“A cyberattack on a voting website threatens to derail an unofficial referendum on democratic reform in Hong Kong, seen as a gauge of the desire for change in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, an organizer said on Tuesday.” Source: ‘Cyberattack’ threatens online vote on

“A convicted criminal who took 50 elementary school students and a teacher hostage was shot and killed by police in central China on Tuesday, the Public Security Ministry said.” Source: China police kill man who took 50 students hostage | GulfNews.com

“Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) said it had executed four men accused of planting electronic chips in vehicles to help US drones track insurgents in Yemen, in a video posted on a Yemeni news website on Monday.” Source: Al Qaida executes ‘spies’ in wake of US drone strikes

“The US Treasury has granted plane manufacturer Boeing a licence to export certain spare commercial parts to Iran, a company spokesman says. Boeing has had no public dealings with Tehran since 1979. In a statement, the US company said the licence had been granted for the safety of flight.” Source:

“At least seven people were killed and dozens more injured in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Saturday after thousands of panicked job-seekers stampeded during a government recruitment drive at the national stadium. Survivors said that thousands had gathered to apply for jobs with the immigration department in the Abuja stadium.” Source:

“Nigeria’s electoral commission declared on Friday that presidential and parliamentary elections would take place on February 14 next year. The elections are expected to be the most closely fought since the end of military rule in 1999. President Goodluck Jonathan’s supporters are embroiled in a bitter dispute with other members

“Officials say Cameroonian forces got involved in fighting between Nigeria’s army and the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in a border town in Cameroon that killed at least one woman on Cameroonian soil and wounded five other people.” Source: Officials: Boko Haram battle spills into Cameroon – The Washington Post

“Two car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, police and medics said, while a standoff between the Iraqi army and al Qaeda-linked militants in Falluja continued.” Source: Car bombs in Iraqi capital kill 14, Falluja standoff continues | Reuters

“‘If you are a terrorist group in the Caucasus, the Sochi Olympics are going to be a very inviting target,’ said Steven Pifer, director of the Brookings Institution’s Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative. ‘I think you’re going to see at the Sochi Olympics a very heavy security presence.’” Source:Suicide bombing

“A hacker secretly took over a computer server at the BBC, Britain’s public broadcaster, and then launched a Christmas Day campaign to convince other cyber criminals to pay him for access to the system. While it is not known if the hacker found any buyers, the BBC’s security team responded