Category Archives: NSA

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While there has been a large focus on growth stocks this year, real estate investment trusts (REITs) continue to be a great way to balance your portfolio while gaining exposure to the real estate sector. Adding these income-producing investments can result in significant advantages over traditional real estate investing including increased liquidity, greater diversification, tax benefits and potentially higher returns with lower risk.

- Zacks

Real estate investment trusts either own or manage income-producing real estate, normally through directly investing in properties or the mortgages on those properties. The IRS mandates that REITs must pay out 90% of their taxable income to shareholders. This typically translates into much higher dividends than your average S&P 500 stock. One of the best ways to increase returns when investing in REITs is to compound the dividends received. Investors may also choose to utilize a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP), which automatically reinvests the dividends received into additional shares.

Investors have the option to buy REITs directly, or may choose to further diversify by investing in REIT ETFs or mutual funds. The iShares Cohen & Steers REIT ETF ICF boasts a Zacks ETF #1 ranking (Strong Buy) and has outperformed the broader market this year with a nearly 32% YTD return.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

REITs not only offer above-average yields, but also the potential for future price appreciation. With interest rates historically low for many years, investors have turned to vehicles like REITs when searching for ways to increase yield. But given the recent chatter surrounding future interest rate increases, a potential issue for REIT investors is their sensitivity to interest rates. Lets take a look from a historical perspective to see what we can learn regarding REIT performance during periods of interest rate increases.

The table below illustrates six different historical periods beginning in the 1970s during which interest rates rose, measured by the 10-year treasury yield. During these times of increasing rates, the table compares the cumulative total returns over each period for both REITs and U.S. stocks.

Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Bloomberg, The Federal Reserve.

The table shows that out of the six different periods, REITs generated positive returns in four of them, while outpacing the general stock market in three of the cases. This study shows that a rising interest rate environment does not translate to lower REIT prices. This is mainly due to the fact that during economic expansions, the value of the underlying real estate increases.

While REIT prices may react in the short-term to changes in the outlook for interest rates, over longer periods there is typically a positive correlation between rising rates and REIT returns. A stronger economic backdrop normally leads to higher occupancy rates, increased NOI (net operating income), and expanding property values. All of these components lead to higher dividend payments for REIT investors.

Now that weve established REITs can outperform even in rising rate environments, lets take a look at three REITs with a healthy outlook that are outperforming the broader market.

Extra Space Storage (EXR)

EXR is the largest self-storage management company in the United States. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, the company is a fully integrated, self-administered REIT which owns and operates self-storage properties. These properties are comprised of many units and millions of square feet of rentable storage space.

Maintaining a Zacks #2 Buy ranking, we can see below that EXR has a strong history of EPS surprises. It most recently reported earnings in October for the prior quarter of $1.85, representing an 8.2% surprise over consensus.

Extra Space Storage Inc price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Extra Space Storage Inc Quote

For the year, the current Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at EPS of $6.67, reflecting a 26.3% increase over the prior year. Looking out at next year, analysts have shifted their 2022 earnings estimates upward by 3.2% in the past 30 days.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

The Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) seeks to find companies that have recently witnessed positive earnings estimate revision activity. This technique has proven quite useful for finding earnings surprises in fact, when combining a Zacks #3 ranking or better and a positive earnings ESP, stocks have produced a positive surprise 70% of the time.

The ESP for Extra Space Storage currently stands at 4.94%. EXR is next scheduled to report earnings on February 28th, 2022.

Life Storage (LSI)

Life Storage is a self-managed REIT that acquires and manages self-storage properties. The company is headquartered in Buffalo, New York and its brand names consist of Life Storage and Uncle Bobs Self Storage.

LSI presently has a Zacks #2 ranking (Buy) and a solid history of earnings surprises, beating or matching estimates in each of the last ten quarters. The company most recently reported earnings earlier this month, with EPS of $1.37 which translated to a greater than 7% surprise over consensus. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for full-year earnings stands at $4.91, which would represent 23.7% growth over last years EPS of $3.97.

Life Storage, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Life Storage, Inc. Quote

The companys current ESP sits at 3.58%. LSI is next scheduled to report quarterly earnings on February 28th, 2022.

National Storage Affiliates Trust (NSA)

Sporting a Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) ranking, NSA is based in Houston and concentrates on the ownership, operation and acquisition of self-storage properties. Similar to its counterparts, you can see that the company has a robust history of EPS surprises, delivering an average surprise of nearly 6.4% over the past four quarters.

