Facebook hit with unsolicited porn, violent videos

By Alistair Barr

REUTERS - Facebook Inc said on Tuesday that it is investigating a rash of unsolicited graphic images that hit some users' accounts this week.

The images, Internet links and videos depicting pornography and violence have hit some people's Facebook newsfeeds in recent days.

"We experienced a coordinated spam attack that exploited a browservulnerability," Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said in a statement emailed to Reuters. "Our efforts have drastically limited the damage caused by this attack, and we are now in the process of investigating to identify those responsible."

Facebook does not know yet who was behind the attack and a motive was not clear, Noyes added during an interview with Reuters.

Facebook users were tricked into pasting and executing "malicious" javascript in their browser URL bar, which led to them unknowingly sharing the content, Noyes explained.

Facebook engineers have been working to reduce this browser vulnerability, he added.

Facebook and other "Web 2.0" sites are easy targets for such attacks because they pull in a lot of content from outside sources, according to Paul Ferguson, senior threat researcher at Trend Micro Inc.

"It seems every other day there is some new Facebook 'threat,' but this is just the new reality of Web 2.0 and social networking," Ferguson said. "It is 'low-hanging fruit' for criminals."

(Reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco and Jim Finkle in Boston, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Matthew Lewis)

Source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/facebook-hit-unsolicited-porn-violent-videos-193601769.html

Europe crisis can affect Indian economy: Pranab

Kolkata, Nov 13 (IANS) Emphasising that he will not hesitate to take harsh measures to control sovereign debt and fiscal deficit of the country, union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday said the financial crisis in Europe is likely to affect the Indian economy.

He also said that taking into account the current global economic scenario, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate will be less than the targeted nine percent at the end of this fiscal.

'I am worried and disturbed because I do not want the situation where sovereign debt would be too high and fiscal deficit unmanageable,' Mukherjee said at a programme organised by industry body Assocham here.

He said the financial crisis in Europe was likely to create adverse impact on the country's economy.

'The lesson we can draw from the experiences in Europe is that leaving the golden path of fiscal regulation and control will not help the existing economy, particularly the economy of big countries like India,' he said.

'We have to come back to fiscal consolidation,' he stated. 'We have to be taught... and I can assure you that as a finance minister, I will not hesitate to take the taught decisions at an appropriate time,' Mukherjee said.

Source:
http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/Europe-crisis-affect-Indian-ians-736641471.html

Nokia announces launch of Lumia family phones

New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) Finnish mobile handset manufacturer Nokia Monday announced the launch of Nokia Lumia family of smartphones based on Windows Phone in India.

The Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710 will be available in select retail stores across key cities and towns in mid-December. Both devices will be available for pre-order starting early December.

Lumia 800 is equipped with floating glass display, 16 GB internal user memory, an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, and 512 MB programme memory.

Lumia 710 has a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 512 MB RAM.

The global price of both the models are $580 (approx Rs.29,000) and $380 (approx Rs.19,000), respectively.

'Consumer research shows that Nokia Lumia offers the only truly differentiated experience in smartphones and we are enhancing that with signature Nokia capabilities,' said D. Shivakumar, managing director, Nokia India.

'The Lumia family, on the back of strong Symbian enhancements in Belle, positions us strongly to consolidate our lead in the Indian smartphone market,' he added.

These phones deliver functions such as Nokia maps and drive, which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device with free, turn-by-turn navigation voice guided navigation in 50 languages including Hindi and dedicated in-car-user-interface.

Maps for 100 countries and 750 cities in India are available on Windows Phone Marketplace, free to download on Nokia Lumia devices only

Nokia Music and the all new MixRadio a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally relevant music.

These services will be available in India in the first half of 2012.

Nokia also unveiled a complete, made over look for its retail network. More than 5,000 of its top retail outlets selling the Nokia Lumia range across the country will sport a new identity.

The rebranding elements include a strong visual experience including 3D and 2D in-store branding and a live device environment across all stores.

Source:
http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/Nokia-announces-launch-Lumia-ians-1446702171.html?x=0

Facebook privacy changes may soon require user consent

On Sunday 13 November 2011, 3:39 PM

London, Nov 13 (ANI): Facebook will soon require its users' consent before making any changes to the social networking site that results in exposing their profiles and activities to a wider audience.

The social network earlier announced alterations to its members' settings without asking for consent.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the social networking giant is now changing its policy after an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission.

The report suggested the site has also agreed to privacy audits by an independent organisation over the next 20 years.

However, it said the FTC does not prescribe how consent should be obtained, the BBC reports.

"Facebook has historically been extremely resistant to transparency in its own operations, so we welcome measures that would force the company to obtain express consent of its users," said the London based advocacy group Privacy International.

"However, it seems likely that the FTC's demands will only present a temporary obstacle in the path of Facebook's ambitions to collect its users' information," the firm added.

