A man suspected of running the infamous Bredolab botnet has been arrested in Armenia.
The collar of the unnamed 27-year-old suspect at Yerevan Airport on Tuesday follows hours after an operation led by Dutch police resulted in the takedown of 143 command and control servers associated with the information-stealing zombie network.
The malware is reckoned to have infected 30 million computers worldwide, causing undoubtedly huge losses and considerable inconvenience to victims in the process.
Investigators reckon the suspect launched an unsuccessful bid to retake control of the botnet and attack Leaseweb, the web hosting firm used by the hacker, soon after the takedown operation. According to Dutch media reports, the attack was brought to an abrupt stop after it was traced back to three Paris-based servers, whose compromised systems were pulled offline.
Armenian authorities arrested the suspect, who allegedly rented access to the botnet to other cybercrooks and fraudsters, following a tip-off from Dutch investigators.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2010 00:00 ||
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who allegedly rented access to the botnet to other cybercrooks and fraudsters...
So the original perps are still at large. Maybe they can make a deal with this guy if he gives them up. Do Armenian cops have to read him his rights?
Argentina's former President, Nestor Kirchner, has died at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.
Mr Kirchner served as president from 2003 to 2007, and was being tipped to stand for election again in 2011. His wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, succeeded him as president in 2007, after he had overseen Argentina's recovery from a severe economic crisis.
I know it's not polite to speak ill of someone in times like these, but Mr. Kirchner didn't oversee a recovery. His country is worse off today than before, and he and his wife have been involved in all sorts of skanky financial and political deals. Together the two of them pro'ly got their ten percent. Sorry to hear he died, but he wasn't a hero.
Mr Kirchner, who had a heart operation in September, died in El Calafate in southern Argentina.
The couple had faced some criticism within Argentina for appearing to get around presidential term limits by stepping aside for each other, and suffered a setback last year when their Peronist party lost its absolute majority in both houses of Argentina's Congress.
A lawyer by training, Mr Kirchner served as mayor of Rio Gallegos, his hometown in Argentina's Patagonian south, before becoming governor of the wider region - the oil and gas-rich province of Santa Cruz. He was elected president after Argentina had seen a series of presidents come and go following a major financial crisis in 2001.
As president Mr Kirchner encouraged changes in Argentina's justice system that set in motion dozens of trials against members of the 1976-1983 military government, who were accused of human rights abuses. He oversaw Argentina's recovery from the country's economic crisis in 2001 and 2002, and many Argentines credit him with fighting poverty and unemployment.
However, Mr Kirchner and his wife also faced allegations that they used their influence over local authorities to accumulate wealth. The couple denied the claims. According to their own statements, the Kirchners made most of the money through property deals in Santa Cruz, the province Mr Kirchner governed before becoming president.
The politician was confrontational towards his opponents, and some critics called Mr Kirchner authoritarian. He also sharply criticised big business, and his unorthodox economic policies were unpopular with investors.
Since leaving office Mr Kirchner continued to remain politically active despite his health problems. He had remained a member of the Argentine congress and secretary general of the South American regional grouping, Unasur.
With that role he maintained political influence beyond the borders of Argentina, playing a role in disputes and issues across South America, including in recent civil unrest in Ecuador.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/28/2010 00:00 ||
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He was a Peronist and a fascist. Sadly, he is survived by his Evita.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/28/2010 16:39 Comments ||
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A luxury resort in the Maldives has sparked outrage after a video appeared on You Tube showing members of staff abusing and mocking their guests using a language they were unable to understand.
Employees at the Vilu Reef Beach and Spa resort can be seen calling an English-speaking couple 'infidel' and 'swine' and calling their guests' marriage illegal in their native Dhivehi tongue throughout the 15-minute wedding ceremony.
According to the Maldives news service Minivan News, the video which was uploaded to You Tube 'as a joke', shows an employee named Hussein Didi conducting a service as a 'celebrant' - a person who is empowered to perform a religious ceremony.
The document he uses, of which there is a brief close-up in the video, has absolutely no relation to marriage laws in the Maldives. Words that are legible on the document refer to 'staff employment', suggesting that it is a document relating to employment regulations.
Asking the couple and other 'officials' to raise their hands as is customary for Muslim prayers, the 'celebrant' begins his marriage vows.
