Cycling-Eurosport
28 July, 2006. Cycling's anti-doping programme was criticised by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) leader Dick Pound on Thursday after Tour de France winner Floyd Landis tested positive for the hormone testosterone.
"We have given suggestions to UCI (the world cycling governing body) of what we think are serious gaps in their testing protocols," Pound told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Montreal office.
"We said that maybe one of the reasons you are not getting the number of positive tests you should is that you have got defects in the process."
Cycling was rocked again on Thursday when Landis's Phonak team said the American had tested positive for the male sex hormone.
If Landis's B sample confirms the result, the 30-year-old is certain to be stripped of his victory, becoming the first Tour winner to be disqualified for doping.
Even before the race, favourites Jan Ullrich of Germany and Italian Ivan Basso and several riders were forced to pull out because of links to a Spanish doping investigation.
Pound would not say WADA had lost confidence in the sport, but he said changes must be made.
"The first thing is for them to acknowledge that there is a problem that they have not be able to control," he said.
"There is no sport that is immune but cycling certainly has a high proportion of doping."
He also placed weightlifting, athletics, football and swimming in a troublesome category.
Asked whether high-profile doping cases had left the public to wonder whether it can believe any sports performance, Pound said, "We are in the process of reaping what we sowed.
"We let this (doping) problem get out of hand in the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s, and now you pay the price of when great performances occur, people ask questions.
"We have got to win back the public's confidence."
Pound said anti-doping leaders should not quit the fight: "What that means is your kids and my grandchildren are going to be reconciled to becoming chemical stockpiles in order to be good at sport," Pound said.
"Sport then faces a downward spiral where your sportspersons become increasingly gladiatorial, doing exercises that mean nothing and becoming increasing violent.
"If that is the price for being good in sport, I would encourage them to go mountain climbing or fishing instead."
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Australian study finds fish oil helps weight loss...
Health News Reuters.com
Fri Jul 28, 2006. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fatty acids, which are found in fish, can help in weight loss when combined with moderate exercise, an Australian study found.
The University of South Australia study found that daily doses of fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids helped obese people burn off excess weight.
"The omega-3 found in fish oil increases fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise," university researcher Alison Hill told Reuters.
The university's study monitored 68 overweight and obese people, divided into four groups, over three months.
One group took small daily doses of fish oil and another was given sunflower oil with no other alteration to their normal diet. Both groups undertook moderate exercise programs of a 45-minute walk or run three times a week. Another two groups received either fish oil or sunflower oil but did no exercise.
The study found that those who took the fish oil doses and exercised lost an average of 2 kg (4.5 lb.) over the three months.
The groups that took sunflower oil, which does not contain omega-3 fatty acids, and exercised did not lose any weight. The two groups that did not exercise also lost no weight, the study found.
"We were very surprised to see it was so effective, especially since these people were still eating whatever they wanted," Hill said.
A six-year study by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found last year that omega-3 fatty acids helped boost brain functioning as well as cut the risk of stroke. It also helped protect the brain as people age, the Chicago study found.
Hill said future studies were planned that would take place over longer periods and with increased exercise.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jul 28, 2006. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fatty acids, which are found in fish, can help in weight loss when combined with moderate exercise, an Australian study found.
The University of South Australia study found that daily doses of fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids helped obese people burn off excess weight.
"The omega-3 found in fish oil increases fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise," university researcher Alison Hill told Reuters.
The university's study monitored 68 overweight and obese people, divided into four groups, over three months.
One group took small daily doses of fish oil and another was given sunflower oil with no other alteration to their normal diet. Both groups undertook moderate exercise programs of a 45-minute walk or run three times a week. Another two groups received either fish oil or sunflower oil but did no exercise.
The study found that those who took the fish oil doses and exercised lost an average of 2 kg (4.5 lb.) over the three months.
The groups that took sunflower oil, which does not contain omega-3 fatty acids, and exercised did not lose any weight. The two groups that did not exercise also lost no weight, the study found.
"We were very surprised to see it was so effective, especially since these people were still eating whatever they wanted," Hill said.
A six-year study by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found last year that omega-3 fatty acids helped boost brain functioning as well as cut the risk of stroke. It also helped protect the brain as people age, the Chicago study found.
Hill said future studies were planned that would take place over longer periods and with increased exercise.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Health experts want trans fat levels on food labels...
Health News Reuters.com By Patricia Reaney
Fri Jul 28, 2006.LONDON (Reuters) - Food labels should list the amount of trans fat along with cholesterol and saturated fat so consumers can make healthier choices to reduce their risk of heart disease, British public health experts said on Friday.
Trans fat, which is found in some margarines, fast food, biscuits, cakes and pastry, increases the shelf life of foods.
But it also raises low density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, in the blood and cuts the amount of high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol.
Robert Clarke and Sarah Lewington, of the University of Oxford in England, believe Britain and other European countries should follow the example of the United States where the content of trans fat and cholesterol content is provided on food labels.
"If consumers knew what was in their food it would help them make more healthier food choices that could lower their LDL and reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke," Clarke said in an interview.
"There should be mandatory information about the content of the food we eat," he added.
Consumers are advised to eat a healthy, balanced diet consisting of plenty of fruits and vegetables and to cut down on foods high in saturated and trans fat to reduce their odds of developing coronary heart disease.
The majority of trans fat is produced when liquid oils are made into solid fats such as shortening and hard margarine. Saturated fats also raise LDL and are important in determining blood cholesterol levels.
Meat products, butter and lard, hard cheese, cream, and coconut and palm oil are high in saturated fats.
In an editorial in the British Medical Journal Clarke and Lewington said Denmark introduced legislation in 2004 that virtually eliminated trans fat and had no effect on the quality, cost or availability of foods.
"The UK Food Standards Agency is currently pressing for revision of the European directive that governs the content and format of nutrition labels on foods marketed in the United Kingdom and other European countries, so that these fats are labeled," they added.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jul 28, 2006.LONDON (Reuters) - Food labels should list the amount of trans fat along with cholesterol and saturated fat so consumers can make healthier choices to reduce their risk of heart disease, British public health experts said on Friday.
Trans fat, which is found in some margarines, fast food, biscuits, cakes and pastry, increases the shelf life of foods.
But it also raises low density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, in the blood and cuts the amount of high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol.
Robert Clarke and Sarah Lewington, of the University of Oxford in England, believe Britain and other European countries should follow the example of the United States where the content of trans fat and cholesterol content is provided on food labels.
"If consumers knew what was in their food it would help them make more healthier food choices that could lower their LDL and reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke," Clarke said in an interview.
"There should be mandatory information about the content of the food we eat," he added.
Consumers are advised to eat a healthy, balanced diet consisting of plenty of fruits and vegetables and to cut down on foods high in saturated and trans fat to reduce their odds of developing coronary heart disease.
The majority of trans fat is produced when liquid oils are made into solid fats such as shortening and hard margarine. Saturated fats also raise LDL and are important in determining blood cholesterol levels.
Meat products, butter and lard, hard cheese, cream, and coconut and palm oil are high in saturated fats.
In an editorial in the British Medical Journal Clarke and Lewington said Denmark introduced legislation in 2004 that virtually eliminated trans fat and had no effect on the quality, cost or availability of foods.
"The UK Food Standards Agency is currently pressing for revision of the European directive that governs the content and format of nutrition labels on foods marketed in the United Kingdom and other European countries, so that these fats are labeled," they added.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Man saves dog thrown from window...
Reuters.com
Thu Jul 27, 2006. WARSAW (Reuters) - A man was bruised but alive on Wednesday after a Saint Bernard dog thrown out a two-story window landed on him as he was walking down the street in the southern-Polish city of Sosnowiec.
The 110-pound dog was pushed out of the window by its drunken owner Monday, police said.
"The dog had a soft landing because it fell on a man," said police spokesman Grzegorz Wierzbicki. "The dog escaped with just a few scratches."
"The man was also more in a psychological state of shock than physically hurt," Wierzbicki added.
The one-year-old dog, named Oskar, was placed in an animal shelter while police investigate its owners for animal abuse.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 27, 2006. WARSAW (Reuters) - A man was bruised but alive on Wednesday after a Saint Bernard dog thrown out a two-story window landed on him as he was walking down the street in the southern-Polish city of Sosnowiec.
The 110-pound dog was pushed out of the window by its drunken owner Monday, police said.
"The dog had a soft landing because it fell on a man," said police spokesman Grzegorz Wierzbicki. "The dog escaped with just a few scratches."
"The man was also more in a psychological state of shock than physically hurt," Wierzbicki added.
The one-year-old dog, named Oskar, was placed in an animal shelter while police investigate its owners for animal abuse.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Police arrest "Viagra gang" suspect...
Reuters.com
Thu Jul 27, 2006. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Police have arrested a man on suspicion of stealing anti-impotence drugs from dozens of pharmacies in the past year and were seeking his accomplice in what they are calling the "Viagra gang."
"One was arrested and we know the other one's identity and are looking for him," a Rio de Janeiro police spokesman said on Wednesday.
The men are suspected of holding up more than 35 pharmacies in the same drugstore chain. Police said they stole anti-impotence drugs such as Viagra as well as money from registers. The chain estimated its losses at some $220,000.
Police said the partners sold the drugs on the black market and were so successful that they drew criticism from an unlikely source -- the criminal underworld.
Taped phone conversations show members of a powerful drug gang from the same slum where the two lived complaining that their illicit business was drawing too much police attention to the shantytown near Rio's famed Copacabana Beach.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 27, 2006. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Police have arrested a man on suspicion of stealing anti-impotence drugs from dozens of pharmacies in the past year and were seeking his accomplice in what they are calling the "Viagra gang."
"One was arrested and we know the other one's identity and are looking for him," a Rio de Janeiro police spokesman said on Wednesday.
The men are suspected of holding up more than 35 pharmacies in the same drugstore chain. Police said they stole anti-impotence drugs such as Viagra as well as money from registers. The chain estimated its losses at some $220,000.
Police said the partners sold the drugs on the black market and were so successful that they drew criticism from an unlikely source -- the criminal underworld.
Taped phone conversations show members of a powerful drug gang from the same slum where the two lived complaining that their illicit business was drawing too much police attention to the shantytown near Rio's famed Copacabana Beach.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Cross-dressing lawyer skirts dress code...
Reuters.com
Tue Jul 25, 2006. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A male lawyer who appeared in a New Zealand court dressed in an ankle-length skirt, lace stockings and a diamond brooch said Tuesday he was protesting against a male bias in the country's justice system.
Rob Moodie, a former New Zealand Police union secretary, stunned the courtroom Monday when he appeared in women's clothing at a hearing related to a long-running case involving the death of a man in a bridge collapse on a North Island farm.
Moodie said he wore the two-piece women's suit because of what he described as a boys' network in the court room.
"I'm objecting to the male ethos that is dominating this case and from now on I'm going to be dressing as a girl in my daily life," Moodie told Reuters.
"It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't seen the gung-ho attitude in this case. The more this goes on and the deeper the cover-up gets, the frocks will get prettier," he said.
Moodie, who said he was wearing a skirt while talking to Reuters by telephone, is married with three children but said he had a strong female gender bias.
"The sexes are not opposite, they're complementary," he said, drawing comparisons with New Zealand's hugely popular All Blacks rugby side.
"The front row of the All Blacks is a very important part of maleness and is not to be disparaged at all, but neither should the guy who wants to do ballet," Moodie said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Jul 25, 2006. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A male lawyer who appeared in a New Zealand court dressed in an ankle-length skirt, lace stockings and a diamond brooch said Tuesday he was protesting against a male bias in the country's justice system.
Rob Moodie, a former New Zealand Police union secretary, stunned the courtroom Monday when he appeared in women's clothing at a hearing related to a long-running case involving the death of a man in a bridge collapse on a North Island farm.
Moodie said he wore the two-piece women's suit because of what he described as a boys' network in the court room.
"I'm objecting to the male ethos that is dominating this case and from now on I'm going to be dressing as a girl in my daily life," Moodie told Reuters.
"It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't seen the gung-ho attitude in this case. The more this goes on and the deeper the cover-up gets, the frocks will get prettier," he said.
Moodie, who said he was wearing a skirt while talking to Reuters by telephone, is married with three children but said he had a strong female gender bias.
"The sexes are not opposite, they're complementary," he said, drawing comparisons with New Zealand's hugely popular All Blacks rugby side.
"The front row of the All Blacks is a very important part of maleness and is not to be disparaged at all, but neither should the guy who wants to do ballet," Moodie said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Are you a woman going solo? Try a blow-up man...
Reuters.com
Tue Jul 25, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - He fits in a car's glove box, appears at a flick of a switch and when a woman has finished using him, she can just pull the plug and he deflates.
He's the "Buddy on Demand," a blow-up man launched on Tuesday with the aim of making solo female motorists feel less nervous about driving at night.
According to research by the inflatable friend's creator, insurer Sheilas' Wheels, 82 percent of women feel safer with someone sitting in the car beside them and nearly a half don't like driving alone in the dark.
"We're not saying that an inflatable man is the only answer but we do hope it will give women extra confidence and make journeys in the dark less fearful," said Jacky Brown, the spokeswoman for Sheilas' Wheels.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Jul 25, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - He fits in a car's glove box, appears at a flick of a switch and when a woman has finished using him, she can just pull the plug and he deflates.He's the "Buddy on Demand," a blow-up man launched on Tuesday with the aim of making solo female motorists feel less nervous about driving at night.
According to research by the inflatable friend's creator, insurer Sheilas' Wheels, 82 percent of women feel safer with someone sitting in the car beside them and nearly a half don't like driving alone in the dark.
"We're not saying that an inflatable man is the only answer but we do hope it will give women extra confidence and make journeys in the dark less fearful," said Jacky Brown, the spokeswoman for Sheilas' Wheels.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Home broadband users will finally get upload boost
PC World Liz Tay, PC World
26/07/2006 Maximum upstream speeds in Australia are expected to more than double within the next three months, as Internode finally breaks through a year-long negotiation process with the Australian Communications Industry Forum over ADSL2+ Annex M.
Driven by a growing demand for sharing photos, music and video over the Internet, the new technology will provide speeds as fast as 2.5Mbps.
With the existing ADSL2+ Annex A, upstream speeds are currently limited to 1Mbps. However, as ADSL2+ is still a non mainstream broadband technology, the majority of Australians are signed up with plans where 256Kbps - dubbed "fraudband" by some -- is the norm.
A 3MB audio file that would typically take two minutes to upload on "fraudband" takes a mere 12 seconds on Annex M, and 24 seconds on Annex A.
Annex M obtains its greater upstream capacity by sacrificing some downstream speed. For a 1Mbps increase in upstream speed, it loses the same amount downstream, resulting in a slightly slower download speed when compared with that of Annex A.
"It's literally just turning the direction around on some of the channels that ADSL uses," explained Simon Hackett, managing director of Internode, expecting that the loss of downstream will be insignificant, especially in light of the upstream speed gained.
One megabit is only 4 per cent of Annex A's 24 megabit per second download speed.
"From a consumer standpoint, we are finally hitting the era of publishing information from home," Hackett said.
