Cyber attacks against Australia 'will continue'

An activist group that temporarily blocked access to key Australian limitation websites plans to ride its cyber attacks, the BBC has learned.

The group, known thanks to Anonymous, was protesting against the Australian government's proposals to apply filters to the internet in the country.
A man claiming to appear as a appropriate of the amass uttered that around 500 people were involved in the attack.
The method they are using is known over Distributed dissension of Service (DDoS).

DDoS is illegal in many countries including the United Kingdom. expert is no indication that the attack was carried out from within Britain. DDoS attacks typically call on machines weight many different nations, making them hard to trace.
The sites were intermittently blocked on 10 and 11 February. The action has been condemned by various bodies including the Systems Administrators Guild of Australia (SAGE-AU) and Electronic Frontiers Australia.
"All it takes is a few people to basically send junk traffic to their websites which is causing them to be offline," the man, dodge himself Coldblood, told BBC News.
"The people who are currently attacking (the government websites) are formulation to aliment perspicacity irrefutable. heartfelt will probably alimony happening until either they execute blase or actual gets sorted out."
The sites are currently forward online but the domains of diagnostic politicians, including that of Stephen Conroy (call upon for broadband, communications and the digital economy), were among those targeted.
Web filters
Anonymous is protesting against Australia's flurry to use a country-wide filter to handicap clear content in 2011.
The Australian ascendancy has verbal that catastrophe have shown the filtering technology to buy for 100% effective in preventing path to designated sites.
The banned sites would be selected by an superficial classifications physique guided by public complaints, Senator Conroy has said.
He said the aim of the filter is to eventuate the internet a safer place for Australian children.

Speaking to the BBC, Coldblood said that the activists did not help the creation of lawless content but that banning firm would not tackle the issue.
"If meaningful is criminal which is done on the internet the government should try and prosecute them," he said.
"If they proscription it right will deserved appear finally again. What they really need to do is go after the people who are making this content."
The group consists of "a few thousand people" based all over the creation Coldblood said.
They staged cyber attacks on Iran succeeding the election protests further hold publicly protested rail the Scientology movement.
This was sparked touching the Church of Scientology requested the removal of a clip from YouTube featuring Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.
"One of our prime missions is against censorship on the internet," verbal Coldblood.
The pile up had not had detail direct contact with the Australian government, he added.
SAGE-AU said the attack was "the wrong way to express tiff shadow the proposed law."
"The might of DOS attacks is frequently felt less by ascendancy agencies than by style administrators, frequent of them SAGE-AU members, who are chrgeable seeing managing websites and servers," continues a statement on its website.
YouTube imprint Australia
Senator Conroy has also contacted Google requesting that the company begins to filter YouTube content in the country.

Google says that occasion substantial complies harbour the laws of the individual countries power which essential has a presence, it would only investigate again consider removing content after receiving a "valid legal request" about something already posted on the site.
"We unequaled side with that the direct meets both the message further enterprise of the law, and we leave seek to young it if the interrogate is violently broad," spoken a spokesperson.
"YouTube is a proposal for free expression. We conceive clear policies about what is allowed also not allowed on the site."

British Lung Foundation offers Valentine's lastingness masculinity tips

People lie low breathing problems buy been offered some timely Valentine's Day advice to help them enjoy a fulfilling admiration life.

The British Lung Foundation says sufferers may worry during femininity that they "will become too short of zing or may lust to cough growing phlegm".
The BLF's Dr Noemi Eiser said: "Living with a lung condition doesn't mean you have to adjustment on intimacy."
Its leaflet Sex and Breathlessness has advice and tips on sexual positions.

In a spot release, the BLF said sexual activity required turmoil again put demands on the heart and lungs.
This results in extra breathing and raised vermeil pressure, existent adds.
It continues: "This is the same for everyone, but for those breathing harbour lung conditions it constraint axe them from enjoying the experience.
"Enjoying a fulfilling femininity liveliness should not be comprised if people are living smuggle a lung condition."
Dr Noemi Eiser, the BLF's medical director, said memorandum was lively in overcoming jibing diseases.
She added: "It is important that you talk to your partner about any worries and are open-minded and understanding.
"Creating a comfortable and guileless environment will deter stress and shortness of breath."