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportLife Storage, Inc. (LSI): Free Stock Analysis ReportExtra Space Storage Inc (EXR): Free Stock Analysis ReportNational Storage Affiliates Trust (NSA): Free Stock Analysis ReportiShares Cohen & Steers REIT ETF (ICF): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research

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Put Your Cash to Work in These 3 High-Performing REITs - Green Entrepreneur

The Herald

Egyptianauthorities should cease the harassment and persecution of prominent human rights defender and journalist, Hossam Bahgat, who faces abusive charges intended to punish him solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and his human rights activism, 46 human rights organizations said today.

The verdict in the trial of Hossam Bahgat, executive director and founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), isexpectedon November 29, 2021. Bahgat is charged with insulting the Elections Authority, spreading false news, and using a social media account to commit these crimes in response to atweethe posted criticizing the former head of Egypts National Elections Authority, the late Lashin Ibrahim, for his oversight of parliamentary elections. This case is the latest salvo in a years-long campaign targeting Hossam Bahgat who is well-known for his human rights activism and investigative journalism.

The Egyptian government needs to halt its relentless persecution of Hossam Bahgat, saidJoe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. These endless legal proceedings look like a clear reprisal against Bahgats storied legacy of defending human rights.

The charges against Bahgat carry a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to EGP 330,000 (US$19,000) under Egypts penal code and2018 cybercrime law.

In 2016, the authorities arbitrarilybannedHossam Bahgat from traveling andfrozehis assets in relation to Case 173, known as the infamous foreign funding case, a decade-long abusive criminal investigation that targeted dozens of nongovernmental organizations unjust restrictions that remain in place today. InJuly 2021, an investigative judge in Case 173 summoned Hossam Bahgat and interrogated him on the basis of investigations by the notorious National Security Agency (NSA) accusing him of inciting the public against state institutions. While the investigative judges dropped their investigations against75 NGOs and some 220 activists and employees, Hossam Bahgat and the EIPR remain subject to the ongoing investigation. In November 2015, Egyptian authorities unlawfullydetainedBahgat for three days on charges of publishing false news following hisinvestigationpublished by the independent news site Mada Masr detailing the military trial of several military officers in relation to a plan to overthrow the government.

The Egyptian governments retaliation against Hossam and other EIPR leaders is a threat to the human rights community in Egypt and part of a pattern that threatens to cripple civil society, said Mohamed Zaree, head of the Egypt programat the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. We strongly condemn this clear pattern of harassment and intimidation against Hossam Bahgat solely because he insists on exercising his right to free expression.

In November 2020, three top EIPR staff members Gasser Abdel-Razek, Karim Ennarah, and Mohamed Basheer werearrestedand detained for several days on unfounded terrorism charges following their meeting with European diplomats about Egypts human rights crisis. They were released within days following a global outcry but all three remain subject to travel bans and asset freezes.

In February 2020, the authoritiesarrestedPatrick George Zaki, a gender and sexuality rights researcher at EIPR, on his arrival at Cairo Airport from Italy, where he had been studying. During his detention, NSA officers subjected him totorturethrough the use of electric shocks and beatings, according to sources familiar with the case. After 19 months of detention without trial, prosecutorsreferredhim to an Emergency State Security Court for trial over unfounded disseminating false news charges which is set to resume on December 7, 2021.

As part of their unrelenting assault on the human rights movement, Egyptian authorities have a long track record of targeting Hossam Bahgat and other directors and staff at EIPR, one of Egypts leading human rights organizations, through unjust prosecutions, arbitrary arrests and detention, travel bans and asset freezes, said Amnesty Internationals Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director, Philip Luther. Egyptian authorities must halt their endless misuse of the justice system and drop all spurious charges against Hossam Bahgat, close Case 173 once and for all, and lift arbitrary travel bans and asset freezes.

Signatory Organizations:

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

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Egypt: End Harassment of Rights Defender - The Herald

I am very proud to be the principal of Northern School for Autism.

It gives me great delight to introduce our school to you. We have wonderful facilities and importantly fantastic teachers, allied health staff and education support staff who support the students in their learning across the school. Across the two campuses of NSA a dedicated team of 190 staff members provide autism specific educational programs, for 425 students from 5 to18 years of age. Each campus community is supported by a leadership team who oversees the implementation of the curriculum and daily operations of each campus.