The increased upload speed is expected to appeal to: businesses that communicate via Virtual Private Networks over several branches or with employees working from home; to information producers such as Web site managers; and to schools requiring greater computing capability for their students.
Because the two are essentially the same technology, retuned, the transition from ADSL2+ Annex A to M will be achieved with a surprisingly simple "flick of a switch", said Hackett. Internode's two-year-old Annex A infrastructure has long been capable of also supporting Annex M.
Consumers may expect to pay a little more to upgrade from Annex A to M. They also may need to update their ADSL routers, as ADSL routers with Annex M capabilities have only been available for less than a year.
When Annex M is fully ratified for use in Australia, it will be available to those on Internode's Annex A business plans (SOHO and above), for no extra charge.
In the meantime, Internode has called for participants to take part in a national ADSL2+ Annex M trial. The trial, which was announced on a forum (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=559405) last week, will be carried out in most capital cities, and some rural deployments in South Australia. Participants will be handpicked from an already large pool of volunteers for a good sample of geographical locations and line lengths.
"We want a good spread of people in real world situations to get a realistic expectation of speed... to try a variety of lines and different links to make sure it all works nice and smoothly."
Participants in the trial are expected to cover the cost of their own routers, for which Internode has negotiated an exclusive supply agreement with Billion (www.billion.com.au). In accordance with the agreement, which will expire in three months time, Internode will sell 7404VGP-M routers.
Billion, Open Networks and Cisco will also be releasing new ADSL2+ Annex M routers over the next three months.
26/07/2006 Maximum upstream speeds in Australia are expected to more than double within the next three months, as Internode finally breaks through a year-long negotiation process with the Australian Communications Industry Forum over ADSL2+ Annex M.
Driven by a growing demand for sharing photos, music and video over the Internet, the new technology will provide speeds as fast as 2.5Mbps.
With the existing ADSL2+ Annex A, upstream speeds are currently limited to 1Mbps. However, as ADSL2+ is still a non mainstream broadband technology, the majority of Australians are signed up with plans where 256Kbps - dubbed "fraudband" by some -- is the norm.
A 3MB audio file that would typically take two minutes to upload on "fraudband" takes a mere 12 seconds on Annex M, and 24 seconds on Annex A.
Annex M obtains its greater upstream capacity by sacrificing some downstream speed. For a 1Mbps increase in upstream speed, it loses the same amount downstream, resulting in a slightly slower download speed when compared with that of Annex A.
"It's literally just turning the direction around on some of the channels that ADSL uses," explained Simon Hackett, managing director of Internode, expecting that the loss of downstream will be insignificant, especially in light of the upstream speed gained.
One megabit is only 4 per cent of Annex A's 24 megabit per second download speed.
"From a consumer standpoint, we are finally hitting the era of publishing information from home," Hackett said.
The increased upload speed is expected to appeal to: businesses that communicate via Virtual Private Networks over several branches or with employees working from home; to information producers such as Web site managers; and to schools requiring greater computing capability for their students.
Because the two are essentially the same technology, retuned, the transition from ADSL2+ Annex A to M will be achieved with a surprisingly simple "flick of a switch", said Hackett. Internode's two-year-old Annex A infrastructure has long been capable of also supporting Annex M.
Consumers may expect to pay a little more to upgrade from Annex A to M. They also may need to update their ADSL routers, as ADSL routers with Annex M capabilities have only been available for less than a year.
When Annex M is fully ratified for use in Australia, it will be available to those on Internode's Annex A business plans (SOHO and above), for no extra charge.
In the meantime, Internode has called for participants to take part in a national ADSL2+ Annex M trial. The trial, which was announced on a forum (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=559405) last week, will be carried out in most capital cities, and some rural deployments in South Australia. Participants will be handpicked from an already large pool of volunteers for a good sample of geographical locations and line lengths.
"We want a good spread of people in real world situations to get a realistic expectation of speed... to try a variety of lines and different links to make sure it all works nice and smoothly."
Participants in the trial are expected to cover the cost of their own routers, for which Internode has negotiated an exclusive supply agreement with Billion (www.billion.com.au). In accordance with the agreement, which will expire in three months time, Internode will sell 7404VGP-M routers.
Billion, Open Networks and Cisco will also be releasing new ADSL2+ Annex M routers over the next three months.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Security Watch: Zero-day Wednesdays...
Security Watch CNET Reviews By Robert Vamosi-Senior editor, CNET Reviews.
July 21, 2006 Somewhere, perhaps in the United States but more likely somewhere in China, a man walks out of a nondescript building, casts his eyes upon the urban landscape around him after spending an eight-hour day staring at a computer screen, and lights a cigarette.
He does not know his bosses by name or by face; he knows only that he is paid, and paid pretty well, for his research. Like a legitimate computer-security researcher, he uses automated testing tools against Microsoft Office software, probing for buffer overflows, pointer errors, or negative integers in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Unlike a legitimate security professional, he does not report what he finds to Microsoft. Instead, either he or his bosses will use this information for corporate espionage, to create what's called a zero-day attack using targeted Trojan horses that exploit an unpublished flaw. Worse, they'll wait until after Microsoft publishes its latest patches on the second Tuesday of the month. They'll release their attacks the day after, when everyone's distracted by the new patches, a day we'll call Zero-day Wednesday.
Patch Tuesday under attack.
Just a few years ago, Microsoft would, out of the blue, announce a handful of patches, some critical, some not. The problem is--well, there are many problems. First, Microsoft found it hard to inform everyone of the critical nature of the more serious vulnerabilities, especially if the announcement went out on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Worse, say someone did notice and hurriedly applied the patch only to find on Saturday morning that it broke some functionality somewhere else in the system. Who would pay the overtime? So Microsoft has, for the last two years with only minor exception, announced its patches on the second Tuesday of each month. System administrators plan on it, and the general public has come to expect it. On rare occasions, Microsoft has reissued a patch or two.
But software vulnerabilities don't follow timetables. In May, the day after Microsoft released three updates, someone released a Trojan based on a previously unknown flaw (known as a zero-day) in Microsoft Word; Microsoft patched this in MS06-027. In June, after Microsoft patched 21 individual flaws, there was a zero-day attack on Excel files; Microsoft patched this in MS06-037. And now in July, after Microsoft patched 18 flaws, someone has released a zero-day attack on PowerPoint files; Microsoft says it'll patch this flaw on the next Patch Tuesday. However, within the last few days, we've seen at least three distinct backdoor Trojans using the PowerPoint flaws, with more Trojans possible before August 8, 2006.
Spear-phishing
Should home users worry? Not yet. These PowerPoint Trojans are not broadcast, scattershot, across the Internet like the large-scale virus attacks we've all grown to expect during the summer; instead, these Trojans are targeted so that the victim companies won't realize they've been hit until after the fact. The bad guys are taking advantage of the common practice of sending and receiving Office files, making their poisoned e-mail look like legitimate interoffice traffic.
These PowerPoint Trojans are not broadcast, scattershot, across the Internet like the large-scale virus attacks we've all grown to expect during the summer.
To do so, the bad guys have to be sophisticated; they have to be organized. One uses Google to research its targets, perhaps identifying legitimate e-mail groups within that target company. Using a process known as spear-phishing, a criminal hacker can fashion an internal e-mail with subject lines like "Here are the Q1 sales figures," and the e-mail might be sent to "sales team alpha" from "sales internal." Someone receiving that e-mail wouldn't necessarily suspect the Excel to be poisoned. Meanwhile, another individual bad guy (or a group of others) looks for unreported vulnerabilities. Not every vulnerability that's found can be exploited, and not every exploit lends itself to the type of crime that's profitable. Yet another person crafts a Trojan horse. And so on. The current crop of PowerPoint Trojans have been broadcasting captured keystrokes and other data to addresses within the 8800.org domain, a Chinese Web hosting site, but that could easily be a dead end.
Conclusion
So is the solution not to open any e-mail attachments? Have the villains finally won? No. Remember the criminal hackers have been sending these to targeted companies, so, unlike the Melissa virus, interoffice Word documents, in general, ought to be safe. The antivirus vendors, with their vast networks of reporting desktops worldwide, are the ones discovering these corporate-espionage Trojans. As long as your antivirus protection is up-to-date, you should get protection within a few hours or days of a new zero-day. As for the companies under attack, they need to be wary of attachments and wait for Microsoft to patch these latest PowerPoint flaws.
July 21, 2006 Somewhere, perhaps in the United States but more likely somewhere in China, a man walks out of a nondescript building, casts his eyes upon the urban landscape around him after spending an eight-hour day staring at a computer screen, and lights a cigarette.
He does not know his bosses by name or by face; he knows only that he is paid, and paid pretty well, for his research. Like a legitimate computer-security researcher, he uses automated testing tools against Microsoft Office software, probing for buffer overflows, pointer errors, or negative integers in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Unlike a legitimate security professional, he does not report what he finds to Microsoft. Instead, either he or his bosses will use this information for corporate espionage, to create what's called a zero-day attack using targeted Trojan horses that exploit an unpublished flaw. Worse, they'll wait until after Microsoft publishes its latest patches on the second Tuesday of the month. They'll release their attacks the day after, when everyone's distracted by the new patches, a day we'll call Zero-day Wednesday.
Patch Tuesday under attack.
Just a few years ago, Microsoft would, out of the blue, announce a handful of patches, some critical, some not. The problem is--well, there are many problems. First, Microsoft found it hard to inform everyone of the critical nature of the more serious vulnerabilities, especially if the announcement went out on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Worse, say someone did notice and hurriedly applied the patch only to find on Saturday morning that it broke some functionality somewhere else in the system. Who would pay the overtime? So Microsoft has, for the last two years with only minor exception, announced its patches on the second Tuesday of each month. System administrators plan on it, and the general public has come to expect it. On rare occasions, Microsoft has reissued a patch or two.
But software vulnerabilities don't follow timetables. In May, the day after Microsoft released three updates, someone released a Trojan based on a previously unknown flaw (known as a zero-day) in Microsoft Word; Microsoft patched this in MS06-027. In June, after Microsoft patched 21 individual flaws, there was a zero-day attack on Excel files; Microsoft patched this in MS06-037. And now in July, after Microsoft patched 18 flaws, someone has released a zero-day attack on PowerPoint files; Microsoft says it'll patch this flaw on the next Patch Tuesday. However, within the last few days, we've seen at least three distinct backdoor Trojans using the PowerPoint flaws, with more Trojans possible before August 8, 2006.
Spear-phishing
Should home users worry? Not yet. These PowerPoint Trojans are not broadcast, scattershot, across the Internet like the large-scale virus attacks we've all grown to expect during the summer; instead, these Trojans are targeted so that the victim companies won't realize they've been hit until after the fact. The bad guys are taking advantage of the common practice of sending and receiving Office files, making their poisoned e-mail look like legitimate interoffice traffic.
These PowerPoint Trojans are not broadcast, scattershot, across the Internet like the large-scale virus attacks we've all grown to expect during the summer.
To do so, the bad guys have to be sophisticated; they have to be organized. One uses Google to research its targets, perhaps identifying legitimate e-mail groups within that target company. Using a process known as spear-phishing, a criminal hacker can fashion an internal e-mail with subject lines like "Here are the Q1 sales figures," and the e-mail might be sent to "sales team alpha" from "sales internal." Someone receiving that e-mail wouldn't necessarily suspect the Excel to be poisoned. Meanwhile, another individual bad guy (or a group of others) looks for unreported vulnerabilities. Not every vulnerability that's found can be exploited, and not every exploit lends itself to the type of crime that's profitable. Yet another person crafts a Trojan horse. And so on. The current crop of PowerPoint Trojans have been broadcasting captured keystrokes and other data to addresses within the 8800.org domain, a Chinese Web hosting site, but that could easily be a dead end.
Conclusion
So is the solution not to open any e-mail attachments? Have the villains finally won? No. Remember the criminal hackers have been sending these to targeted companies, so, unlike the Melissa virus, interoffice Word documents, in general, ought to be safe. The antivirus vendors, with their vast networks of reporting desktops worldwide, are the ones discovering these corporate-espionage Trojans. As long as your antivirus protection is up-to-date, you should get protection within a few hours or days of a new zero-day. As for the companies under attack, they need to be wary of attachments and wait for Microsoft to patch these latest PowerPoint flaws.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
RNW: It's Rembrandt's birthday - join the party!
Radio.Netherlands By Philip Smet
Rembrandt the Musical at Amsterdam's Carré theatre
Saturday 15 July. 2006, marked the 400th birthday anniversary of Rembrandt, the greatest Dutch 17th-century painter - the perfect opportunity for some of the country's most important museums to shine the spotlight on his work throughout the year.
The special Rembrandt exhibitions and events are drawing hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors to the Netherlands, much to the delight of the country's tourism industry.
In addition, dozens of books have been published about the artist, his work and his life, and every school in the county has devoted special projects to him. All this attention will reach a highpoint on his 400th birthday with major festivities in several cities.
Boost to culture
The Rembrandt 400 Year has given a real boost to the cultural life of the Netherlands. On the painter's birthday, on Saturday, dozens of volunteers in Leiden created a tableau vivant of his masterpiece, The Night Watch. Every Dutch citizen with 'Van Rijn' as his or her family name [the same as Rembrandt] was invited to the city's most important museum.
Meanwhile, in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, there was a free breakfast with enough food for thousands of people. But the highpoint of the day came in the evening when Rembrandt himself went on stage in the capital's main theatre, playing the main part in the premiere of a spectacular musical.
Romanticised
Watching the famous painter represented on stage casts a new light on his life. Who would have thought that he could sing masterfully, too? It's a fine example of how Rembrandt and his legend are being romanticised, probably because of the scarce amount of factual information we have about him.
We know much more about his works of art, and this knowledge has been growing in recent years. Studies are underway, by several specialised art historians, into the techniques and materials used by Rembrandt, and also into his development as an artist.
This research has enabled better conservation and restoration of his paintings and has fueled the discussion about whether some of them are genuine Rembrandt's or should be attributed to his apprentices. Tens of thousands of visitors have come to see the latest discoveries in the Rembrandt House Museum, the house where he lived between 1639 and 1658.
Exhibitions
The Rembrandt Year has led to many other high-profile exhibitions focusing on his work and there are more to come. Paintings, drawings and etchings have been shipped to Dutch museums from far and wide. The main exhibitions are in the Rijksmuseum and in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, but those in The Hague, Rotterdam and, of course, Leiden, are worth visiting, too.
In fact, Rembrandt's birthplace, Leiden, was one of the richest cities in his time, the Dutch Golden Age. For years, Leiden seemed oblivious of the painter's huge potential as a tourist attraction, but now, thousands of people flock to the city to listen to special concerts, watch street performances and join in children's games.
Rembrandt has become a major tourist brand and the total revenue for Dutch hotels, museums, restaurants and bars, including the special Rembrandt merchandising, has been estimated at 700 million euros. It's an amount that would have far exceeded the painter's imagination, as would a career as a musical star. Anything goes, in this Rembrandt year.
Rembrandt the Musical at Amsterdam's Carré theatreSaturday 15 July. 2006, marked the 400th birthday anniversary of Rembrandt, the greatest Dutch 17th-century painter - the perfect opportunity for some of the country's most important museums to shine the spotlight on his work throughout the year.
