Blackfire

Let's start with the good news. Cryptocurrency mining on GPUs has waned considerably, and the shortage of graphics cards that made it nearly impossible to score a mid-range or high-end GPU at or near MSRP is over (for the most part). Are you ready for the bad news? Be that as it may, cryptocurrency mining hacks are on the rise, and a leaked tool by the US National Security Agency (NSA) may be partially to blame. That's the takeaway from a new report by Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA), a cybersecurity association with some major names among its members, including Cisco, Juniper Networks, McAfee, Sophos, Symantec, and others. The tool in question is "EternalBlue," developed by the NSA and leaked last year by hacking group Shadow Brokers. EternalBlue exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft's Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, and was used as part of the WannaCry ransomware attack that, among other things, caused a ruckus in UK hospitals last year. "A patch for EternalBlue has been available for 18 months and even after being exploited in two significant global cyberattacks—WannaCry and NotPetya—there are still countless organizations that are being victimized by this exploit, as it’s being used by mining malware such as Adylkuzz and Smominru. This is a vulnerability that can escalate lateral movement within an organization," CTA said. In a related blog post, CTA's chief analytic officer Neal Jenkins said there has been a 459 percent increase in illicit cryptocurrency mining malware detections among CTA's members since 2017. Furthermore, he said "this rapid growth shows no signs of slowing down." "If 2017 was defined by the threat of ransomware, 2018 has been dominated by illicit cryptocurrency mining" Jenkins added. Jenkins also warned against shrugging off the threat of cryptocurrency mining hacks as no big deal. Even though there could be worse things than giving up some computer resources, the presence of illicit mining software is indicative of potentially weak security. "If illicit cryptocurrency mining is taking place on your network, then you most likely have worse problems and we should consider the future of illicit mining as a strategic threat. More sophisticated actors could useš—or may already by using—that same access to lay the groundwork for you to have a really bad day," Jenkins said.

Show of hands, how many of you use your smartphone primarily for making phone calls? Anyone? We're sure there are some folks who do, but by and large, today's smartphones are essentially pocket PCs with a range of functionality, not the least of which is taking pictures. Samsung's latest handset, the Galaxy A7, looks to up the ante when it comes to snapping photos with a triple camera system. Photography has long been a focus of Samsung, and practically every smartphone maker. This is evident in both the Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 9, which use the same camera hardware. Both are capable of taking some fantastic looking photos. The said, the Galaxy A7 is Samsung's first phone to wield three camera sensors on the back of the device. The rear camera system consist of a 24-megapixel main lens (f/1.7) supplemented with an ultra-wide (120-degree) 8-megapixel lens (f/2.4) that purportedly offers the same viewing angle as the human eye, and a 5-megapixel depth lens (f/2.2) for controlling depth of field effects. These are arranged vertically, with an LED flash sitting underneath. hen of course there is the software. "The Galaxy A7 brings out the best in what it sees. Featuring Samsung’s intelligent Scene Optimizer, the Galaxy A7’s camera categorizes your subject and adjusts the color, contrast and brightness to instantly optimize image quality," Samsung says. Another 24-megapixel sensor sits in the front of the phone, with an f/2.0 aperture. In lieu of a second lens, the phone uses software to process Bokeh effects for selfies. Beyond the cameras, the Galaxy A7 sports a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2220x1080 resolution. It's powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, and either 4GB of 6GB of RAM, depending on the model. There are three variants to choose from: 4GB RAM + 64GB internal storage 4GB RAM + 128GB internal storage 6GB RAM + 128GB internal storage There is also a microSD card slot that supports memory cards up to 512GB. Other features include 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC support, LTE connectivity, a 3,300 mAh battery, and Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. In short, this is a mid-range phone with an pretty nice set of features. Samsung will reveal pricing and availability during its Galaxy Event on October 11 in Malaysia.

