North Korea hit by major internet outage, likely due to internal cause   A general view of the North Korean city of Pyongyang on Sep 7, 2018. (File Photo: REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui)     SEOUL: North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday (Jun 7), knocking off connection to government web sites and official news services online and severing the reclusive country from cyberspace. It was not clear what caused the outage but it may have been internal rather than a cyberattack, as connections via China and Russia were affected, said researchers who monitor North Korea's internet and technology infrastructure.   North Korea's main official news services, its Foreign Ministry, and the Air Koryo national airline were among websites inaccessible on Saturday, before they started coming back slowly around midday, according to checks by Reuters.   North Korea's entire internet infrastructure was not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, and email services were also affected, Junade Ali, a United Kingdom-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet, said earlier.   Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack." Officials at South Korea's cyber terror response centre, a police division that monitors North Korea's cyber activities, could not be reached for comment.   Martyn Williams, who specialises in North Korea's technology and infrastructure at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also said the cause appeared to be internal as the Chinese and Russian connections were not working.   North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems, including access to any form of online communication. The general public has access only to an intranet set up by the government and that is not connected to the wider global network.   An elite few in the government and leadership are allowed open internet access, and government and news websites often serve up propaganda for outside audiences. North Korea has in previous years experienced large internet outages suspected as being caused by cyberattacks.   The country operates elite teams of hackers, including a group known as Lazarus run by the government intelligence apparatus, that are blamed for attacks against foreign institutions and companies and more recently for theft and the laundering of cryptocurrencies. North Korea denies involvement in hacking, crypto thefts and other cybercrime.     Source: Reuters/sn   https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/north-korea-hit-major-internet-outage-likely-due-internal-cause-5169741

3 new licence classes for driving automatic heavy vehicles to be introduced Priority will be given to learners who need the heavy vehicle licence for work and are hired by companies that have lorries with speed limiters installed.ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR     SINGAPORE – The Traffic Police (TP) will from September 2025 begin rolling out three licence classes for those looking to drive heavy vehicles with automatic transmission. The three new licence classes will complement three existing ones – Class 4A, Class 4 and Class 5 – whose holders can drive both manual and automatic heavy vehicles. The new automatic licence classes are:   Class 4P: For driving automatic transmission Class 4 vehicles that exceed 2,500kg Class 5P: For driving automatic transmission Class 5 vehicles which exceed 7,250kg Class 4AP: For driving automatic transmission Class 4A vehicles or omnibuses. These are restricted to public transport operators. The roll-out will begin on Sept 1 with lessons for Class 4P at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) in Woodlands on an invitation basis, said the TP in a statement on June 6. Individuals enrolled at the SSDC and waiting for Class 4 lessons will be among those invited to enrol for Class 4P.   Priority will be given to learners who need the licence for work and are employed by companies that have lorries with speed limiters installed, said the TP, to encourage early installation of the speed limiters and improve road safety.   From Jan 1, 2026, older heavy vehicles registered before 2018 with a maximum laden weight between 5,001kg and 12,000kg must be equipped with speed limiters in order to be approved for use in Singapore.     By July 1, 2027, all lorries, including newer ones and lighter ones with a maximum laden weight between 3,501kg and 5,000kg, will need to be equipped with speed limiters that do not allow the vehicle to go beyond 60kmh. While the number of lorries that would have to install the mandatory speed limiters came to around 17,000 as at the end of 2024, only 50 had done so, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam in a written parliamentary reply in January 2025.   Class 5P lessons will follow, with application by the public to also open on Sept 1. No date has been set for when these lessons will begin. Applicants for the 5P lessons should have a valid Class 4 or, in due course, Class 4P, licence. Those who are applying for the Class 4P licence, on the other hand, should already have a valid Class 3, 3A, 3C or 3CA licence and have passed eyesight, practical and theory tests. Lessons for the new automatic licence classes will cost the same as those for the manual licence of the same classes.   At the SSDC, the fee for one Class 4 practical lesson is listed as $164.59 for off-peak hours and $175.49 for peak hours. The SSDC at Woodlands Industrial Park is currently the only driving school that will offer lessons for the new licence classes as it is the only one equipped with infrastructure for heavy vehicle training and testing.   Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/3-new-licence-classes-for-driving-automatic-heavy-vehicles-to-be-introduced