The special Rembrandt exhibitions and events are drawing hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors to the Netherlands, much to the delight of the country's tourism industry.
In addition, dozens of books have been published about the artist, his work and his life, and every school in the county has devoted special projects to him. All this attention will reach a highpoint on his 400th birthday with major festivities in several cities.
Boost to culture
The Rembrandt 400 Year has given a real boost to the cultural life of the Netherlands. On the painter's birthday, on Saturday, dozens of volunteers in Leiden created a tableau vivant of his masterpiece, The Night Watch. Every Dutch citizen with 'Van Rijn' as his or her family name [the same as Rembrandt] was invited to the city's most important museum.
Meanwhile, in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, there was a free breakfast with enough food for thousands of people. But the highpoint of the day came in the evening when Rembrandt himself went on stage in the capital's main theatre, playing the main part in the premiere of a spectacular musical.
Romanticised
Watching the famous painter represented on stage casts a new light on his life. Who would have thought that he could sing masterfully, too? It's a fine example of how Rembrandt and his legend are being romanticised, probably because of the scarce amount of factual information we have about him.
We know much more about his works of art, and this knowledge has been growing in recent years. Studies are underway, by several specialised art historians, into the techniques and materials used by Rembrandt, and also into his development as an artist.
This research has enabled better conservation and restoration of his paintings and has fueled the discussion about whether some of them are genuine Rembrandt's or should be attributed to his apprentices. Tens of thousands of visitors have come to see the latest discoveries in the Rembrandt House Museum, the house where he lived between 1639 and 1658.
Exhibitions
The Rembrandt Year has led to many other high-profile exhibitions focusing on his work and there are more to come. Paintings, drawings and etchings have been shipped to Dutch museums from far and wide. The main exhibitions are in the Rijksmuseum and in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, but those in The Hague, Rotterdam and, of course, Leiden, are worth visiting, too.
In fact, Rembrandt's birthplace, Leiden, was one of the richest cities in his time, the Dutch Golden Age. For years, Leiden seemed oblivious of the painter's huge potential as a tourist attraction, but now, thousands of people flock to the city to listen to special concerts, watch street performances and join in children's games.
Rembrandt has become a major tourist brand and the total revenue for Dutch hotels, museums, restaurants and bars, including the special Rembrandt merchandising, has been estimated at 700 million euros. It's an amount that would have far exceeded the painter's imagination, as would a career as a musical star. Anything goes, in this Rembrandt year.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
They're felons, and they've got your number...
Reuters.com By Silvia Aloisi
Fri Jul 21, 2006. ROME (Reuters) - The next time you call directory inquiries in Italy, you may speak to a convicted murderer.
Italy's biggest phone operator, Telecom Italia, Thursday presented its new call-center in Rome's largest prison, where 24 inmates are glued to a computer screen to answer thousands of requests for phone numbers and addresses every day.
"This is a unique initiative in Europe and it helps the detainees get some work experience and prepare for when they'll get out of prison," said Telecom's Chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera as he toured the Rebibbia jail, a huge concrete block housing 1,600 inmates on the northern outskirts of Rome.
"Good afternoon, this is Gianluca speaking, how can I help you? Thank you for calling Telecom Italia," said Gianluca Descenzo, who is serving a 13-year sentence for a drug-related murder, politely answering the umpteenth call of the day.
"It's good because people don't know who we are, so we don't feel like we are in a ghetto anymore," he told Reuters as he paused before taking another call.
Rebibbia's call-center follows a similar Telecom operation in Milan's San Vittore jail and runs from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. every day except Sundays.
The detainees get paid 12 cents ($0.15) per call answered and on a normal day each one of them deals with around 200 requests for information.
"Jails should not only be a place for punishment. They need not be a permanent hell, they must also give opportunities to people," said Justice Minister Clemente Mastella as he visited the call-center.
Telecom says there is no security risk in having detainees consult a nationwide database of phone numbers and addresses.
The prisoners cannot dial outside the jail and the company's computerized switchboard randomly directs each call to any one of Telecom's 45 call centers scattered across Italy.
"This may seem like a boring routine job, but for people who would otherwise spend the day sitting in our cells and doing nothing, it actually gives a sense to your life," said 34-year old Salvatore Striano, who has been convicted for Mafia crimes and also works in the call-center.
"It allows us to have some contact with the outside world. And it also makes you feel like you're being useful. People often need the address of a hospital or a pharmacy. Sometimes they'll ask the weirdest questions, like what day is it today or my dog is sick, what should I do?."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jul 21, 2006. ROME (Reuters) - The next time you call directory inquiries in Italy, you may speak to a convicted murderer.
Italy's biggest phone operator, Telecom Italia, Thursday presented its new call-center in Rome's largest prison, where 24 inmates are glued to a computer screen to answer thousands of requests for phone numbers and addresses every day.
"This is a unique initiative in Europe and it helps the detainees get some work experience and prepare for when they'll get out of prison," said Telecom's Chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera as he toured the Rebibbia jail, a huge concrete block housing 1,600 inmates on the northern outskirts of Rome.
"Good afternoon, this is Gianluca speaking, how can I help you? Thank you for calling Telecom Italia," said Gianluca Descenzo, who is serving a 13-year sentence for a drug-related murder, politely answering the umpteenth call of the day.
"It's good because people don't know who we are, so we don't feel like we are in a ghetto anymore," he told Reuters as he paused before taking another call.
Rebibbia's call-center follows a similar Telecom operation in Milan's San Vittore jail and runs from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. every day except Sundays.
The detainees get paid 12 cents ($0.15) per call answered and on a normal day each one of them deals with around 200 requests for information.
"Jails should not only be a place for punishment. They need not be a permanent hell, they must also give opportunities to people," said Justice Minister Clemente Mastella as he visited the call-center.
Telecom says there is no security risk in having detainees consult a nationwide database of phone numbers and addresses.
The prisoners cannot dial outside the jail and the company's computerized switchboard randomly directs each call to any one of Telecom's 45 call centers scattered across Italy.
"This may seem like a boring routine job, but for people who would otherwise spend the day sitting in our cells and doing nothing, it actually gives a sense to your life," said 34-year old Salvatore Striano, who has been convicted for Mafia crimes and also works in the call-center.
"It allows us to have some contact with the outside world. And it also makes you feel like you're being useful. People often need the address of a hospital or a pharmacy. Sometimes they'll ask the weirdest questions, like what day is it today or my dog is sick, what should I do?."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Cop censured for under the covers work...
Reuters.com
Thu Jul 20, 2006. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A woman police officer moonlighting as a prostitute has got off with a caution, New Zealand police said Thursday.
The unidentified officer, stationed in the country's biggest city Auckland, was discovered last year to have been a prostitute for a short time.
"The officer concerned has been counseled. Under police procedures this amounts to a censure," Deputy Police Commissioner Lyn Provost said in a statement.
The police officer, who was understood to be having financial difficulties, had not sought permission to have a second job. Such applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
"This type of secondary employment would never be approved given that the type of work is inappropriate and incompatible with policing," Provost said.
New Zealand made prostitution legal in 2003.
An Auckland spokeswoman for the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective -- a welfare and lobby group for sex workers -- told the NZ Press Association that a prostitute might earn as much as NZ$500 ($312) on a busy night.
Asked if she had heard of other police officers moonlighting as sex workers, she said: "We have law students that are sex workers, we have doctors that are sex workers. I mean anyone can be a sex worker."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 20, 2006. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A woman police officer moonlighting as a prostitute has got off with a caution, New Zealand police said Thursday.
The unidentified officer, stationed in the country's biggest city Auckland, was discovered last year to have been a prostitute for a short time.
"The officer concerned has been counseled. Under police procedures this amounts to a censure," Deputy Police Commissioner Lyn Provost said in a statement.
The police officer, who was understood to be having financial difficulties, had not sought permission to have a second job. Such applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
"This type of secondary employment would never be approved given that the type of work is inappropriate and incompatible with policing," Provost said.
New Zealand made prostitution legal in 2003.
An Auckland spokeswoman for the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective -- a welfare and lobby group for sex workers -- told the NZ Press Association that a prostitute might earn as much as NZ$500 ($312) on a busy night.
Asked if she had heard of other police officers moonlighting as sex workers, she said: "We have law students that are sex workers, we have doctors that are sex workers. I mean anyone can be a sex worker."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
MS says WGA has caught 60 million Windows cheaters...
ZDNet.com By Ed Bott
Digg This!
July 18, 2006. Two weeks ago, I reported on a terse e-mail exchange with Microsoft, in which a spokesperson acknowledged that 80% of all computers that fail the Windows Genuine Advantage validation check do so because they are using stolen or pirated volume license keys.
I asked what I thought was a reasonable question: Where do the other 20% come from? According to the same spokesperson, those installations are caused by “various forms of tampering and unauthorized OEM installations.” I couldn’t get any more details.
Two days ago, After looking over this list, the numbers don't add up for me… Microsoft’s Alex Kochis, a member of the WGA product management team, published a blog entry trying to add more details to the discussion. In When a 'False Positive' isn't a false positive, he passes along one staggering statistic: “About 1 in 5 of the 300 million PCs that have run WGA validation fail.”
Yow! By my calculations, that’s 60 million people who’ve been informed by Microsoft that they’re running “non-genuine” copies of Windows.
But according to Kochis, Microsoft’s validation tool is nearly perfect, and virtually everyone who’s been tagged by the WGA Validation utility is indeed a pirate or a victim of a pirate:
To be precise, an actual 'false positive' would occur if WGA identified a specific copy of windows installed on a system as non-genuine or unlicensed when in fact it was genuine and licensed. Of the hundreds of millions of WGA validations to date, only a handful of actual false positives have been seen. Most of these were due to data entry errors that were quickly corrected and only occurred for a short period of time.
Given the extremely small number of technical failures of WGA why else might someone think that their system was falsely identified as running counterfeit Windows? If they aren't actual 'false positives' what are they? It turns out there are a number of scenarios that could result in a WGA validation failure that a user might be surprised by or even deny… [emphasis added]
He goes on to point out four scenarios:
Scenario 1: High-quality counterfeit copies of Windows. Apparently this number isn’t very large at all. As Kochis notes, “So far we've provided hundreds of free copies of Windows to users who've been ripped by high-quality counterfeit…”
Scenario 2: The user installs the same copy and key to more than one PC at a time. I don’t understand why this scenario occurs at all. Is the Validation utility really looking at individual keys and identifying people who are reusing a retail or upgrade copy? In this case, shouldn’t activation fail when the user tries to install the second copy?
Scenario 3: A friend or acquaintance offers to “fix” your computer and installs a pirated or “cracked” copy of Windows. I can definitely see this one happening, especially when a system is compromised by a spyware or virus infestation.
Scenario 4: You take your PC in to be repaired and the repair shop takes a shortcut by reinstalling a volume-licensed copy of Windows. Again, I can see exactly why this happens. How many customers bring in their official restore media? Not many, I’d wager. How many repair shops want to take the extra time (and charge the customer) to restore from the official media? What happens when the media that came with the PC is out of date and the shop has to install a service pack and several dozen patches? In that scenario, should the customer have to purchase a brand-new license when they already paid for one?
After looking over this list, the numbers don’t add up for me, and they certainly don’t explain why Microsoft is attacking this problem with such a vengeance. Scenario 1 is rare, and Scenario 2 shouldn’t occur at all if Windows Product Activation is working properly. In scenarios 3 and 4, some of those customers might be “upgrading” from Windows 98 or Windows Me, but I suspect that most already have a valid Windows XP license, and the person doing the repair took a shortcut to avoid the hassle of a manual install using a possibly outdated version of Windows. In those cases, the end result of the validation check is that the user is going to either have to reinstall their legitimate copy or jump through some hoops to change the product key. It’s a bookkeeping change that hassles the customer and doesn’t bring in any money to Microsoft’s bottom line.
Think about it: 60 million people have been hassled by Windows Genuine Validation. And for what? The numbers don’t add up.
Digg This!
July 18, 2006. Two weeks ago, I reported on a terse e-mail exchange with Microsoft, in which a spokesperson acknowledged that 80% of all computers that fail the Windows Genuine Advantage validation check do so because they are using stolen or pirated volume license keys.
I asked what I thought was a reasonable question: Where do the other 20% come from? According to the same spokesperson, those installations are caused by “various forms of tampering and unauthorized OEM installations.” I couldn’t get any more details.
Two days ago, After looking over this list, the numbers don't add up for me… Microsoft’s Alex Kochis, a member of the WGA product management team, published a blog entry trying to add more details to the discussion. In When a 'False Positive' isn't a false positive, he passes along one staggering statistic: “About 1 in 5 of the 300 million PCs that have run WGA validation fail.”
Yow! By my calculations, that’s 60 million people who’ve been informed by Microsoft that they’re running “non-genuine” copies of Windows.
But according to Kochis, Microsoft’s validation tool is nearly perfect, and virtually everyone who’s been tagged by the WGA Validation utility is indeed a pirate or a victim of a pirate:
To be precise, an actual 'false positive' would occur if WGA identified a specific copy of windows installed on a system as non-genuine or unlicensed when in fact it was genuine and licensed. Of the hundreds of millions of WGA validations to date, only a handful of actual false positives have been seen. Most of these were due to data entry errors that were quickly corrected and only occurred for a short period of time.
Given the extremely small number of technical failures of WGA why else might someone think that their system was falsely identified as running counterfeit Windows? If they aren't actual 'false positives' what are they? It turns out there are a number of scenarios that could result in a WGA validation failure that a user might be surprised by or even deny… [emphasis added]
He goes on to point out four scenarios:
Scenario 1: High-quality counterfeit copies of Windows. Apparently this number isn’t very large at all. As Kochis notes, “So far we've provided hundreds of free copies of Windows to users who've been ripped by high-quality counterfeit…”
Scenario 2: The user installs the same copy and key to more than one PC at a time. I don’t understand why this scenario occurs at all. Is the Validation utility really looking at individual keys and identifying people who are reusing a retail or upgrade copy? In this case, shouldn’t activation fail when the user tries to install the second copy?
Scenario 3: A friend or acquaintance offers to “fix” your computer and installs a pirated or “cracked” copy of Windows. I can definitely see this one happening, especially when a system is compromised by a spyware or virus infestation.
Scenario 4: You take your PC in to be repaired and the repair shop takes a shortcut by reinstalling a volume-licensed copy of Windows. Again, I can see exactly why this happens. How many customers bring in their official restore media? Not many, I’d wager. How many repair shops want to take the extra time (and charge the customer) to restore from the official media? What happens when the media that came with the PC is out of date and the shop has to install a service pack and several dozen patches? In that scenario, should the customer have to purchase a brand-new license when they already paid for one?
After looking over this list, the numbers don’t add up for me, and they certainly don’t explain why Microsoft is attacking this problem with such a vengeance. Scenario 1 is rare, and Scenario 2 shouldn’t occur at all if Windows Product Activation is working properly. In scenarios 3 and 4, some of those customers might be “upgrading” from Windows 98 or Windows Me, but I suspect that most already have a valid Windows XP license, and the person doing the repair took a shortcut to avoid the hassle of a manual install using a possibly outdated version of Windows. In those cases, the end result of the validation check is that the user is going to either have to reinstall their legitimate copy or jump through some hoops to change the product key. It’s a bookkeeping change that hassles the customer and doesn’t bring in any money to Microsoft’s bottom line.