The Reservoir Campus provides state of the art facilities for the Early and Middle Years students. The Later Years students attend the refurbished Lalor Campus, which is located close to transport, community services and shopping precincts. In 2015 the school opened a satellite program at Norris Bank Primary School students must be enrolled at NSA and complete their first year of education at the Reservoir Campus to be eligible to enter the satellite program.

The schools approach to structured teaching was built using the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communications Handicapped Children) approach, which is an evidence-based program suitable for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autism spectrum disorders. Using this approach, teachers build on individual student strengths and skills to promote development. Aligned with this, the school developed a set of expected teaching and learning protocols to support greater school-wide consistency in approach.

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Northern School For Autism | Education

Remember way back in 2017, when then-President Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared to suggest the Trump administration may have been spied on with microwaves?

I certainly do, if for no other reason than it put me in the undesirable position of having to partially defend her claim. There's no evidence this occurred but yes, the capacity exists!

In fact, the topic of household and other internet-connected devices going rogue or worse, being maliciously controlled by third parties is a key concern for the National Security Agency. Thats the word I received from a presentation at this years AI Summit and IoT World, a California-based tech conference.

The conference focused heavily on the Internet of Things, or IoT, a phrase for physical objects yes, like microwaves that werent traditionally connected to the internet in the past but can be now.

Nicole Newmeyer, the NSAs technical director for internet of things integration, said the agency is focused on IoT because its already changing the way we exist as humans and how we interact with the world.

You might have a few IoT devices nearby. Maybe youre being warmed by an internet-connected heater, in a room lit by internet-connected light bulbs, in a home with internet-connected appliances, watching a smart TV while checking the time on your Apple Watch.

Regardless, by years end, at least 46 billion devices around the world are expected to be connected to the internet, according to 2016 data from Juniper Research, a tech consultancy firm. For the growing number of Americans surrounding themselves with smart devices, the popularity of IoT represents a growing attack surface for our nations adversaries, Newmeyer said.

Without proper security protections, everything youve connected to the internet is vulnerable to web-based attacks. And I do mean everything: Newmeyer listed internet-connected toothbrushes, wireless security cameras, service animals with two-way trackers, stoplights, internet-connected military equipment and smart cities as potential targets for malicious actors.

She said businesses have been encouraged to create devices that meet a standard known as common criteria, a framework of security measures put in place for IoT devices. But businesses arent officially required to meet that standard, and even when they have, hacks on IoT devices have continued.

So look, Im not encouraging you to go full-on Luddite here and cast your devices into the sea. Im just saying what youve come to expect from me: We need to hold these tech companies accountable for keeping us safe from dangerous hacks!

Growing up, I had strict Nickelodeon loyalties, but even I watched Disneys Smart House I know how this story goes if we arent careful.

CLARIFICATION (Nov. 16, 2021, 1:08 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article mischaracterized standards available for IoT devices. Businesses are encouraged to meet a set of standards known as common criteria, but there is no formal certification process for it.

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Head over toThe ReidOut Blogfor more.

Ja'han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He's a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include "Black Hair Defined" and the "Black Obituary Project."

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Why the NSA wants to protect you from your toothbrush - MSNBC

WASHINGTON In the battle over cyberspace, adversaries to the United States are continually switching up their methods to hack U.S. systems, a senior National Security Agency official said Wednesday.

That means the U.S. must in turn keep shifting the tools and techniques it uses to counter hackers from nations like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea and team up with the private sector to do so, David Luber, deputy director for NSAs cybersecurity directorate, said in a panel during C4ISRNETs CyberCon.

Even as were on this call right now, the cyberspace domain is changing, Luber said. New malware is being released, new vulnerabilities are being discovered, and adversaries will use those vulnerabilities to gain access to our critical Department of Defense and national security systems.

As part of its effort to work with the private sector, Luber said NSAs Cybersecurity Collaboration Center is developing analytics that help it sift through both government signals intelligence collected overseas and what industry analysts have spotted.

By comparing results, were able to better understand the tradecraft of those adversaries, and then develop, jointly, methods to thwart their activities, Luber said.

The NSA has published more than 50 cybersecurity advisories over the last two years to share threat intelligence with the defense industry and other organizations. Some of those advisories have gone so far as to highlight specific pieces of malware, or tactics, techniques and procedures that Russian or Chinese hackers use to try to get into sensitive networks and infrastructures, and common vulnerabilities they like to exploit.

