Microsoft to warn email users of suspected hacking by governments

  Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it will begin warning users of its Outlook.com email service when the company suspects that a government has been trying to hack into their accounts. Microsoft told Reuters about the plan in a statement. It comes nine days after Reuters asked the company why it had decided not tell victims of a hacking campaign, discovered in 2011, that had targeted international leaders of China's Tibetan and Uighur minorities in particular. According to two former employees of Microsoft, the company's own experts had concluded several years ago that Chinese authorities had been behind the campaign but the company did not pass on that information to users of its Hotmail service, which is now called Outlook.com. In its statement, Microsoft said neither it nor the US government could pinpoint the sources of the hacking attacks and that they didn't come from a single country. The policy change at the world's largest software company follows similar moves since October by Internet giants Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and most recently Yahoo Inc. Google Inc pioneered the practice in 2012 and said it now alerts tens of thousands of users every few months. For two years, Microsoft has offered alerts about potential security breaches without specifying the likely suspect. In the statement, Microsoft said: "As the threat landscape has evolved our approach has too, and we'll now go beyond notification and guidance to specify if we reasonably believe the attacker is 'state-sponsored'." Microsoft declined to say what role, if any, the Hotmail hacking campaign played in its policy change. The Hotmail attacks had also targeted diplomats, media workers, human rights lawyers, and others in sensitive positions inside China, according to the former employees. Microsoft had told the targets to reset their passwords but did not tell them that they had been hacked. Five victims interviewed by Reuters said they had not taken the password request as an indication of hacking. Online free-speech activists and security experts have long called for more direct warnings, saying that they prompt behavioral changes from email users.

Putin calls cooperation with US in message to Obama

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a New Year's message to US President Barack Obama, has called for cooperation between their countries to respond to international challenges, reports Al Jazeera. Ties between Moscow and Washington reached a post-Cold War low when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and threw its support behind separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The US and other nations responded with economic sanctions against Russian officials, state-owned companies and entire sections of the economy. The Kremlin on Wednesday quoted Putin's New Year's greetings to Obama as saying the "relations between Russia and the United States are crucial to ensuring global security". Putin was also quoted as saying that both countries would "successfully take on new challenges and threats" across the world if they were to engage in a "constructive dialogue". Fighting in Syria is one of the main issues between the former Cold War foes. US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Moscow earlier this month to try to narrow differences with Putin over the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in any political transition in Syria. Russia is one of Assad's staunchest allies and launched a campaign of air strikes to support his forces against rebels on September 30.

US military shelves Google robot plan over 'noise concerns'

The US army says it has mothballed plans to deploy a robot developed in conjunction with Google because it is "too loud". The Legged Squad Support System - referred to by some as "the big dog" - is capable of carrying 400lbs (181.4kg) of equipment over rugged terrain. But the US Marines now say its petrol-powered engine is too noisy for them to use in battle. Google has long said it planned to move away from its military contracts. 'The big dog' The LS3 was developed by Boston Dynamics - a robotics firm acquired by Google in 2013 - as part of a tie-up with the Pentagon's research arm, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The robot can follow troops on foot through rugged terrain, carrying their gear. It can also interpret verbal and visual commands. However, after a major field trial in 2014, flaws in the robot also became apparent, according to Kyle Olson, a spokesman for the Marines' Warfighting Lab. "There was the challenge of seeing [its] potential... because of the limitations of the robot itself," he told Military.com. "They took it as it was: a loud robot that's going to give away their position.

US 'affluenza' runaway teen delays Mexico extradition

A fugitive who made headlines for using an "affluenza" defence after a fatal drink-driving crash has delayed his extradition from Mexico to the US. A judge will now consider the deportation of Ethan Couch, 18. He and his mother were arrested in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta after a phone call for pizza tipped off police. Couch left Texas for Mexico after he allegedly broke probation. His lawyer had argued a privileged upbringing left him with no sense of responsibility. 'Hindering an apprehension' An arrest warrant was issued earlier this month for Couch after he failed to report to his probation officer. Advertisement His disappearance came shortly after he had apparently been filmed at a party where people were consuming alcohol, police said. He could go to prison for up to 10 years if found to have violated his probation by drinking. His mother Tonya Crouch faces charges of hindering an apprehension.