Think about it: 60 million people have been hassled by Windows Genuine Validation. And for what? The numbers don’t add up.
Scramble to save lives as heatwave hits Europe...
Health News Article Reuters.com By Tim Castle
Wed Jul 19, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Authorities scrambled to save lives in a heatwave in northern Europe on Wednesday, hoping to avoid a repeat of the hot weather in 2003 that killed 15,000 people in France and 2,000 in Britain.
In France, an 85-year-old man admitted to hospital and an 81-year-old woman found dead in her home were the first people believed to have died there because of the heat.
"We must be vigilant and still more vigilant," said Health Minister Xavier Bertrand. "And pay more attention to the vulnerable and those who live alone."
The mayor of Paris announced free residential parking and advised people to avoid motorized transport to reduce the danger of ozone pollution.
In Britain, temperatures were expected to top 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit), hitting an all-time high for July.
The government launched an emergency plan of extra visits to elderly and vulnerable people.
Bookmakers stopped taking bets that temperatures would soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.77C) for what would be only the second time on record.
At Buckingham Palace, officials laid on plenty of water for 8,000 guests at a garden party for military veterans after several guests at a similar palace event fainted on Tuesday.
"There is shade for them, all the marquees are used, there's lots of helpers on hand for any guests who may feel unwell," a palace spokesman said.
The House of Commons issued a special "shirt-sleeve order" allowing journalists covering parliament to break with convention and enter the chamber without a jacket.
The searing heat and expected storms later in the week threatened to damage northern Europe's wheat crop just days before the harvest, which will push up prices, analysts said.
France and Germany were the main countries affected. The harvests in southern Europe have already finished.
In Holland, organizers canceled a four-day walking event after two participants died of the heat on Tuesday. Firemen have handed out water to drivers stuck in traffic jams.
In Ireland, firefighters battled a gorse blaze close to a popular beach south of Dublin on Tuesday evening after temperatures pushed above 30 degrees Centigrade for the first time in more than a decade.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Wed Jul 19, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Authorities scrambled to save lives in a heatwave in northern Europe on Wednesday, hoping to avoid a repeat of the hot weather in 2003 that killed 15,000 people in France and 2,000 in Britain.
In France, an 85-year-old man admitted to hospital and an 81-year-old woman found dead in her home were the first people believed to have died there because of the heat.
"We must be vigilant and still more vigilant," said Health Minister Xavier Bertrand. "And pay more attention to the vulnerable and those who live alone."
The mayor of Paris announced free residential parking and advised people to avoid motorized transport to reduce the danger of ozone pollution.
In Britain, temperatures were expected to top 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit), hitting an all-time high for July.
The government launched an emergency plan of extra visits to elderly and vulnerable people.
Bookmakers stopped taking bets that temperatures would soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.77C) for what would be only the second time on record.
At Buckingham Palace, officials laid on plenty of water for 8,000 guests at a garden party for military veterans after several guests at a similar palace event fainted on Tuesday.
"There is shade for them, all the marquees are used, there's lots of helpers on hand for any guests who may feel unwell," a palace spokesman said.
The House of Commons issued a special "shirt-sleeve order" allowing journalists covering parliament to break with convention and enter the chamber without a jacket.
The searing heat and expected storms later in the week threatened to damage northern Europe's wheat crop just days before the harvest, which will push up prices, analysts said.
France and Germany were the main countries affected. The harvests in southern Europe have already finished.
In Holland, organizers canceled a four-day walking event after two participants died of the heat on Tuesday. Firemen have handed out water to drivers stuck in traffic jams.
In Ireland, firefighters battled a gorse blaze close to a popular beach south of Dublin on Tuesday evening after temperatures pushed above 30 degrees Centigrade for the first time in more than a decade.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Runaway circus kangaroo on the loose in Ireland...
Reuters.com
Wed Jul 19, 2006.DUBLIN (Reuters) - A kangaroo is roaming the green hills of Ireland after escaping a circus near the picturesque port of Kinsale.
"This kangaroo broke loose just before the show while they were bringing him from the cages to the arena. He decided to take a walk," said local farmer John Walsh on whose land the 2-year-old male, named Sydney, made his break for freedom.
Circus staff launched a fruitless four-hour search following the escape Sunday.
There had since been one unconfirmed sighting of the animal, renamed "Hoppy" by locals and described as two and a half to three feet tall and dark in color.
"He would be happy out there and he'll have plenty of grass, plenty of water and plenty of sunshine," Walsh told Reuters on Wednesday as Ireland basked in near record temperatures more typical of Sydney's native Australia than Ireland's temperate maritime climate.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Wed Jul 19, 2006.DUBLIN (Reuters) - A kangaroo is roaming the green hills of Ireland after escaping a circus near the picturesque port of Kinsale.
"This kangaroo broke loose just before the show while they were bringing him from the cages to the arena. He decided to take a walk," said local farmer John Walsh on whose land the 2-year-old male, named Sydney, made his break for freedom.
Circus staff launched a fruitless four-hour search following the escape Sunday.
There had since been one unconfirmed sighting of the animal, renamed "Hoppy" by locals and described as two and a half to three feet tall and dark in color.
"He would be happy out there and he'll have plenty of grass, plenty of water and plenty of sunshine," Walsh told Reuters on Wednesday as Ireland basked in near record temperatures more typical of Sydney's native Australia than Ireland's temperate maritime climate.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Microsoft says Vista to allow Google search engine...
Technology News Article Reuters.com By Joel Rothstein
Wed Jul 19, 2006. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said the company was adopting voluntary principles to guide development of its flagship Windows operating system, which will include allowing computer manufacturers to set Google and other non-Microsoft search engines as a default.
Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel, said the company was committed to creating a transparent system that allows open competition among software developers and computer manufacturers, and wide choice for customers.
"If a manufacturer wants to set competing search services ... by default, they can do so," Smith said in a speech at the New America Foundation, a Washington public policy institute.
Microsoft's plan to include a search service to compete with industry leader Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) in its new Windows Vista operating system has caused concern that the two companies may engage in the same kind of legal fight as the Microsoft-Netscape browser war in the late 1990s.
Microsoft signed an antitrust settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in 2002. Parts of the settlement will begin expiring next year, although Microsoft agreed in May to extend one key provision involving licensing of technical data.
Microsoft plans to ship the new Vista operating system in early 2007.
"Our goal is to be principled and transparent as we develop new versions of Windows," Smith said.
Earlier this month, the European Commission fined Microsoft 280.5 million euros ($356.6 million) for failing to comply with EU competitiveness requirements.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Wed Jul 19, 2006. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said the company was adopting voluntary principles to guide development of its flagship Windows operating system, which will include allowing computer manufacturers to set Google and other non-Microsoft search engines as a default.Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel, said the company was committed to creating a transparent system that allows open competition among software developers and computer manufacturers, and wide choice for customers.
"If a manufacturer wants to set competing search services ... by default, they can do so," Smith said in a speech at the New America Foundation, a Washington public policy institute.
Microsoft's plan to include a search service to compete with industry leader Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) in its new Windows Vista operating system has caused concern that the two companies may engage in the same kind of legal fight as the Microsoft-Netscape browser war in the late 1990s.
Microsoft signed an antitrust settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in 2002. Parts of the settlement will begin expiring next year, although Microsoft agreed in May to extend one key provision involving licensing of technical data.
Microsoft plans to ship the new Vista operating system in early 2007.
"Our goal is to be principled and transparent as we develop new versions of Windows," Smith said.
Earlier this month, the European Commission fined Microsoft 280.5 million euros ($356.6 million) for failing to comply with EU competitiveness requirements.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Impotence could be sign of heart disease: study
Health News Article Reuters.com By Patricia Reaney
Tue Jul 18, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Men suffering from impotence should be screened for cardiovascular disease because it could be an early sign of the illness, Italian researchers said on Wednesday.
They believe erectile dysfunction (ED) could be a "sentinel of the heart," enabling doctors to detect heart disease before symptoms occur.
"A strict medical surveillance program should be mandatory in patients with ED, multiple risk factors and no clinical artery disease," said Dr Piero Montorsi of the Institute of Cardiology at the University of Milan.
In a study of almost 300 men who suffered from impotence and clogged arteries, 93 percent reported symptoms of ED between one to three years before experiencing angina -- chest pains and discomfort.
"Many patients with ED and multiple risk factors (for cardiovascular disease) are at a higher risk of developing, sooner or later, a coronary acute event," Montorsi told Reuters.
He and his team suggested that clogged arteries also have an impact on penile circulation. ED may develop earlier than heart disease because the penile artery has a smaller diameter than coronary arteries.
"This is probably the main reason why ED comes before coronary artery disease," said Montorsi whose findings are reported online by the European Heart Journal.
The researchers also discovered that the number of cases of erectile dysfunction was lower in men who had a heart attack involving one clogged blood vessel and higher in patients with many clogged arteries or chronic coronary syndrome (CCS).
"Age, multi-vessel coronary involvement, and CCS were independent predictors of ED," Montorsi said.
Coronary heart disease, a major killer in industrialized countries, occurs when there is a build up of plaque which clogs up the arteries and restricts blood flow.
High blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, smoking, lack of exercise and diabetes are risk factors.
Cases of erectile dysfunction increase with age. About 5 percent of 40-year-old men and up to 25 percent of 65 year-olds experience ED. It can be caused by an illness or injury that affects the nerves or blood flow or the side effects of drugs.
"All men with ED and no cardiac symptoms need a detailed cardiac assessment, blood pressure measurement, fasting lipid profile and glucose, as well as lifestyle advice regarding weight and exercise," said Dr Graham Jackson, a cardiologist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London, in a statement.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Jul 18, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Men suffering from impotence should be screened for cardiovascular disease because it could be an early sign of the illness, Italian researchers said on Wednesday.
They believe erectile dysfunction (ED) could be a "sentinel of the heart," enabling doctors to detect heart disease before symptoms occur.
"A strict medical surveillance program should be mandatory in patients with ED, multiple risk factors and no clinical artery disease," said Dr Piero Montorsi of the Institute of Cardiology at the University of Milan.
In a study of almost 300 men who suffered from impotence and clogged arteries, 93 percent reported symptoms of ED between one to three years before experiencing angina -- chest pains and discomfort.
"Many patients with ED and multiple risk factors (for cardiovascular disease) are at a higher risk of developing, sooner or later, a coronary acute event," Montorsi told Reuters.
He and his team suggested that clogged arteries also have an impact on penile circulation. ED may develop earlier than heart disease because the penile artery has a smaller diameter than coronary arteries.
"This is probably the main reason why ED comes before coronary artery disease," said Montorsi whose findings are reported online by the European Heart Journal.
The researchers also discovered that the number of cases of erectile dysfunction was lower in men who had a heart attack involving one clogged blood vessel and higher in patients with many clogged arteries or chronic coronary syndrome (CCS).
"Age, multi-vessel coronary involvement, and CCS were independent predictors of ED," Montorsi said.
Coronary heart disease, a major killer in industrialized countries, occurs when there is a build up of plaque which clogs up the arteries and restricts blood flow.
High blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, smoking, lack of exercise and diabetes are risk factors.
Cases of erectile dysfunction increase with age. About 5 percent of 40-year-old men and up to 25 percent of 65 year-olds experience ED. It can be caused by an illness or injury that affects the nerves or blood flow or the side effects of drugs.
"All men with ED and no cardiac symptoms need a detailed cardiac assessment, blood pressure measurement, fasting lipid profile and glucose, as well as lifestyle advice regarding weight and exercise," said Dr Graham Jackson, a cardiologist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London, in a statement.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Alzheimer's drug slow brain shrinkage...
Health News Article Reuters.com
Tue Jul 18, 2006. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Alzheimer's drug Aricept not only improves memory and understanding in patients but appears to slow the characteristic shrinkage of the brain, researchers reported on Monday.
Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI images of the brains of 131 patients with mild cognitive impairment showed less shrinkage of the hippocampus, a structure key to memory function, in patients who got the drug compared to those who got a placebo, researchers told a meeting.
"No drug has been shown to slow brain atrophy for patients with mild cognitive impairment," said Dr. Clifford Jack of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Aricept, which is known generically as donepezil, is marketed by Pfizer and Japan's Eisai Co. Ltd..
"Our study results seem to imply that donepezil does more than provide symptom relief -- it has an effect on a measure of brain health. Our findings also show that MRI measures can have usefulness in future studies of mild cognitive impairment."
Mild cognitive impairment can lead to Alzheimer's disease, but not always.
Jack's team found the effects only in people with the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE 4) gene, a genetic variation that has long been known to put people at higher risk of Alzheimer's.
Why is unclear, he said.
"One possibility is that APOE 4 carriers were more likely to have definite Alzheimer's disease than noncarriers in the study who appear to have symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease, yet turn out to have a different diagnosis when an autopsy is performed after death," he said.
Jack's study was presented to the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Madrid, Spain.
An estimated 12 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, but international researchers predict the number of people suffering from dementia worldwide could reach 81 million by 2040 as the "baby boom" generation ages.
There is no cure for Alzheimer's, which begins as mild memory loss and can progress quickly to complete loss of any ability to care for oneself.
The brain becomes clogged with proteins known as plaques and tangles of nerve fibers. And it shrinks.
"In extreme cases, the brain of an Alzheimer's patient might weigh half of what a normal person's brain does at peak health," Jack said.
Experts are looking for ways to prevent Alzheimer's from developing, or to slow its fatal progression. They are also looking for better ways to diagnose the disease in patients using imaging scans such as MRI or PET.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Jul 18, 2006. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Alzheimer's drug Aricept not only improves memory and understanding in patients but appears to slow the characteristic shrinkage of the brain, researchers reported on Monday.
Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI images of the brains of 131 patients with mild cognitive impairment showed less shrinkage of the hippocampus, a structure key to memory function, in patients who got the drug compared to those who got a placebo, researchers told a meeting.
"No drug has been shown to slow brain atrophy for patients with mild cognitive impairment," said Dr. Clifford Jack of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Aricept, which is known generically as donepezil, is marketed by Pfizer and Japan's Eisai Co. Ltd..
"Our study results seem to imply that donepezil does more than provide symptom relief -- it has an effect on a measure of brain health. Our findings also show that MRI measures can have usefulness in future studies of mild cognitive impairment."
Mild cognitive impairment can lead to Alzheimer's disease, but not always.
Jack's team found the effects only in people with the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE 4) gene, a genetic variation that has long been known to put people at higher risk of Alzheimer's.
Why is unclear, he said.
"One possibility is that APOE 4 carriers were more likely to have definite Alzheimer's disease than noncarriers in the study who appear to have symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease, yet turn out to have a different diagnosis when an autopsy is performed after death," he said.
Jack's study was presented to the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Madrid, Spain.
An estimated 12 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, but international researchers predict the number of people suffering from dementia worldwide could reach 81 million by 2040 as the "baby boom" generation ages.
There is no cure for Alzheimer's, which begins as mild memory loss and can progress quickly to complete loss of any ability to care for oneself.
The brain becomes clogged with proteins known as plaques and tangles of nerve fibers. And it shrinks.
