Author Archive
World»
Washington (AFP) June 1, 2010 – Internet security firm Sophos has warned Facebook users to be on the alert for a scam which sends a spam message to all of their friends on the social network.
Sophos, in a pair of blog posts late Monday, said “hundreds of thousands” of Facebook users have fallen for the scam which it dubbed “likejacking.”
It said some Facebook users had received a message such as “This man takes a picture of himself EVERYDAY for 8 YEARS!!” and were encouraged to click on a link.
Sophos said clicking on the link takes a Facebook user to what appears to be a blank page with a “Click here to continue” message.
Sophos said clicking on the page publishes the original message on their own Facebook page with a “like” notation and recommends it to all of their Facebook friends.
“This of course posts a message to your newsfeed, your friends see it and click on it, and so it spreads,” Sophos said.
Sophos warned last week about a Facebook scam designed to trick users into installing adware, a software package that automatically plays, displays or downloads advertisements to their computer.
That followed a similar scam that spread on Facebook the week before involving a fake posting tagged as the “sexiest video ever,” according to Sophos.
2010 06 02
World»
Kaliningrad, Russia (RIA Novosti) Jun 02, 2010 –
The Russian Baltic Fleet’s amphibious assault landing ship RFS Kaliningrad set out on Monday for the Baltic and North seas, where it will hold military training, a spokesman for the Baltic Fleet said.
“The amphibious assault landing ship Kaliningrad has departed from [the Baltic Sea port of] Baltiisk. The ship set sail for the Baltic and North seas, where it will carry out a range of training military tasks, including ship-damage control and air defense training,” the spokesman said.
He said the warship, considered the pride of the Baltic Fleet, will also visit the Belgian port of Zeebrugge in the North Sea during its voyage.
“A range of events intended to contribute to the strengthening of mutual understanding and cooperation between Russian and Belgian naval forces are planned to be held during the visit,” the spokesman said.
The Kaliningrad entered service in December 1984 and has carried out training missions in the Baltic, North and Mediterranean seas, as well as in the Atlantic Ocean more than 10 times.
Kaliningrad class ships are capable of carrying up to 500 tons of cargo, 13 tanks and more than 200 naval infantry.
Since 2003, the warship represented Russia at the international Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) naval exercise five times.
World»
Southwest Asia (AFNE) Jun 02, 2010 –
A C-17 Globemaster III deployed from Joint Base Charleston, S.C., stopped at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia on May 19, 2010, for a deployed airlift mission.
The C-17 stopped at the base to deliver cargo and passengers for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing area of operations.
According to its Air Force fact sheet, the C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area.
The C-17, according to its fact sheet, can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations when required. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States.
Additionally, Air Mobility Command’s airlifter is operated by a crew of three (pilot, copilot and loadmaster), reducing manpower requirements, risk exposure and long-term operating costs. Cargo is loaded onto the C-17 through a large aft door that accommodates military vehicles and palletized cargo. The C-17 can carry virtually all of the Army’s air-transportable equipment.
Maximum payload capacity of the C-17 is 170,900 pounds (77,519 kilograms), and its maximum gross takeoff weight is 585,000 pounds (265,352 kilograms). With a payload of 169,000 pounds (76,657 kilograms) and an initial cruise altitude of 28,000 feet (8,534 meters), the C-17 has an unrefueled range of approximately 2,400 nautical miles. Its cruise speed is approximately 450 knots (.76 Mach). The C-17 is designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and equipment.
Finally, the fact sheet shows the design of the aircraft allows it to operate through small, austere airfields. The C-17 can take off and land on runways as short as 3,500 feet (1,064 meters) and only 90 feet wide (27.4 meters). Even on such narrow runways, the C-17 can turn around using a three-point star turn and its backing capability.
The 380th AEW, where the C-17 stopped, is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing’s deployed mission includes air refueling, air battle management, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
World»
Washington (UPI) Jun 1, 2010 – North Korea can target, attack and sink a South Korean warship, kill 46 of the South Korean crew but South Korea cannot retaliate without triggering a barrage of shells from North Korea’s 11,000 artillery tubes that can lay waste Seoul, a capital city of 11 million. North Korea is also a rogue nuclear power and a single nuclear-tipped missile could probably achieve the same result.
A powerful argument against retaliation is the fear of an internal collapse of the last Stalinist regime on Earth. At 69, Kim Jong Il looks frail and dazed as he recovers from last year’s stroke. He is also rumored to be fighting cancer.
South Korea could then find itself faced with a humongous bill for reunification of the two Koreas and the reconstruction of an entire country from the ground up. German reunification cost West Germany $100 billion over 10 years. But East Germany wasn’t without resources. Everything worked in the “German Democratic Republic,” albeit of inferior quality, much like the Soviet Union. North Korea is devoid of all modern amenities, from ground to grid.
Another frightening prospect is a civil war inside North Korea. The United States maintains 27,000 troops in South Korea, down from 37,000 since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Any spillover from north to south would almost automatically involve the U.S. military, or a third theater of operations (with Iraq and Afghanistan).
