Pager explosion in Lebanon reveals the latest methods of sabotage.
Lebanon witnessed the explosion of pager devices,
which was just another aspect of cyber warfare in its ugliest and most ferocious forms,
after it resulted in the death and injury of thousands, while fingers point to Israel,
which has a long history of such attacks across the region, which has become the longest-handed in launching attacks.
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Lebanon explosion
From the moment pager devices began exploding across Lebanon yesterday,
theories began to spread about ways to transform devices that are considered old in most parts of the world into dangerous weapons after they resulted in the death of a number of people and the injury of nearly 3,000 others.
While Lebanon accused Israel of orchestrating the attack that targeted Hezbollah fighters,
much of the controversy focused on the possibility that the supply chain for these old devices had been hacked.
One widespread idea is that the pager devices were modified so that their batteries overheated until they eventually exploded.
Japan
Japanese exports slow after foreign demand waned.
Exports rose 5.6% in August from a year earlier, the finance ministry said on Wednesday, down from 10.2% the previous month.
The result, which was below economists’ consensus estimate of 10.6%, was driven by a 9.9% drop in car exports,
with shipments of construction and mining machinery also falling.
Imports rose 2.3%, below economists’ forecast of 15%.
The trade deficit widened to 695.3 billion yen ($4.9 billion).
UK
It inflation held steady at 2.2% in August; further rate cuts expected
UK inflation held just above the Bank of England’s 2% target in August, opening the door to further interest rate cuts later this year. The consumer price index rose 2.2% from a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday, the same pace as in July and below the Bank of England’s forecast.
Although Bank of England policymakers are expected to keep interest rates steady at 5% in their decision on Thursday,
market expectations are for further easing ahead.
Traders anticipate cuts in November and December, with five more expected in 2025.
This week’s BoE decision comes a day after the US Federal Reserve began its much-anticipated easing cycle
amid concerns over the strength of the US economy.
Pager explosion in Lebanon reveals the latest methods of sabotage.