Our World in 7 Headlines: Sept. 21

A look at the world on Sept. 21, 2013, through local media headlines—from a historic vote in Sri Lanka to a German treasure hunt for Nazi gold.
Our World in 7 Headlines: Sept. 21
A Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil woman shows her inked finger after voting at a polling station during the northern provincial council election in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 21, 2013. (Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
Tara MacIsaac
9/21/2013
Updated:
9/21/2013

Germany: Secret Code: Music Score May Lead to Nazi Gold

After some initial digs, a Dutch filmmaker believes he may have found the site of buried Nazi treasure long rumored to exist. He was led to the Bavarian town of Mittenwald after cracking a code believed to be hidden in a music score.

Three attempts have been made in recent weeks to find buried Nazi treasure in the Bavarian town of Mittenwald, close to the Austrian border. Even though the holes in the ground have since been filled, the traces left by drills and blue markings are still visible below a thin layer of autumn leaves. …

Der Spiegel

(Screenshot/Spiegel.de)

 

Australia: Australia main conduit for cyber attacks

Australia is emerging as a major conduit for targeted cyber attacks, a report shows, as online criminals shift their gaze towards Asia.

The country has become the main location of so-called “command and control” servers, which are used by cybercriminals when they attack governments and businesses. ...

The servers are infected computers which act as a kind of middle-man in cyberattacks, said Jonathan Oliver, a software architect at Trend Micro. ...

If a government or business sees that their computer has linked with an internet address in Australia, they are less suspicious than if it came from Russia, China or other known cybercriminal hotspots, Oliver said. ...

Sydney Morning Herald

 

Sri Lanka: Historic polls begin in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Polls opened in the Northern, Central and North Western Provinces in Sri Lanka this morning and amid heavy security historic voting began in Northern Province for the first time in 25 years.

Election for the administration in the Northern Province, which was under the control of the Tamil Tiger terrorists until their defeat in May 2009, is being held for the first time since the establishment of the provincial council system in 1987. ...

Colombo Page

A sign directing voters to the polling station during the northern provincial council election in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 21, 2013. (Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

 

Canada: Jay Baruchel wants U.S. films shot in Canada to be set in Canada

Jay Baruchel has a Canadian flag tattooed on his heart — but sometimes it seems the Maple Leaf might as well be etched across the actor’s lips.

His new hybrid heist flick The Art of the Steal is a cross-border caper set against the inimitable backdrop of Niagara Falls, Ont. And really, it’s set there — not Niagara Falls dressed to look like some generically tourist-friendly town someplace vaguely in the U.S. — and on the Canadian side, no less. ...

CBC

Jay Baruchel (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Italy: Slow Food launches ‘Save a Cheese’ campaign

Concerns growing over future of quality, locally-made cheese

 Turin, September 20 - In a world of fast food and faster marketing, supporters of locally-based and small-scale production say they are worried for the future of high-quality cheeses made according to thoughtful traditions.

Anxiety has risen so high over the future of cheese that the Slow Food movement has launched a campaign titled “Save a Cheese” aimed at creating awareness of the value of distinctive and original Italian cheese. …

ANSA

Belgium: The King’s Twitter account hacked by a journalist

“I feel good as King of the Belgians! Long live Belgium!” This message was tweeted on Thursday evening by the official royal account @MonarchieBe.
Immediately, the questions popped up whether this was “real”. On Friday, it turned out that the account had been hacked by a journalist.

The message was quickly removed. The Royal Palace informed the press that it didn’t know where it came from. Today, the commercial TV station VTM reports that it was the Dutch journalist Rick Evers who was responsible for the tweet.

The man was the original owner of the account, but donated it to the Belgian royal family without asking money for it. The Royal Palace changed the passwords, but as the account had been created by the Dutch journalist, he still had access to it. “Technically speaking, I could still post tweets or remove them”, he told VTM.

The man explained that his aim was to show that official instances have to be careful with social media, and that they should take stricter measures to protect their accounts. …

Expatica

 

Panama: Panama’s maritime services law faces EU squall

Panama faces “negative consequences” and a potential trade war with the EU ( European Union) because of a law rushed through the National Assembly in June.

Law 41 states that 75% of the issued and outstanding shares of the companies involved in boat and barge services operating in Panama must belong to Panamanians.

The EU has issued a warning that the application of the law restricting foreign investment in companies engaged in maritime auxiliary services.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, sent a letter to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ricardo Quijano, which warns about the effects of the legislation and asks Panama to make corrections to avoid “negative consequences” in trade relations. ...

Newsroom Panama