Audi has been teasing the world with little tidbits and glimpse of its e-tron electric SUV for a while now. The teasing is finally over with Audi making the e-tron official and giving up all the details on the green ride along with pricing information. The e-tron SUV will be available globally with $1,000 reservations underway now (as promised in July) for a mid-2019 delivery. The EV is a five-seat mid-size SUV that sitting firmly in the premium SUV market. E-tron is 193-inches long, 76.3-inches wide, and 65.5-inches high with a 115.1-inch wheelbase giving plenty of room for people and cargo. The total luggage capacity in the trunk of the e-tron is 28.5 cu ft with the seats up, and up to 57 cu ft with the seats down. LED headlights are standard, and the SUV has styling that is consistent with the D segment offerings from Audi including the A7, A8, and Q8 Standard wheels on the e-tron are 20-inch aerodynamically-optimized units with 255/50 tires engineered for low rolling resistance. Underneath the SUV the underbody is fully clad in aluminum plates to protect the high-voltage battery and help lower drag to increase efficiency and driving range. Audi went so far as to recess the screw connection points to create vortices to help air flow better. While the SUV is designed with a keen eye towards efficiency, it's also designed for sporty performance. E-tron will go from 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124mph. One of the big benefits of electric motors is that torque is available as soon as you step on the throttle, Audi says maximum drive torque is available in 250 milliseconds. All that power comes from a pair of asynchronous motors with a sophisticated cooling system meant to keep their temperature low, while power goes to the road via a single-stage transmission. When the e-tron is traveling at moderate speeds, the rear motor is the main source of power. When the vehicle is coasting, the motors operate with no magnetic drag torque. Audi's energy recuperation system can recover up to 30% of the e-tron range depending on conditions, terrain, and driving style. It recovers energy by coasting recuperation when the driver releases the accelerator or by braking recuperation when the brakes are used. In 90% of braking scenarios, the vehicle is decelerated completely by the electric motors. Audi says if the driver wants, they can slow down and accelerate solely via the accelerator pedal Audi uses a four-stage Electronic Stabilization Control with sport and offroad modes; the system can also be turned off completely if desired. The suspension can adjust ride height by up to 3-inches depending on road speed and driving style to improve handling and increase aerodynamics. E-tron uses a 95-kWh battery pack that is under the cabin and has 36 cell modules in square aluminum housings. At launch, each of the cell modules has twelve pouch cells inside. The battery system operates at 396 volts and weighs 1,543.2-pounds. Recharging via both AC and DC using an SAE J1772 plug and Combined Charging System standards is supported. Owners can charge from a standard 12V outlet at home at a rate of 1.2 kW or from a 240V fast charger at 9.6 kW. On a fast DC charge system, the battery can be charged up to 80% in 30 minutes using a 150kW charger. A standard home 9.6 kW AC level 2 charger will charge the battery overnight. Since the e-tron is an Audi, it comes with all the fancy tech and luxury you expect including the MMI Navigation system standard. That system also supports LTE Advanced WiFi for passengers. A Driver Assistance Package is optional with adaptive cruise and other features. Audi is taking reservations on the e-tron at $1,000 and is currently expecting mid-2019 deliveries. The deposit is refundable for those who change minds before delivery. The base e-tron is the Premium Plus unit at $74,800 with the following equipment: 20-inch wheels w/ all-season tires Top view camera system Comfort pre-conditioning Audi side assist w/ cross-traffic alert Full LED exterior + interior lighting Matrix design headlamps MMI Navigation plus w/ virtual cockpit 3D 705W B&O Sound w/16 speakers Audi phonebox + smartphone interface 12-way power front seats, heated + cooled 4-spoke power adj. steering wheel Leather seating surfaces Illuminated aluminum door sills Panoramic sunroof The $81,800 Prestige edition has all the previous equipment plus the following: Head-up display Driver Assistance package Individual Contour seats w/ massage Power-door closers Rear window sunshades Dual-pane acoustic front side windows Valcona Leather + extended leather Memory for front passenger seat Air quality package + ionizer The First Edition retails for $86,700 and has the Prestige equipment and the following: 21-inch bi-color Black wheels, A/S tires Daytona Gray pearl effect paint Alu-Optic exterior trim (sills, air inlet, diffuser) Dynamic orange painted brake calipers Black Valcona leather interior w/gray contrast stitching Volcano Gray Ash Natural Wood inlays LED puddle lamp “edition one” projection Night Vision Assistant

