Internet giants oppose Web control in India court (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? Internet giants Google and Facebook told an Indian court on Monday that it is not possible for companies to block offensive content that appears on their websites, in a case that has stoked fears about censorship in the world's largest democracy.

Google and Facebook are among 21 companies that have been asked to develop a mechanism to block objectionable material, after a private petitioner took the websites to court over images deemed offensive to Hindus, Muslims and Christians.

At the heart of the dispute is a law passed last year in the country that makes companies responsible for user content posted on their websites, requiring them to take it down within 36 hours in case of a complaint.

The case was originally filed in a lower court, but the companies have appealed to the Delhi High Court, challenging the lower court's ruling asking them to take down some content.

"The search engine only takes you till the website. What happens after that is beyond a search engine's control," Neeraj Kishan Kaul, a lawyer for Google's Indian unit, told a packed High Court hearing on Monday.

"If you use blocks, which is very easy for people to say, you will inadvertently block other things as well. For example: the word 'sex'. Even a government document like a voter ID list or a passport has the word 'sex'," he added.

Siddharth Luthra, a lawyer for Facebook told the court it was not possible for the social network to "single out" any individual on the basis of religion or views and said the users should be held responsible for content they post.

Less than a tenth of India's 1.2 billion population have access to Internet although its 100-odd million users make it the third biggest Internet market after China and the United States. Internet users in India are seen nearly tripling to 300 million over the next three years.

Despite the new rules to block offensive content, India's Internet access is still largely free unlike the tight controls in neighboring China.

Civil rights groups have opposed the new laws. But politicians say that posting offensive images in the socially conservative country with a history of violence between religious groups presents a danger to the public as Internet use grows.

The high court will resume hearing the case on Thursday, Justice Suresh Kait said. The judge was last week quoted by local media warning the websites of China-style controls if they did not create a means to curb material seen as offensive.

(Writing by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Matthias Williams)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/wr_nm/us_india_websites

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Gilani vs. the Military: Is a Coup d'etat in the Works in Pakistan? (Time.com)

In Pakistan, civilian governments never exit gracefully. They have all been given a mighty heave amid crisis. Sometimes prime ministers have been trampled by direct military coups. More often, they were shunted aside by subtler means. Charges of corruption often figure prominently, too, giving an otherwise ugly transfer of power a gloss of legitimacy. It becomes difficult to champion democracy when its chief beneficiaries are accused of carving private fortunes out of a poor country's coffers.

That is the kind of fate that many in Pakistan are increasingly foreseeing for Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. For the past several weeks, his weak and unpopular coalition government has been increasingly harried on multiple fronts by a strident opposition, a hostile judiciary and a powerful military. But in a slight departure from the usual script, Gilani has decided to dig in his heels and fight back. In a dark warning to the country's politicians, Gilani warned last week that their choice is between "democracy and dictatorship." (PHOTOS: Pakistan Beneath the Surface)

The tension has not been helped by President Asif Ali Zardari's two recent visits to Dubai, which have sparked rumors of an impending coup. But there is little prospect of Pakistan's generals seizing direct control. As army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani knows, power can still be exercised from behind a thin veil. At the moment, the army already controls national security, foreign policy and even elements of the economy. It will resist any temptation to resort to the crude methods recently displayed by their Egyptian counterparts.

The more likely outcome is a Supreme Court ruling. The top judges have been looking into an American businessman's claims that the civilian government sent an unsigned memo calling on the U.S. military to intervene to avert a coup in Pakistan in the days after the killing of Osama bin Laden. The news of the memo had angered Pakistan's generals. In an unprecedented move, Gen. Kayani and his intelligence chief, Lieut. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, both submitted affidavits to the Supreme Court saying that they believe Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S, Husain Haqqani, was responsible for the memo. Gilani shot back that the two generals acted "illegally" and "unconstitutionally" by submitting their affidavits. He had already spoken publicly of the hazards of a "state within a state," a clear hint at the army's invisible power, and even asked aloud how bin Laden ended up living in Pakistan.

