World News - update

May

2013

6:15pm, EDT

Twin blasts rock town on Turkish border with Syria

NBC's Richard Engel reports from Turkey where two car bomb explosions in the town of Reyhanli near the Syria border killed at least 40 people and injured at least 100, raising fears Syria's civil war may be crossing the border.

By Marian Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

Two car bombs exploded near the Turkish border with Syria on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and injuring scores more in the town of Reyhanli.

"Two cars exploded in front of the municipality building and the post office in Reyhanli," Interior Minister Muammer Guler said in comments on Turkish television.

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Reyhanli, in the southern Hatay province, is in an area known to be home to many refugees. There are more than 300,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey, most of them in camps along the volatile border.

President Bashar Assad's administration was the "usual suspect" in the attacks, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said.

"We know that the people taking refuge in Hatay have become targets for the Syrian regime," Arinc said in comments broadcast on Turkish television. "We think of them as the usual suspects when it comes to planning such a horrific attack."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Nor was there any comment from Damascus.

Turkey PM: Red line has been crossed

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Berlin, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the country would protect itself if threatened.

Turkey supports the uprising against beleaguered Assad and has been a vocal critic against the regime.

"There may be those who want to sabotage Turkey's peace, but we will not allow that," he said. "No one should attempt to test Turkey's power; our security forces will take all necessary measures."

The United States condemned the attacks and vowed solidarity with Turkey in identifying those responsible.

"The United States condemns today's car bombings and we stand with our ally, Turkey," read a statement from Secretary of State John Kerry. "This awful news strikes an especially personal note for all of us given how closely we work in partnership with Turkey, and how many times Turkey's been a vital interlocutor at the center of my work as Secretary of State these last three months. Our thoughts are with the wounded and we extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims."

"The United States strongly condemns today's vicious attack, and stands with the people and government of Turkey to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone said in a statement.

NBC News Correspondent Richard Engel and Reuters contributed to this report.

Updated

Mar

2013

11:01am, EDT

South Korea on alert after hackers strike banks, broadcasters

Several major South Korean banks and broadcast stations are stuck today after a cyberattack paralyzed their computer systems. Authorities have yet to resolve the hack.

By Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee, Reuters

SEOUL -- South Korean police were investigating a hacking attack on an Internet provider that brought down the servers of three broadcasters and two major banks on Wednesday, and the army raised its alert level due to concerns of North Korean involvement.

The network provided by LG UPlus Corp. showed a page that said it had been hacked by a group calling itself the "Whois Team," an unknown group. It featured three skulls and a warning that this was the beginning of "Our Movement."

Servers at television networks YTN, MBC and KBS were affected as well as Shinhan Bank and NongHyup Bank, both major financial institutions, police and government officials said.

"We sent down teams to all affected sites. We are now assessing the situation. This incident is pretty massive, and it will take a few days to collect evidence," a police official said.

Police and government officials declined to speculate on whether North Korea, which has threatened to attack both South Korea and the United States after it was hit with United Nations sanctions for its February nuclear test, was behind the cyberattack.

North Korea has in the past staged cyberattacks on the world's most wired country, targeting conservative newspapers, banks and government institutions.

South Korea's military said it was not affected but raised its state of readiness in response.

None of South Korea's oil refineries, power stations, ports or airports was affected.

The biggest attack by Pyongyang was a 10-day denial of service attack in 2011 that antivirus firm McAfee, part of Intel Corp, dubbed "Ten Days of Rain" and which it said was a bid to probe the South's computer defenses in the event of a real conflict.

Shinhan Bank, one of the financial institutions affected, said its servers were back up by 4 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET).

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This story was originally published on Wed Mar 20, 2013 2:49 AM EDT