'Fornication has been legalised according to Article six, 1.11 of the Penal Code,' he chants in a tone favoured by religious scholars. 'That is, frequent fornication by homosexuals. Most fornication is by males,' he continues.
'You are swine. The children that you bear from this marriage will all be bastard swine,' he says to his guests.
'Your marriage is not a valid one. You are not the kind of people who can have a valid marriage. One of you is an infidel. The other, too, is an infidel -- and we have reason to believe -- an atheist, who does not even believe in an infidel religion.'
The hapless couple remain oblivious as the 'celebrant', surrounded by 10 to 15 employees, calls for the marriage to be enshrined in Islamic law, followed by further personal insults against the couple.
"He looks too old to beat his harlot of a wife."
None of the employees attempts to stop the 'ceremony' and several take photographs.
Various types of insults about the woman and the man, their clothing and demeanour, are spoken throughout in the form of a running commentary in a sports video.
"My goat has a prettier beard."
"So does your wife."
The woman speak English, largely just in reply to the 'officials', and it appears from the video that their surname is Alexander, although one news agency maintains they are Swiss.
As the bride bends down to plant the coconut tree, a man is heard is exclaiming: 'Can see her breasts!' The 'commentator' observes: 'She is wearing something', he knows, he says, 'because my beard has gone grey watching those things... I have seen so many of them now that I don't even want to look any more when I see them.'
Of course, this is hilarious in the original Dhivehi.
A police investigation has been launched into the incident while management at the resort have said that the employees have been sacked and evicted from the resort altogether. But the resort admitted that it does not have a person who is specifically designated to perform the rituals.
"Usually we just use the most sarcastic person on hand."
The groom, who is watering the new coconut tree which they have just planted, is totally unaware of the manner in which his wife and her breasts are being discussed by the group of Maldivian men 'officiating' at the renewal of their wedding vows.
'Celebrant' Didi tells the couple they should return soon to check on the progress of their plant, testament to what had taken place on the island that day.
The video concludes with the 'commentator' repeatedly urging the 'celebrant' to make the couple 'suck mouths, suck mouths' - an expression used by Maldivians to denigrate the act of kissing.
In a statement the resort expressed its 'deep concern and regret' over the incident. Set on its own exclusive island in the Indian Ocean, the Maldive resort is a popular destination for couples intending to renew their marriage vows.
A stay at the Vilu Reef beach and Spa costs from $1335 per person and it is advertised as a place where couples can 'celebrate and capture the special moments of your life and mark a milestone in your amazing journey together or wish to rejoice another year of life'.
[Al Jazeera] At least 65 people have been killed after a roof collapsed at a wedding in northern Afghanistan. The incident occurred in Jelga, a remote district located in the northern province of Baghlan, on Wednesday as guests gathered for the wedding in the early afternoon.
Hamid Niazi, the head of the Afghan Red Islamic Thingy, said at least 40 people were maimed and that many of the victims were women and kiddies.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse is under way.
Too much ammo on the roof?
Munshi Abdul Majid, the governor of Baghlan, said the wedding party was being held in a three-storey village house.
"Women and children form the bulk of fatalities," he said.
Houses in Afghanistan are often flimsy structures of mud and wood, constructed with little or no oversight by civil authorities.
Weddings are one of the principle forms of entertainment and social interaction in Afghanistan, although men and women often celebrate in separate areas.
In June, at least 50 people were killed when a boomer attacked a wedding party. Those festivities had been attended by members of an anti-Taliban movement in bustling Kandahar, the Taliban's main stronghold in the south.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2010 00:00 ||
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An investigation into the cause of the collapse is under way.
You know the answer is going to be a US bomb or missile attack - probably one of our sophisticated AWMs (anti-wedding munitions).
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
10/28/2010 11:01 Comments ||
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I suspect it may not have been built in compliance with the 2007 IBC (International Building Code), much less the soon-to-be-implemented 2010 IBC, but I hate to be cynical. Perhaps it was Allah's will?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/28/2010 20:39 Comments ||
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There are international building codes? I thought those would only be local, based on recommendations developed by the academic researchers...
Talaq is no joke. An e-savvy Qatar resident learnt this the hard way when he typed talaq thrice while chatting with his wife on Skype. He says he did not mean it but Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband has ruled that his nikah stands terminated.