Hackers from Iran, North Korea or non-state organizations that try to extort money using ransomware are also threats, Luber said.

Rear Adm. Mike Ryan, head of the Coast Guards Cyber Command, said during the same panel that while the competition to recruit in-demand cybersecurity professionals is tough, his services mission and the enthusiasm it breeds help make it competitive.

People want to be part of my command, Ryan said. I am not going to win on the salary and compensation schemes, but I can definitely be competitive through the selfless service we enjoy from the incredible opportunities that we allow our people to execute.

But money never hurts Ryan noted the Coast Guard is trying to use bonuses to attract talented candidates.

Luber said NSA has partnerships with 340 universities nationwide to encourage students to study cybersecurity. Every summer, he said, about 300 students receive 12-week internships at NSA, and 70% to 85% of those interns go on to work for NSA full-time after graduation.

NSA also is trying to encourage even younger people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through a program called GenCyber, which offers students from kindergarten through high school opportunities to attend summer camps focused on cybersecurity. This past summer, he said, GenCyber offered 146 camps in 46 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

It begins early with partnerships partnerships at K through 12, partnerships with universities, the professors, the students and the faculty to build the next generation of cybersecurity experts to bring their talents to the National Security Agency, Luber said.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter at Defense News. He previously reported for Military.com, covering the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare. Before that, he covered U.S. Air Force leadership, personnel and operations for Air Force Times.

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The cyber battlefield against China and Russia is constantly shifting. Here's how the NSA is trying to stay on top. - DefenseNews.com

What was your worst day of commuting ever?

A snow day some years back comes to mind for me. Both Metrorail and the Maryland commuter trains were whacked. My office was next to Union Station at the time. I ran into a friend who worked nearby. So we got into my car and drive from Rockville, Maryland, into Washington, D.C. dont ask.

But, when I finally made it to my building, there was plenty of room to park in the underground garage.

And whats worse than having a lousy commute only to reach a destination with inadequate parking? Yet thats what many federal employees face every day, at least, they did before all the mass teleworking. Should the January return to the office actually happen, the old parking problems will resurface. Lack of reasonably convenient parking makes every day an anxious commute.

The distant parking spaces at the Pentagon are the stuff of legend. I dont know what its like parking on the far side of Route 110 and traipsing a half mile to the Pentagon. I mean, it might be great if you could do it daily in jogging pants and hands free. But all suited up and carrying a backpack in August?

Agencies or locations with crummy or insufficient parking and you know who you are nows a great time to do something about it. With money about to get schmeared everywhere, surely you can get funds for that parking garage or fleet of shuttle vans.

Which brings me to the case of Fort Meade, Maryland. This Army base houses the National Security Agency headquarters and a few other Defense Department components. The Defense Information Systems Agency and U.S. Cyber Command also live there.

The couple of times Ive visited there I was amazed at the crush of vehicles pouring in through the security gates. When you get through the gates, youre basically nowhere. Fort Meade encompasses more than 5,000 acres. Youve got to drive to where you need to be. In effect its a city, with its own zip code.

By all accounts, parking can be a nightmare. Its not that NSA Fort Meade has too few spaces, its where they are, how theyre distributed. The inspector general field work occurred in 2019 and 2020. Im guessing the parking at NSA loosened less than at other agencies in the pandemic because fewer NSA people could handle classified stuff by telework.

Basically, parking at the NSA headquarters is a horror show. Its also a source of ongoing complaints by employees who dread it each day.

A new look-see by NSAs inspector general found that parking complaints at Fort Meade go back a few years, like to 1954, shortly after formation of the agency itself. IG Robert Storch told me that NSA management knows its got a parking problem that leads to general grumpiness. But parking isnt a priority, his report found the agency has failed to implement solutions that would minimize the parking shortage or improve employee morale. It also mismanages parking in general.

Attempts to help the parking situation come off as comic. In one case, NSA acquired a $3 million modular parking structure to add spaces vertically. It looks like an Erector Set project in life size. Several engineering studies of the spindly structure which sat directly on the black-top pavement found it was too flimsy to safely drive cars onto. In 2019, NSA spent $600,000 to have it dismantled and removed.

A system to count cars coming and going from parking lots and display numbers of available spaces didnt work out either. It wasnt totally accurate. Rainwater seeped into the display and short circuited it. Last year NSA ripped out Key2Park altogether.