Bill Cosby charged with indecent assault

Prosecutors in the US have charged comedian Bill Cosby with aggravated indecent assault over an alleged incident in 2004. It is the first time Mr Cosby, 78, has been charged with any offence after months of accusations. Andrea Constand says she was drugged then assaulted at the Philadelphia home of the former US television star. Dozens of women have accused him of sexual assault, dating back to the 1970s, but he has denied wrongdoing. Mr Cosby made no comment as he arrived at court to be formally charged. He did not enter a plea at the hearing where a judge set bail at $1m. Later, his lawyer said in a statement that he would "mount a vigorous defence against this unjustified charge".

Twitter acts to curb 'abusive,' 'hateful' content

Twitter was take new steps to stem "abusive behavior and hateful conduct" on the global messaging platform. The move comes with social networks under pressure from the US and other governments following attacks in Paris and California to do more to weed out those plotting violence. "We believe that protection from abuse and harassment is a vital part of empowering people to freely express themselves on Twitter," said Twitter's director for online trust and safety, Megan Cristina. "Today, as part of our continued efforts to combat abuse, we're updating the Twitter Rules to clarify what we consider to be abusive behavior and hateful conduct. The updated language emphasizes that Twitter will not tolerate behavior intended to harass, intimidate, or use fear to silence another user's voice." The new rules say Twitter users "may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism" and "may not incite or engage in the targeted abuse or harassment of others." The update also states that users "may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease." Twitter said it would ban "accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories" and would also suspend multiple accounts created to evade temporary or permanent suspension.

Donald Trump 'to spend $2m a week on campaign'

 US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump says he is planning to spend $2m (£1.3m) a week on campaign advertising. Mr Trump said he would bring out "substantial" adverts in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina ahead of primary elections in February. Meanwhile, former New York Governor George Pataki has pulled out of the race for the Republican nomination. Correspondents say he has failed to make any impact in the polls. Mr Trump, a property tycoon, has previously said that he is funding his campaign himself and wouldn't be in the pocket of lobbyists or powerful corporate entities. He has also insisted that he has spent very little on his campaign so far, and yet is the frontrunner. "I'll be spending a minimum of $2m a week and perhaps substantially more," Mr Trump said in a video broadcast. "I'm going to be doing big ads in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and they're going to be very substantial."

Afghan businessman accused of bribing US soldiers

US prosecutors have filed charges against an Afghan businessman accused of bribing American soldiers to win multi-million dollar contracts. The FBI alleges Hikmatullah Shadman gave at least two US soldiers bundles of $100 notes to win inflated deals to supply transport and heavy equipment. Prosecutors say this took place when the the men were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. There has been no comment from Mr Shadman. His whereabouts are unclear. Justice Department officials had earlier frozen more than $63m (£42.5m) in bank accounts controlled by Mr Shadman, a logistics and construction company owner, thought to be one of the first asset freezes of its kind involving an Afghan contractor. This case was filed on 23 December in a federal court in North Carolina. Both Robert Green, then a staff sergeant who managed supply requests at Kandahar air base, and his superior David Kline, have already been convicted of their part in the alleged fraud, after pleading guilty. The complaint against Mr Shadman says Green received several payments of between $30,000 (£20,000) and $50,000, at his request, while Kline received about $50,000. Green was sentenced to 10 months in prison and a year of supervised release in September, while Kline is due to be sentenced next month.

Facebook class action lawsuits to go ahead

  Two US class action lawsuits against Facebook by shareholders alleging it hid growth concerns ahead of its 2012 public listing can now go ahead. A federal judge certified the legal proceedings, Reuters reports, saying investors who claim they lost money could pursue their claims as groups. Facebook told the BBC that it was disappointed with the decision and it has launched an appeal against it. The firm's initial public offering (IPO) in May 2012 raised $16bn (£10bn). The investors say that by purchasing the firm's shares at inflated prices they lost money. That year, its shares began trading on 18 May in New York at $38 per share, but the price fell to almost half the amount of $17.55 on 4 September. The price stayed below the IPO price for more than a year, but shares ultimately rebounded and closed up at $107.26 on the Nasdaq index on Tuesday. District judge Robert Sweet gave the lawsuits class action certification on 11 December, but the order was made public on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Missouri floods close Mississippi near St Louis