"In extreme cases, the brain of an Alzheimer's patient might weigh half of what a normal person's brain does at peak health," Jack said.
Experts are looking for ways to prevent Alzheimer's from developing, or to slow its fatal progression. They are also looking for better ways to diagnose the disease in patients using imaging scans such as MRI or PET.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Nijmeegse Vierdaagse van start...
Eindhovens Dagblad
Het legioen wandelaars trekt dinsdag door de Betuwe. Foto ANP/Rick Nederstigt
17 Julie, 2006. NIJMEGEN - Met het vertrek van het laatste peloton wandelaars, voor de afstand van dertig kilometer, waren rond acht uur vanochtend alle 44.015 deelnemers aan de negentigste Nijmeegse Vierdaagse op pad. De start is volgens plan verlopen: wandelaars voor de vijftig kilometer vertrokken al om vier uur, om half zes gevolgd door de veertigkilometerlopers.
Het legioen wandelaars trekt dinsdag door de Betuwe en doet daarbij onder meer Bemmel, Arnhem en Elst aan. Al sinds vanmorgen vroeg worden wandelaars direct bij het passeren van de Waalbrug onthaald op feestelijk aangeklede straten met toeschouwers en muziek in dorpen als Lent en Bemmel.
Het Rode Kruis dat op vier posten aanwezig is, verwacht vooralsnog geen grote problemen met wandelaars vanwege de hoge temperatuur. De hulporganisatie denkt dat mensen zich goed hebben voorbereid. Bij de start vanochtend zijn alle lopers via beeldschermen gewaarschuwd zich vooral goed in te smeren en veel water te drinken. De organisatie verwacht dat de eerste wandelaars rond elf uur aankomen.
De deelname van 44.015 wandelaars betekent volgens de organisatie geen record. In 2003 telde het grootste wandelevenement ter wereld een recordaantal van 44.812 deelnemers. Onder de lopers zijn dit jaar ruim 7000 buitenlanders. In totaal zijn 66 nationaliteiten op de Vierdaagse vertegenwoordigd.
Het legioen wandelaars trekt dinsdag door de Betuwe. Foto ANP/Rick Nederstigt
17 Julie, 2006. NIJMEGEN - Met het vertrek van het laatste peloton wandelaars, voor de afstand van dertig kilometer, waren rond acht uur vanochtend alle 44.015 deelnemers aan de negentigste Nijmeegse Vierdaagse op pad. De start is volgens plan verlopen: wandelaars voor de vijftig kilometer vertrokken al om vier uur, om half zes gevolgd door de veertigkilometerlopers.
Het legioen wandelaars trekt dinsdag door de Betuwe en doet daarbij onder meer Bemmel, Arnhem en Elst aan. Al sinds vanmorgen vroeg worden wandelaars direct bij het passeren van de Waalbrug onthaald op feestelijk aangeklede straten met toeschouwers en muziek in dorpen als Lent en Bemmel.
Het Rode Kruis dat op vier posten aanwezig is, verwacht vooralsnog geen grote problemen met wandelaars vanwege de hoge temperatuur. De hulporganisatie denkt dat mensen zich goed hebben voorbereid. Bij de start vanochtend zijn alle lopers via beeldschermen gewaarschuwd zich vooral goed in te smeren en veel water te drinken. De organisatie verwacht dat de eerste wandelaars rond elf uur aankomen.
De deelname van 44.015 wandelaars betekent volgens de organisatie geen record. In 2003 telde het grootste wandelevenement ter wereld een recordaantal van 44.812 deelnemers. Onder de lopers zijn dit jaar ruim 7000 buitenlanders. In totaal zijn 66 nationaliteiten op de Vierdaagse vertegenwoordigd.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Autism more common than thought...
Health News-Reuters.com
Fri Jul 14, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Autism and related disorders in Britain may be twice as widespread as previously thought, according to research published on Friday.
The study showed that 116 in every 10,000 children suffer from autism or autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The previous estimate was 44 per 10,000.
"Prevalence of autism and related ASD is substantially higher than previously recognized," said Professor Gillian Baird, of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London.
"Whether the increase is due to better ascertainment, broadening diagnostic criteria, or increased incidence is unclear," she added.
The cause of autism, which usually develops before the age of 30 months, is unknown. In some cases it is apparent from birth. Children with the condition become withdrawn, self-absorbed, are often unable to communicate and do not follow normal patterns of development.
The condition is more prevalent among boys than girls.
ASDs are developmental disorders characterized by different degrees of impairment in communication and social skills and repetitive patterns of behavior.
The researchers calculated the new estimates by looking at cases of autism and ASDs in children aged nine and 10 in south London in 2001. They studied children with all forms of ASD and children with special educational needs.
The study published in The Lancet medical journal revealed 39 children per 10,000 had autism and 77 per 10,000 had ASD.
"Services in health, education and social care will need to recognize the needs of children with some form of ASD, who constitute one percent of the child population," Baird said in the study.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jul 14, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Autism and related disorders in Britain may be twice as widespread as previously thought, according to research published on Friday.
The study showed that 116 in every 10,000 children suffer from autism or autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The previous estimate was 44 per 10,000.
"Prevalence of autism and related ASD is substantially higher than previously recognized," said Professor Gillian Baird, of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London.
"Whether the increase is due to better ascertainment, broadening diagnostic criteria, or increased incidence is unclear," she added.
The cause of autism, which usually develops before the age of 30 months, is unknown. In some cases it is apparent from birth. Children with the condition become withdrawn, self-absorbed, are often unable to communicate and do not follow normal patterns of development.
The condition is more prevalent among boys than girls.
ASDs are developmental disorders characterized by different degrees of impairment in communication and social skills and repetitive patterns of behavior.
The researchers calculated the new estimates by looking at cases of autism and ASDs in children aged nine and 10 in south London in 2001. They studied children with all forms of ASD and children with special educational needs.
The study published in The Lancet medical journal revealed 39 children per 10,000 had autism and 77 per 10,000 had ASD.
"Services in health, education and social care will need to recognize the needs of children with some form of ASD, who constitute one percent of the child population," Baird said in the study.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Note: buy batteries for camera, radio and plane...
Reuters.com
Monday 17 July, 2006. TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese students succeeded on Sunday in making a manned flight in a plane powered only by household batteries.
The group from the Tokyo Institute of Technology flew the plane a distance of 1,283 feet at an airfield north of the capital, in what was the first such battery-powered flight, said a spokesman for Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, the project's sponsors.
The plane, with a 31-meter wing span but weighing just 44 kg, was piloted by a 63-kg student for the trip, which lasted about one minute.
The power was provided by 160 AA batteries.
"I didn't think it would fly so beautifully," said one of the students involved.
The team is hoping to have the flight recognized as a record by the Japan Aeronautic Association, the spokesman said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Monday 17 July, 2006. TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese students succeeded on Sunday in making a manned flight in a plane powered only by household batteries.
The group from the Tokyo Institute of Technology flew the plane a distance of 1,283 feet at an airfield north of the capital, in what was the first such battery-powered flight, said a spokesman for Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, the project's sponsors.
The plane, with a 31-meter wing span but weighing just 44 kg, was piloted by a 63-kg student for the trip, which lasted about one minute.
The power was provided by 160 AA batteries.
"I didn't think it would fly so beautifully," said one of the students involved.
The team is hoping to have the flight recognized as a record by the Japan Aeronautic Association, the spokesman said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Follow that cab...
Reuters.com
Thu Jul 13, 2006. BERLIN (Reuters) - Two Albanian men carrying stolen computers and flat-screen televisions worth $13,000 flagged down a Berlin taxi to transport their loot home but were later arrested after the cab driver called the police.
The taxi driver first helped the thieves load bulky boxes of stolen goods in front of a law office in the government quarter at 1 a.m. and then drove them to their apartment in a north Berlin district, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.
After collecting his fare and a generous tip, the taxi driver notified the police who later raided the apartment and found other stolen items from previous burglaries.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 13, 2006. BERLIN (Reuters) - Two Albanian men carrying stolen computers and flat-screen televisions worth $13,000 flagged down a Berlin taxi to transport their loot home but were later arrested after the cab driver called the police.
The taxi driver first helped the thieves load bulky boxes of stolen goods in front of a law office in the government quarter at 1 a.m. and then drove them to their apartment in a north Berlin district, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.
After collecting his fare and a generous tip, the taxi driver notified the police who later raided the apartment and found other stolen items from previous burglaries.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
"Wear nice pants" - police tell women drinkers...
Reuters.com
Thu Jul 13, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Women going on boozy nights out have been warned by police to "wear nice pants" in case they fall down drunk in the street.
A Suffolk police safety campaign magazine shows pictures of young women slumped on the ground next to messages urging them: "If you've got it, don't flaunt it."
"If you fall over or pass out, remember your skirt or dress may ride up," the magazine says. "You could show off more than you intended -- for all our sakes, please make sure you're wearing nice pants and that you've recently had a wax."
Readers are also told to stick with friends, book a taxi home and watch the amount they drink.
Police said the Safe! magazine's gossipy, tongue-in-cheek style was designed to alert young women to the dangers they could face if they get drunk during a night out.
"We need to raise their awareness of potential problems," said Chief Superintendent David McDonnell. "They become more vulnerable whilst under the influence of alcohol."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 13, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Women going on boozy nights out have been warned by police to "wear nice pants" in case they fall down drunk in the street.
A Suffolk police safety campaign magazine shows pictures of young women slumped on the ground next to messages urging them: "If you've got it, don't flaunt it.""If you fall over or pass out, remember your skirt or dress may ride up," the magazine says. "You could show off more than you intended -- for all our sakes, please make sure you're wearing nice pants and that you've recently had a wax."
Readers are also told to stick with friends, book a taxi home and watch the amount they drink.
Police said the Safe! magazine's gossipy, tongue-in-cheek style was designed to alert young women to the dangers they could face if they get drunk during a night out.
"We need to raise their awareness of potential problems," said Chief Superintendent David McDonnell. "They become more vulnerable whilst under the influence of alcohol."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Microsoft, Yahoo connect IM services.
ZDNet Australia: News: Software By Elinor Mills
13 July 2006. Nine months after announcing they would make their instant messaging services interoperate, Yahoo and Microsoft have done it.
The companies today released a limited beta test of a service that will enable users of Windows Live Messenger (the next generation of MSN Messenger) and Yahoo Messenger with Voice to connect with each other.
The companies have confirmed that Australian users of ninemsn and Yahoo7’s respective instant messenger services have been included in the beta test.
The move creates a global community of nearly 350 million accounts, the companies said. The beta service is being launched globally in 15 localised languages.
"It's the first-ever bridge between two global instant messaging services," Blake Irving, corporate vice president in Microsoft's Windows Live Platform division, said on Wednesday.
The service will allow people to sign into both services using one user ID, and to see the status of connections of friends from both networks.
"The messenger friend list is your heart of your social network in many ways," said Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president of communications, community and front doors at Yahoo. "We expect a rapid ramp with millions of users in the coming weeks."
Connecting the networks took months of testing, Irving said. "This was a very difficult technical problem to solve," he said.
The companies announced plans last October to make their IM services interoperable, in what analysts said was a shot to market leader AOL Instant Messenger and a defensive jab at Google Talk.
AOL representatives could not be reached for comment.
A Google representative provided an e-mail statement that said: "From the very beginning, the Google Talk service was built to support interoperability with hundreds of other communications service providers. Any service provider that supports industry standard protocols can federate with us today, and many have...We don't have further details to share on our future plans in this area at this time."
Under an agreement between Google and AOL, in which Google paid US$1 billion for a 5 percent stake, the two companies are working to make their respective instant messaging services interoperate.
Neither Microsoft nor Yahoo would comment on the status of any discussions with AOL about interoperating.
"We certainly welcome seeing other industry players come to the table," Yahoo's Garlinghouse said. "We're blazing a trail for how interoperability is done."
David Card, an analyst at JupiterResearch, said AOL would not move to interoperate with others until customers demanded it.
"AOL doesn't need to let the other guys in as long as the user base is still healthy," he said. "I think they will let people in, eventually. This will help pressure them a little bit more."
13 July 2006. Nine months after announcing they would make their instant messaging services interoperate, Yahoo and Microsoft have done it.
The companies today released a limited beta test of a service that will enable users of Windows Live Messenger (the next generation of MSN Messenger) and Yahoo Messenger with Voice to connect with each other.
The companies have confirmed that Australian users of ninemsn and Yahoo7’s respective instant messenger services have been included in the beta test.
The move creates a global community of nearly 350 million accounts, the companies said. The beta service is being launched globally in 15 localised languages.
"It's the first-ever bridge between two global instant messaging services," Blake Irving, corporate vice president in Microsoft's Windows Live Platform division, said on Wednesday.
The service will allow people to sign into both services using one user ID, and to see the status of connections of friends from both networks.
"The messenger friend list is your heart of your social network in many ways," said Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president of communications, community and front doors at Yahoo. "We expect a rapid ramp with millions of users in the coming weeks."
Connecting the networks took months of testing, Irving said. "This was a very difficult technical problem to solve," he said.
The companies announced plans last October to make their IM services interoperable, in what analysts said was a shot to market leader AOL Instant Messenger and a defensive jab at Google Talk.
AOL representatives could not be reached for comment.
A Google representative provided an e-mail statement that said: "From the very beginning, the Google Talk service was built to support interoperability with hundreds of other communications service providers. Any service provider that supports industry standard protocols can federate with us today, and many have...We don't have further details to share on our future plans in this area at this time."
Under an agreement between Google and AOL, in which Google paid US$1 billion for a 5 percent stake, the two companies are working to make their respective instant messaging services interoperate.
Neither Microsoft nor Yahoo would comment on the status of any discussions with AOL about interoperating.
"We certainly welcome seeing other industry players come to the table," Yahoo's Garlinghouse said. "We're blazing a trail for how interoperability is done."
David Card, an analyst at JupiterResearch, said AOL would not move to interoperate with others until customers demanded it.
"AOL doesn't need to let the other guys in as long as the user base is still healthy," he said. "I think they will let people in, eventually. This will help pressure them a little bit more."
Football - Zidane says sorry but has no regrets.
Football - Eurosport Jonathan Symcox.
<---FROGIVENESS ASKED...
12 July 2006. Zinedine Zidane asked for forgiveness on Wednesday for his violent attack and sending off in the World Cup final, but insisted that he has no regrets as the words of Marco Materazzi were too much for him to bear.
"I want to apologise but I can't regret what I did because it would mean that he was right to say what he said," the France World Cup captain claimed.
"He pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them.
"I don't want to attack anyone but I want to defend myself. I did something wrong and I was punished for that. I ended up alone in the changing rooms."
Zidane insisted that he tried to ignore the 6' 4" Italian, but couldn't stop himself.
"You hear those things once and you try to walk away. That's what I wanted to do because I am retiring. You hear it a second time and then a third time.
"I knew it was my last game and I knew that there were only ten minutes to play but things happened very swiftly."
However, he was not proud of his actions.
"I know this is something that one should not do. I want to say that loud and clear because it was watched by two billion people and by millions of kids."
FURTHER DENIALS
Materazzi meanwhile issued another statement denying that he had insulted Zidane's family or made any references to religion or politics.
