Trump blocks Broadcom takeover of Qualcomm on 'national security' grounds

US President Donald Trump on Monday blocked microchip maker Broadcom Ltd's proposed takeover of Qualcomm Inc on national security grounds, ending what would have been the technology industry's biggest deal ever amid concerns that it would give China the upper hand in mobile communications.

The presidential order reflected a calculation that the United States' lead in creating technology and setting standards for the next generation of mobile cell phone communications would be lost to China if Singapore-based Broadcom took over San Diego-based Qualcomm, according to a White House official.

San Diego-based Qualcomm has emerged as one of the biggest competitors to China's Huawei Technologies Co in the sector, making Qualcomm a prized asset.

Qualcomm had earlier rebuffed Broadcom's $117 billion bid, which was under investigation by the US Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a multi-agency panel led by the US Treasury Department that reviews the national security implications of acquisitions of US corporations by foreign companies.

Crypto startups' hottest hires aren't millennials, they're banking cops

Veteran Wall Street enforcers are landing new roles on a wild frontier: virtual currencies.
A growing number of crypto startups are adding former regulators and other government authorities to their payrolls, a practice that could help them head off or prepare for stricter rules. Ventures have snapped up ex-prosecutors, national security officials and at least one former senior diplomat -- all of whom may prove handy as nations decide whether to embrace or outlaw digital money.

The drumbeat of hires crescendoed in November when Ripple, a venture looking to rewire global banking with its own cryptocurrency, added Ben Lawsky to its board. He earned a tough reputation as New York’s top financial watchdog by pushing banks to scrutinize client transactions for illicit dealings. In January, crypto brokerage Omega One enlisted a new adviser, Bart Chilton, a former member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The agency oversees digital currencies.

“The fact that he’s willing to take an advisory role with us is a sign that we pass a certain level of due diligence,” Omega One’s chief executive officer, Alex Gordon-Brander, said of Chilton.

Trump warms up to Sessions, says good to see AG taking action on leaks

US President Donald Trump had some warm words for Attorney General Jeff Sessions after weeks of publicly slamming him as weak.

"After many years of LEAKS going on in Washington, it is great to see the AG taking action! For National Security, the tougher the better!" Trump wrote on Twitter from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Sessions had been the public target of the president's anger recently because he had recused himself from a probe into allegations that Trump's aides coordinated with Russia to tilt last year's election in his favor.

At one point, Trump told The New York Times he would never have appointed Sessions had he known he would recuse himself. Trump also took to Twitter to blast Sessions as "VERY weak," among other criticisms on social media.

The attacks were widely seen as designed to force Sessions into resigning.

However, the former Alabama senator appeared to be on Trump's good side yesterday after launching a high-profile campaign to crack down on government employees who leak classified or sensitive information to the media.
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Jihadi jails: To curb radicalisation, UK opens new prisons for extremists

The UK has begun moving its most extremist prisoners, including those who have been involved in planning terrorism, to special cells dubbed "jihadi jails" to tackle growing radicalisation within the country's prison system.

The first such specialist centre has been set up at HMP Frankland near Durham in north-east England.

Two other centres, which are expected to be at HMP Full Sutton near York and at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire, are due to open in the coming months and the three centres together will hold up to 28 of the most subversive extremist prisoners.

"Any form of extremism must be defeated wherever it is found, and it is right that we separate those who pose the greatest risk in order to limit their influence over other prisoners," said UK's Prison Minister Sam Gyimah.

"These centres are a crucial part of our wider strategy to help tackle extremism in prisons and ensure the safety and security of both our prisons and the wider public," he said.

The mental health of the inmates being considered for referral to the units must be examined and each will have a care and management plan, and their placement will be reviewed every three months.

The UK's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said those selected for separation in the specialist centres include those who have been involved in planning terrorism or are considered to pose a risk to national security.
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