Then came a swift trade of blows. Haqqani has already been forced to resign and faces an investigation but denies orchestrating the memo. He could face charges of "treason" or "gross misconduct." Meanwhile, the army publicly chastised Gilani for his remarks and warned of "potentially grievous consequences for the country." Gilani responded by sacking the Defense Ministry's top bureaucrat, a retired three star general, replacing him with a trusted aide. The army was not amused, discreetly briefing the press that it would refuse to work with the new defense secretary. The army also announced that there was a new commander of the 111th brigade in Rawalpindi -- which would purportedly lead the speculated coup -- and leaked rumors that it had already staged a rehearsal. (READ: Gilani Warns of 'Trust Deficit' with U.S.)

As Gilani tussles with the generals, the Supreme Court has reheated old corruption charges. The judges have ruled that Gilani and his government have acted "dishonestly" by not asking the Swiss government to reopen graft cases against President Zardari. For the past two years, the government has stubbornly refused to cooperate with what it sees as a blatantly partisan court. Now, Gilani could be forced to quit, says a senior politician. "The Supreme Court might knock the prime minister out," the politician said, declining to be named.

Gilani's government also finds itself increasingly isolated. Given the dire state of relations between the two countries, Washington is reduced to the role of spectator, only able to voice lukewarm support for "constitutional process." Over the past year, efforts to shore up the civilian government have foundered as the relationship has once again reverted to one determined by mutual security needs.

The political opposition, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, now scents opportunity. Once wary of Pakistan's generals, it has decided to lock arms with them and push the Supreme Court to investigate claims that Haqqani and others may have been involved in writing the "treasonous" memo. Fast losing ground to cricket legend turned politician Imran Khan, Sharif's party is intent on halting its popular slide by seizing the initiative. Timing is also crucial. If Sharif fails to oust Gilani's coalition government by March, the ruling Pakistan People's Party is poised to win the highest number of seats in the forthcoming Senate elections, making it difficult for any successor to legislate effectively.

Gilani's government is desperately hoping to reach March, triumph at the Senate elections, and announce a general election once the summer's searing heat fades. Before then, however, the formidable opponents arrayed against it will be determined that this government meets its end as suddenly and as ignominiously as possible.

PHOTOS: Pakistan's Vulnerable Northwest Province

SPECIAL: TIME's 2011 Person of the Year: The Protester.

View this article on Time.com

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20120114/wl_time/08599210451200

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Car bomb kills at least 9 in Iraq's Mosul (Reuters)

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) ? A car bomb exploded inside a residential complex for displaced Shi'ite Muslims in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday, killing at least nine people and wounding five, hospital and police sources said.

The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks on Shi'ite targets since a political crisis erupted a month ago threatening the survival of Iraq's fragile power-sharing government following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

A Reuters reporter at the scene of the blast in a small village of Shi'ites from the Shabak minority said the explosion left a shallow crater four meters across and flesh scattered nearby. A taxi shattered by shrapnel lay 30 meters from the explosion with pools of blood beneath it.

"All this because of the political conflict over government posts and we are the poorest people paying the price," Abu Ebrahem, a village resident, told Reuters. "They want to agitate sectarian unrest, but they won't succeed."

Police said they found another car bomb at the scene and closed the area for several hours to defuse it.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualty toll.

Political tensions in Iraq have been high since December, when Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government ordered the arrest of a Sunni vice president, touching off a crisis that many fear will bring a relapse into sectarian conflict.

On Saturday, a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman killed at least 53 people and wounded scores in an attack on Shi'ite pilgrims at a checkpoint in the southern city of Basra.

Mosul, in northern Iraq, was once an al Qaeda stronghold, and witnessed some of the fiercest fighting during the war that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The eastern outskirts of Mosul form part of the disputed areas between the central government and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region Government in the north.

The disputed territories between Iraqi Arabs and Kurds are seen as a flashpoints for possible conflict after the last American troops left Iraq in December, nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

(Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Patrick Markey and Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence

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Golden Globe Awards 2012: List of Winners!