A population that alternates between hunger and starvation can’t be too happy at the prospect of a third absolute dictator since the end of World War II. Kim Jong Il’s third and youngest son Kim Jong Un, 27, was anointed in mid-April when he was hailed as the grand master of the fireworks that marked the birthday of founder Kim Il Sung. Official praise as the grand master of fireworks was also how the current Kim knew he was to succeed his father, the world’s first Communist absolute monarch.
The North Korean media received a manual titled “Instruction Materials on Kim
Jong Un’s Greatness.” The heir apparent’s areas of expertise are listed as “organizing festivities, fireworks and official choirs for the regime.”
His father is quoted in the manual as praising the “Youth Captain” (his son) “for his beautiful fireworks and ability in organizing the ‘Day of the Sun’
and who stayed up several nights to prepare the display (which) is a sign of his great devotion to the country.”
And to guarantee army loyalty, Kim Jong Il promoted a hundred senior officers in honor of Kim Jong Un.
The eldest son is viewed as unsuitable. He is also rumored to be gay. And the second son is known as a blackguardly bounder who was seen gambling $100 bills — North Korea is also known for its near-perfect U.S. dollar counterfeits — in a Macao casino. He was also sent home by Japanese authorities after he tried to enter with a forged Dominican passport. He wanted to visit Japan’s Disney World.
As China, the United States and South Korea were still discussing how best to persuade North Korea to step away from the precipice of conflict, yet another upheaval changed the geopolitical map of the Middle East. Israel lost its only ally in the region — Turkey. And any prospects of resuming “proximity” talks with Israel for a Palestinian state were down the proverbial toilet.
From London to Lebanon to Lahore, thousands turned out to protest Israel’s botched operation to stop a Turkish-flagged convoy of six vessels transporting 10,000 tons of urgently needed supplies for Gaza’s 1.5 million Palestinians.
Rappelling from helicopters on the high seas, Israeli naval commandos landed on the deck of the lead ship to be greeted by pro-Palestinian activists wielding metal truncheons, knives and pepper spray. Several Israelis fell as they struggled to untangle ropes and harnesses. Two Israeli sidearms were seized by the attackers. One Israeli was tossed overboard. And the Israelis opened fire, killing nine and wounding a dozen.
Israeli warships towed the Turkish vessel to an Israeli port where the pro-Palestinian demonstrators were taken to hospitals and a detention center. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was in Canada on his way to see U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington. He canceled the rest of his trip and flew home to take command. It seemed the whole world was denouncing Israel again. Following Israel’s 2008-09 bloody retaliatory forays into Gaza to suppress Hamas’ rocket attacks, a U.N. report accused Jerusalem of “war crimes.”
Israel the invincible is once again widely viewed as vincible. This could lead to a wider war in the region. Iran will soon emulate North Korea’s example and become a rogue nuclear state. And the Israeli argument that says there is only one thing worse than bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities and that is an Iranian nuclear bomb is a view widely shared by Washington’s power brokers. It was first enunciated by U.S. Sens. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., and John McCain, R-Ariz.
The gathering global storm against Israel could easily trigger yet another war — one that would change the geopolitical landscape. Beyond recognition. Try oil at $300.
World»
Baghdad (AFP) June 1, 2010 – Iraq’s supreme court on Tuesday ratified the results of the country’s March general election, clearing the way for a faster pace to government formation talks which remain in limbo.
The ruling confirms initial results released in late March that put former premier Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc in the lead, followed closely by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law alliance.
“The court has decided to approve the results of the elections,” supreme court chief Midhat al-Mahmoud said.
Mahmoud reiterated a previous court decision, however, that deals a blow to Allawi’s claim to have the right to be awarded the first opportunity to form a government.
“The biggest parliamentary bloc… will be decided in the first session of the parliament,” he said, indicating a coalition agreed before the Council of Representatives has its first session would gain primacy over Iraqiya.
Iraq’s constitution requires that parliament be seated within 15 days of the certification of election results.
It must first select a speaker, which is then followed by the naming of a new president who will then call on the leader of the biggest parliamentary bloc to form a government.
Iraqiya won 91 seats in the Iraq’s 325-member parliament, followed by State of Law with 89.
The Iraqi National Alliance (INA), led by Shiite religious groups, took 70 seats, while a coalition of parties hailing from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region holds 59 seats.
The fact that no clear winner emerged from the March 7 poll has meant that protracted coalition negotiations have ensued as blocs jockey to form a parliamentary majority.
Earlier this month, however, State of Law and the INA announced they would form a post-election coalition, leaving them just short of a majority, though they have yet to formalise the arrangement.
The ratification ruling was hailed by the US embassy as “an important step in the right direction as Iraq undertakes what will be a historic and peaceful transition of power from one elected government to another.”
“With the election results officially certified, we call on Iraq’s political leaders to move forward without delay to form an inclusive and representative government to work on behalf of the Iraqi people,” it said in a statement.
The impasse over the formation of a government comes as the US military pulls its troops out of Iraq, in line with the terms of a bilateral security agreement between Baghdad and Washington.
