NEW YORK

IMF computer attack called sophisticated and serious

The International Monetary Fund, already reeling from last month’s arrest of its former leader in a sexual assault case, is investigating an attack on its computer system.

IMF spokesman David Hawley said the organization is fully functional. He declined to provide further details on what he termed an “IT incident,” including its scope or nature and whether any sensitive data were taken. The IMF has confidential data on countries in financial trouble.

The New York Times cited unnamed IMF officials as saying the attack was sophisticated and serious.

The IMF told staffers about it Wednesday but hasn’t made a public announcement.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan

Suicide detonation kills 34 after small blast draws crowd

A suicide bomber killed 34 people and injuring nearly 100 today in one of the deadliest attacks since the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden last month, officials said.

The blast occurred just after midnight in an area of Peshawar that is home to political offices and army housing.

The attack took place as CIA Director Leon Panetta and Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad, 95 miles to the east, to speak separately with senior Pakistani officials about intelligence sharing and efforts to reconcile with the Taliban.

A small explosion preceded the attack and drew police and rescue workers to the site, said Dost Mohammed, a senior local police official. A large explosion rocked the area a few minutes later, causing the fatalities and injuring 98 people, 18 critically, said Rahim Jan, a senior doctor at a local hospital.

No group claimed responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban have pledged to carry out attacks in retaliation for the covert U.S. Navy SEAL raid that killed bin Laden in an army town outside Islamabad on May 2.

ROME

Gaga sings ‘Born This Way’ at European gay pride rally

Lady Gaga sang a few bars of her smash hit “Born This Way” and demanded the end of discrimination against gays as she proclaimed herself a “child of diversity” at a gay pride rally Saturday night in the ancient Circus Maximus.

The star, whose “Born This Way” album recently topped 1 million sales in a week, delighted tens of thousands of people at a brief concert in the field where the ancient Roman masses would gather for spectacles.

Wearing a green wig, she played the piano and sang a few numbers. But she devoted much of her appearance after an annual European gay pride parade to denounce intolerance and discrimination against gays and transgender people.

She proudly cited her Italian roots, saying she was really named Stefania Giovanna Angelina Germanotta.

She also told fans her costume — a sleek black top with one bare shoulder and billowing plaid skirt — was from the last collection of Gianni Versace.

Lady Gaga lamented that young people who are gay are susceptible to “suicide, self-loathing, isolation.”

 

Copy the Story Link