Facebook Wins Court Challenge In Germany Against Its Real Names Policy

Facebook has won a court challenge against its real names policy in Germany.?Yesterday an administrative court in the North of Germany granted Facebook?s request for ?suspensive effect? against a ruling, made by Schleswig-Holstein?s?Data Protection Commissioner, that Facebook?s real names policy was violating German and European law.?The court ruled that German data protection laws aren?t applicable because Facebook has its European headquarters in Ireland ? meaning only (the less stringent) Irish data protection laws apply.

Back in December the German data protection body in question, the ULD (Unabhaengiges Landeszentrum fuer Datenschutz),?issued a ruling against Facebook?s real-name policy, arguing that it erodes online freedoms and calling for the site to allow the use of pseudonyms.?The ULD said it had received complaints from citizens about Facebook?s policy. It said its aim was to seek clarification of Facebook?s legal position in regards to European data protection law ? and its intention was to pursue a ?regular lawsuit? against the company.

At the time, Facebook said it planned to ?vigorously? fight the ULD?s ruling ? and its vigor appears to have paid off, with the?Schleswig-Holstein Administrative Court granting it suspensive effect against the ULD?s ruling, meaning its business as usual for Facebook in Germany.

However the ULD said today it intends to appeal.?In a?press release?(translated via Google translate) on Facebook?s court win, entitled ?Administrative Court of Schleswig granted Facebook free ride?, the ULD said it plans to appeal the court?s decision?before the Schleswig-Holstein Higher Administrative Court.

The head of the ULD Thilo Weichert described the court?s rulings in Facebook favour as ?more than amazing? and ?contradictory?.

The ULD has two weeks to appeal the court?s ruling.

At the time of writing Facebook had not responded to a request for comment. Update:?In an emailed statement, a Facebook spokesman said:??We are pleased with the decision of the Administrative Court of Appeals of Schleswig-Holstein. We believe this is a step into the right direction. We hope that our critics will understand that it is the role of individual services to determine their own policies about anonymity within the governing law ? for Facebook Ireland, European data protection and Irish law. We therefore feel affirmed that the orders are without merit.?

The news was reported earlier by the?AP?news agency.

February 1, 2004

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Facebook is the world?s largest social network, with over 1 billion monthly active users. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004, initially as an exclusive network for Harvard students. It was a huge hit: in 2 weeks, half of the schools in the Boston area began demanding a Facebook network. Zuckerberg immediately recruited his friends Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin to help build Facebook, and within four months, Facebook added 30 more college networks. The original...

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/15/facebook-wins-court-challenge-in-germany-against-its-real-names-policy/

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Russia science park Skolkovo hit by fraud probe

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities are investigating two Skolkovo officials after auditors uncovered suspected embezzlement of budget funds, in a setback to a plan to create a Silicon Valley-style technology hub outside Moscow.

A pet project of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Skolkovo was set up in 2010 to help incubate innovative companies in high-tech industries as part of efforts to diversify the oil and gas-dependent Russian economy.

While Skolkovo has won backing from more than 20 global high-tech giants such as Microsoft and Cisco, many observers say that a broader state-led drive to diversify the economy is delivering poor results.

Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement it had opened a criminal investigation into the Skolkovo Foundation's finance director, Kirill Lugovtsev, and the head of the Skolkovo Customs Finance Company Vladimir Khokhlov, among others.

The opening of such an investigation in Russia would typically, but not necessarily, precede the filing of criminal charges.

The investigators said they suspected around 24 million roubles ($800,000) allocated to develop Skolkovo had been stolen, adding documents provided by the state Audit Chamber and the Federal Security Service were the basis for the case.

The Audit Chamber has revealed violations in respect of 1.4 billion roubles of funds, business daily Vedomosti reported. A spokeswoman for the chamber declined to comment, saying the results of the Skolkovo audit were deemed classified information.

Alexander Chernov, vice president of the Skolkovo Foundation in charge of communications, declined to comment on the criminal case. He said Lugovtsev had left the foundation, while Khokhlov was still in the job but was on temporary leave.

Neither Lugovtsev nor Khokhlov could immediately be reached for comment.

The Investigative Committee, Russia's counterpart to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, is a government agency that reports to President Vladimir Putin.

