian geopolitical interests]( and punish Moscow’s enemies. Scott Brady, the US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where the 50-page indictment was filed, said the hacks were “some of the most destructive, most costly, most egregious cyberattacks ever known.” One of the malware attacks, known as [NotPetya](, originally targeted the Ukrainian power grid but spread and infected computers around the world and damaged operations for the Heritage Valley Health System, serving many thousands of people in Pennsylvania. What The World is following US President Donald Trump announced Monday that the State Department will remove Sudan from a list of countries that sponsor terrorism, with Khartoum apparently agreeing to [pay $335 million to victims and their families]( from three terrorist attacks in 1998 and 2000. The move clears the way for Sudan to receive international aid and to [normalize relations with Israel](, a result that two US officials said could happen within several days. And scientists in the UK have announced plans to start the world’s first “human challenge” trials for COVID-19, [deliberately infecting healthy volunteers]( with the coronavirus to speed up the road to a vaccine. British scientists say the strategy could accelerate vaccine development by three months and save thousands of lives, whereas many US experts believe such tactics are too risky and unnecessary. The experiment, set to begin in January, will keep 19 young volunteers at a biosecure London facility where the live virus will be [inserted into their noses](. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Retired US generals warn against calling the US election too early]( [US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks with US soldiers during his visit at American military installations in the German communities of Grafenwoehr and Vilseck, Germany, Nov. 7, 2019.]( Credit: Jens Meyer/File Photo/Reuters As Nov. 3 approaches, calls by President Donald Trump to declare a winner on election night have raised fears within the biggest, oldest group of mail-in voters: members of the military. A new, nonpartisan group of retired US generals and veterans has come forward to say that [declaring a winner too early could disenfranchise]( the 172,000 active-duty service members abroad and their families. [Amid pandemic, Venezuelans hit the road again in search of work]( [Veronica Gomez, who was traveling with her partner and her son, receives backpacks from a humanitarian worker on Oct 1. The backpacks included energy bars, toiletries and ski masks, for the cold weather.]( Credit: Manuel Rueda/The World As neighboring countries reopen their economies, thousands of Venezuelan migrants [are leaving the country again to look for work](. But the pandemic is making their route through South America tougher. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Health officials around the world continue to urge people to wear masks and social distance to prevent the spread of the coroanvirus. Sometimes, a [catchy tune]( helps reinforce the message. [A screen grab of a tweet from Eric Feigl-Ding]( [Credit: Twitter screen grab]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Beloved Irish dolphin disappears]( - [UN arms embargo on Iran expires]( - [Hardline nationalist candidate wins Turkish Cypriot election]( - [Evo Morales’ socialist movement returns to power in Bolivia]( - [Bootleg alcohol on the rise in Turkey]( - [Protests in Thailand defy authorities]( - [Some classic films on Disney+ get racism advisory warning]( - [Europe faces harsher COVID-19 restrictions]( - [Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict hits diaspora close to home]( - [French authorities crack down on Islamic groups]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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