Tag Archive for: celebrates

As NATO celebrates 74th anniversary, Royal Navy a crucial ally of the organization — MercoPress

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As NATO celebrates 74th anniversary, Royal Navy a crucial ally of the organization

Tuesday, April 4th 2023 – 21:38 UTC


Relations between the Royal Navy and NATO have ‘never been closer’ as the alliance marks 74 years since its creation this month amid continued global instability. British warships spent nearly 10,000 hours – 60 weeks – on NATO operations in 2022 and that pace has continued unabated in the first four months of 2023.

The Royal Navy is at the heart of galvanized NATO efforts as Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine continues, securing Europe’s crucial waterways and chokepoints for the prosperity of allies and partners.

“While the Royal Navy has always supported NATO maritime operations, since the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia over a year ago, we have worked even more closely with our NATO allies at sea,” said Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff at the Maritime Operations Centre in Northwood, Captain Steve Banfield.

“Collaboration between NATO and the RN has never been closer; in particular in the execution of coordinated Maritime Security operations and exercises in the Norwegian Sea, North Sea, Baltic and the Mediterranean.”

From the freezing Arctic and Baltic, to the endless grey of the North Atlantic and azure waters of the Mediterranean, Royal Navy warships, submarines and aircraft have operated side by side with allies and partners so far in 2023, supporting peace and prosperity in Europe.

Patrol ship HMS Mersey recently operated in the Baltic to ensure the security and stability of the region as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a multinational defense framework complementary to NATO which is committed to Euro-Atlantic security with the Baltic region as one of its focus areas.

Amphibious flagship HMS Albion, HMS Somerset and RFA Mounts Bay have just returned from the Arctic where they were at the heart of an allied task group working on Norwegian security and NATO’s ability to protect its northern flank. 

Elsewhere in the Arctic Circle, Royal Marines and Commando…

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U.S. Navy officer celebrates new rank with friends, family

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A Jefferson City native was pinned with a new U.S. Navy rank during a close-knit ceremony Monday at the Capitol.

About 30 people packed into Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office to watch as Alan Carl Mengwasser was pinned with the captain’s rank.

Surrounded by friends and family, Mengwasser, 48, dispensed with a lot of the formality associated with commissioning ceremonies.

After a brief prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and a story about joining the Navy, Mengwasser’s wife and daughters added the brass to his uniform.

“You may salute,” he teased attending friends and family, who replied with resounding applause.

“It’s just fun to do it here, rather than back on the base in Maryland,” Mengwasser told the News Tribune. “My friends there would do it, but it’s just too hard to get the home crowd out there.”

Monday was the first time most of Mengwasser’s family, besides his wife and three children, had seen him get pinned throughout his 26-year naval career. Mengwasser said only his parents attended basic training graduation and officer candidate school graduation.

After learning in September he would be eligible for a promotion Dec. 15, he saw an opportunity to add to his usual visit home for the holidays.

“Considering they haven’t been able to attend any previous promotions, it’s just a great opportunity that we could celebrate this together,” he said.

In addition to family, several of Mengwasser’s high school friends were present for the ceremony.

State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, helped organize the ceremony in Kehoe’s office. The lieutenant governor was not on hand but approved the use of his office as the rest of the Capitol was closed for the observed holiday.

“It’s the perfect setting for it, and it’s just really a special time, especially this time of year, to be able to recognize some of the unique accomplishments that we have right here in Jeff City,” Griffith said, adding he’s known the family for years.

Mengwasser has worked on Navy submarines and ships and was deployed to Afghanistan in the past. For the past 12 years, he’s been involved in the cyber warfare arena.

Stationed out of Fort Meade in Maryland, Mengwasser is a cryptologic warfare officer focused on cyber security and…

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Pepsi celebrates Kingdom’s diverse musical genres

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Elaf Group, the leading hospitality, travel, and tourism brand in Saudi Arabia, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the international travel company, EXO.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will collaborate to establish a major new tourism company based in Saudi Arabia with the goal of attracting visitors from across the globe.

The company will design unique tourism programs in some of the Kingdom’s main tourist destinations.

Dr. Adel Ezzat, chief executive officer of Elaf Group, expressed his great pride in the upcoming project, which will contribute to supporting local tourism, enhancing the Kingdom’s position on the world’s tourism map, and increasing tourism and visits to the Kingdom, as well as boosting localization in the tourism sector to achieve the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Dr. Adel emphasized that EXO is a leading international company and a globally renowned innovator of travel experiences.

EXO’s new joint venture company with Elaf Group will help create a host of new jobs for Saudi nationals, in line with the group’s Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.

The new company, Dr. Ezzat explained, will offer tailor-made travel programs to major destinations, including Riyadh, Jeddah AlUla, Al-Baha, Abha and Al-Hasa, which are expected to be among the most popular places in the Kingdom for tourists from all over the world.

Hamish Keith, CEO of EXO, stated that he is looking forward to the launch of EXO Saudi Arabia in cooperation with Elaf Group.

“We are confident that the new company will contribute to achieving the ambitious goals of both parties, benefiting from Elaf’s vast experience in the Saudi market and EXO’s global capabilities to attract international tourists to the Kingdom.

“We are very excited by the vision and potential of the destination — and, in Elaf, we believe we have the right partner to play a leading role in the development of travel and tourism in Saudi Arabia,” said Keith.

The new joint venture comes as part of Elaf Group’s ongoing efforts to provide enriching touristic experiences to the Kingdom’s residents, together with regional and international guests and clients.

The group…

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Free Ransomware Decryption Site Celebrates Milestone as New Threats Emerge

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As Europol celebrated the fifth anniversary of its anti-ransomware initiative this week, menacing new ransomware threats made it clear that the fight against cyber threats is never-ending.

The EU law enforcement cooperation agency said its No More Ransom website has saved ransomware victims almost a billion Euros with free ransomware decryption tools.

Europol has launched a new, more user-friendly website. Site visitors are greeted with a simple yes/no question: “Need help unlocking your digital life without paying your attackers?” Users who click “Yes” are directed to Crypto Sheriff, a tool that matches available decryptors to the user’s encrypted files. The site also provides guidance on preventing ransomware attacks. The key advice, however, is straightforward: “Paying the ransom is never recommended.”

No More Ransom was founded in 2016 by the Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab. The project now boasts 16 associate partners, including Emsisoft, Trend Micro, Bitdefender, Avast, Bleeping Computer, Cisco, Check Point, Tesorion, McAfee, ESET, CERT_PL, Eleven Paths, KISA, the French Police, and F-Secure.

In total, 170 public and private sector partners have made 121 tools available for free on the site to decrypt 151 ransomware families. Over the past five years, according to Europol, those decryptors have enabled over six million people to recover their files, blocking criminals from earning as much as a billion euros.

“Digitalization … provides us with the space to store hundreds of thousands of different files: pictures of our kids and pets, electronic tickets, projects, important matrixes we have worked on for weeks, archives filled with decades of knowledge and memories,” Europol said in a statement. “Ransomware enables criminals to steal all this in an instant. That is why it is crucial to beware, be aware and protect your digital world.”

Despite Europol’s efforts, ransomware continues to thrive, with several new threats launching in the past few weeks alone.

Haron and Grief: Rebrands or Copycats?

Zscaler researchers recently examined the newly launched Grief malware, also known as Pay. Grief appears to be a rebranding of…

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