Also irritating to employees: Reserved spaces. The IG turned up lots of complaints about that in NSA blogs JournalNSA and Parting Thoughts.

To wit: I didnt want to walk a quarter to half a mile or shuttle in every day only to pass by emptyparking spaces designated for the elite (non-medical privileged parking needs to go), said one poster.

The issues go on and on. The IG report even cites 41 Code of Federal Regulation Ch. 102, section 74.310. It requires agencies to constantly review their parking situation, and conduct employee surveys. But it found the NSA never has surveyed headquarters employees. The IG recommends the NSA do so and use the results to develop a comprehensive parking and transportation plan, and strategies to achieve it, that align with [installation and logistics] goals.

NSA management agreed with all of the IG recommendations. Lets hope they take action. When you drive by on Maryland Route 32, that blue-green NSA glass box looks cool. But the issue of parking there burns red hot.

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Love the job, hate the parking - Federal News Network

Click Here to Download Your Free Checklists for Payers and Providers to Be Sure Youre Ready to Meet the New NSA Requirements

The No Surprises Act (NSA), which was enacted in December 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, protects patients from surprise medical bills for emergency services and when they are treated by out-of-network providers in an in-network facility in certain circumstances. The NSA also sets a methodology that will be used to determine out-of-network enrollee cost-sharing and provider reimbursement in those situationsat least when state law does not determine those amounts.

Because most states already have some form of patient protections for surprise medical bills, the NSA creates a complex landscape of state-federal law interactions. Health plans, health care providers, and hospitals and other facilities will need to analyze carefully what law applies to particular out-of-network claims. Because the answer varies depending on the scope of state laws, a health plan could be forced to reimburse some claims under state methodologies and other claims under federal methodologies. It is even possible that different parts of the same hospital stay could be reimbursed under different laws.

The federal government has issued two interim final regulations already on these issues, and plans to issue additional rules, likely in 2022. (See Manatts analysis of the first and second interim regulations.) State insurance and health regulators will also play an important role in interpreting and enforcing the NSA and corresponding state laws.

The state of Washington was the first to issue comprehensive guidance explaining how it intends to apply the NSA to insurers in its state and how the NSA will interact with its existing surprise medical billing law. Washingtons guidance demonstrates the complexity that states, health plans and providers will need to continue to wrestle with as full implementation of the NSA approaches on January 1, 2022.

Issued by the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), the guidance explains how OIC will enforce the NSA, including prohibitions on balance billing that are broader than state law. The federal methodology for determining cost-sharing and provider reimbursement will apply to situations covered by the NSA but not existing state balance billing law (e.g., grandfathered health plans and nonemergency services by neonatologists and intensivists). State requirements that will continue to apply include state requirements for electronic transactions, provider directories, enrollee cost-sharing, provider reimbursement and dispute resolution.

OIC will not enforce the NSA against air ambulances, self-funded group health plans that have not elected to be subject to state law, and health care providers and facilities. OIC is deferring enforcement of the NSA price comparison tool and advanced explanation of benefits requirements consistent with August 2021 federal guidance but will be enforcing ID card, provider directory, balance billing enrollee disclosures and continuity of care requirements consistent with the August 2021 guidance. OIC has developed a consumer notice that plans subject to OIC jurisdiction should use.

Many states are working on guidance that is likely to be released through the end of the year. Manatt on Health is tracking state guidance as it is released and will be updating our tracker for subscribers to this premium service on a biweekly basis.

Click here to download your free checklists for payers and providers to be sure you are ready for the NSAs new requirements.

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States Begin to Issue Guidance on Implementing the No Surprises Act: Are You Ready? - JD Supra

Since 2014, when he assumed the charge of Prime Ministership, Narendra Modi has faced international pressures to address Indias human rights concerns and has been accused of involvement in war crimes and human rights violations. In 2014, a lawsuit was filed against him by the American Justice Center, which accused him of inaction in stopping the religious riots in Gujarat in 2002. At the time of the communal violence, Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Other NGOs that are focused on human rights across the nation have condemned the actions of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Huffington Post India reported that an Indian spokeswoman for Greenpeace alleges the raids to be part of a larger design to muzzle democratic dissent in the country, that began in 2014. She claims, although India is now a major growing economy, Indias citizenry remains highly dependent on foreign aid.