Four children from a Dutch day-care centre have died in a collision involving a train and an electric cart driven by a supervisor. The children were being taken to local schools in the cart when the accident happened on a level crossing in the southern town of Oss, west of Nijmegen. A fifth child and a woman were seriously hurt in the crash. The woman on the back of the cart had just dropped off a child at one school before setting off for another. The children who died near Oss-West station were of primary-school age, which in the Netherlands can start at four. What led to crash? Although the level crossing has barriers, unconfirmed reports suggest the cart carrying the five children had gone under the barrier on a bike path before it was hit. Witnesses said 15 cars had been waiting at the level crossing when the cart, known as a Stint, had gone past, the Volkskrant website reported. The day-centre was known to use a Stint cart to transport its children. Children have for years been taken to school by cargo bike in the Netherlands, and the electric cart has become increasingly po[CENSORED]r with some 30,000 in use across the country. Described as a cross between a segway and a cargo bike, anyone can take control of the cart over the age of 16 after taking a short course. The woman on the back of the cart reportedly said that the brakes had failed The founder of the Renzen company that makes the cart told public broadcaster NOS that the accident was every parent's worst nightmare and he was intending to visit the scene. 'Unacceptable' casualties on level crossings The tragedy came as a shock for residents in Oss, where a help centre was set up. "We've been hit very hard. All our sympathies are with the families, the school, the day-care centre and everyone else caught up in this," said mayor Wobine Buijs-Glaudemans. An average of 11 people are killed on Dutch level crossings every year and the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) released a report in July saying the number of casualties was "unacceptable" in "the only country in Europe with both a high volume of train traffic and a large number of level crossings". The OVV was responding to three accidents in 2016 and 2017 in which two people had died and 18 were hurt. Most accidents had happened on manned level crossings, it said, calling for action to prevent people going over the crossings when barriers were down. Rail officials on Thursday spoke of an "ink-black day" and infrastructure secretary Stientje van Veldhoven said she had a "knot" in her stomach. "From the bottom of my heart, all the best to everyone involved." Prime Minister Mark Rutte tweeted that he was deeply moved by the "horrific accident".

if you know where to look, there is much more to find on the Internet than the latest development in the ongoing Machine Gun Kelly versus Eminem dispute. Really, there is. For example, followers of Gigabyte's AORUS Twitter account will have spotted a teaser clip that appears to show off an upcoming motherboard, presumably based on Intel's Z390 chipset. AORUS, as you might already know, is Gigabyte's "premium gaming" brand, just as ASUS maintains a Republic of Gamers (ROG) division for its enthusiast products. Based on some of the leaks we have seen so far, Gigabyte will market and sell Z390 motherboards under both its main brand and its AORUS division. What we have here is an AORUS motherboard, teased in a YouTube video that AORUS linked to in a Twitter post. "The countdown begins...," the Twitter post reads, followed by a hashtag pointing to an October 8 unveil. Previous rumors and leaks have pointed to Intel releasing its 9th generation Core processors and accompanying Z390 Express chipset in October. Interestingly, we've seen the date 'October 1' thrown around a few times. AORUS's tweet most likely means one of two things: (1) The actual release date will be October 8, not October 1, or (2) this particular Z390 motherboard will launch a week after Intel's Coffee Lake Refresh CPUs arrive. It's not clear what model motherboard AORUS is teasing. We know it's not the Z390 AORUS Elite because previously leaked pressed renders shows only one of the PCI Express x16 slots being reinforced on that motherboard. While we never get a clear look of the mystery board in the teaser video, we can see that all three PCIe slots are reinforced. We can also see three M.2 slots with heatsinks on top, and beefy heatsinks scattered around the motherboard. This could very well be Gigabyte's flagship Z390 motherboard. We'll have to wait and see. As to the upcoming processors, it's rumored that Intel will kick off the launch with its three top shelf SKUs, the 8-core/16-thread Core i9-9900K, 8-core/8-thread Core i7-9700K, and 6-core/6-thread Core i5-9600K.