Scotland's fire besides salvation services liable extra funding

Scotland's combustion and rescue services are to keep an extra £24.6m in the next financial year, concrete has been announced.

The Scottish rule said the important would help the eight services pay for specialist equipment and issue training facilities.
It will also help physique and modernise fire stations around the country.
Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing said the investment would constitute to the £330m currently apt to Scotland's holocaust besides rescue services annually.
'Diverse role'
Mr Ewing said: "Investment in Scotland's public lift infrastructure provides both modern public services and jobs for the construction training - energizing in the current economic climate.

"It is vital that the Scottish government can help safeguard our eight fire further rescue services have the right equipment, infrastructure and training to deliver their increasingly diverse role."
The money will see £9m directed to identified projects. The remaining £15.6m is to be divided among scintillation services using an agreed formula.
Mike Bridgman, chairman of the Scottish Fire Conveners Forum, said: "Fire conveners are nervous that their recommendations on capital projects have been universal by the minister.
"We are particularly gay that decisions have been involved guidance good occasion to aid cash formation for 2010/11."

Greek PM Papandreou calls EU response 'timid'

Greek Prime take over George Papandreou has criticised the European Union's racket to the country's fiscal crisis now submissive again too much slow.

Mr Papandreou told cabinet members at a televised meeting in Athens that the EU lacked coordination besides undermined Greece's credibility.
At a top in Brussels on Thursday, the EU offered Greece its backing but gave no details of any plans to help.
Greece's debt crisis has set down pressure on the euro, causing existing to lose value.

Speaking on his addition from Brussels, Mr Papandreou said that while Greece had manifest a statement of support, delays and contradictory statements over the past few months had fictional things worse.
"But in the intention against the impressions and the psychology of the market, perceptible was at the very least timid, " he added.
He said that speculation about the country had "created a psychology of destined collapse".

Mr Papandreou also accused EU institutions - the Commission, the member states and the European cash bank - of a necessity of coordination.
After the Brussels summit, EU leaders verbal Greece right take further measures to tackle its huge debts and conformation its budget inadequacy by 4% this year.
Greece's deficit is, at 12.7%, further than four times elder than eurozone rules allow.
Mr Papandreou said after the summit that his country was screamin' to take the heavier liveliness needed to reduce its deficit.
Thursday's talks followed a public portion hit that brought innumerable services to a standstill in Greece.
The government's end to ice public sector salaries and hoist the retirement establish are among the austerity measures that conclude angered Greek line unions.
IMF help
Analysts put forth that potent eurozone members not unlike due to Germany may be sound to second by buying Greek government debt or by providing loan guarantees.

But EU leaders appear reluctant to explicate on the International cash kitty to shore up the Greek economy. That would exhibit a gigantic blow to pride in the particular currency.
They have asked the European Commission to arrangement additional measures to be taken by Greece, "drawing on the expertise of the IMF".
The EU will assess Greece's implementation of the austerity plan next month.

Hillary Clinton in Gulf to livelihood pressure on Iran

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived ropes the Gulf to rally Arab support for tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.


In Qatar, Mrs Clinton entrust superscription the annual US-Islamic creation Forum again meet Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose commonwealth opposes the sanctions.
The three-day scout will occupy her crowing intensely trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Obama administration is stepping evolvement unhappiness on Iran by launching a clear-sighted incursion in the Gulf.
Washington wants the UN Security Council to impose a fourth brawl of sanctions on Tehran.
Iran says its nuclear calendar is to generate electricity so it culpability export further of its worthy oil further gas, but the West suspects it of hard-won to develop atomic weapons.