The most recent attack on civil society groups is said to have greatly affected those dependent upon foreign funding. The Guardian reported that between 2014 and 2017, the Indian government has reduced foreign funding received by civil society, from US$2.05 billion to US$884.50 million.

It is said, by blocking foreign funding, and targeting civil society groups, the Indian government is denying its citizenry the funding it desperately relies upon for everyday life. The critics opine India must recognize the harmful effect of its actions, and work alongside civil society NGOs, to offer its citizenry the best care and provision of human rights possible,

Why are the Civil Society Groups & others upset?

To have some idea about why the Civil Society Groups, as also, the International Organizations are upset, following the amendment of the FCRA Act, 2010, one needs to have a look at the following:

NGOs are actually, meant to be agents of change, who purportedly serve the marginalised sections of society. They are said to perform duties, which the government agencies fail to provide.

However, a look at the activities of two of the frontline International NGOs, Amnesty International & Ford Foundation presents a case in point to the contrary & throws ample light on the disturbing activities of these & similar other outfits in India.

Amnesty International

The world of NGOs is alleged to be a shady mix of exploitation and corruption, disguising itself underneath a pious garb of human rights and humanitarian concerns. Apart from serving as extended arms of the western powers, in their bid to undermine the sovereignty of other countries, NGOs are known to be riddled with numerous vices of their own.

Amnesty International is said to be one of those NGOs, that have a shadowy past and have been trying desperately to meddle with the internal affairs of India. In 2019, it had reportedly decided to start a global campaign in defence of Jihad in Kashmir.

In a video featuring the actor, Naseeruddin Shah, the NGO had claimed that the Constitution was under threat, and dissent is being suppressed in the country. It painted a grim picture of the country, as opposed to the real picture.

On another occasion, Amnesty had claimed that India is becoming a dangerous place for human rights defenders, based on the statement made by arrested Urban Naxal Arun Ferreira. The NGO conveniently ignored the fact that Ferreira was arrested in connection with the violence at Koregaon Bhima, and an alleged assassination plot to murder Prime Minister Modi. It is opined, such inconvenient facts do not matter to Amnesty.

Amnesty International was also accused of having links with the Taliban. Gita Sahgal, the then head of the gender unit at Amnestys international secretariat, going public in 2010, had reportedly condemned the Organization for collaborating with Moazzam Begg, a former British inmate at Guantanamo Bay, a US detention camp for terrorists, that has been the subject of great controversy, and his organization, Cage Prisoners.

It is therefore opined, given the history of Amnesty International allying with radical Islamic fundamentalists, it is not surprising that Amnesty had decided to side with the Jihadists on the Kashmir issue.

In recent times, it appears to be overeager to undermine Indias sovereignty, while violating Indias laws. Amnesty International India, on Monday, 5th of August, 2019, had issued a statement, against the Centres decision to revoke the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it could stoke ongoing tension in the state, and end up alienating the locals. It also cautioned the government that the developments could increase the risk of further human rights violations. This obviously was an unwanted unnecessary interference in the working of a sovereign state like India.

Ford Foundation

In 2018, US-based Ford Foundation had reportedly funded a political party and profit-making organisations illegally. For this, Ford Foundation came under the Home Ministrys scanner and was put on the watch list. An investigation had reportedly found that funds sanctioned by the Ford Foundation to an NGO, had reached a political party, automatically making the donor, liable to face action. The probe reportedly had also found that Ford Foundation had funded several organisations, which do not fall into the category of NGOs, eligible for receiving foreign funds, as they make profits.

The Home Ministry had also reportedly found that Ford Foundation had given funds to at least six NGOs, which were not registered under the FCRA, making the payment illegal.

It is worth noting that, under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, no donor can fund political parties or any organisation which makes profits.

Following the investigation, the Home Ministry had put the Ford Foundation on its watch list, and ordered that all funds coming from the US-based donor, be routed through it, in view of the national security concerns.

The Reserve Bank of India accordingly was requested to instruct all the banks and their branches to ensure that, any fund flow from the Ford Foundation to any person, NGO or organisation in India, should be brought to the notice of the Home Ministry, so that, funds are allowed to be credited into the accounts of the recipient, only after clearance of the Ministry.

Gujarat government had also asked the Home Ministry to take action against Ford Foundation, alleging that the US-based organisation was interfering in internal affairs of the country, and also abetting communal disharmony, through an NGO run by Social Activist Teesta Setalvad.