A five-mile (8km) section of the Mississippi River near St Louis, Missouri, has been closed to vessels as rising water levels caused "hazardous conditions", the US Coast Guard said. Storms and tornadoes have lashed the region in recent days, swelling rivers and causing flash flooding. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said 13 people in the state had died in the floods. He said the National Guard had been called in to help local authorities. Aerial footage showed water from the Mississippi River engulfing buildings in the evacuated town of West Alton, north of St Louis, on Tuesday. In the town of Union, about 50 miles (80km) west of St Louis, buildings were partly submerged by severe flooding from the Missouri, Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers. Image copyright AP Image caption Volunteers in St Louis try to stop flooding from the River Des Peres, a channel that flows into the Mississippi River Coast Guard spokesman Capt Martin Malloy said the high water levels and fast currents had led them to close the section of the Mississippi near St Louis - a busy route for commercial shipping. River levels are forecast to peak on Thursday and Mr Nixon warned that the situation could get worse before it gets better. He said the National Guard would provide security in evacuated areas and direct traffic away from closed roads.

US court asks Indian company to pay $100000 for using pirated software

An Indian textile company has agreed to pay a penalty of $100,000 (or Rs 66 lakhs) to settle charges of using pirated software that gave it competitive advantages over American businesses. Headquartered in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, Pratibha Syntex Ltd exports cloths to top American companies including Walmart. As per the settlement reached, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and has been approved by a judge, the textile company has agreed to pay $100,000 in restitution within 30 days. "Pratibha Syntex engaged in illegal business practices that placed California garment companies at a disadvantage, while hurting American software companies' ability to develop new and innovative products," California Attorney General Kamala Harris said. "Businesses around the globe should be on notice that the state of California will hold them accountable for stealing intellectual property to unfairly undercut their competition," she said. The case assumes significance as this is first time that a state government has secured a legally enforceable judgement against an international company for such violations. In 2013, Harris sued Pratibha Syntex on the basis that it did not pay licensing fees for software it relied on for its business, including products manufactured by Adobe, Microsoft, and others, giving the company a significant cost advantage in the low-margin business of apparel manufacturing, shipment and sales.

Police not to face charges over killing

 A US grand jury has decided not to bring charges against a white policeman over the killing of a 12-year-old black boy armed with a toy gun. A local prosecutor in Ohio state, Tim McGinty, called the events that led to the death of Tamir Rice a "perfect storm of human error". But he said it was not unreasonable for the officer to fear for his life. Public officials in Cleveland on Monday urged the public to remain calm and to protest peacefully. State Senator Sandra Williams said any unrest would hamper progress but still called the decision a "grave miscarriage of justice". Advertisement The announcement comes at a time when the deaths of black men at the hands of police have sparked a national debate. Rice was carrying a non-lethal pellet gun when police approached him in Cleveland in November 2014, in response to a 911 call reporting a man waving and pointing a gun at people.

Stranded Cuban migrants to be allowed passage to the US

Central American nations have reached an agreement to allow several thousand Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica for over a month to continue their journey towards the United States. The migrants will be airlifted to El Salvador and put on buses, which will take them to the US. American legislation gives Cuban migrants preferential treatment. If they arrive at the US border by land they are allowed to enter the country and apply for residency. Those who are intercepted at sea are sent back, under the special immigration policy known as "wet foot, dry foot". Advertisement 'Policy must change' Many Cuban migrants fear that the thaw in relations between Washington and Havana may put an end to the preferential treatment given to them. "We have agreed to make the first humanitarian transfer in January," said foreign ministers from the Sica regional group and Mexico. They met in Guatemala City to try to find a solution to the crisis. Cuba did not attend the meeting, but said it expected "a quick and adequate solution" from the nations involved. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Cuba's communist government says the US encourages unsafe and disorderly migration "I strongly believe that the politicization of US migration policy toward Cuba must change," said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. The number of Cubans trying to make their way to the US through Latin America by land has risen sharply since December 2014, when the two countries announced they had agreed to begin restoring relations.

Tehran on track, says John Kerry

 The US says Iran has taken a "significant step" towards meeting its nuclear commitments, by sending a large quantity of uranium abroad. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke after Iran dispatched a shipment of more than 11 tonnes of low-enriched uranium to Russia. Iran signed a deal in July with six international powers. It is designed to demonstrate that Iran is not on the threshold of being able to make an atomic bomb. Under the deal, Iran agreed to reduce its holdings of low-enriched uranium; sharply reduce its quantity of centrifuges - used to enrich uranium - and cut its output of plutonium by re-engineering a power plant. Advertisement Mr Kerry said Monday's shipment of low-enriched uranium to Russia had tripled the amount of time it would take to produce enough fuel for a bomb - from two or three months to nine months.

