File-sharing scam targets Twitter

Twitter has identified a scheme that uses compromised file-sharing sites to steal the log on information of users. The service said it had discovered a number of compromised "torrent" sites that had been set up specifically to skim usernames and passwords. Torrent sites acts as indexes of links to TV, film and music files. Scammers were then able to use the data to gain access to Twitter and other sites because many people use the same logon for multiple services. The firm has reset the accounts of affected users, it said. "The takeaway from this is that people are continuing to use the same email address and password (or a variant) on multiple sites," the firm said in a blog post. "We strongly suggest that you use different passwords for each service you sign up for." The conclusion is echoed by security researchers who say it is a particular problem for banking websites. A survey of millions of people conducted by the security firm Trusteer, suggests that 73% of people share the passwords which they use for online banking, with at least one nonfinancial website. Around 47% of users share both their user ID and password with at least one nonfinancial website, it found. "Consumers are not aware, or are choosing to ignore, the security implications of reusing their banking credentials on multiple websites," said Amit Klein of the firm.

'Riskiest network'

Twitter said that it had discovered the scam after seeing unusual activity on the site. After "doing some digging" the firm found a network of compromised torrent sites that had been set up with the sole aim of stealing logon information. "It appears that for a number of years, a person has been creating torrent sites that require a login and password as well as creating forums set up for torrent site usage and then selling these purportedly well-crafted sites and forums to other people innocently looking to start a download site of their very own," said the firm. The sites also contained security exploits allowing the person to steal usernames and passwords. "This person then waited for the forums and sites to get popular and then used those exploits to get access to the username, e-mail address, and password of every person who had signed up." Twitter said that it hadn't identified all of the affected torrent sites but had reset the passwords of compromised accounts. The information comes as security firm Sophos launched its annual report. One of its findings that spam and attacks on social networks - such as Twitter and Facebook - had risen 70% in the last year. Facebook was branded the "riskiest" network, although the firm also pointed out that it was also the largest and would therefore attract the most attention form cybercriminals.

'Nude' photos seen on banker's PC in live TV interview

An Australian banker is in hot water after being filmed looking at semi-nude photos of a model while a colleague was doing a television interview nearby.

The banker in the background was caught off-guard during the broadcast

He could be seen clicking on photos of Miranda Kerr in the background of the Channel 7 interview on Tuesday with an analyst for Macquarie Private Wealth. The footage soon made its way on to YouTube and became a huge hit. Macquarie Private Wealth, however, was not amused and said it was taking the matter very seriously. The images of Ms Kerr could clearly be seen during the Channel 7 interview, only at the end of which does the banker turn to the camera and realise he has been filmed. A Macquarie statement said: "Macquarie has strict policies in place surrounding the use of technology and the issue arising from the live cross on Seven News is being dealt with internally." The banker in question, said to be a mid-level client investment manager, has reportedly been meeting executives to determine his future. His colleague, Martin Lakos, had been discussing interest rates in the Channel 7 interview. A spokesman for Channel 7 said it had expressed its concerns to Macquarie over the incident. The Australian said Macquarie's human resources department had e-mailed all 11,500 staff around the world with its internet policy, telling them to "familiarise themselves" with it. (my view)-And you wonder why your in a recession!