The action against Ford Foundation came weeks after the Home Ministry froze seven bank accounts of Greenpeace India, and barred it from receiving foreign funds, for allegedly violating FCRA, and prejudicially affecting the countrys public and economic interests.

One should not be under the impression that the Modi Government, which is being targeted by all, including by the Indian National Congress, was the one, which started this trend. We have already seen that the Congress Government under the late Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, was instrumental in bringing in the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act in 1976 during the Emergency, which was later amended in 2010 during the Premiership of Dr, Manmohan Singh.

Dr. Manmohan Singh had altered the original FCRA in 2010, by inserting a clause to regulate access to foreign money or hospitality for any activity detrimental to national interest. Under the new provision, any organisation of a political nature was banned from accepting foreign funds.

Modi, it must be understood, has realised the damaging and incendiary voltage of the non-formal sector. During the first term of NDA, the Home Ministry had withdrawn the registration of over 20,000 NGOs. Many more are likely to lose their recognition soon, as they would be unable to comply with the new laws, Prabhu Chawla, the Editorial Director of the New Indian Express had opined in an article in New Indian Express, dated, 27th of September, 2020. NSA, Ajit Dovals reference to the civil society as the new frontiers of war, has to be understood in this context.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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Civil Society the new frontier of War A Critical Analysis of NSA Ajit Dovals observation Part 3 - The Times of India Blog

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is looking forward to meeting sheep farmers from across the country this winter to discuss sheep farmings role in a changing environment.

In a series of face-to-face roadshows, the NSA will explain its work representing the UK sheep farmer, ensuring our sheep sector not only survives, but thrives.

In the South West, the NSA will be hosting its roadshow on Tuesday, December 7 at The Globe in Topsham near Exeter, EX3 0HR.

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the NSA, said the UK is going through the biggest changes to farming experienced in generations, and this within a wider ever-changing world.

Farming, food, and land management are all highly affected by challenges posed by climate change and the loss of the natural world and this is compounded by significant economic, social and political uncertainty, he added.

For sheep farming the UK is on the cusp of big changes in trade patterns with trade deals advanced with Australia and New Zealand, alongside a complete revamp of farming, food and environmental policy that will restructure farm support.

"But while there are many risks and challenges there are equal opportunities and the future is bright for those willing to adapt and move with the changing tides.

Joining NSA to discuss this will be representatives from UK levy boards as well as farmers themselves who will share their approaches to farming successfully in the future.

Mr Stocker continued: NSA is working tirelessly to defend sheep farming, to position it as one of the solutions to many of the worlds challenges, and to take actions to turn opportunities into reality.

"Come along to hear about some of the work being done and also to hear from our members about the route they are taking to succeed in the future.

The roadshows will be free to attend and taking place throughout November and December. All events will begin at 7pm unless otherwise stated. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/events.

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Sheep farmers hit the road to demonstrate sector's place in a changing world - Devon Live

Image courtesy of General Dynamics Mission Systems.

In this Q&A with Dave King, chief technical officer and senior fellow for Cyber Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems, we discuss: the importance of evolving data-protection systems; the pros and cons of Type 1 vs. Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) vs. Cryptographic High Value Products; and the role encryption will play in the Great Power competition.

Breaking Defense: What do you see as critical information security needs of the military, especially in light of the Great Power competition and all-domain operations? Where do the gaps exist?

Dave King, chief technical officer and senior fellow for Cyber Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems.

King: Information is a strategic asset and protecting it against adversaries and cyberattacks is crucial to the security of the American people and protection of our nations intellectual property. On one hand, you have the need to know, on the other hand, the need to share the two are conflicting at times.

To ensure the integrity and security of the critical information as attacks are becoming more prevalent and complex, the solutions you integrate for network or storage protection, as well as user access, must be standards-based and modular. We are no longer in the times when you can deploy a crypto solution for 10+ years to secure against nation-state adversaries.

Our security solutions must modernize to integrate cleanly into the new weapon systems to give us the competitive edge. An example would be strong data protection for new, unmanned systems or the explosion of telework environments. Solutions from five years ago may not meet the needs of evolving missions. We need continuous adaption and upgrades to stay ahead of nation-state adversaries.

Another critical piece is military interoperability not only between the U.S. Department of Defense but with Five Eyes and coalition partners. The ability to enable secure communications and data sharing with partners and allies in a dynamic and modular way allow us to make decisions faster and act at the speed of mission relevance.

