http://digitaljournal.com/article/321102
A teenager has been arrested for allegedly making comments on Facebook about the deaths of six British soldiers in Afghanistan last week.
According to Sky News, Azhar Ahmed of Ravensthorpe (19) posted comments on his profile page, criticizing the level of attention British soldiers who died in a bomb blast received, compared to that received by Afghan civilians killed in the war.
He was arrested on Friday and charged over the weekend.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “He didn’t make his point very well and that is why he has landed himself in bother.”
Ahmed has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence and will appear at Dewsbury Magistrates Court on 20 March 2011.
The soldiers were killed on March 6 in the deadliest single attack on British forces in Afghanistan since 2001 when their Warrior armoured vehicle was blown up by a massive improvised explosive device (IED).
The deaths take the number of UK troops who have died since the Afghanistan campaign began in 2001 to 404.
It seems you have to be careful if you have an opinion on Facebook these days.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Megaupload Site Popular Among U.S Government Users
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/12/megaupload_government_users/
The boss of the recently shut-down Megaupload file-sharing site claims that his records show plenty of US government users, including members of the Senate and the Department of Justice.
“Guess what – we found a large number of Mega accounts from US Government officials including the Department of Justice and the US Senate,” Kim Dotcom (formerly Schmitz), the portly potentate of Megaupload, told the Torrentfreak blog. “I hope we will soon have permission to give them and the rest of our users access to their files.”
No doubt government officials will claim that these accounts are for “research processes”, or owned by a few “bad apples”, but it does seem that Dotcom is willing to name names when his case comes the trial. Megaupload was one of the largest sites of its type, and the fallout could be very interesting if lists of users are made public.
The boss of the recently shut-down Megaupload file-sharing site claims that his records show plenty of US government users, including members of the Senate and the Department of Justice.
“Guess what – we found a large number of Mega accounts from US Government officials including the Department of Justice and the US Senate,” Kim Dotcom (formerly Schmitz), the portly potentate of Megaupload, told the Torrentfreak blog. “I hope we will soon have permission to give them and the rest of our users access to their files.”
No doubt government officials will claim that these accounts are for “research processes”, or owned by a few “bad apples”, but it does seem that Dotcom is willing to name names when his case comes the trial. Megaupload was one of the largest sites of its type, and the fallout could be very interesting if lists of users are made public.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
US Service Member Kills At Least 16 Afghan Civilians
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/US-Service-Member-Detained-in-Kandahar-for-Attacking-Civilians--142233565.html
Afghan officials and witnesses say a U.S. service member walked off his base and shot and killed at least 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar province Sunday.
The shooting is the latest in a string of incidents to further strain Washington and Kabul’s already tense relationship.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Sunday’s shooting unforgivable. He demanded an explanation from the United States for what he called “intentional killings.” Karzai said in a statement that nine of the victims were children and three – women.
The White House expressed deep concern and said it was monitoring the situation.
The U.S. commander of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan called the incident “deeply appalling.” In a statement, General John Allen offered his “profound regret” and “deepest condolences” to the victims and their families. He said “a rapid and thorough” investigation will be carried out and said the service member will be held “fully accountable.”
Acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham expressed the United States’ condolences to the victims’ families in a video statement Sunday.
Cunningham says the U.S. “deplores” any such act by U.S. forces against innocent civilians, and ensured the service member will be brought to justice.
Afghan officials say the U.S. service member opened fire in multiple homes in Panjwai district early Sunday.
NATO says it has detained the service member and is treating those injured in the attack at its medical facilities.
It remains unclear what might have motivated the service member’s actions.
The shooting comes after weeks of tense relations between U.S. forces and Afghan officials, following the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base.
Despite a U.S. apology for what it says was an accident, the burning of Qurans sparked violent protests and attacks across the country, killing dozens of people. There has also been a series of attacks by Afghan soldiers against foreign troops.
Afghanistan expert Andrew Wilder says these types of incidents together are very damaging for the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, but he says they won’t break the partnership.
“The need for a strong relationship there is so critically important both for Afghanistan and the U.S. We have had a lot of these kinds of incidents and they have all been weathered. And they are extremely unfortunate and make the job that much more difficult of sustaining a healthy relationship but I don’t think this will end up being seen as a tipping point.”
Wilder says the recent tension is also fueling sentiment in the United States that American troops need to speed up their withdrawal. Under an international agreement, foreign combat forces are to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Afghan officials and witnesses say a U.S. service member walked off his base and shot and killed at least 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar province Sunday.
The shooting is the latest in a string of incidents to further strain Washington and Kabul’s already tense relationship.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Sunday’s shooting unforgivable. He demanded an explanation from the United States for what he called “intentional killings.” Karzai said in a statement that nine of the victims were children and three – women.
The White House expressed deep concern and said it was monitoring the situation.
The U.S. commander of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan called the incident “deeply appalling.” In a statement, General John Allen offered his “profound regret” and “deepest condolences” to the victims and their families. He said “a rapid and thorough” investigation will be carried out and said the service member will be held “fully accountable.”
Acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham expressed the United States’ condolences to the victims’ families in a video statement Sunday.
Cunningham says the U.S. “deplores” any such act by U.S. forces against innocent civilians, and ensured the service member will be brought to justice.
Afghan officials say the U.S. service member opened fire in multiple homes in Panjwai district early Sunday.
NATO says it has detained the service member and is treating those injured in the attack at its medical facilities.
It remains unclear what might have motivated the service member’s actions.
The shooting comes after weeks of tense relations between U.S. forces and Afghan officials, following the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base.
Despite a U.S. apology for what it says was an accident, the burning of Qurans sparked violent protests and attacks across the country, killing dozens of people. There has also been a series of attacks by Afghan soldiers against foreign troops.
Afghanistan expert Andrew Wilder says these types of incidents together are very damaging for the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, but he says they won’t break the partnership.
“The need for a strong relationship there is so critically important both for Afghanistan and the U.S. We have had a lot of these kinds of incidents and they have all been weathered. And they are extremely unfortunate and make the job that much more difficult of sustaining a healthy relationship but I don’t think this will end up being seen as a tipping point.”
Wilder says the recent tension is also fueling sentiment in the United States that American troops need to speed up their withdrawal. Under an international agreement, foreign combat forces are to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
U.S Wind Farms Being Paid Not To Produce Power
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/07/wind-power-companies-paid-to-not-produce/#ixzz1ogH11u1g
Wind farms in the Pacific Northwest — built with government subsidies and maintained with tax credits for every megawatt produced — are now getting paid to shut down as the federal agency charged with managing the region’s electricity grid says there’s an oversupply of renewable power at certain times of the year.
The problem arose during the late spring and early summer last year. Rapid snow melt filled the Columbia River Basin. The water rushed through the 31 dams run by the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency based in Portland, Ore., allowing for peak hydropower generation. At the very same time, the wind howled, leading to maximum wind power production.
Demand could not keep up with supply, so BPA shut down the wind farms for nearly 200 hours over 38 days.
“It’s the one system in the world where in real time, moment to moment, you have to produce as much energy as is being consumed,” BPA spokesman Doug Johnson said of the renewable energy.
Wind farms in the Pacific Northwest — built with government subsidies and maintained with tax credits for every megawatt produced — are now getting paid to shut down as the federal agency charged with managing the region’s electricity grid says there’s an oversupply of renewable power at certain times of the year.
The problem arose during the late spring and early summer last year. Rapid snow melt filled the Columbia River Basin. The water rushed through the 31 dams run by the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency based in Portland, Ore., allowing for peak hydropower generation. At the very same time, the wind howled, leading to maximum wind power production.
Demand could not keep up with supply, so BPA shut down the wind farms for nearly 200 hours over 38 days.
“It’s the one system in the world where in real time, moment to moment, you have to produce as much energy as is being consumed,” BPA spokesman Doug Johnson said of the renewable energy.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
US Officials Believe Iran Sanction Will Fail Leading To Military Action
The president has made clear in public, and in private to Israel, that he is determined to give sufficient time for recent measures, such as the financial blockade and the looming European oil embargo, to bite deeper into Iran’s already battered economy before retreating from its principal strategy to pressure Tehran.
But there is a strong current of opinion within the administration – including in the Pentagon and the state department – that believes sanctions are doomed to fail, and that their principal use now is in delaying Israeli military action, as well as reassuring Europe that an attack will only come after other means have been tested.
BBC: "The Internet Is Broken, We Need To Start Over."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17032274
Viewpoint: "The internet is broken – we need to start over … Last year, the level and ferocity of cyber-attacks on the internet reached such a horrendous level that some are now thinking the unthinkable: to let the internet wither on the vine and start up a new more robust one instead. On being asked if we should start again, many – maybe most – immediately argue that the internet is such an integral part of our social and economic fabric that even considering a change in its fundamental structure is inconceivable and rather frivolous. I was one of those. However, recently the evidence suggests that our efforts to secure the internet are becoming less and less effective, and so the idea of a radical alternative suddenly starts to look less laughable." – BBC/ Prof Alan Woodward, Department of Computing, University of Surrey
Viewpoint: "The internet is broken – we need to start over … Last year, the level and ferocity of cyber-attacks on the internet reached such a horrendous level that some are now thinking the unthinkable: to let the internet wither on the vine and start up a new more robust one instead. On being asked if we should start again, many – maybe most – immediately argue that the internet is such an integral part of our social and economic fabric that even considering a change in its fundamental structure is inconceivable and rather frivolous. I was one of those. However, recently the evidence suggests that our efforts to secure the internet are becoming less and less effective, and so the idea of a radical alternative suddenly starts to look less laughable." – BBC/ Prof Alan Woodward, Department of Computing, University of Surrey
Friday, February 17, 2012
US Federal Trade Commission Websites Hacked By Anonymous (#FFF)
Both http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/ncpw/index.shtm (Federal Trade Commision FTC) and http://consumer.gov/ were hacked.
A statement was released on Pastebin with information on these attacks: http://pastebin.com/2qfEqS1p
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