That's not all. For his careless 'chat', the man can remarry his divorced wife only after halaala, a practice under which the woman has to marry and divorce another man before she can marry her previous husband again.
Deoband's fatwa section Dar-ul-Ifta (DuI) recently received a written request from Qatar, seeking a fatwa on a rather amusing situation. The youth stated that he was recently chatting with his wife on Skype when he typed the word 'talaq' three times, though he did not mean it and asked if his nikah was still valid.
Dar-ul-Ifta shot back that the nikah stands terminated. "When you pronounce talaq three times, it means talaq has taken place, and it does not matter whether the woman has reciprocated or not. Your wife has become 'haraam' for you whether you are aware of the commandment of Islam or not. You neither have the right to take her back nor solemnise new nikah with her without a valid 'halaala'. After the completion of 'iddah' (iddat) period, the woman can marry where she wishes except you," the seminary said.
As per senior Islamic scholars, 'halaala' requires the woman to complete her iddat period of 40 days beginning immediately after talaq. During this period she is supposed to stay away from celebrations and socialising.
At the end of iddat, she would have to marry another man who should then divorce her. She will be required to go through another round of iddat only then would she be eligible to marry her "first husband".
#3
"At the end of iddat, she would have to marry another man who should then divorce her. She will be required to go through another round of iddat only then would she be eligible to marry her "first husband"."
Or, they could just live in sin like normal people.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/28/2010 19:16 Comments ||
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Or, they could just live in sin like normal people.
It's Qatar, Barbara, a part of the world where "sin" has serious consequences.
More than 100,000 people were stopped and searched by police under counter-terrorism powers last year but none of them were arrested for terrorism-related offences, according to Home Office figures published today.
The statistics show that 504 people out of the 101,248 searches were arrested for any offence an arrest rate of 0.5%, compared with an average 10% arrest rate for street searches under normal police powers.
The figures prompted the former Conservative home affairs spokesman David Davis to call for the controversial policy to be scrapped.
"This astonishing fact of no terrorism-related arrests, let alone prosecutions or convictions, in over 100,000 stop and searches, demonstrates what a massively counter-productive policy this is," said Davis.
(KUNA) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday vowed to fight a planned 5.9 percent increase in the European Union's budget, describing it as "completely unacceptable".
Ahead of a European summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister said the rise - backed by the European Parliament against the wishes of the Council - was "wrong" when spending was being cut at home.
He told MPs he would do "everything I can" to limit the rise for next year and put in place "strict controls" for future years. "I think the greatest priority for Britain should be to fight very hard to get the EU budget under control," Cameron said during Prime Minister's question time.
"I think it is completely unacceptable at a time when we are making tough budget decisions here we are seeing spending rise consistently in the European Union. "I think that is wrong, and I am going to be doing everything I can to try and sort out the budget for next year and then also look at the future financing of the European Union where we want to see strict controls. That, I think, should be our priority."
Cameron was responding to Conservative MP Andrew Turner who asked about reports a new treaty was being sought to put EU aid to Greece on a legal footing.
Cameron said the rebate secured by Margaret Thatcher had saved Britain 88 billion pounds, citing it as an example of what tough negotiation could achieve, and went on: "The European Parliament has insisted on a higher budget than the one set by the Council, and the first thing is to say that is not acceptable and to build a majority on that Council to get that budget down again."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2010 00:00 ||
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Ahhh I remember when the EU was an "informal" organization formed to allow easy travel and work for it's citizens. Hows that working out for you?
The director of a Muslim school in Australia has been found guilty of falsifying student numbers to fraudulently obtain 1.125 million dollars in government grants.
According to News.co.au, Anwar Sayed was accused of falsifying student numbers at the Muslim Ladies College of Australia in Perth. The 50-year-old is the Director of Muslim Link Australia, which runs the school.
The District Court in Perth heard that Sayed signed a declaration that over 180 students were enrolled in the school in the 2006/07 census year, when there were 80 to 100 fewer than that. The school had received about 961,000 dollars from the federal government and about 164,000 dollars from the state government.
(KUNA) -- The outcome of Turkey's recent constitutional reform referendum was a step towards EU membership, but Turkey must do more, both to protect press and religious freedoms and to resolve the northern Cyprus issue, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule told a joint meeting of MEPs and Turkish MPs in the European Parliament.