And finally, the most important critical need is ensuring a trusted supply chain. Both hardware and software products used to protect classified data must follow high-assurance development requirements and processes. A secure supply chain must include security and interoperability standards to ensure components are only from trusted and validated sources.

This is something inherent to traditional Type 1 crypto solutions as opposed to other commercial products or even layered commercial solutions like Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC).

Breaking Defense: For our readers who might not be familiar with Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) vs. Type 1 security, what are the considerations for high-assurance in enterprise and tactical missions? Please explain and also connect to the missions and applications used by the military. Why should they care about this?

King: Both CSfC and high-assurance Type 1 solutions can be used to protect classified voice and data communications, but the security approach and lifecycle cost differ quite a bit. Choosing the right security solution should really be based on all your mission needs, which can be difficult to balance; there are many considerations to weigh.

The first thing is risk acceptance. How much risk are you willing to take based on your mission and the security level of the information you are protecting? Type 1 is National Security Agency (NSA) certified for broad use, while CSfC is an NSA approved way of building a solution with the layering of different products. This tends to make CSfC application specific and thus your local Designated Approving Authority (DAA) will need to assess and manage all of the residual risk.

A key point from earlier is supply chain. As I mentioned before, the supply chain for commercial-based products is not as rigorous as Type 1. The configuration management for Type 1 is regulated by the government, which is not true for purely commercial security products; this tends to add additional supply chain risks to CSfC solutions. Type 1 is certainly more trusted.

Another factor is interoperability. NSA Certified products ensure end-to-end interoperability to the government specifications (e.g., HAIPE or EDE-CIS) regardless of product vendor. The government requires all Type 1 network encryptor vendors to pass a well-defined series of interoperability tests.

There are other features that are typically found in Type 1 that are not built into Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) products. First, there are environmental concerns that dictate the need for MIL-STD ruggedization and TEMPEST protections.

Second, there are mission focused features like Render Useless Zeroize for unmanned or leave-behind applications. Finally, the layering approach associated with CSfC can often degrade performance and add size, weight, power, and cost to tactical solutions.

I think there is a lot of confusion in the market about cost comparisons of the two solutions. Network administrators, users, and contracting specialists should really look at both capital and operating expenditures over the lifecycle of the solutions to get a realistic view. I know we have had customers surprised at how the costs for design, implementation, patching, and yearly registration of CSfC solutions add up. There is a perceived advantage of COTS devices and that is handling.

To address these gaps, the government has introduced Cryptographic High Value Products or CHVP encryptors. These products aim to bridge the mission gap joining the high-assurance security of Type 1 products so you get the trusted security and supply chain but with reduced handling and accountability that COTS products offer. I would recommend that your readers check out the GD Live webinar on this topic by visiting gdmissionsystems.com/chvp.

Breaking Defense: What are the ideal data-protection solutions to address warfighter needs in the present tactical scenarios as they relate to JADC2 and distributed operations, as well as continuing operations related to anti-terror?

King: Many of the same key points discussed earlier relate to the Great Power competition. The benefits of Type 1 high-assurance protection of classified data apply here, as well. The goal of JADC2 and all the related programs including ABMS, Project Convergence, and Project Overmatch aim to establish an interconnected tactical network that enables the sharing of sensor data between all military branches in every domain land, air, sea, space, and cyber.

These programs are gearing up to drive toward the right information brought to the right people in a secure manner. Secure access to this information is sure to give us a competitive advantage but again security and interoperability are critical, and must be transparent to the consumers of the information on this network.It must be interoperable with multiple systems and multiple users in multiple countries. We need warfighters focused on decisive actions of the mission, not the logistics behind a secure network or having security be a bottleneck to performance.

Another important element of joint programs where the internal and external attack surface is broadened is end-to-end encryption and strong authentication present at critical-entry points. Network security and confidentiality remains an important element of todays network architectures, including in micro-segmented Zero Trust frameworks.

I would also say that security solutions at the tactical edge like the TACLANE Network Encryption or Tactical Cross Domain Solutions need to right size to the individual user application and be interoperable all the way back to the enterprise and cloud-like infrastructures. Providing this range of security is an imperative because our nations adversaries will go after the weakest link in the chain.

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Your tolerance for risk in critical comms will drive your security solution - Breaking Defense