Did the 2012 Golden Globe winners go according to plan? Or were there any big surprises? Are the Oscar favorites more or less cemented right now?

The Help, The Artist, The Descendants and Hugo proved they are early Oscar leaders, with each film taking home some hardware Sunday evening.

The Artist’s wins for Best Score and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin kept the critical favorite squarely in the driver’s seat as an early Oscar favorite.

After winning Best Actor for The Descendants, George Clooney is the man to beat for the honor at the Oscars. That film was also the best drama.

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical went to The Artist, while Meryl Streep won Best Actress (shocker) as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

The Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement went to Morgan Freeman (above), who received the honor from Sidney Poitier and Helen Mirren.

On the TV side, Homeland, Modern Family and Downton Abbey were the big winners.

Kicking off the night was a Ricky Gervais monologue that went after stars such as Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian this year. So ... there's that.

Here's the list of Golden Globe winners for 2012:

FILM

Best Motion Picture, Drama
The Descendants

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
The Artist

Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Best Animated Film
The Adventures of Tintin

Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Foreign Film
A Separation

Best Song
Masterpiece, W.E.

Best Score
Ludovic Bource, The Artist

TELEVISION

TV Series, Drama
Homeland

TV Series, Comedy
Modern Family

TV Movie or Miniseries
Downton Abbey

Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland

Actor, TV Series Comedy
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Laura Dern, Enlightened

Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Idris Elba, Luther

Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/golden-globe-awards-2012-list-of-winners/

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Iraq: Death toll from attack on pilgrims now 53 (AP)

ZUBAIR, Iraq ? A bomb killed at least 53 Shiite pilgrims near the southern port city of Basra on Saturday, an Iraqi official said. It was the latest in a series of attacks during Shiite religious commemorations that have killed scores of people and threaten to further increase sectarian tensions just weeks after the U.S. withdrawal.

The attack happened on the last of the 40 days of Arbaeen, when hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims from Iraq and abroad visit the Iraqi city of Karbala, as well as other holy sites.

Saturday's blast occurred near the town of Zubair as pilgrims marched toward the Shiite Imam Ali shrine on the outskirts of the town, said Ayad al-Emarah, a spokesman for the governor of Basra province. The shrine is an enclave within an enclave -- a Shiite site on the edge of a mostly Sunni town in an otherwise mostly Shiite province.

There were conflicting reports on the source of the blast.

Al-Emarah said the explosion was caused either by a suicide attacker or a roadside bomb. But an Iraqi military intelligence officer who is investigating the attack said it was a roadside bomb, noting that the road from Basra to Zubair being used by pilgrims had been closed to traffic. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the media.

Basra hospital received 53 killed and 137 wounded after the blast, said Dr. Riyadh Abdul-Amir, the head of Basra Health Directorate. He said some of the wounded were in serious condition, and warned the death toll may rise further.

The explosion came as Shiites commemorate the climax of Arbaeen, which marks the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure. Pilgrims who cannot make it to the holy city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, often journey to other sacred sites such as the shrine near Zubair.

Majid Hussein, a government employee, was one of the pilgrims heading to the shrine. He said people began running away in panic when they heard a loud explosion.

"I saw several dead bodies and wounded people, including children on the ground asking for help. There were also some baby strollers left at the blast site," he said.

The attack, which bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents, is the latest in a series of deadly strikes in this year's Arbaeen. More than 145 people have been killed.

The largest of the Arbaeen attacks ? a wave of apparently coordinated bombings in Baghdad and outside the southern city of Nasiriyah ? killed at least 78 people on Jan. 5. It was the deadliest strike in Iraq in more than a year.

So far there has been little sign of the revenge attacks by Shiite militias and others that brought the country to the edge of civil war in 2006.

But this wave of attacks comes at a particularly tense time.

The last U.S. combat troops left the country on Dec. 18. Many Iraqis resented the foreign presence, but the Americans also guaranteed the status quo. Many Sunnis fear being marginalized in the now Shiite-dominated country following the U.S. departure.

Just as the American troops were leaving, a political crisis erupted that has paralyzed Iraq's government. It pits the country's mostly ethnic- and religious-based political blocs against one another.

