VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

FILE PHOTO: A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo - 

France's justice ministry on Friday was hit by a cyberattack of unknown scale and an investigation has been launched, news agency AFP reported, citing multiple sources.

"There was something, but not of large extent, no criminal files have been affected", a report cited a source close to the investigation as saying//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Representations of the Ripple, Bitcoin, Etherum and Litecoin virtual currencies are seen on a PC motherboard in this illustration picture, February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo - 

Blockchain company Valereum said on Friday it would buy 90per cent of the Gibraltar Stock Exchange (GSX) to create the world's first bourse where shares and cryptoassets can be traded.

Valereum, listed on London's Aquis Exchange, said it will need approval from Gibraltar regulators to allow listed instruments on the GSX access to a regulated pool of crypto capital.

It gave no price for the transaction.

"The GSX will be the world's first exchange to create a seamless and fully regulated bridge that links the fiat and crypto markets," Valereum said in a statement.

"This will give listed instruments on the GSX access to a regulated pool of crypto capital that is not available anywhere else, and it will give crypto currency holders the ability to have a direct, verifiable holding in fiat securities."

Valereum announced last November it had signed an option to acquire up to 80per cent of GSX, subject to approval from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. Friday's announcement increases the holding to 90per cent.

Valereum acquired Gibraltar fund and trusts services group Juno in December to underpin the bridge between crypto and fiat currencies//CNA

A volunteer looks on at Yanqing National Sliding Centre ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Yanqing, China, January 28, 2022. REUTERS/Edgar Su - 

The Canadian Olympic Committee said on Friday five members from their 246-person Olympic delegation in Beijing have been placed in COVID-19 protocols ahead of next week's Winter Olympics.

The COC announced the numbers in a news release to outline its plans for sharing information related to COVID-19 cases or potential cases during the Feb. 4-20 Beijing Olympics.

"We are following the Beijing 2022 Playbook rules," the COC said. "Part of our strategy was to arrive early to allow time for confirmation testing and, if necessary, the Medical Expert Panel process to unfold."

Canada's delegation at the Beijing Olympics includes 215 athletes plus support staff. The names of the individuals placed in COVID-19 protocols were not disclosed.

The COC said it would not share names of anyone in protocol unless an athlete who is unable to compete due to a confirmed positive case wishes to disclose their situation.

Beginning on the first day of the Olympics, the COC said it will provide a daily update of the number of members of the Team Canada delegation in COVID-19 protocols//CNA

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Jan 12, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS/Johanna Geron) - 

Russia could conduct a "wide range" of aggressive acts against Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday (Jan 28), but he emphasised the window was still open to a peaceful and negotiated resolution.

While the military alliance is still not sure what the Kremlin might do, Stoltenberg told an event hosted by the US think-tank the Atlantic Council that Russia had several options available.

"Cyber (warfare) is one, coup efforts to topple the government in Kiev, sabotage - they have intelligence officers working inside Ukraine as we speak. So we need to be prepared for a wide range of different forms or aggressive actions by Russia against Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

But he added he was "reluctant to be going too far into speculating, because the aim now is to try to reduce tensions ... We call on Russia to sit down and engage in talks to prevent these kind of scenarios and to find a political solution".

The West is on tenterhooks over a mass deployment of over 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's borders, raising fears that Moscow might be planning a further invasion of its neighbour.

NATO has held several meetings on the perceived threat, and has another planned for Feb 16 to Feb 17 of allied defence ministers.

Stoltenberg admitted "there are some differences between allies" on what support should be extended to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO and would not receive any deployment of combat troops.

The US, Britain and Canada are providing weapons and military trainers, while others, such as Germany, are holding back.

"There's no certainty about the Russian plans," he said.

"From the NATO side, we are ready to engage in political dialogue. But we're also ready to respond if Russia chooses an armed conflict, confrontation. So we are ready for both options," he said.

"We are working hard for the best peaceful political solution, but we also prepared for the worst."//CNA