Apple has begun pushing out its iOS 12.1 update in beta form, and in doing so the Cupertino company may have revealed some new details about upcoming features and products that have not yet been announced. Taking things a step further, the iOS 12.1 beta appears to confirm a new iPad Pro model coming out before the end of the year. We have already seen leaks pertaining to a new iPad Pro. Earlier this month, prominent leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@onleaks) posted a link on Twitter to several "official looking" renders of an upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro. He couldn't confirm the renders were accurate, but they were interesting nonetheless. Fast forward to today and 9To5Mac states it found an identifier for a "2018 fall" iPad tablet when digging into the assets used by the setup application for the iOS 12.1 beta. This is a new identifier, as the previous version of the app only referenced Apple's 2018 iPhones, not an iPad. So, it would appear that Apple is readying a new iPad Pro model sometime this year. in related news, mobile developer Steve Troughton-Smith claims that Face ID is gaining support for landscape mode, a feature that will likely be reserved for Apple's upcoming iPad Pro models. According to Troughton-Smith, "landscape Face ID would require a realignment of the front-facing sensors, so you won't see it on existing hardware." He also indicated that Apple's iPad event is scheduled for sometime in October, and that with the new iPad Pro models, "Apple will have transitioned its entire touchscreen lineup device to slim-bezel, rounded corners and edge-to-edge design in a single year." His statement seems to suggest that the aforementioned renders are indeed accurate.

If the Ferrari 812 Superfast isn't enough for well-heeled buyers, we present to you the Monza SP1. Ferrari's latest limited production roadster was leaked earlier this morning and combines retro-centric styling with a lightweight chassis and a badass V12 engine. The Monza SP1 is strictly a one-seat roadster, with the driver positioned on the left-hand side of the vehicle. According to Automotive News, the Monza SP1 was inspired by previous Ferrari models including the 166 MM Barchetta and the 750 Monza. But while the styling may be vaguely familiar, the technology and powertrain in this beast is decidedly modern. t features an aluminum frame that is draped with gorgeous carbon fiber bodywork. Power comes from the same 6.5-liter, naturally-aspirated V12 engine found in the 812 Superfast. It's good for around 800 horsepower at 8,500rpm and 530 lb-ft of torque at 7,000rpm. We'd imagine that the drive configuration and transmission will remain the same, which means that it will be strictly rear-wheel drive with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission This will be enough to send the lightweight roadster from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, while it will hit 124 mph in only 7.9 seconds. We should also not that if you'd feel lonely driving by yourself in the Monza SP1, there will also be a two-seat Monza SP2 so that you can use to cruise the boulevard in style with your significant other. But who are we kidding; this is a limited production run Ferrari (only 500 will be made, and they've all been spoken for), which means that it will probably be a glorified "garbage queen" that will rarely -- if ever -- see a public road and will be sold 50 years from now for many multiples of its original asking price. Speaking of pricing, if other limited-edition Ferraris are an indicator, the Monza SP1 and Monza SP2 will be priced well north of $1 million. However, we're get more information straight from Ferrari when the cars are officially revealed to the public on October 2nd in Paris.

A Pakistani court has ordered the release of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, two months after he began a 10-year jail sentence over corruption. The court suspended the sentences of Mr Sharif and his daughter Maryam who were convicted in July, shortly before the country held general elections. The decision came during their appeal. They have denied wrongdoing. The ruling comes just a week after Mr Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, died from cancer in London. They were briefly allowed out of prison, in Rawalipindi, to attend her funeral in Lahore, but were later returned. ''What was the case about?'' Mr Sharif was charged with corrupt practices in July related to ownership of four luxury properties in central London linked to his family. He says the charges are political motivated. His daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, received seven years for abetting a crime and one year for not co-operating - which were due to run concurrently - while son-in-law Safdar Awan was given a one-year sentence for not co-operating. The conviction also barred them from seeking public office for up to 10 years after release. ''What changed on Wednesday?'' All three had the jail sentences imposed by the lower court on 6 July suspended by Islamabad's high court, as part of an appeals hearing. "The prosecution has failed to show the properties belong to Nawaz Sharif. It also failed to prove how was Maryam Nawaz sentenced under the same charge sheet which convicted Nawaz Sharif," Justice Athar Minallah told the court. Their convictions remain under appeal within the top court, but a date for a hearing has yet to be fixed. They are expected to be released soon on bail. ''What has the reaction been?'' The case against Nawaz Sharif has divided opinion in Pakistan, the BBC's Secunder Kermani says. His supporters believe the real reason he was convicted was because he had fallen out with the country's powerful army, but his political rivals - including new PM Imran Khan - had hailed his conviction as a victory for accountability, he adds. Supporters of Mr Sharif cheered outside the court when it gave its order to release him. The leader of Mr Sharif's party, the PML-N, said the ruling was "a victory for justice", according to Pakistan's Express Tribune.