(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Louise Ireland and Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-science-park-skolkovo-hit-fraud-probe-143746617.html

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Vigil Planned At Oakdale Church In Aftermath Of Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ? A vigil has been planned for Tuesday night in Oakdale in the aftermath of a random shooting that left a 9-year-old boy dead, two others hurt and a community in shock.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Oakdale will hold a vigil at 7 p.m. Tuesday that will involve leaders from faith organizations in the community. The church is about a half mile west of where Monday?s deadly shooting took place.

Officials said the vigil will be open to the public and will include a focus for children to express their grief over the loss of a classmate. A 9-year-old boy died after being shot in the head Monday night. Anyone with questions about the vigil should contact Susan Megrund at Holy Cross Lutheran Church at (651) 739-0647.

The alleged shooter, 34-year-old Nhan Lap Tran, is in the Washington County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Source: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/02/12/vigil-planned-at-oakdale-church-in-aftermath-of-shooting/

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Rights group: Israel violated laws of war in Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) ? A U.S.-based rights group says Israel violated laws of war in a series of airstrikes during an eight-day military operation last November against the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.

Human Rights Watch says it counted 14 airstrikes in which there didn't appear to be a valid military target, and four others targeting militants, but which used disproportionate force.

HRW says the attacks killed more than 40 Palestinian civilians. It cites a bomb attack on a Gaza home that killed a father and two children, ages 4 and 2. The group released the report late Tuesday.

Israel's air assault came after increased rocket fire and other attacks by Gaza militants.

The military had no immediate comment. In the past, it has accused Hamas of using civilians for cover.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rights-group-israel-violated-laws-war-gaza-112941416.html

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Obama awards Medal of Honor to Afghan battle hero

Shot in the arm, his base overrun, comrades dead or wounded, Army Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha rallies the survivors to beat back the Taliban and today received the nation's highest military honor.

By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to celebrated Army veteran Clinton Romesha on Monday afternoon, making the former active duty staff sergeant just the fourth living person to receive the military?s highest honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Romesha, 31, fought back tears as Obama presented him with the medal honoring his ?conspicuous gallantry? during the Battle of Kamdesh, a day-long firefight at a remote Afghan outpost near the Pakistan border in 2009.

?These men were outnumbered, outgunned, and almost overrun,? Obama said in his remarks in the White House East Room.?

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Romesha was recognized for leading the charge against hundreds of Taliban fighters during an Oct. 3, 2009, siege on U.S. troops at Combat Outpost Keating, a small compound military officials considered indefensible.?

Eight American soldiers were killed and 20 were wounded in the surprise attack, making it the deadliest day for the U.S. in the war effort that year.

Romesha headed up efforts to retake the camp, risking his own life as U.S. troops were besieged by rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, mortars and rifles.

Romesha, who served twice in Iraq, first took out a machine-gun team and then turned to a second, suffering shrapnel wounds when a grenade struck a generator he was using for cover.

Former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha is presented with the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday.

An official citation read at the ceremony described Romesha?s subsequent acts of valor.

"Undeterred by his injuries, Staff Sergeant Romesha continued to fight and upon the arrival of another soldier to aid him and the assistant gunner, he again rushed through the exposed avenue to assemble additional soldiers," the citation says.

?With complete disregard for his own safety, (he) continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved confidently about the battlefield engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets.?

Previously reported:?"He's always been a good kid."?

All the while, Romesha devised a strategy to secure key points of the battlefield and directed air support to eliminate a band of thirty heavily armed enemy combatants.

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

A look at heroes from a post-9/11 era of war

Romesha and his team also provided cover so three injured soldiers could make their way to an aid station. They then ?pushed forward 100 meters under withering fire to recover the bodies of their fallen comrades,? according to the citation.

Romesha, a father of three and the son of a Vietnam veteran, reportedly never lost his composure during the chaotic attack, according to CNN journalist Jake Tapper, who chronicled the battle in the 2012 book "The Outpost."

'Clint is a pretty humble guy'
During his remarks, Obama recognized the lives of the eight soldiers who died at the Battle of Kamdesh, asking the parents of the fallen seated in the back of the room to stand for applause.?

But the heart of Obama's speech centered on a visibly emotional Romesha, who appeared to be fighting back tears as he looked ahead at his wife, Tammy, and three young children.