The political dispute appears far from being resolved.

On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq called for Iraq's leader, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to step down or face a parliamentary vote of no-confidence. Al-Mutlaq's Sunni-backed Iraqiya party has been boycotting parliament and cabinet meetings since last month to protest what it sees as efforts by al-Maliki to consolidate power, particularly over state security forces.

Al-Maliki's government, meanwhile, has demanded the arrest of the country's top Sunni politician, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of Iraqiya, accusing him of running a hit squad targeting government officials. Al-Hashemi denies the allegations.

___

Associated Press writers Bushra Juhi, Sameer N. Yacoub, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Adam Schreck contributed reporting.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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How Can I Find Out Why My Email Account Just Spammed My Friends and Family? [Ask Lifehacker]

Dear Lifehacker,

My email account just sent my a handful of my friends and family members an email with a spammy link to something called "Viagrow", but I can't for the life of me figure out where the email came from, or how it happened. Is there a way to track the origin of a spam email so I can keep it from happening again?

Thanks,
Sick of Spam

Dear SoS,
Spam is a wonderfully curious thing. In most cases, its existence makes you wonder who it's targeting and what its goal could be. Maybe more than anything, it's an annoying surprise when a friend tells you they received spam from your email address. Let's walk through how you can track down the origin of a spam email and what you can do with the information.

Track and Block the Location of the Spammer

The first step to take is to find the sender's IP address (this is sort of like an internet phone number) by examining the header of the email. The header contains identifiers that will lead you to where the sender is located. Most email programs hide this information from you by default because most of the time, you really don't need to know everything in the header?but it's easy to find. The header is the email's history and lets your track everywhere the email went as if you're tracking a UPS package. If the email actually originated from your account, there's still a copy in your sent folder. If no copy exists on your end, have one of the people who received your message forward the email back to you. Here's how you find the header in most common email programs:

• Gmail: Select the spam message. Click the down arrow next to the reply arrow. Select "Show Original."
• Apple Mail: Select the spam message. Click View > Message > All Headers.
• Outlook: Double-click to select the spam message and open it in a new window. Click File > Info > Properties. The header is displayed under "Internet Headers."
• Thunderbird: Select the spam message. Click View > Headers > All.
• Yahoo!: Select the spam message. Click "Full Headers" below the email.
• Hotmail: Select the spam message. Click the down arrow next to to the reply arrow. Select "View message source."

• Most other mail programs have a similar method as those above. Once you have the full header, look for the words "Received from" toward the top of the header. From there, you can track the email's journey through the internet. The top line is the origin of the email and it works its way all the way to your IP address at the bottom of the header. The IP address will look something like: 93.178.70.221.

  Now we're going to figure out where that origin IP address is located. Head over to DNSStuff and enter the IP address from the top of the header into the WHOIS field.

  For the above IP address, we find information that this IP is registered to someone named Vladimir Sherstnev in Russia. The search results also mention this is probably a forged IP address, which means someone used it specifically to send out a bunch of spam emails to people. In this case, it means the original location of an email was faked and poor Vladimir was probably not at fault. If you like, you can report this address to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. However, another possible origin address type exists: your own IP address.

  Not long ago I received a spam email from my dad. It originated at 65.55.34.XXX, which is owned by Microsoft. This makes sense because his address is a Live email account. In this case, it means his account was either hacked or spoofed. Hacked means someone got his password and went on a junk-emailing spree. Spoofed means someone is pretending to be him (or you). So, what do we do now? We see which of those two happened.

  Check Your Account Activity and Research Your Email Access History

  To check if your account has been hacked you need to look into the recent history on your account. This is going to vary by email provider but here's how to do it in two of the big ones:

• Gmail: At the bottom of your inbox, click Details. This will open a pop-up window with the recent IP addresses that have accessed your account (your current IP is listed on the bottom).
• Yahoo! Click your email address > Edit my account, then "View your recent login activity."

• As far as I can tell, you can't get this information in Hotmail. If you're on a private server, most webmail apps show your access history somewhere in the preferences panel.