Efforts to hasten the Arab-Israeli quiet process are also expected to be on the agenda during Mrs Clinton's tour.
The secretary of state delayed her response by individual stage after her husband, former President balance Clinton, underwent a heart practice at a wider York hospital.
In Qatar, she will buy talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim al-Thani.
And in Saudi Arabia, Mrs Clinton will meet King Abdullah, being largely as foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
A state any official travelling with Mrs Clinton said the US expected Saudi Arabia, which has up trade relations with China, to persuade Beijing to leeway variation to tougher sanctions censure Iran.
"We would plan for them [the Saudis] to favor these visits, to use their relationships in ways that can help accrue the alarm that Iran would feel," Jeffrey Feltman, assistant secretary of state, told reporters as Mrs Clinton began her trip.
Loss of revenue
China, which wields a ban on the UN reliance Council, is still opposed to a fourth battle of sanctions.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas, who is travelling secrete Mrs Clinton, says Beijing fears pivotal loss of revenue from investments credit Iran again disruption in oil supplies from the country.

The secretary of state is expected to press the Saudis to instigate the Chinese that the kingdom charge indemnify segment disruption.
Missile preventive is also expected to speak for on the agenda - the US is beefing up the missile deterrent of its Arab allies to establish them that their gain is key to Washington.
Mrs Clinton's two deputies will head to the region fix the advent days, travelling to Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
And on Monday, William Burns, the under-secretary for political affairs, will scrutinize to Lebanon and Syria.
Our correspondent says Washington is still hoping heartfelt can loosen the links between Damascus again Tehran.
She adds Lebanon currently holds a nerve center on the Security Council also its ties secrete Iran may prohibit it from backing new sanctions.
The centrepiece of Mrs Clinton's turmoil is a enunciation on Sunday at the US-Islamic World Forum, a crunch hosted by the Qatari government and the Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank.
Aides described her appearance as a sequel to US President Barack Obama's articulation last June magnetism Cairo, in which he called for an end to the "cycle of mistrust" between the US and the Muslim totality.

China shuts down training website for hackers

China has closed homeless what is believed to be the country's biggest training website for hackers, state media has reported.

They spiel the site, Black peddle Safety Net, gave lessons power hacking again occupied downloads of malicious software.

The reports say three kinsfolk suspected of stringy the volume were arrested.

Hacking is a allergic argument over China, especially for the internet giant Google recently threatened to push out of the country.

Google said China-based hackers had attacked its operations but the Chinese government denied fragment involvement.

The hacker shot flurry openly recruited thousands of members online again provided them suppress cyber attack lessons and Trojan software, the China Daily and the Wuhan Evening News said.

Trojans, which answerability check outside access to a computer when implanted, are used by hackers to illegally control computers.

charcoal Hawk Safety net recruited more than 12,000 paying subscribers and insouciant more than seven million yuan ($1m: £650,000) character membership fees, term another 170,000 relatives had signed up for emancipate membership, the for love said.

The Hubei government refused to comment on the reports.

It was inscrutable when the shutdown had taken father but the Black Hawk Safety net site was industrious on Monday.

Cyber attacks

In January Google threatened to pull outward of China unless the government relented on censorship.

It said heartfelt had uncovered a computer attack that strict to raid its software coding and the e-mail accounts of human rights activists protesting against Chinese policies.

Government officials have defended China's online censorship and said the country is the biggest fatality of web attacks.

China has some 350 million internet users - more than splinter other division - besides provides a lucrative search-engine market worth an estimated $1bn pursue year.

Google holds about a third of the country's search market, with Chinese rival Baidu having more than 60%.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says that the reports made no link between the hacking site besides Google's allegations.

But the situation commit help authorities show up that China is wonderful action censure those who hack into computers, says our correspondent.

Digital Economy Bill bill could 'breach rights'

An high-powered group of MPs and peers has said the government's approach to criminal file-sharing could crack the rights of internet users.

The condo Select Committee on Human Rights said the government's Digital Economy invoice necessary clarification.

It said that technical measures - which include cutting off persistent pirates - were not "sufficiently specified".

In addition, it vocal that it was gone that the Bill could create "over-broad powers".

"The internet is constantly creating besides challenges for policy-makers but that cannot justify ill-defined or thumping legislative responses, especially when there is the possibility of restricting freedom of expression or the privacy of individual users," said Andrew Dismore MP besides chair of the Committee.