Death toll climbs to 22 as 'historic' blizzard is due

At least 22 people are now known to have died after nearly a week of tornadoes, heavy rains and flooding in several US south-central states. The bodies of a man and a woman - who were missing since a tornado in Benton County, Mississippi - were found, bringing the state's death toll to 10. Another four people died in a traffic accident in Garland, Texas. Officials said Texas and Oklahoma could be hit with a "historic blizzard", bringing up to 16in (41cm) of snow. Motorists were warned they could face icy roads. Advertisement Image copyright AP Image caption A twister - followed by lightning - left a trail of destruction in Birmingham, Alabama Image copyright AP Image caption Storms uprooted trees and damaged more than 400 houses in Mississippi Six people died in Tennessee. Arkansas and Alabama each reported one fatality. In Mississippi, 56 injuries have been reported and more than 400 houses have been destroyed or damaged. At least 20 tornadoes hit the state, knocking down trees and leaving thousands without power over Christmas holidays. One large tornado reportedly touched land in Mississippi and tore a path more than 100 miles (160 km) long to Tennessee. While extreme weather in the US before Christmas is not unknown, meteorologists say that unseasonably high temperatures in some areas contributed to the severity of the storms.

US Black Lives Matter protests disrupt airports and shopping

 Protests by the Black Lives Matter group have taken place in the US states of Minnesota and California on one of the busiest retail days of the year. The demonstrators in Minnesota temporarily closed the international airport and interrupted Christmas shopping at the Mall of America. Police said a total of 15 people were arrested at both places, mostly for trespassing or obstructing justice. Protesters are angry over a police shooting of a black man in Minneapolis. Jamar Clark was shot dead last month by officers responding to an assault complaint, in one of a number of recent incidents around the US. Hundreds of people took part in the protest at the mall, one of the largest in North America, where Black Lives Matter organisers promised to congregate in defiance of a judge's warning that the shopping centre's owners could legally block the demonstration.

The San Bernardino attackers began their relationship online and then met at the 2013 Hajj pilgrimage, according to a visa application. According to Syed Farook's fiancee visa application, he and Tashfeen Malik made contact on a website, emailed and then decided to meet. The pair's parents met in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the annual pilgrimage. They got engaged the day their parents met and planned to marry within a month of Malik arriving in the US. The US House Judiciary Committee has released visa documents. detailing Malik's processing into the US, after some lawmakers criticised the progress. Authorities say the two opened fire at a work luncheon for Farook's colleagues in the San Bernardino public health department on 2 December, killing 14 people.

SpaceX rocket in historic vertical landing

 US space company SpaceX has successfully landed an unmanned rocket upright - the first time such a feat has been accomplished. The Falcon-9 rocket booster despatched 11 communications satellites before returning to an upright position at Cape Canaveral. The achievement has been hailed as milestone towards reusing rockets. It is hoped the mission will boost moves to reduce the cost of private space operations. The launch of a rocket is the first by SpaceX since one exploded in June. On that occasion an unmanned Falcon-9 broke apart in flames minutes after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, with debris tumbling out of the sky into the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket, which had 18 straight successes prior to the fateful flight, was in the process of sending a cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has a $1.6bn (£1.08bn; €1.47bn) contract with Nasa to send supplies to the ISS.

Rwanda vote 'allows Kagame to extend term in office'

Rwandans have voted overwhelmingly to allow President Paul Kagame to extend his term in office, initial referendum results show. Some 98% of voters support changing the constitution to allow him to run again in 2017 after his second term ends, the National Electoral Commission said. Mr Kagame, 58, could remain in power until 2034 if the changes are passed. The vote took place despite criticism of such an amendment by the US and other Western donors. Rwanda's electoral commission said 21 out of 30 districts had published results so far, covering about 70% of voters.

Star Wars film breaks opening night box office record

The new Star Wars film has set a new opening night box office record in the US and Canada, industry experts said. Star Wars: The Force Awakens made $57m (£38m) on Thursday night, beating the previous record of $43.5m held by Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011. Analysts say the space saga could become the biggest selling movie of all time. The film also set a new opening day box office record in the UK and Ireland. The £9.64m tally beat the previous best of £9.48m set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Midnight screenings on Thursday morning accounted for £2.4m of ticket sales.