  If you see an IP Address that isn't one of yours, (don't forget you can search Google for "IP" to get your current address) then your account and password were probably hacked. Change your password and continue monitoring the logins to your account over the next few days. As sunilsathees notes in the comments, you should also check your password recovery options to make sure nothing was changed. If the hacker changes the recovery email to their own they can still access your account even after you change the password. You can find these in the Preferences section for most email providers.

  You have a few ways to check if your account is being spoofed. First, do the same search as above to make sure nobody is in your account. Next, check your forwarding options. Make sure your email isn't set to forward anywhere you didn't set it to. It's also a good idea to run an antivirus scan on your computer. You can find our picks for Windows and Mac if you don't have one. If you're using Gmail, look at your authorized sites to ensure no apps have access to your account that aren't supposed to.

  Finally, retrace your steps. Did you click on a phishing link or reply to spam mail? If you did, find that email again. Look at the complete header and track the information the same way you did above. This doesn't solve the problem, but it does give a face (or an IP address at least) to the culprit. If its particularly irksome or continues to happen, report the address to your email provider and have them investigate the address.

  Protect Yourself and Your Friends from Future Spam

  While it's fun to play detective and picture yourself hunting down a crazed Viagra-loving spammer, it's easier to make sure it doesn't happen in the first place. Brush up on your phishing scam detection skills and your online fraud detection abilities. If you Gmail account was used for spoofing or was hacked, you can take steps to make sure email that you actually sent doesn't look like it's phishing.

  It's unfortunate that once you track down the IP address of a spammer you don't have a lot of options for taking action against them, but it is nice to see where it comes from.

  Sincerely,
  Lifehacker

  P.S. Got any clever spam-sleuthing solutions of your own? Let's hear it in the comments.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/0-Ep0AQCMoc/how-can-i-find-out-why-my-email-account-just-spammed-my-friends-and-family

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World markets boosted by China, German exports

BANGKOK (AP) ? World markets rose Monday, boosted by signs that German exports are picking up and a pledge by China to increase bank lending to the country's small entrepreneurs.

Benchmark oil rose to near $102 per barrel while the dollar was lower against the euro and the yen.

European shares were mostly higher in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent to 5,666.73. Germany's DAX rose 0.9 percent to 6,063.44. France's CAC-40 gained 0.5 percent to 3,153.76.

Earlier Monday in Asia, Chinese shares in Hong Kong and the mainland jumped sharply following a weekend government planning conference during which Premier Wen Jiabao promised to channel lending to entrepreneurs who have been battered by weak global demand.

China tightened lending and investment curbs last year to cool its overheated economy but has reversed course in recent months following a slump in global demand that has hurt exporters and led to job losses.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index jumped 1.5 percent at 18,865.72. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.9 percent to 2,225.89, while the Shenzhen Composite Index gained 3.7 percent. Shares in coal miners, nonferrous metals, oil and financial companies led the gains.

Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.9 percent to 1,826.49. In Japan, financial markets were closed for a public holiday.

Investment sentiment also got a lift from Germany, which reported that exports rose to a seasonally adjusted 2.5 percent to euro90.7 billion ($115.88 billion) in November.

Still, worries about Europe's debt lingered. Italy's borrowing costs spiked to dangerously high levels Friday. The country is now paying over 7 percent to borrow for 10 years, a sign that investors are concerned the country could default on its debts.

Greece, Portugal and Ireland were forced to seek a bailout after their borrowing rates rose above 7 percent, and Athens is still roiling; Its prime minister recently warned of a possible default on its massive debts if a second emergency bailout from international lenders isn't ironed out soon.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were to meet Monday in Berlin to discuss the European situation.

The euro rose to $1.2761 from $1.2724 late Friday in New York. The dollar fell to 76.92 yen from 77.02 yen.

In energy trading, benchmark crude for February delivery rose 38 cents to $101.96 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 25 cents to settle at $101.56 in New York on Friday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-09-World-Markets/id-af26b20f7cca4691bf1f6d184feb1224

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