What Obama's Budget Means For Your Taxes

Lower-income Americans and small business would get a break under the proposal, while the better-off would take a hit.....YEAH RIGHT! WASHINGTON -- In recent weeks, the White House has trumpeted tax relief for the middle class, a freeze on much discretionary spending and a tax on the biggest players in the financial sector. However, the biggest surprise about President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2011 budget request, unveiled Monday, is how unsurprising it actually is. "It's largely a reiteration of the president's budget request from last year," along with some extensions of tax benefits built into the 2009 economic stimulus bill, says Clint Stretch, managing principal for tax policy at Deloitte Tax in Washington. Whether that's good news or bad depends on your perspective. For the better-off, the tax code will be more complex and more expensive under the president's proposals. For lower-income Americans, it's also more complex, but more generous as well. That same principle applies to businesses--small businesses would get a break, but many big concerns, particularly banks and oil, gas and coal companies--wouldn't see much benefit. For individuals making more than $200,000 annually ($250,000 for couples), the Obama administration is still calling for the reinstatement of the 36% and 39.6% marginal rates, rising from current levels of 33% and 35%, respectively. High earners would also get hit with other provisions, including limits on itemized deductions and a 20% tax rate on capital gains and dividends (up from 15% currently). In addition, carried interest would be taxed as ordinary income instead of capital gains, which is sure to draw the ire of the hedge fund and private-equity lobbies. However, those earning less than $200,000 would see an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. For 95% of working Americans, the administration also wants to extend for one year the Making Work Pay tax credit. The signature individual tax benefit of last year's stimulus act, it's a maximum $400 credit on the first $6,452 of an individual's earned income, with a phase-out for those making more than $75,000 a year. Last week, the administration also detailed several tax breaks for the middle class, including an increase in the Child Tax Credit for families making up to $113,000 a year and a $2,500 annual college tax credit. In addition, the president wants to expand the Saver's Tax Credit and require employers who don't offer workers retirement plans to automatically enroll workers in Roth IRAs. The newest additions to the administration's budget ideas--and they're not all that new--come in the small-business realm. Many companies that aren't classified as corporations would receive a permanent elimination of the capital gains rate for investments. Sounds generous, but it doesn't apply to a broad range of industries, including health, architecture, accounting, financial services and farming; moreover, last year's stimulus bill already provides a 75% small- business tax exclusion on capital gains. Other proposed tax advantages for businesses include a $5,000 credit for each new employee a company adds in 2010, a one-year extension of the bonus depreciation tax incentive included in the stimulus bill and a permanent extension of the research and experimentation tax credit. From the high-earner provisions alone, the budget proposal would raise during the next decade about $400 billion more than is necessary to pay for $381 billion in tax cuts, giving the government headroom to pay down the deficit. But there are still many areas for dispute. For example, a fee on the largest banks, levied to cover losses from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, would raise $90 billion during the next decade--if the idea doesn’t first get killed by the financial services lobby. In addition, the National Association of Manufacturers, which has long favored a permanent research and experimentation tax credit, claims the administration has put forth nearly $500 billion in new taxes on business during the next decade, including a $39 billion burden on energy companies and a $122 billion tax hike on multinational firms.

"The president called his budget a 'blueprint for job creation and economic growth,' but it puts costly burdens on America's job creators," says NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons.

According to Deloitte's Stretch, proposed tax hikes on the coal industry "could really become a showstopper," because they would affect a broad swath of industry. In addition, he says, although the provisions affecting high-income individuals are likely to find favor in this Congress, there's also a race at the state level to poach tax revenue from the better-off, which could have implications for federal policy. Of course, the broader issue is that the spending and revenue raising is expected to reduce the deficit to 4.2% of U.S. gross domestic product by 2020--about one percentage point higher than what many economists believe is sustainable. In addition, the budget assumes that the wind-down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will reduce the deficit by at least $84 billion beginning in 2012--a bold assumption. What to take away from it all? For the richest Americans, tax rates will almost certainly rise. The outlook for business is mixed. But with deficits running through the next decade--even with a proposed three-year freeze in certain discretionary spending--there's increasing pressure for higher taxes on the middle class, something the Obama administration is keen to avoid.(my view)-Yeah Sure.......lets see how long this will last!

Chinese girl, 9, becomes one of world's youngest mothers after giving birth to a baby boy

A nine-year-old Chinese schoolgirl has become one of the world's youngest mothers after giving birth to a healthy boy. The unnamed girl was brought to a hospital in Changchun, which lies in the north-east of the country, when she was eight and a half months pregnant. Two days later, she gave birth to the 6lb boy by Caesarean section, a Chinese newspaper has reported. The child comes from the nearby town of Songyuan. Her family refused to discuss the pregnancy, but confirmed they had reported it to the police. Last night police were reportedly trying to establish who the father is. In the province, sex with a child under the age of 14 brings an automatic rape conviction and a lengthy jail sentence. A legal expert told the paper that women under the age of 14 do not have sexual rights - 'so any argument of being consensual as a defence is completely untenable,' he said. He added: 'Anyone who had sexual relations with a girl under 14 means they have committed rape and is to be punished severely.' A hospital in China's largest city, Shanghai, recently said that about 30 per cent of abortions were on school-aged girls. The youngest reported mother in the world - and the most bizarre of all young pregnancy cases - is five-year-old Lina Medina of Peru, who gave birth to a 6lb son named Gerardo in a Caesarean operation in 1939.

Lina Medina, accompanied by her 11-month-old-son Gerardo, and Dr Lozada who helped with the birth. The picture was taken in 1939 in a hospital in Lima, Peru's capital.