Amazon is currently investigating claims that some of its workers have shared (or offered to share) confidential internal information with sellers, and also delete negative reviews of products, in exchange for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. If this actually occurred, it would be yet another reason to take user reviews with a grain of salt Internal sales metrics can prove valuable for sellers, particularly keywords that customers type in when searching for a product. The same goes for statistics about a person's buying habits. If a marketplace seller can obtain this information, he or she can then mani[CENSORED]te product descriptions to boost their search rankings on the site. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Amazon started investigating the sale of confidential information to sellers after being tipped off in May that it was happening in China. People who are supposedly familiar with the matter say that some of the incidents involve Amazon employees in the United States as well. As the story goes, the alleged sale of company data and negative review deletion are typically arranged through brokers. To have a review deleted, the going rate is $300 per review, and brokers usually requires a minimum of five reviews totaling $1,500, WSJ reports. If that is too steep, sellers can reportedly pay a smaller sum for the email addresses of buyers who posted negative reviews. That allows them to reach out to the reviewers directly, and potentially bribe them with free or discounted products to edit or delete their reviews. Amazon confirmed that it's investigating the claims, adding that it has a "zero tolerance" policy when it comes to abusing its systems. "We hold our employees to a high ethical standard and anyone in violation of our Code faces discipline, including termination and potential legal and criminal penalties," Amazon said. "We have zero tolerance for abuse of our systems and if we find bad actors who have engaged in this behavior, we will take swift action against them, including terminating their selling accounts, deleting reviews, withholding funds, and taking legal action." In its most recent earnings report, Amazon said it increased its second quarter sales 39 percent to $52.9 billion. A large chunk of Amazon's merchandise sales presumably comes from third-party merchants. Amazon is by far the biggest e-commerce site, with a market capitalization of over $938 billion. To put that into perspective, Walmart's market cap is $278 billion, at the time of this writing.

Sony PS4 Pro 1TB Spider-Man: A Marvel-ously Themed Console To celebrate the launch of Marvel's Spider-Man, the hotly anticipated game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 4 Pro, Sony released a limited edition PS4 themed after the arachnid super hero. Themed consoles are nothing new, though this one seems to have struck a cord with gamers. Every time a retailer replenishes its inventory, it sells out faster than Peter Parker can change from an unassuming teen to a web-slinger in tights. Lucky for me, I was able to snag one at my local Walmart, which for a brief period of time claimed to have exactly five units in stock. I placed my order online, picked it up, and promptly sold it on eBay for a tidy profit. Just kidding! I realize that's the way of the world these days, particularly with limited-edition electronics, but I wasn't about to hawk this gorgeous console. Instead, it's destined to sit in my entertainment center, as the foil to my Xbox One X. Owning two consoles—three, if you count the Nintendo Switch—is admittedly excessive. It my case, it's also required if I'm to see what all the fuss is about with Spider-Man, because it's not available on any other system. For others who might be considering a PS4 Pro, it's worth noting that the game comes with the system, and the bundle costs the same as the regular 1TB console—$399.99 (MSRP). With that in mind, it's easy to see why this thing keeps selling out. As you might already know, the PS4 Pro Pro is the fastest version of the PS4 to date. It's armed with an AMD Jaguar 8-core CPU clocked at 2.1GHz, a custom Radeon GPU capable of 4.2 teraflops of compute performance, 8GB of GDDR5 video memory, and 1GB of conventional DDR3 RAM to store background apps like Netflix when switching to a game. You're not here for a recap of the specs, though, so let's jump right into the unboxing and pictorial tour of this themed console Sony calls the color of the themed console "Amazing Red," and it certainly is amazing, if you're a fan of Spider-Man (and if you're not, you probably won't be trying to track down one of these semi-rare consoles). It's also glossy on the top panel. A glossy finish also means it's going to attract fingerprints, though that's easily remedied by wiping it down after installing it into your home theater (or wherever you plan on putting it). An angled view gives you a better idea of how glossy the finish is on the top panel, as you can see some background reflections. It's tough to capture in photos how great this system looks—it's absolutely gorgeous in person. Though the top panel is glossy, the rest of the console sports a matte red finish. Overall, Sony kept the theme simple, opting not cover the console in lined webbing or blue accents even though both are displayed prominently on Spider-Man's full-body suit. It would be interesting to see what that might have looked like, though as it stands, it's just a red console with Spider-Man's logo adorning the top. The limited edition bundle comes with a single DualShock 4 wireless controller. It's also themed, with a matching matte red paint job and bright white buttons. Unfortunately, these are not being sold separately. The only ways to get a matching set are to either buy a second themed console, or hit up the second-hand market and pay a grossly inflated price—these controllers are selling for north of $100 on eBay. I've yet to really dig into the Spider-Man, but it's garnering positive reviews from around the web—on Metacritic, it currently has an 87 (out of 100) score among critics, and 8.8 (out of 10) among users. Here's one last look at the console, controller, and game. It's hard to find in stock, but if you're interested in buying one, keep checking Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Walmart. If you enjoy these unboxing galleries, let us know in the comments section, along with what items you're interested in seeing!