"I didn't insult his mother. I lost my mother when I was 15 years old and still get emotional when I talk about it.
"Naturally, I didn't know that his mother was in hospital but I wish her all the best."
Zidane - born in Marseille - is the son of Algerian immigrants and has suffered taunts about his heritage throughout his football career.
"I didn't mention anything about religion, politics or racism," said Materazzi.
The Inter Milan defender even went so far as to claim hero worship of the French legend.
"Zidane is my hero and I have always admired him a lot."
ZIZOU FURY AT SYSTEM
Fifa is to investigate the incident while FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hinted that Zidane could be stripped of his World Cup golden ball award for best player.
Zizou was in no mood for reconciliation and criticised the officials' and authorities' handling of matters.
"If someone can read (Materazzi's) lips, they will show that I'm telling the truth. The one who is really guilty must be punished.
"I was the one who was provoked and I reacted. It is always the one who reacts who is punished, never the one who provokes and this is not fair."
<---FROGIVENESS ASKED...
12 July 2006. Zinedine Zidane asked for forgiveness on Wednesday for his violent attack and sending off in the World Cup final, but insisted that he has no regrets as the words of Marco Materazzi were too much for him to bear.
"I want to apologise but I can't regret what I did because it would mean that he was right to say what he said," the France World Cup captain claimed.
"He pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them.
"I don't want to attack anyone but I want to defend myself. I did something wrong and I was punished for that. I ended up alone in the changing rooms."
Zidane insisted that he tried to ignore the 6' 4" Italian, but couldn't stop himself.
"You hear those things once and you try to walk away. That's what I wanted to do because I am retiring. You hear it a second time and then a third time.
"I knew it was my last game and I knew that there were only ten minutes to play but things happened very swiftly."
However, he was not proud of his actions.
"I know this is something that one should not do. I want to say that loud and clear because it was watched by two billion people and by millions of kids."
FURTHER DENIALS
Materazzi meanwhile issued another statement denying that he had insulted Zidane's family or made any references to religion or politics.
"I didn't insult his mother. I lost my mother when I was 15 years old and still get emotional when I talk about it.
"Naturally, I didn't know that his mother was in hospital but I wish her all the best."
Zidane - born in Marseille - is the son of Algerian immigrants and has suffered taunts about his heritage throughout his football career.
"I didn't mention anything about religion, politics or racism," said Materazzi.
The Inter Milan defender even went so far as to claim hero worship of the French legend.
"Zidane is my hero and I have always admired him a lot."
ZIZOU FURY AT SYSTEM
Fifa is to investigate the incident while FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hinted that Zidane could be stripped of his World Cup golden ball award for best player.
Zizou was in no mood for reconciliation and criticised the officials' and authorities' handling of matters.
"If someone can read (Materazzi's) lips, they will show that I'm telling the truth. The one who is really guilty must be punished.
"I was the one who was provoked and I reacted. It is always the one who reacts who is punished, never the one who provokes and this is not fair."
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Fans unconcerned by player's call of nature...
Reuters.com
Mon Jul 10, 2006. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand has reacted with indifference to Jerry Collins's unplanned call of nature before the Tri-Nations match against Australia Saturday.
The loose forward was caught on camera on bended knee, discreetly relieving himself on the pitch moments before kickoff.
Assistant New Zealand coach Steve Hansen described the incident as unfortunate.
"If you're a male and you're about to play a test match and you're seconds away from kickoff and you get the urge to want to go to the toilet -- what do you do?" Hansen said.
"Do you rush off and let the game start with 14 men or do you try to be as discreet as you can be and hope that cameramen use common sense and don't go showing it to everyone on the screen."
The New Zealand public also seemed unconcerned about the incident, with almost two-thirds of respondents to an Internet poll on the Fairfax media group's website (www.stuff.co.nz) saying it did not bother them at all.
Hansen said he would be offering Collins simple advice.
"'See if you can get your ablutions done before you get out on the track'," he said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Jul 10, 2006. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand has reacted with indifference to Jerry Collins's unplanned call of nature before the Tri-Nations match against Australia Saturday.
The loose forward was caught on camera on bended knee, discreetly relieving himself on the pitch moments before kickoff.
Assistant New Zealand coach Steve Hansen described the incident as unfortunate.
"If you're a male and you're about to play a test match and you're seconds away from kickoff and you get the urge to want to go to the toilet -- what do you do?" Hansen said.
"Do you rush off and let the game start with 14 men or do you try to be as discreet as you can be and hope that cameramen use common sense and don't go showing it to everyone on the screen."
The New Zealand public also seemed unconcerned about the incident, with almost two-thirds of respondents to an Internet poll on the Fairfax media group's website (www.stuff.co.nz) saying it did not bother them at all.
Hansen said he would be offering Collins simple advice.
"'See if you can get your ablutions done before you get out on the track'," he said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Cruise from hell inquest reveals sex predators, death...
Reuters.com By Paul Tait
Mon Jul 10, 2006. SYDNEY (Reuters) - It began as the holiday of a lifetime but descended into a lurid spiral of alcohol, drugs and sexual predators for a suburban mother of three whose humiliating death at sea could help change the global cruise industry.
A coroner's inquest into the 2002 death of Dianne Brimble on board the P&O liner Pacific Sky has shocked Australia with its graphic descriptions of her treatment by a group of men she met on board.
The inquest has heard that Brimble, 42, died of an overdose of gamma hydroxybutyrate, a "date rape" drug also known as fantasy, mixed with a high blood alcohol level.
No charges have been laid and the inquest is being held to determine the circumstances in which she died.
Her family has joined an international group set up by victims of other apparent crimes at sea in demanding cruise ships be made more accountable and better protect passengers.
International Cruise Victims (ICV) says at least 18 people are believed to have gone missing from cruise ships since 2004.
"When you put 3,000 people on a piece of metal floating around in the ocean, you would expect things are going to happen," Diane Brimble's former husband told Reuters.
"Why should they be a law unto themselves?" said Mark Brimble, who represents ICV in Australia after being contacted by the group's American founders.
DRUNKEN PREDATORS
The coronial inquiry has attracted blanket media coverage, making it one of the highest-profile inquests since the infamous backpacker murders in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It has painted an unflattering picture of predatory, drunken behavior, where nudity and public sex were said to be common, and of a flawed and delayed investigation.
Local media have shown photographs of a beaming Brimble boarding the ship in September 2002 with her then 12-year-old daughter, her sister and friends at the start of a South Pacific cruise for which she had saved for two years.
Within hours Brimble was lying naked and dead in the cabin of four men whose main concern was that the death of a woman one of them described as a "dog" had ruined their holiday.
The inquest last month began hearing testimony from the first of eight men, all gym and nightclub friends, who police describe as "persons of interest." Unemployed store clerk Letterio Silvestri said in the transcript of a police interview that he had brushed Brimble off when she spoke to him in a bar soon after the ship sailed because she appeared drunk and was not his type.
"She smelt, she was black and she was ugly," he told police.
"Anything that's over 60 kilos, I don't talk to," he said.
Silvestri said he left the bar and went back to the cabin he shared with three friends, took three sleeping tablets and went to bed.
He said he later awoke to find Brimble in bed with him and trying to arouse him for sex. Silvestri said he pushed her onto the cabin floor and went back to sleep.
"Apparently she helped herself to me," Silvestri said.
Silvestri, who demanded an apology from the ship's captain, told the inquest that cabin-mate Mark Wilhelm had given Brimble the drug when he brought her back to the cabin.
Melvyn Armitage, a former P&O passenger services director on the ship, said Silvestri became agitated when he was stopped from returning to the cabin while a doctor and two nurses tried to revive Brimble.
"He was saying, 'get the bitch out of my room, that's my room'," Armitage told the inquest in June.
The inquest has heard from other passengers who accused Silvestri and some of his friends of "cruising for sex" and offering to pay a teenage girl to dance in their cabin the night after Brimble died.
P&O has said it deeply regrets Brimble's death but could not comment on her case, although it said it has increased security on its ships since the inquest began.
"We cannot begin to imagine what Mrs Brimble and her family went through and we are determined to do everything in our power to ensure that this never happens again on board one of our ships," P&O Cruises Australia said in an April statement.
The inquest has heard a string of damaging testimony, including claims staff had tried to cover up Brimble's death.
Kathleen Taylor, a night shift manager on board the Pacific Sky, told the inquest that incidents of nudity and public sex on board P&O cruise ships happened up to 20 times a night.
P&O said after that testimony that unruly passengers would be kicked off future cruises.
LOST AT SEA
Cruise Victims has lobbied the U.S. Congress with a 10-point plan to tighten security on board cruise ships and address what it sees as a fundamental problem: the hazy legal jurisdiction of ships once they enter international waters.
The advocacy group was formed early this year after several U.S. families found they had similar cruise ship horror stories after family members mysteriously disappeared at sea.
It lists dozens of cases of apparent crimes at sea.
The group wants faster reporting, revision of alcohol serving procedures on cruises, and tighter security including independent marshals on board ships.
"It's to post international police on a boat and have them being independent to the ship itself because cruise liners are driven by profit, they're not driven by responsibility, security and safety," Mark Brimble said.
P&O have just announced they will refund Brimble's fare. An earlier insurance claim lodged by the family was rejected because illegal drugs were listed as the cause of death.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Jul 10, 2006. SYDNEY (Reuters) - It began as the holiday of a lifetime but descended into a lurid spiral of alcohol, drugs and sexual predators for a suburban mother of three whose humiliating death at sea could help change the global cruise industry.
A coroner's inquest into the 2002 death of Dianne Brimble on board the P&O liner Pacific Sky has shocked Australia with its graphic descriptions of her treatment by a group of men she met on board.
The inquest has heard that Brimble, 42, died of an overdose of gamma hydroxybutyrate, a "date rape" drug also known as fantasy, mixed with a high blood alcohol level.
No charges have been laid and the inquest is being held to determine the circumstances in which she died.
Her family has joined an international group set up by victims of other apparent crimes at sea in demanding cruise ships be made more accountable and better protect passengers.
International Cruise Victims (ICV) says at least 18 people are believed to have gone missing from cruise ships since 2004.
"When you put 3,000 people on a piece of metal floating around in the ocean, you would expect things are going to happen," Diane Brimble's former husband told Reuters.
"Why should they be a law unto themselves?" said Mark Brimble, who represents ICV in Australia after being contacted by the group's American founders.
DRUNKEN PREDATORS
The coronial inquiry has attracted blanket media coverage, making it one of the highest-profile inquests since the infamous backpacker murders in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It has painted an unflattering picture of predatory, drunken behavior, where nudity and public sex were said to be common, and of a flawed and delayed investigation.
Local media have shown photographs of a beaming Brimble boarding the ship in September 2002 with her then 12-year-old daughter, her sister and friends at the start of a South Pacific cruise for which she had saved for two years.
Within hours Brimble was lying naked and dead in the cabin of four men whose main concern was that the death of a woman one of them described as a "dog" had ruined their holiday.
The inquest last month began hearing testimony from the first of eight men, all gym and nightclub friends, who police describe as "persons of interest." Unemployed store clerk Letterio Silvestri said in the transcript of a police interview that he had brushed Brimble off when she spoke to him in a bar soon after the ship sailed because she appeared drunk and was not his type.
"She smelt, she was black and she was ugly," he told police.
"Anything that's over 60 kilos, I don't talk to," he said.
Silvestri said he left the bar and went back to the cabin he shared with three friends, took three sleeping tablets and went to bed.
He said he later awoke to find Brimble in bed with him and trying to arouse him for sex. Silvestri said he pushed her onto the cabin floor and went back to sleep.
"Apparently she helped herself to me," Silvestri said.
Silvestri, who demanded an apology from the ship's captain, told the inquest that cabin-mate Mark Wilhelm had given Brimble the drug when he brought her back to the cabin.
Melvyn Armitage, a former P&O passenger services director on the ship, said Silvestri became agitated when he was stopped from returning to the cabin while a doctor and two nurses tried to revive Brimble.
"He was saying, 'get the bitch out of my room, that's my room'," Armitage told the inquest in June.
The inquest has heard from other passengers who accused Silvestri and some of his friends of "cruising for sex" and offering to pay a teenage girl to dance in their cabin the night after Brimble died.
P&O has said it deeply regrets Brimble's death but could not comment on her case, although it said it has increased security on its ships since the inquest began.
"We cannot begin to imagine what Mrs Brimble and her family went through and we are determined to do everything in our power to ensure that this never happens again on board one of our ships," P&O Cruises Australia said in an April statement.
The inquest has heard a string of damaging testimony, including claims staff had tried to cover up Brimble's death.
Kathleen Taylor, a night shift manager on board the Pacific Sky, told the inquest that incidents of nudity and public sex on board P&O cruise ships happened up to 20 times a night.
P&O said after that testimony that unruly passengers would be kicked off future cruises.
LOST AT SEA
Cruise Victims has lobbied the U.S. Congress with a 10-point plan to tighten security on board cruise ships and address what it sees as a fundamental problem: the hazy legal jurisdiction of ships once they enter international waters.
The advocacy group was formed early this year after several U.S. families found they had similar cruise ship horror stories after family members mysteriously disappeared at sea.
It lists dozens of cases of apparent crimes at sea.
The group wants faster reporting, revision of alcohol serving procedures on cruises, and tighter security including independent marshals on board ships.
"It's to post international police on a boat and have them being independent to the ship itself because cruise liners are driven by profit, they're not driven by responsibility, security and safety," Mark Brimble said.
P&O have just announced they will refund Brimble's fare. An earlier insurance claim lodged by the family was rejected because illegal drugs were listed as the cause of death.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Philips: Chinezen aan de Senseo...
Eindhovens Dagblad
Philips en Douwe Egberts en hun Senseo-koffiemachine. Foto EPA/fotomontage ED
8 Julie 2006. AMSTERDAM - Philips en Douwe Egberts brengen hun Senseo-koffiemachine in China op de markt. Het apparaat gaat in eerste instantie in Shanghai in de verkoop, zo lieten beide partijen weten. De Senseo is sinds de introductie in 2001 een groot succes.
Philips, de fabrikant van de machine, heeft er al twaalf miljoen van verkocht. De Senseo is te krijgen in zeven Europese landen, de Verenigde Staten en Australië.
De koffiepads van Douwe Egberts worden straks in China onder de naam Moccona verkocht. Dit is een van de belangrijkste merken van het moederbedrijf van Douwe Egberts, Sara Lee, in Azië.
Philips en Douwe Egberts en hun Senseo-koffiemachine. Foto EPA/fotomontage ED8 Julie 2006. AMSTERDAM - Philips en Douwe Egberts brengen hun Senseo-koffiemachine in China op de markt. Het apparaat gaat in eerste instantie in Shanghai in de verkoop, zo lieten beide partijen weten. De Senseo is sinds de introductie in 2001 een groot succes.
Philips, de fabrikant van de machine, heeft er al twaalf miljoen van verkocht. De Senseo is te krijgen in zeven Europese landen, de Verenigde Staten en Australië.
De koffiepads van Douwe Egberts worden straks in China onder de naam Moccona verkocht. Dit is een van de belangrijkste merken van het moederbedrijf van Douwe Egberts, Sara Lee, in Azië.
