Late on Saturday evening, major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase detected an attack on the Etheruem Classic blockchain. Coinbase’s subsequent investigation showed that the network had fallen victim to a so-called 51% attack, in which the attackers stole 219,500 ETC – roughly the equivalent of $1.1m. In response, Coinbase froze transactions on the ETC blockchain. But the Ethereum Classic attack raises serious questions about the security of blockchain and its supposedly permanent ledger of transactions. How damaging is the attack for blockchain’s reputation, and should other cryptocurrencies running on other blockchains be worried? How did the Ethereum Classic attack happen? First, it is worth exploring how the attack could have been carried out. As the name suggests, a 51% attack – or rollback attack – requires at least 51% control of the miners on the network. In short, a hacker will need more computer power, or hashrate, than the rest of the network combined. This means, ...
In this extract from We Are Displaced, a collection of true stories by girls seeking refuge, Yousafzai recalls settling in Birmingham after being shot by the Taliban As I walked out of the hospital to start my new life – nearly three months after I was airlifted to England from Pakistan to save my life – the first thing I felt was a cold that cut through the purple parka someone had given me. It was two sizes too big, and I felt like a small doll. The frigid air crept down my neck and up my sleeves and penetrated my bones. I thought I would never warm up. The grey skies cast a subdued, almost gloomy effect on the white snow dusting the ground. I felt a deep longing for the warmth and sunshine of home. We drove through Birmingham’s streets to the high-rise building where my parents had moved after spending several weeks in a hotel. Birmingham’s busy-ness reminded me a bit of Islamabad, although the skyscrapers here were so tall you got dizzy looking up at them. Some buildings lit up w...
India’s Ministry of Labour & Employment is reportedly set to bring new changes that will now allow women to work in underground coal mines during day time. Existing rules in the country bar women from working in underground mines. The new changes are aimed at introducing gender equity and creating new job opportunities for women. The proposed amendment will also allow women to work in open cast mines around the clock for the first time. At present, women are permitted to work in open cast mines for fixed hours during the day. If the changes are implemented, they can work in any shift in open cast mine at any time of the day. A senior official was quoted by PTI as saying: “The ministry has decided to extend the timing of women workers in coal mines initially and would be extended in other such mining sectors on the basis of the initiative. A notification in the regard has already been sent for publication and it would be enforced in next couple of days. “At present the strength ...
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