Your mobile phone can give away your location, even if you tell it not to

US military officials were recently caught off guard by revelations that servicemembers’ digital fitness trackers were storing the locations of their workouts – including at or near military bases and clandestine sites around the world. But this threat is not limited to Fitbits and similar devices. My group’s recent research has shown how mobile phones can also track their users through stores and cities and around the world – even when users turn off their phones’ location-tracking services.

The vulnerability comes from the wide range of sensors phones are equipped with – not just GPS and communications interfaces, but gyroscopes and accelerometers that can tell whether a phone is being held upright or on its side and can measure other movements too. Apps on the phone can use those sensors to perform tasks users aren’t expecting – like following a user’s movements turn by turn along city streets.

Donald Trump bars transgenders from serving US military

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that transgenders, in any capacity, won't be allowed to serve the military saying that their inclusion would entail "disruption" in the military affairs.

Trump, in a series of tweets, said that he arrived at this decision after holding consultations with military Generals and experts.

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US Military," he said.

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you," he added.

Last year, former Defence Secretary Ash Carter had said that those transgender, who are already in the military can serve openly, and directed the officials to come up with a policy to allow transgender recruitment by July 1.

But Defence Secretary Jim Mattis announced a delay in the implementation on June 30.

According to an estimate by American think tank Rand Corporation, there were 2,450 out of the 1.2 million transgenders who are on active-duty service.
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Chinese jets intercept US radiation-sniffing plane in East China sea: WH

China denied US accusations that its jets conducted an unprofessional intercept of an American radiation-sniffing surveillance plane in the East China Sea and urged Washington to stop such activities.

The two Chinese SU-30 jets on Wednesday approached a WC- 135 Constant Phoenix aircraft a modified Boeing C-135 conducting a routine mission in international airspace in accordance with international law, Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt Col Lori Hodge said in a statement.

The WC-135 crew characterised the intercept as unprofessional "due to the manoeuvres by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft," Hodge said.

She declined to provide further details and said the issue would be addressed with China through "appropriate diplomatic and military channels."

"We would rather discuss it privately with China," Hodge said in an email to The Associated Press. "This will allow us to continue building confidence with our Chinese counterparts on expected manoeuvring to avoid mishaps."

In China, Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the American plane was conducting surveillance over the Yellow Sea the northern part of the East China Sea and that the Chinese jets moved to identify and verify the plane "in accordance with laws and regulations."

In a statement on the ministry's website, Wu said the operation was "professional and safe." Wu blamed surveillance by US planes and vessels as the "root cause of military security problems concerning sea and air" between the two countries and urged the US to stop such activities.
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