Gay prince out of closet, loses inheritance...
Reuters.comBy Krittivas Mukherjee
Fri Jul 7, 2006. MUMBAI (Reuters) - An Indian prince has been disowned by his family after he publicly announced he was gay in a country where homosexuality is outlawed by a 145-year-old law.
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who belongs to one of the country's richest royal families that ruled the former Rajpipla principality in the western state of Gujarat, has been disowned for "activities unacceptable to the society," one disinheritance notice placed by his parents in a newspaper said.
Last month, his parents issued notices in a Gujarati language daily withdrawing his right to the family property.
"Henceforth, no one must refer to my name as mother of Manvendra," one notice signed by his mother said. "If any individual or organization dares to do so, it will invite contempt proceedings."
But Gohil, 40, who announced he was gay this year, says he has found happiness among Gujarat's gay community and is not interested in his inheritance.
"I could not have lived a lie forever," he told Reuters on Friday.
"I will not stake my claim to the property. I have found a family in the (gay) community and am happy working for the community," said Gohil, who runs an NGO working on HIV/AIDS among homosexuals.
"As an activist, I thought it right to come out of the closet first. Otherwise, it would have been living a lie."
Homosexuality is banned in India and punishable by up to 10 years in jail, but gay activists are trying to lift the veil of secrecy over the community in a country where public hugging or kissing even among heterosexuals invites angry stares, lewd comments and even beatings.
Gay support groups say the anti-homosexuality law -- framed by British colonial rulers in 1861 -- must be scrapped for an effective fight against HIV/AIDS because many homosexuals refuse to come out in the open fearing harassment by authorities.
UNAIDS says there are an estimated 5.7 million Indians living with HIV, many of them homosexuals.
India abolished princely kingdoms after independence from Britain in 1947, but many royal families continue to lead lavish lives in sprawling palaces.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jul 7, 2006. MUMBAI (Reuters) - An Indian prince has been disowned by his family after he publicly announced he was gay in a country where homosexuality is outlawed by a 145-year-old law.
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who belongs to one of the country's richest royal families that ruled the former Rajpipla principality in the western state of Gujarat, has been disowned for "activities unacceptable to the society," one disinheritance notice placed by his parents in a newspaper said.
Last month, his parents issued notices in a Gujarati language daily withdrawing his right to the family property.
"Henceforth, no one must refer to my name as mother of Manvendra," one notice signed by his mother said. "If any individual or organization dares to do so, it will invite contempt proceedings."
But Gohil, 40, who announced he was gay this year, says he has found happiness among Gujarat's gay community and is not interested in his inheritance.
"I could not have lived a lie forever," he told Reuters on Friday.
"I will not stake my claim to the property. I have found a family in the (gay) community and am happy working for the community," said Gohil, who runs an NGO working on HIV/AIDS among homosexuals.
"As an activist, I thought it right to come out of the closet first. Otherwise, it would have been living a lie."
Homosexuality is banned in India and punishable by up to 10 years in jail, but gay activists are trying to lift the veil of secrecy over the community in a country where public hugging or kissing even among heterosexuals invites angry stares, lewd comments and even beatings.
Gay support groups say the anti-homosexuality law -- framed by British colonial rulers in 1861 -- must be scrapped for an effective fight against HIV/AIDS because many homosexuals refuse to come out in the open fearing harassment by authorities.
UNAIDS says there are an estimated 5.7 million Indians living with HIV, many of them homosexuals.
India abolished princely kingdoms after independence from Britain in 1947, but many royal families continue to lead lavish lives in sprawling palaces.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
India sex workers rewarded for HIV checks...
Health News-Reuters.com
Fri Jul 7, 2006. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Prostitutes in southern India are being given discount shopping cards in return for having regular checks at a sexual health clinic as part of a project to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
UNAIDS, the United Nation's AIDS-prevention agency, recently said India has the highest HIV caseload in the world, with an estimated 5.7 million people living with the virus.
"They were very particular about us including a sari shop. Presentation is very important for them," said Sushena Reza-Paul of the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust.
Shops and restaurants in the city of Mysore were at first hesitant about being associated with the sex workers' project, but eventually relented after being convinced that 500 card-carrying sex workers would lead to a steady stream of paying customers.
Reza-Paul said being able to flash a credit card-sized piece of plastic was also giving an unexpected boost to the sex workers' self-esteem.
"They tell me that only rich people can normally have these kind of cards -- so it gives them a sense of pride and belonging," she said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jul 7, 2006. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Prostitutes in southern India are being given discount shopping cards in return for having regular checks at a sexual health clinic as part of a project to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
UNAIDS, the United Nation's AIDS-prevention agency, recently said India has the highest HIV caseload in the world, with an estimated 5.7 million people living with the virus.
"They were very particular about us including a sari shop. Presentation is very important for them," said Sushena Reza-Paul of the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust.
Shops and restaurants in the city of Mysore were at first hesitant about being associated with the sex workers' project, but eventually relented after being convinced that 500 card-carrying sex workers would lead to a steady stream of paying customers.
Reza-Paul said being able to flash a credit card-sized piece of plastic was also giving an unexpected boost to the sex workers' self-esteem.
"They tell me that only rich people can normally have these kind of cards -- so it gives them a sense of pride and belonging," she said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Britain agrees to extradite hacker suspect to U.S.
Technology News-Reuters.com
Thu Jul 6, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday approved the extradition of a computer expert accused by the United States of perpetrating the world's "biggest military hack of all time."
Gary McKinnon was arrested in June last year following charges by U.S. prosecutors that he illegally accessed 97 U.S. government computers -- including Pentagon, army, navy and NASA systems -- causing $700,000 worth of damage.
Interior Minister John Reid has signed an order for his extradition, his ministry said.
McKinnon, who could face up to 70 years in jail and fines of up to $1.75 million, said he was planning to appeal against the decision, telling BBC News 24: "I am very worried and feeling very let down by my own Government."
The ministry said McKinnon now has 14 days to appeal.
McKinnon, whose hacking name was "Solo," has admitted gaining access to U.S. government computers but denies causing any damage.
He had tried to fight extradition, saying he was "already hung and quartered over there" and would not receive a fair trial.
Prosecutors said McKinnon hacked into sensitive networks over a one-year period from February 2002, crippling U.S. defense systems in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
At the time of the indictment, Paul McNulty, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said: "Mr Mckinnon is charged with the biggest military computer hack of all time."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 6, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday approved the extradition of a computer expert accused by the United States of perpetrating the world's "biggest military hack of all time."Gary McKinnon was arrested in June last year following charges by U.S. prosecutors that he illegally accessed 97 U.S. government computers -- including Pentagon, army, navy and NASA systems -- causing $700,000 worth of damage.
Interior Minister John Reid has signed an order for his extradition, his ministry said.
McKinnon, who could face up to 70 years in jail and fines of up to $1.75 million, said he was planning to appeal against the decision, telling BBC News 24: "I am very worried and feeling very let down by my own Government."
The ministry said McKinnon now has 14 days to appeal.
McKinnon, whose hacking name was "Solo," has admitted gaining access to U.S. government computers but denies causing any damage.
He had tried to fight extradition, saying he was "already hung and quartered over there" and would not receive a fair trial.
Prosecutors said McKinnon hacked into sensitive networks over a one-year period from February 2002, crippling U.S. defense systems in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
At the time of the indictment, Paul McNulty, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said: "Mr Mckinnon is charged with the biggest military computer hack of all time."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Microsoft allows open document format for software...
Technology News-Reuters.com
Thu Jul 6, 2006. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Responding to government requests for interoperability, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday it will offer free software that will allow Word, Excel and PowerPoint to handle documents in rival technology formats.
The translation tools will be developed and licensed as open source software, and will be offered as downloadable add-ins for several older versions of the Microsoft Office system, the Redmond, Washington-based company said.
Microsoft also said the translation tools will be broadly available to the industry to accelerate document interoperability and expand customer choice between Open XML and other technologies.
Electronic document translation between different fixed formats is always going to be somewhat inexact, said Andrew Hopkirk, director of the UK's National Computing Center's e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) program.
Like human language translations, concepts and specifications will differ in detail, Hopkirk said in a statement released by Microsoft.
"This tool promises to be a very significant development in the trend toward practical open document standards and, critically, customer-friendly means to move between them," he said.
Microsoft is developing the translation tools in collaboration with the France-based IT solution provider Clever Age and several independent software vendors, including Aztecsoft in India and Dialogika in Germany.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 6, 2006. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Responding to government requests for interoperability, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday it will offer free software that will allow Word, Excel and PowerPoint to handle documents in rival technology formats.
The translation tools will be developed and licensed as open source software, and will be offered as downloadable add-ins for several older versions of the Microsoft Office system, the Redmond, Washington-based company said.
Microsoft also said the translation tools will be broadly available to the industry to accelerate document interoperability and expand customer choice between Open XML and other technologies.
Electronic document translation between different fixed formats is always going to be somewhat inexact, said Andrew Hopkirk, director of the UK's National Computing Center's e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) program.
Like human language translations, concepts and specifications will differ in detail, Hopkirk said in a statement released by Microsoft.
"This tool promises to be a very significant development in the trend toward practical open document standards and, critically, customer-friendly means to move between them," he said.
Microsoft is developing the translation tools in collaboration with the France-based IT solution provider Clever Age and several independent software vendors, including Aztecsoft in India and Dialogika in Germany.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
A tissue of lies leads to jailbreak...
Reuters.com
Thu Jul 6, 2006. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Police were searching on Thursday for three prisoners who broke out of jail after one of them convinced an officer to open the cell door by asking for toilet paper.
The three were among five prisoners who broke out of a courthouse holding cell in Maroochydore, near the Queensland state capital of Brisbane. Two were recaptured almost immediately.
Police said one of them had asked a female officer for a roll of toilet paper but the solid cell door had no hatch and had to be opened to hand the paper in.
It was then the prisoners inside made a run for it.
"It was an old-style door and a prisoner asked for a roll of toilet paper, and it couldn't fit under the door," Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson told reporters.
"It could well have been a matter that was avoidable and subject to human error," he said.
Two police suffered minor injuries during the incident.
Less than a month ago, another prisoner escaped from Queensland police custody after an officer let him out of a car to have a cigarette.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Jul 6, 2006. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Police were searching on Thursday for three prisoners who broke out of jail after one of them convinced an officer to open the cell door by asking for toilet paper.
The three were among five prisoners who broke out of a courthouse holding cell in Maroochydore, near the Queensland state capital of Brisbane. Two were recaptured almost immediately.
Police said one of them had asked a female officer for a roll of toilet paper but the solid cell door had no hatch and had to be opened to hand the paper in.
It was then the prisoners inside made a run for it.
"It was an old-style door and a prisoner asked for a roll of toilet paper, and it couldn't fit under the door," Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson told reporters.
"It could well have been a matter that was avoidable and subject to human error," he said.
Two police suffered minor injuries during the incident.
Less than a month ago, another prisoner escaped from Queensland police custody after an officer let him out of a car to have a cigarette.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Lifestyle trumps drugs for a healthy heart: study...
Health News Reuters.com By Amanda Beck
Mon Jul 3, 2006. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even men who take medication for high blood pressure or cholesterol can dramatically cut their risk of heart disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Middle-aged men on these medications can reduce their chances of heart problems by 57 percent by eating right, not smoking, drinking in moderation and maintaining a healthy weight while exercising regularly, the researchers said.
Those who do not take the drugs can cut their risk of heart ailments by 87 percent if they adopt these lifestyle choices.
"This shows there's no substitute for a healthy lifestyle," said Stephanie Chiuve, lead author of the study to be published in Circulation: Journal of The American Heart Association.
The study tracked 43,000 men between 40 and 75 who were free of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions when the study began in 1986. They completed biannual questionnaires and researchers used the data to tease out correlations between heart disease and lifestyle habits.
The benefits of the healthy habits were apparent even if they were adopted over time.
"In other words, it's never to late to change," said Chiuve. "You can still achieve benefits if you make changes in middle age or later in life."
Men with the lowest risk of heart disease were those who practiced all five healthy habits, but not smoking alone reduced the risk of heart problems by 50 percent, she said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Jul 3, 2006. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even men who take medication for high blood pressure or cholesterol can dramatically cut their risk of heart disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Middle-aged men on these medications can reduce their chances of heart problems by 57 percent by eating right, not smoking, drinking in moderation and maintaining a healthy weight while exercising regularly, the researchers said.
Those who do not take the drugs can cut their risk of heart ailments by 87 percent if they adopt these lifestyle choices.
"This shows there's no substitute for a healthy lifestyle," said Stephanie Chiuve, lead author of the study to be published in Circulation: Journal of The American Heart Association.
The study tracked 43,000 men between 40 and 75 who were free of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions when the study began in 1986. They completed biannual questionnaires and researchers used the data to tease out correlations between heart disease and lifestyle habits.
The benefits of the healthy habits were apparent even if they were adopted over time.
"In other words, it's never to late to change," said Chiuve. "You can still achieve benefits if you make changes in middle age or later in life."
Men with the lowest risk of heart disease were those who practiced all five healthy habits, but not smoking alone reduced the risk of heart problems by 50 percent, she said.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Jamaica decides not to give out condoms in prisons...
Reuters.com
Fri Jun 30, 2006. KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Jamaica has decided not to distribute condoms in prisons, where violence has broken out in the past over mere suggestions that men have sex with men in the facilities, an official said Thursday.
The Jamaican government had been divided over the issue of handing out condoms to prisoners.
The Health Ministry believed condoms would stem the spread of AIDS in penal institutions, but the National Security Ministry, which has responsibility for prisons, disagreed, arguing it would encourage sexual activity.
Both ministries met late Wednesday to settle the matter and an agreement was reached not to distribute condoms, said an official of the National Security Ministry, who asked not be identified.
The ministries said they would issue a statement later.
Giving out condoms in prisons was first suggested by the former head of prisons, John Prescod, in 1997.
But his suggestion triggered a battle between prisoners accused of being homosexual and others who said they were heterosexuals. Five inmates died and 27 were injured in two of the island's six adult penal institutions.
Last week Health Minister Horace Dalley called for condoms to be distributed in prisons to stem the spread of AIDS.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Jun 30, 2006. KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Jamaica has decided not to distribute condoms in prisons, where violence has broken out in the past over mere suggestions that men have sex with men in the facilities, an official said Thursday.
The Jamaican government had been divided over the issue of handing out condoms to prisoners.
The Health Ministry believed condoms would stem the spread of AIDS in penal institutions, but the National Security Ministry, which has responsibility for prisons, disagreed, arguing it would encourage sexual activity.
Both ministries met late Wednesday to settle the matter and an agreement was reached not to distribute condoms, said an official of the National Security Ministry, who asked not be identified.
The ministries said they would issue a statement later.
Giving out condoms in prisons was first suggested by the former head of prisons, John Prescod, in 1997.
But his suggestion triggered a battle between prisoners accused of being homosexual and others who said they were heterosexuals. Five inmates died and 27 were injured in two of the island's six adult penal institutions.