Her father was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse but was later released because of lack of evidence. In 1957 another Peruvian girl, aged nine, gave birth to a girl weighing just over 6lb and, curiously, it was in 2006 that yet another Peruvian girl, aged eight, gave birth to a 4lb 4oz girl. Several other girls aged nine, from Thailand, Singapore, Rwanda and Brazil, have also given birth. Mothers aged as young as 10 and 11 have also become an increasing occurrence. The youngest mother in Britain is believed to have been 11 when she got pregnant and 12 years old when she gave birth.

Sixth-form student'murdered boyfriend after A-level success

A sixth form student stabbed her boyfriend to death after going on a drinking spree to celebrate her A-level results, a court heard yesterday. Katherine McGrath, 19, allegedly plunged a steak knife into Alyn Thomas's chest after a drunken row on the night of her exam results. The court heard Katherine and Alyn, 22, downed Malibu, cider, lager and whiskey in a day-long drinking session McGrath told police she grabbed the knife from the kitchen drawer to 'scare him off' when the pair argued at her large luxury home. The court heard the teenagers fell out after a woman colleague of supermarket worker Alyn offered to buy him another drink during the night out Cardiff Crown Court heard she stabbed Alyn at her £400,000 detached house while her parents were out. Prosecutor Roger Thomas QC said: 'The wound penetrated Alyn Thomas's heart and he died shortly afterwards. 'There was no justification or excuse for Katherine McGrath taking hold of what was in effect a weapon - the steak knife - and using it to cause his death.' The court heard McGrath was 'distressed and emotional' during a 999 call in which she admitted stabbing her boyfriend. McGrath claimed she acted in self-defence after her boyfriend attacked her and bit her thumb. The court heard she told the emergency operator: 'I did it in self-defence. He's my boyfriend and he came and attacked me and I didn't know what to do.' McGrath was arrested and taken to a police station where she was told Alyn had died. The jury heard a woman work colleague had earlier bought Alyn drinks - and McGrath claimed he shouted her name during their row. She told officers: 'My boyfriend pushed me to the floor twice. He's got two convictions for assault. 'He started biting me and I didn't know what to do. I just wanted him to get away from me. I love him.' The jury was told Alyn and McGrath went to Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, South Wales, on the morning of August 20 last year to collect her A-level results. McGrath was due to go on to university but had failed to achieve the necessary grades The pair spent much of the day drinking before Alyn went to work at a Tesco supermarket in the nearby town of Maesteg. They met up again later and together drank Malibu, cider, lager and whiskey before meeting friends at bars in Bridgend town centre. Mr Thomas said: 'They were in one pub where Alyn met Tesco colleague Carys Stanton who had accidentally bumped Alyn's car previously. 'She was embarrassed even though Alyn Thomas laughed it off and made very little of the incident. 'She apologised for bumping his car and offered to buy Alyn some drinks. 'Katherine McGrath will later refer to this and will describe how it was the start of the incident. 'McGrath claimed that when Alyn attacked her he was aggressive and angry - shouting the name Carys.' Jurors were told that a taxi driver who drove McGrath and Alyn to her home in Brackla, Bridgend, thought they were 'in good spirits and were a lively couple'. But McGrath told police that once inside the house Alyn's behaviour changed. She claimed he pushed her around the living room before she took the steak knife from a kitchen door to 'scare him away'. The court heard McGrath and Alyn Thomas were together just three months before the night she stabbed him. McGrath's best friend Claudia Ferri, 19, said: 'They got on really well. They were the other half of each other.' Former classmate Claudia said McGrath was looking forward to starting a university course in Bristol. Claudia described her friend as 'very studious and a hard worker' who was 'very popular and got on well with everyone'. The court heard that after being arrested, McGrath was seen banging her head against a wall. She told police: 'I want to kill myself.' But the prosecution claimed she was 'devious' and changed her story to detectives during interviews. Prosecutor Roger Thomas said there was 'nothing by the way of violent threats or words' from Alyn to McGrath. He added that McGrath was upset by her 'boyfriend's having spent time with, spoken to and accepted a drink from Carys'. The court heard Alyn feared McGrath had cheated on him and was worried about her staying faithful during a long distance relationship. John Charles Rees QC, defending, said: 'He was concerned about her going away to university. He didn't trust her. He was very fond of her. 'He was concerned she would go off to university and have a relationship with somebody else.' McGrath's parents, Martin and Carla McGrath and 20 friends and family are supporting her from the court's public gallery. The teenager, of Bridgend, South Wales, denies murder.

The trial continues

(my view)-1-You think people will come to terms and realize the ALCOHOL is a DRUG and drugs fuck with you,2-why do people have to drink to feel good or to celebrate? it fucking bothers me that 98%of the world are DRUGGIES....i want to say more but these assholes are pathetically stupid