2019 Porsche Mission E New Model | Electric Sport Sedan Have you ever wanted to own a car that could compete at Le Mans? Using technology that helped the Porsche 919 Hybrid win at the storied French race, the 2019 Porsche Mission E may be as close as you can currently get to that kind of power. The first all-electric vehicle from the German manufacturer, the Mission E sports sedan will provide a combined output of over 600 horsepower. That will launch the Mission E from zero to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds.

Russia has said Syria shot down one its military planes - but laid the blame for the deaths of the 15 personnel on board with Israel. The defence ministry said Israeli jets forced the Il-20 plane into the path of Syrian air defence systems on Monday after failing to give Moscow enough warning of a strike on Syrian targets. The Il-20 disappeared off the radar at about 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT). Israel is yet to comment on the allegations. Israel rarely acknowledges carrying out strikes on Syria, but an Israeli military official recently said it had hit more than 200 Iranian targets in Syria over the past 18 months. The Israeli government is concerned by what it calls Iran's "military entrenchment" in Syria, as well as shipments of Iranian weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian government forces. The incident on Monday reportedly occurred about 35km (22 miles) from the Syrian coast as the Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft was returning to Russia's Hmeimim airbase near the north-western city of Latakia. According to Russia's Tass news agency, the Il-20 plane "disappeared during an attack by four Israeli F-16 jets on Syrian facilities in Latakia province". On Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry said the aircraft was shot down by Syria. But it said Israel's "irresponsible actions" were to blame, saying it was given just a minute's warning ahead of the strikes, which was not enough time to get the military surveillance plane out of the way. Exactly what happened to the aircraft is not yet known. It was last seen on the radar as it was returning to its base near Latakia on Monday evening. A search-and-rescue operation is under way, co-ordinated through personnel located at the Hmeimim base, the ministry added. Earlier, the Israeli military refused to comment on reports its planes targeted facilities in the Latakia area on Monday, saying: "We don't comment on foreign reports." The Syrian government has not yet commented on the incident. But reports on Syrian state media talked of an attack in the area shortly before the plane disappeared. "Our air defences repelled enemy missiles coming from the open sea towards the city of Latakia and intercepted several of them before they could reach their targets," Sana news agency quoted the military as saying late on 17 September. Syrian television reported explosions over the sky in Latakia just before 22:00. Thirty minutes later, the Sana Facebook page reported that Syrian air defences had responded to enemy missiles. Hmeimim is Russia's main base for air strikes on rebel groups in Syria - strikes that have enabled President Assad's forces to recover much lost ground since 2015. Russia says its airstrikes only target "terrorists", but activists have said they mainly hit mainstream rebel fighters and civilians. According to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, at least 7,928 civilians and 10,069 combatants have been killed in Russian air strikes. Russia has also suffered personnel losses, including the deaths of 39 people when a Russian military transport plane crashed as it attempted to land at Hmeimim in March. Just a few months earlier, Russia said it had increased security at Hmeimim in response to a foiled drone attack on the base just days after reports that rebel shelling had damaged several planes. Earlier on Monday Russia and Turkey agreed to create a demilitarised buffer zone in Syria's Idlib province to separate government forces from rebel fighters based there. Russian President Vladimir Putin said it would be 15km to 25km (9-15 miles) wide and come into force by 15 October.