Colin Romesha, the young son of Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha, finds time to explore the White house while attending a ceremony for his father on Monday.

"Clint is a pretty humble guy," Obama said. "The thing he looks forward to the most is just being a husband and a father."

Romesha is slated to be a guest of first lady Michelle Obama at the State of the Union address on Tuesday, CNN reported.

At a January news conference shortly after Obama called to inform him that he would receive the Medal of Honor, Romesha put the attention squarely on wounded friends and fallen comrades.

"I've had buddies that have lost eyesight and lost limbs," Romesha said. "I would rather give them all the credit they deserve for sacrificing so much. For me it was nothing, really. I got a little peppered, that was it."

Romesha, whom Tapper describes in his book as "an intense guy, short and wiry," lives in Minot, N.D., and works at KS Industries, an oil field construction firm.

A total of ten U.S. service members have been awarded the military's highest honor for actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, including six men who received the honor posthumously.?

The Medal of Honor is bestowed on members of the U.S. Armed Forces who display what the Army calls "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty."

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/11/16925893-obama-awards-medal-of-honor-to-afghan-battle-hero-clinton-romesha?lite

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Deal of the Day: Mobi Desktop Cradle for Samsung Galaxy S3

The Feb. 11 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Mobi Desktop Cradle for Samsung Galaxy S3. This convenient cradle lets you dock your Galaxy S3 at your desk and charge your device, plus a spare battery at the same time. The USB cable also allows you to sync the device to your PC while the wall charger strictly charges the spare battery. Great design at an affordable price!

The Mobi Desktop Cradle is available for just $14.00, over 50% off today only. Backed by our 60-day warranty and fast shipping!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/13OBDFNXto4/story01.htm

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Air travel still clogged by hurricane Sandy, but some flights resume

With New York's airports closed and thousands of flights cancelled, it will take days for air travel to return to normal after hurricane Sandy. But precautions taken by airlines could ease the process.

By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / October 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy largely grounded air travel in the nation's busiest air corridor, and it will take days for travelers to get their plans back on track.

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Flooding means it's unclear when New York's LaGuardia Airport will reopen. But as the storm moves inland, limited air travel has resumed in the Northeast.

On Tuesday, for example, Alaska Airlines? morning nonstop from Seattle to Boston was back in action, after being cancelled Monday. While en route, Flight 12 was actually scheduled to land at Boston's Logan Airport a few minutes early.

But many thousands of travelers who were still searching for ways to, from, or through East Coast airports, confronted the following realities:

? Sandy has resulted in over 18,100 flight cancellations so far, including nearly 8,000 on Monday and more than 7,000 on Tuesday.

? The major New York City area airports remain closed with no estimated reopen time.

? Airports in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Boston were open but operating with limited flights.

? Passengers are reporting wait times of several hours at most airline call centers.

?Every airline is allowing fee-free changes (and refunds in some cases) for itineraries potentially impacted by the storm,? FlightAware said?in a Tuesday afternoon status report, which contained the flight-cancellation totals.??The best way to make flight changes is on airline websites."?

Some passengers have been helped in rebooking by posting Twitter updates about their plight, with a mention of the airline involved.?Even as airlines work to restore service and rebook passengers, the tally of Sandy-related flight cancellations could grow.

But when the airports do reopen, lessons that airlines learned the hard way from previous storm-induced disruptions to regular service should help the airlines restore service more smoothly and quickly, even if they?re dealing with a substantial backlog.

"It will probably take until the weekend for things to return to normal," Rob Maruster, chief operating officer of New York-based JetBlue Airways, told the Associated Press.

Taking a page from a new bad-weather playbook, airlines that had been tracking Sandy for days moved quickly to cancel flights in advance, keeping passengers from congregating in terminals (nothing good can come of that), aircraft scattered at other airports out of harms way, and flight crews and airport staff rested and fresh for the resumption of business.

"The last few major storms created such gridlock, and such bad will with their best customers,? airlines ?just had to shift their behavior," Kate Hanni, who heads up the passenger advocacy group Flyers Rights, told the AP. "The flying public would rather have their flights pre-cancelled than be sleeping in Chicago on a cot."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ZJZ3L2peDxE/Air-travel-still-clogged-by-hurricane-Sandy-but-some-flights-resume

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