EU accession is supported by all circles of Turkish society, Turkey's EU Affairs Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bagis, told the 65th EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting in Brussels Tuesday evening, the EP said in a statement here today.
The recent constitutional reform referendum constituted "a turning point" in EU-Turkish relations, said Bagis, adding that it was difficult to explain to the Turkish public why the EU was still "delaying the accession process", despite Turkey's efforts to comply with EU requests and recommendations.
Fule said the EU's 2010 progress report on Turkey to be released next month would mention positive steps such as lifting restrictions on broadcasting in other languages than Turkish, furthering judicial reform, and improving fundamental rights, but it would also voice concern about Turkey's difficulties in guaranteeing freedom of expression, press, and religion. Fule stressed that resolving the Cyprus issue was a "credibility test" for both sides.
"Turkey will never give up Northern Cyprus for the sake of the European Union, but it will not give up the European Union for Northern Cyprus either," Bagis replied.
Joint Parliamentary Committee Co-Chair from the Turkish sdie Lufti Elvan, reiterated that whilst businessmen from Brazil and South Korea could easily enter the EU, those from Turkey still needed to queue for visas.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2010 00:00 ||
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"Turkey will never give up Northern Cyprus for the sake of the European Union, but it will not give up the European Union for Northern Cyprus either," Bagis replied.
That statement strikes me as profoundly stupid and profoundly Islamic, but I repeat myself.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters say if they had the option next week, they would vote to get rid of the entire Congress and start all over again. Only 20% would opt to keep the entire Congress instead. Fifteen percent (15%) aren't sure.
Of course, the Political Class strongly disagrees. While 84% of Mainstream voters would opt to get rid of the entire Congress, 64% of the Political Class would vote instead to keep them all. The last paragraph is a bold argument for term limits.
That last paragraph means the voters need to informally enforce term limits over the next few elections.
The Iranian Army and Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will stage a joint major military drill in November to display the country's modern defensive capabilities, the local satellite Press TV reported on Thursday.
Activate the Photoshop editors, we're going in!
The drill will be held across the country in four phases and Iran's armed forces will take part in the air, ground and sea exercise and various defensive equipment including tanks, personnel carriers, ballistic missiles and vessels will be put on display, the report said.
Meanwhile, different kinds of radar systems, modern anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-cruise missile cannon, anti-armor and electronic warfare systems, fighter bombers as well as destroyers will also be showcased in the drill, according to the report.
Earlier this month, Iranian Navy Chief Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari invited neighboring and regional countries to hold joint war games in a bid to maintain security in the Middle East.
In April, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, IRGC deputy commander, said that the country is prepared to stage joint drills with its southern neighbors in the Persian Gulf.
Pope Benedict has called on immigrants to respect the laws and national identity of their host countries. He said that every country had the right to regulate the flow of migration and immigrants had a duty to integrate.
The Vatican traditionally identifies with migrants and refugees and recently criticised France for deporting 1,000 Roma (gypsies) to Romania and Bulgaria.
"Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a website enjoys effective immunity from civil copyright liability for user content, provided they, promptly remove infringing material at the request of a rightsholder. Thats how sites like YouTube are able to exist...[snip]. But to dock in that legal safe harbor, a site has to, among other things, register an official contact point for DMCA takedown notices, a process that involves filling out a form and mailing a check to the government. An examination of Righthavens lawsuits targeting user content suggests its specifically going after sites that failed to fill out that paperwork."
#3
Does Righthaven have a history of using this mechanism to have its copyrighted material removed from websites that use it, or do they just let it sit there because they really don't care about it?
If a company has a history of lax protection of its IP, I have been told that it's difficult to win court cases.
#5
More to come about Rantburg's status with Righthaven later. Fred has done the DMCA thing -- out of his pocket.
Pay attention to the top of the page --- click on that and send Fred 5 bucks, he needs it -- for one day, you can go without that expensive cup of coffee.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A man suspected of running the infamous Bredolab botnet has been arrested in Armenia.
Argentina's former President, Nestor Kirchner, has died at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.
A luxury resort in the Maldives has sparked outrage after a video appeared on You Tube showing members of staff abusing and mocking their guests using a language they were unable to understand.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters say if they had the option next week, they would vote to get rid of the entire Congress and start all over again. Only 20% would opt to keep the entire Congress instead. Fifteen percent (15%) aren't sure.