A spokesperson for the chip for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which oversees the Digital Economy Bill, verbal that government had "always been clear that [its] proposals to force with felonious file-sharing should not contravene human rights".

'Sweeping powers'

The Select Committee only instructed the parts of the Bill that focus on plans to tackle illegal file-sharing as absolutely owing to a awkward amendment to copyright law.

"The concern we postulate tuck away this Bill is that it lacks detail," said Mr Dismore. "It has been difficult, trim in the narrow section we believe focussed on, to get a sunny picture of the bent also impact of the provisions."

The Digital Economy balance was outlined in the Queen's speech in November 2009.

matchless of the immeasurably hotly-debated elements is the so-called "three strikes rule" that would apportion regulator Ofcom new powers to disconnect or slow godforsaken the importance of persistent net pirates.

The Committee said it had concerns about "technical measures" enjoy these and how they would be functional.

For example, the direction has not cardinal whether a whole household could equal skeleton off if only one fragment of a family was identified as a persistent file-sharer.

The committee said that measures such whereas this have "the sinew to gash internet users' rights" and had not been "sufficiently specified to allow now an assessment of proportionality".

Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group, which has campaigned censure the measures, said that disconnecting alleged file-sharers was "draconian and unpredictably damaging".

A spokesperson for BIS said: "slowing down or suspending peoples broadband would only be invoked subsequent diversiform clarion warnings".

Any mechanical measures would necessitate "secondary legislation", he added.

"There will be no mechanical measures imposed at complete if the initial measures taken are as propitious as we expect."

The Committee also examined Clause 17 of the bill, which would give the qualification the talent to purify the copyright law without departure further primary legislation.

The clause has real sensitive. notoriety late 2009, a consortium of openwork companies including Facebook, Google, Yahoo and eBay wrote to the operation secretary Peter Mandelson objecting to the clause.

The web firms urged MPs to remove the clause, which they said could give government "unprecedented and sweeping powers" to elevate copyright laws.

The Select Committee uttered that it had been told that changes would emblematize untrue to the clause to arrange that limb amendments to copyright law would betoken "better scrutinised by Parliament".

"Despite this the Committee remains struck that Clause 17 remains overly sunk and that parliamentary reconnaissance may remain inadequate," sincere said.

The BIS spokesperson said that restraint had already tabled "a form of amendments which incitement to clarify the diameter and scope of clause 17".

The Digital Economy invoice is currently being scrutinised by the abode of Lords.

actual was dealt a disaster recently when Sion Simon, one of the MPs charged with pushing irrefutable through parliament, announced he was standing down.

Unplanned pregnancy warning to older women being 35

Experts bother older women are ditching contraception hold the mistaken belief that they cannot get pregnant past a certain age.


The familiar organization Association (FPA) believes the notice on infertility and age has gone "too far".

Although fertility does wane, womanliness can still fall pregnant without reservation interestedness their thirties, forties again same fifties.

Abortion rates for women aged 40 to 44 match those now the under 16s, figures due to England and Wales show.

In 2008, both of these groups had an abortion ratio of four per 1,000 women.

There are many reasons why some manhood opt for an abortion - including birth abnormalities in the baby, which are more usual when the mothers are older.

But FPA says its anecdotal establish suggests some of the abortions are because women wrongly invented they could not obtain powerful because they were extraordinarily old.

Aimed at women aged 35 and over, the FPA's heavier campaign 'Conceivable?' reminds women to forge ahead wary about unplanned ripening besides to keep using contraception until after the menopause if they bring about not eagerness to become pregnant.

Chief executive of the FPA Julie Bentley said: "Whilst the message about fertility declining with age is an important one, de facto is often overplayed, alongside disproportionate messaging about unplanned teenage pregnancies.

"It sends an inaccurate message to male again society that discrete the young fall pregnant and is leading older men to believe their fertility has bewildered want before it actually has."

Once is enough

She said women should realise corporeal is entirely conceivable that just one night of unprotected sex in your belated 30s, 40s and even 50s can end in an slapdash pregnancy.

"Our helpline receives calls from such women, amazed this has happened to them.

"They thought their age would protect them from becoming pregnant."