The FTC's intervention is being linked to the Washington-based campaign group, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), that filed a complaint in December 2009 claiming that privacy setting changes "violate user expectations, diminish user privacy and contradict Facebook's own representations".

EPIC noted that the website's users, security experts and others had voiced opposition to the change. (ANI)

Source:
http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/Facebook-privacy-changes-soon-ani-1070119740.html

Man tries to hurl shoe at Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: A man tried to throw his shoe at Pervez Musharraf when he was addressing a gathering in London, a media report here said Saturday. It was the second such attempt on the former Pakistan president.

The attempt was made when Musharraf was addressing the Kashmiri community in Luton, reported Geo News. Security personnel promptly caught hold of the man and took him out of the venue.

Another man raised slogans against Musharraf. This is not the first time that an attempt was made to throw a shoe at Musharraf.

In February this year, a man threw a shoe at Musharraf when he was addressing a gathering in Britain. The shoe didn't hit the former military dictator.

Musharraf ruled Pakistan for nine years after taking power in a bloodless coup in 1999. He stepped down in 2008 and left Pakistan. He now lives in London.

An Iraqi journalist, Muntazar al Zaidi, threw his shoes at US president George Bush in 2008, sparking a string of copy-cat attacks.

Later, shoes were tossed at Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Man-tries-to-hurl-shoe-at-Musharraf/articleshow/10616911.cms

The truth about Ash’s pregnancy

Aishwarya’s publicist rubbishes tabloid, Mumbai Mirror for fabricating stories of a possible C Section. Here's the truth

This is in regard to the article published by Mumbai Mirror dated 2nd November 2011 titled, “Bachchans pick Marol hospital for New B”. Coincidentally, this is the same publication that earlier carried another piece on Ash, titled ‘Pregnant Pause’ which stated that Mrs Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was incapable of conceiving due to some ailment. While the paper has taken a 360-turn, Ash’s agents accuse the publication of now trying to insinuate that there is a possibility that Ash has pre-decided the date of her delivery.

Here are lines from the article in Mumbai Mirror, followed by the joint-quote from Aishwarya and Seven Hills Hospital’s spokesperson:

1: Says source, “There is a possibility of Aishwarya going in for a C Section delivery 11.11.11.”
Spokesperson’s response: “Yet again, ridiculously insinuating such an esteemed and respected family would actually turn nature’s course for such blind sensationalized beliefs. There is a limit to time and again attributing such regressive remarks like marrying her off to a tree or actually planning delivering her baby just for the sake of a sensational journalism. How can journalism allow for such irresponsible reporting with regards to such intimate and personal decisions in a lady’s life.  Excitement and curiosity aside, how can we allow for this to go on and on- this is disgusting….as a woman, as I am sitting on the 3rd of November and if by the will of God and nature’s turn, she does end up delivering on the date mentioned, will this fictitious bit of article remain with her for the rest of her life? And as an international public icon, is this what she will be tagged with for the rest of the life? This is not what she needs to go through at this happy moment in her life.”

2. “Every time Aishwarya makes a trip to the hospital extra precaution is taken to safeguard her privacy says a source. The sonography section is barricaded and curtains drawn to keep away other curious patients, revealed our source.”
Spokesperson’s response: “This is the most ridiculous remark from a  fictitious source– when have women been on a stage when sonographies are done in any hospital and on any woman."

3. “Well-placed sources at the hospital revealed that the gynecologist especially comes for Aishwarya’s appointment at 7.30 am, usually before other patients start trickling in.”
Spokesperson’s response: “This is totally false and baseless.”

4. “However we cannot ever predict a baby’s arrival, so we have booked the room from the 10th to the 15th, added the source.”
Spokesperson’s response: “Who is this source to have booked a room on the first place?”

Commenting on this article, Dr. Pai, Head of Radiology and Vice President, Seven Hills Hospital says, “The report published in a daily tabloid in regards to Mrs. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s delivery at Seven Hills has taken me by surprise. The information and details are a figment of someone’s imagination. 7.30 am appointments and a C SECTION for the 11th as declared in the news piece have no resemblance to the truth and such stories only put the medical fraternity in bad light.  It may be added that a sonography is a personal procedure and is not performed in open wards hence it would not be different for any patient; each is entitled to their privacy.  Twisted details mislead the people of this country to believe and follow what a writer may see has good ‘masala’ newsprint.”
Adds Aishwarya’s publicist, “It is unfortunate that such false and fabricated news is being created to influence minds. Such articles as the lead in a daily go against the basic responsibility of print reporting and show case misinformation that could effect the huge following into believing that such wonderful moments of ones lives as a gift of life are open to personal preferences.  As a lady, I would feel that we should provide a more responsible attitude to such misinformed articles.”

Source:
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news/the-truth-about-ash%E2%80%99s-pregnancy.html