Last week Health Minister Horace Dalley called for condoms to be distributed in prisons to stem the spread of AIDS.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Castro's niece fights for new (sex)revolution
Reuters.com By Esteban Israel
Mon Jul 3, 2006. HAVANA (Reuters) - Mariela Castro is leading a Cuban revolution less well known than her Uncle Fidel's: one in favor of sexual tolerance within the island's macho society.
Castro, 43, is leading the charge from her government-funded National Center for Sex Education, based in an old Havana mansion.
As director of the group, she promoted a soap opera that scandalized many Cubans in March by sympathetically depicting bisexuality. The controversial show depicted, among other story lines, the life of a construction worker who leaves his wife and children for the man next door.
Now President Castro's niece is pushing for passage of a law that would give transsexuals free sex change operations and hormonal therapy in addition to granting them new identification documents with their changed gender.
A bill was presented to parliament last year and was well received, she said. It is expected to come up for a vote in December.
If approved, it would make Cuba the most liberal nation in Latin America on gender issues.
Castro says her goal is to bring the revolution her uncle and father, Defense Minister Raul Castro, fought 47 years ago to the terrain of sexuality. Her group has also campaigned for better AIDS prevention as well as acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and transvestism.
"I want to bring the revolution's humanity to those aspects of life that it hasn't reached because of old prejudices," she told Reuters.
Much has changed, she says, since the 1960s when homosexuals were sent to work camps, or the 1970s when gay men and women were denied certain jobs as "ideological deviants."
"None of that exists any more," she said. "But that is not to say the same for homophobic attitudes."
Cuba eliminated the crime of sodomy in 1979. Cuba is also a country where abortion is a constitutional right and divorce a simple procedure.
A POWERFUL FAMILY
Mariela Castro says she isn't a leader, but simply part of a movement for greater tolerance.
Nevertheless, she admits her access to the two most powerful figures in the country has helped her cause.
Castro says she has the support of her 75-year-old father, who is second in charge of the all-powerful Communist Party and as first vice-president in line to succeed Fidel.
"Of course, I talk with my father whenever I have the chance. He is one of those in the party that supports our work. He thinks it is useful, good, just," she said.
Castro sees her uncle less often.
"Fidel is very sensitive to these issues," she said. "He is a pensive man and when the subject is one of justice it gets his attention. He asks for more information, more elements to consider."
Castro sees herself as continuing the work of her mother, Vilma Espin, head of the Cuban Womens Federation for the past 45 years. Eighty-seven percent of the island's women are members.
Espin, considered one of the most influential personalities of the Cuban revolution, is the originator of the Cuban family code adopted in 1975, which calls on men to share household chores and child care.
Castro said many people ask her if she plans to push legalization of gay marriages.
"We do not know what we will propose. It depends on what we identify as homosexuals' and lesbians' main needs," Castro said.
"Marriage is not as important in Cuba as in other more Catholic countries. Here consensual pairing is more important," she said, "What matters is love."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Jul 3, 2006. HAVANA (Reuters) - Mariela Castro is leading a Cuban revolution less well known than her Uncle Fidel's: one in favor of sexual tolerance within the island's macho society.Castro, 43, is leading the charge from her government-funded National Center for Sex Education, based in an old Havana mansion.
As director of the group, she promoted a soap opera that scandalized many Cubans in March by sympathetically depicting bisexuality. The controversial show depicted, among other story lines, the life of a construction worker who leaves his wife and children for the man next door.
Now President Castro's niece is pushing for passage of a law that would give transsexuals free sex change operations and hormonal therapy in addition to granting them new identification documents with their changed gender.
A bill was presented to parliament last year and was well received, she said. It is expected to come up for a vote in December.
If approved, it would make Cuba the most liberal nation in Latin America on gender issues.
Castro says her goal is to bring the revolution her uncle and father, Defense Minister Raul Castro, fought 47 years ago to the terrain of sexuality. Her group has also campaigned for better AIDS prevention as well as acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and transvestism.
"I want to bring the revolution's humanity to those aspects of life that it hasn't reached because of old prejudices," she told Reuters.
Much has changed, she says, since the 1960s when homosexuals were sent to work camps, or the 1970s when gay men and women were denied certain jobs as "ideological deviants."
"None of that exists any more," she said. "But that is not to say the same for homophobic attitudes."
Cuba eliminated the crime of sodomy in 1979. Cuba is also a country where abortion is a constitutional right and divorce a simple procedure.
A POWERFUL FAMILY
Mariela Castro says she isn't a leader, but simply part of a movement for greater tolerance.
Nevertheless, she admits her access to the two most powerful figures in the country has helped her cause.
Castro says she has the support of her 75-year-old father, who is second in charge of the all-powerful Communist Party and as first vice-president in line to succeed Fidel.
"Of course, I talk with my father whenever I have the chance. He is one of those in the party that supports our work. He thinks it is useful, good, just," she said.
Castro sees her uncle less often.
"Fidel is very sensitive to these issues," she said. "He is a pensive man and when the subject is one of justice it gets his attention. He asks for more information, more elements to consider."
Castro sees herself as continuing the work of her mother, Vilma Espin, head of the Cuban Womens Federation for the past 45 years. Eighty-seven percent of the island's women are members.
Espin, considered one of the most influential personalities of the Cuban revolution, is the originator of the Cuban family code adopted in 1975, which calls on men to share household chores and child care.
Castro said many people ask her if she plans to push legalization of gay marriages.
"We do not know what we will propose. It depends on what we identify as homosexuals' and lesbians' main needs," Castro said.
"Marriage is not as important in Cuba as in other more Catholic countries. Here consensual pairing is more important," she said, "What matters is love."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Microsoft faces class action suit over WGA tool...
PC World Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
03/07/2006. Microsoft is facing a class action suit over a tool that gathers data on a user's computer in an effort to detect bootlegged copies of its Windows operating system.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle last week, concerns Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), an antipiracy tool the company introduced in July 2005. The WGA program collects hardware and software data, delivering it to Microsoft servers. The stored information is then used to warn of possible piracy violations.
The lawsuit alleges the program violates consumer protection laws in California and Washington state, and laws against spyware, invasive programs that surreptitiously collect data.
In introducing WGA, Microsoft finds computer users already sensitized to the question of how they are notified about software installation and privacy issues. Late last year, Sony BMG Music Entertainment provoked controversy by shipping 15 million music CDs containing invasive copy protection software that installed itself on buyers' computers.
Sony eventually compensated users who bought the affected CDs, which had software that installed itself without user consent and transmitted data, after a class-action suit.
The suit against Microsoft contends the company mislead users in delivering WGA to computers, masking it under batches of monthly updates that often include critical security patches. It asks Microsoft to delete all data collected by WGA and provide users with the ability to remove the software from their computers, in addition to damages.
"In truth and in fact, Microsoft, in its efforts to maximize revenue through antipiracy measures, mislead consumers and the public as to the true nature, functionality and operation of its WGA," the suit said.
Earlier this month, Microsoft admitted a version of WGA under distribution as a "high priority" update was in fact a test version of the WGA software. In April, Microsoft stepped up the WGA program, adding a function notifying users if their copy of Windows wasn't valid and causing it to make frequent contact with the company's servers.
In response to user complaints, Microsoft released a new version of WGA this week allowing people to opt out of notifications. The update also changes the frequency with which the program contacts Microsoft to check the validity of Windows.
Users have also complained the software is buggy, labeling copies of Windows as counterfeits when the license may have been legitimately transferred to a different piece of hardware.
For computers suspected of running bogus software, Microsoft has blocked downloads of free tools such as Windows Defender, its antispyware tool, but allowed security patches.
Microsoft officials contacted early Friday did not have an immediate comment.
03/07/2006. Microsoft is facing a class action suit over a tool that gathers data on a user's computer in an effort to detect bootlegged copies of its Windows operating system.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle last week, concerns Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), an antipiracy tool the company introduced in July 2005. The WGA program collects hardware and software data, delivering it to Microsoft servers. The stored information is then used to warn of possible piracy violations.
The lawsuit alleges the program violates consumer protection laws in California and Washington state, and laws against spyware, invasive programs that surreptitiously collect data.
In introducing WGA, Microsoft finds computer users already sensitized to the question of how they are notified about software installation and privacy issues. Late last year, Sony BMG Music Entertainment provoked controversy by shipping 15 million music CDs containing invasive copy protection software that installed itself on buyers' computers.
Sony eventually compensated users who bought the affected CDs, which had software that installed itself without user consent and transmitted data, after a class-action suit.
The suit against Microsoft contends the company mislead users in delivering WGA to computers, masking it under batches of monthly updates that often include critical security patches. It asks Microsoft to delete all data collected by WGA and provide users with the ability to remove the software from their computers, in addition to damages.
"In truth and in fact, Microsoft, in its efforts to maximize revenue through antipiracy measures, mislead consumers and the public as to the true nature, functionality and operation of its WGA," the suit said.
Earlier this month, Microsoft admitted a version of WGA under distribution as a "high priority" update was in fact a test version of the WGA software. In April, Microsoft stepped up the WGA program, adding a function notifying users if their copy of Windows wasn't valid and causing it to make frequent contact with the company's servers.
In response to user complaints, Microsoft released a new version of WGA this week allowing people to opt out of notifications. The update also changes the frequency with which the program contacts Microsoft to check the validity of Windows.
Users have also complained the software is buggy, labeling copies of Windows as counterfeits when the license may have been legitimately transferred to a different piece of hardware.
For computers suspected of running bogus software, Microsoft has blocked downloads of free tools such as Windows Defender, its antispyware tool, but allowed security patches.
Microsoft officials contacted early Friday did not have an immediate comment.
Worm appears as Microsoft antipiracy program...
PC World By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
03/07/2006. Security analysts have detected a new piece of malware that appears to run as a Microsoft program used to detect unlicensed versions of its operating system.
The malware has been classified as a worm and spreads through AOL's Instant Messenger program, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, a security vendor.
Sophos is calling it W32.Cuebot-K, a new variation in the Cuebot family of malware. The worm has a range of malicious functions. After it's installed, the worm immediately tries to connect to two Web sites, a sign it may try to download other bad programs on the machine.
Cuebot-K can disable other software, shut off the Windows firewall, download new malicious programs, perform basic DDOS (distributed denial of service) attacks, scan local files and spawn a command prompt, Sophos said.
Worms that spread through instant messaging programs often appear as messages or links sent from friends, which trick a user into executing the program. Cuebot-K propagates by sending itself as a file named "wgavn.exe" to more people in the user's "Buddy List" but without a message, Cluley said.
If installed on a computer, Cuebot-K is registered as a new system device driver service named "wgavn." When a list of services running on the computer is summoned, the worm appears as "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Notification" Sophos said.
Cuebot-K's registry entry appears as HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wgavn\.
The worm's ironic ruse comes as Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program is being criticized for functioning like spyware. WGA collects hardware and software data on a user's computer and compares it to a database of licensed operating systems.
If an improper copy is detected, Microsoft warns the user and cuts off some free downloads.
03/07/2006. Security analysts have detected a new piece of malware that appears to run as a Microsoft program used to detect unlicensed versions of its operating system.
The malware has been classified as a worm and spreads through AOL's Instant Messenger program, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, a security vendor.
Sophos is calling it W32.Cuebot-K, a new variation in the Cuebot family of malware. The worm has a range of malicious functions. After it's installed, the worm immediately tries to connect to two Web sites, a sign it may try to download other bad programs on the machine.
Cuebot-K can disable other software, shut off the Windows firewall, download new malicious programs, perform basic DDOS (distributed denial of service) attacks, scan local files and spawn a command prompt, Sophos said.
Worms that spread through instant messaging programs often appear as messages or links sent from friends, which trick a user into executing the program. Cuebot-K propagates by sending itself as a file named "wgavn.exe" to more people in the user's "Buddy List" but without a message, Cluley said.
If installed on a computer, Cuebot-K is registered as a new system device driver service named "wgavn." When a list of services running on the computer is summoned, the worm appears as "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Notification" Sophos said.
Cuebot-K's registry entry appears as HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wgavn\.
The worm's ironic ruse comes as Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program is being criticized for functioning like spyware. WGA collects hardware and software data on a user's computer and compares it to a database of licensed operating systems.
If an improper copy is detected, Microsoft warns the user and cuts off some free downloads.
Telstra threatens to scrap $2.2b broadband network...
ComputerworldBy Dan Nystedt
03/07/2006. Telstra chief, Sol Trujillo, has threatened to scrap an $3 billion national high-speed, fixed-line broadband network.
The telco had proposed to build a next generation fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) wireline network to cover the five major cities initially, then extend it to smaller towns later. But government regulations could require it to allow its rivals to use the network free or at low rates, something the company won't stand for.
"We will not invest in FTTN unless we achieve regulatory settings that will permit Telstra's 1.6 million shareholders to earn a competitive return that they expect and they deserve," Trujillo said in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra.
The company used to be Australia's national carrier, but has been undergoing a long privatisation process. It is supposed to sell more than 6 billion shares to investors later this year in a public offering valued at around $24 billion.
Australia's FTTN, which is a kind of high-speed, fiber-optic network that goes to the neighborhood but not directly to the home, is expensive because of the vast distances between cities in the nation and its relatively small population. The initial plan to set up the system in the five biggest cities would ensure the network covers about half of Australia's population.
"Unlike our competitors, Telstra stands ready to make these investments if the regulatory settings do not require us to give away our assets owned by our shareholders, and enable a reasonable commercial return," Trujillo said, adding that the company was serious about scrapping the FTTN plan.
"I want to be clear about something I keep on reading about -- that we're bluffing. If there's any belief in the room let me dismiss that belief," he said. Use of the network would be offered to competitors at commercial rates, he said.
He also said the company's national wireless high-speed 3G mobile network is already half built. The 3G network is slated to be in place by the first of 2007, when it will reach 98 per cent of the country's population.
03/07/2006. Telstra chief, Sol Trujillo, has threatened to scrap an $3 billion national high-speed, fixed-line broadband network.
The telco had proposed to build a next generation fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) wireline network to cover the five major cities initially, then extend it to smaller towns later. But government regulations could require it to allow its rivals to use the network free or at low rates, something the company won't stand for.
"We will not invest in FTTN unless we achieve regulatory settings that will permit Telstra's 1.6 million shareholders to earn a competitive return that they expect and they deserve," Trujillo said in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra.
The company used to be Australia's national carrier, but has been undergoing a long privatisation process. It is supposed to sell more than 6 billion shares to investors later this year in a public offering valued at around $24 billion.
Australia's FTTN, which is a kind of high-speed, fiber-optic network that goes to the neighborhood but not directly to the home, is expensive because of the vast distances between cities in the nation and its relatively small population. The initial plan to set up the system in the five biggest cities would ensure the network covers about half of Australia's population.
"Unlike our competitors, Telstra stands ready to make these investments if the regulatory settings do not require us to give away our assets owned by our shareholders, and enable a reasonable commercial return," Trujillo said, adding that the company was serious about scrapping the FTTN plan.
"I want to be clear about something I keep on reading about -- that we're bluffing. If there's any belief in the room let me dismiss that belief," he said. Use of the network would be offered to competitors at commercial rates, he said.
He also said the company's national wireless high-speed 3G mobile network is already half built. The 3G network is slated to be in place by the first of 2007, when it will reach 98 per cent of the country's population.
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