All American combat troops are set to leave Iraq by the end of August, leaving about 50,000 to advise and train their Iraqi counterparts. A complete withdrawal is due by the end of 2011.
The supreme court also ruled that two successful candidates would be barred from taking their seats but would be replaced by colleagues from within their own political parties.
Furat Mohsen Saeed was a serving military officer while Ammar Abdulsattar al-Karbuli has a warrant out for his arrest. They were members of the INA and Iraqiya respectively.
Full results from the election were initially expected to be ratified in early April, but counting delays, multiple complaints and appeals from political groups have caused setbacks.
Figures released on Tuesday, meanwhile, showed that 337 Iraqis died as a result of violence in May, slightly higher than the previous month.
US and Iraqi security officials have warned that a long period of coalition formation could give insurgent groups an opportunity to further destabilise the country.
World»
Berlin (UPI) Jun 1, 2010 – The surprise resignation of German President Horst Koehler has plunged Europe’s largest economy into a severe political crisis.
There were tears in his eyes when Koehler informed the public Monday that he would resign. Over the past days, German politicians from all parties had harshly criticized the 67-year-old for comments he made while in Afghanistan.
In a May 22 radio interview Koehler had said that Germany, Europe’s largest economy and one dependent on exports and free trade, must be prepared to use military force to “protect our interests, for example, free-trade routes, or to prevent regional instability which might negatively effect our trade, jobs and wages.”
For days, the interview remained unnoticed until a young politics student contacted several media outlets to inquire why the comments hadn’t resulted in a harsher media response. Soon enough, politicians from all parties accused Koehler of supporting gunboat diplomacy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to come to the aid of her political ally.
All this might have been too much for the president, the holder of a largely representational but popular post. Standing next to his wife Eva Luisa, Koehler Monday read a statement announcing his immediate resignation.
“I regret that my comments in an important and difficult question for our nation were able to lead to misunderstandings,” Koehler said. He lashed out at critics who had suggested he supported military “missions that are not covered by the constitution.”
“This criticism lacks any basis,” he said. “It also is lacking the necessary respect for the presidential office.”
“It was an honor for me to serve Germany as president,” he added. “I thank the many people in Germany who have put their trust in me and supported my work. I ask for you to understand my decision.”
The resignation — the first of a German president in four decades — comes at the worst time for the conservative government of Merkel.
A week ago, another conservative leader, Roland Koch, citing his frustration with politics, resigned as the state premier of Hesse; moreover, Merkel, busy trying to consolidate the overstretched German budget, has come under fire in Europe for her hesitant handling of the financial crisis; and finally, her conservative Christian Democratic Union has had to endure a heavy loss at a state election last month in North Rhine Westphalia.
Back in 2004, Merkel, then an opposition leader, together with Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle decided to push through Koehler’s nomination as president, hoping that he would be an ally down the road in her career.
Merkel said she was shocked when Koehler told her about his plans two hours before his resignation. The chancellor tried to convince Koehler to rethink his move. Observers say she used the “harshest possible words,” warning Koehler of the chaotic effects that his resignation would undoubtedly carry.
“He was very determined, he had already made the decision and I couldn’t change his mind,” Merkel told German public broadcaster ARD in an interview.
While Koehler’s resignation was criticized in Germany as too harsh a reaction, observers in Europe warned that the German media and politicians who willfully misinterpreted Koehler’s remarks were destabilizing European politics.
“Those whose loud voices called for his head are now part of the problem and will never contribute to the solution,” British newspaper The Guardian wrote in an editorial. “The anti-politics and anti-politician mood now unleashed in Germany and elsewhere in Europe is ugly and is doing damage to representative democracy.”
A new president will be elected June 30. Until then, the current head of the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house of parliament, will become the temporary head of state.
World»
British motorists face being prosecuted if they are caught using their iPods or other portable music devices while driving, The (London) Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
The newspaper revealed that police across the U.K. were launching the offensi…
World»
Four people were feared dead and others injured Wednesday after a shooting in England’s northern county Cumbria, BBC Radio Cumbria reported.
Police confirmed to Sky News that “a number” of people were killed in the shooting, which began at around 10:…
Politics»
ALBANY — Gov. Paterson said yesterday that he’s ordered his aides to put together a cost-saving plan to lay off thousands of state workers starting Jan. 1, the day the next governor takes office.
“The reality is right now, it takes a long period of time to schedule the…
Politics»
An inconvenient truth that’s been hidden in Al and Tipper Gore’s marriage was revealed yesterday — their one-time steaming ardor has cooled to an arctic chill.
The former lovebirds — who for decades incorporated their professed passion into their …
Politics»
Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he sympathizes with New Yorkers weary from double-parking tickets, but balked at the notion that ticketing agents only dole out the fines to collect revenue.
“We don’t have a ‘gotcha!’ ” mentality. We try to enforce th…
World»
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama plans to resign after only eight months in office.
Hatoyama said yesterday that he intends to step down over his broken campaign promise to get rid of an American Marine base on the island of Okinawa.
Last…
« Older Entries