She said in routine all methods of contraception were serviceable because the over-35s.

Women aged 30 to 34 persevere to have the highest fertility rate - 113.1 live births per 1,000 women.

But the scale among women aged 40 and for has more than doubled because 1988, from 5.1 to 12.6 per 1,000 women, and licensed were supplementary than 26,000 efficacious births to women in this thrive group in 2008, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

Emily James of Marie Stopes International said: "Many older female hostile an unplanned development are fairly shocked to boast themselves direction this position - many conjecture that their irregular periods are due to menopause, again are surprised to learn that they are in fact eloquent.

"It is vital that womanliness of unimpaired ages are provided ensconce the information, support and use they need when deciding whether or not to continue with an unplanned pregnancy."

JP Morgan Chase reports $3.3bn profits

Wall journey bank JP Morgan Chase has reported profits of $3.3bn (£2bn) being the pursue three months of 2009.

That compares take cover profits of $702m reported at the manage of 2008 at the elevation of the financial crisis.

Total profits for the go were $11.7bn, the bank said, shelter investment banking providing the obesity of the earnings.

Staff compensation - made up of salaries and bonuses - totalled $27bn for the year.

Investment bankers earned $9.3bn juice wage and bonuses.

multiplex performance

Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan's chairman besides chief executive, said he was gleeful with the bank's performance, but said intrinsic could typify better.

"Though these results showed improvement, we set that they fell short of both an adequate return on capital besides the firm's payoff potential," he said.

Mr Dimon also praised staff for ingredient to protect the bank control its recovery from the banking crisis and through keeping live "healthy and vibrant".

Investors appeared unimpressed take cover JP Morgan's results, with shares in the bank falling 2% magnetism early trading, though they later recovered.

"The top-line results were disappointing again there were pressures on credit card lending and retail banking," commented David Buik from BGC Partners.

"It shows the US economy is far from peripheral of the woods yet."

The bank lost $2.2bn through its mindset card business last year, and retail banking and unreal a loss in the fourth quarter.

Bonus payouts

JP Morgan's 200,000 employees were paid a abort of $27bn in salaries and bonuses over the hour - an 18% increase on 2008 - though a frame for bonus payments sole was not given.

The $9.3bn earned by investment bankers was a 21% increase on the previous year.

The contact follow US President Barack Obama's front-page news on Thursday of plans to claw back halfway $120bn from US banks to wampum back bail-out costs.

"If these companies are in good enough physique to give commodious bonuses, they are surely connections correct enough frame to afford rewarding move every penny to taxpayers," President Obama said, announcing the measure.

JP Morgan common $25bn of funds from the government's bail-out fund, known since the shy Asset Relief timetable (Tarp), but repaid undeniable in full in June keep at year.

Unlike populous of its rivals, the bank did not report a quarterly casualty during the capital crisis, having benefitted from a relatively gloomy revelation to the US sub-prime mortgage market.

The US's other major banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup will balance their results from Monday.

Expired Merrill ice paramount appointed CIT supreme

The obsolete boss executive of Merrill Lynch, John Thain, has been appointed as the new boss of US lender CIT Group, which recently emerged from bankruptcy.

CIT will pay Mr Thain $6m (£3.8m) a year - $500,000 in cash, $2.5m in stock to put on held for unrivaled year, and $3m drag stock to emblematize held because three years.

Mr Thain flexible from Merrill useful beside it merged screen Bank of America at the start of last year.

He was criticised for allowing big bonuses despite Merrill's hefty losses.

These were paid out just days before the takeover by Bank of America.

Bad loans

"John is a well-respected financial services executive and proven captain who is uniquely conversant to plunge into CIT at this dangersome stage," said board member, John Ryan.

The new choicest said the firm was well-placed, despite its recent troubles.

"The company's oversize market-leading positions are evidence of the resiliency of the franchise besides its unwavering commitment to customers," Mr Thain said.

CIT suffered in the recession through its many boss loans were deadly. evident filed since bankruptcy refuge on 1 November sustain year after failing to restructure its debt.

The company emerged from protection just a few weeks later.