Thfire.com – iNews

Google India gives in to Indian High Court pressure, told a trial court that it has removed certain webpages from the internet in compliance with the court’s order, which directed Google and 21 other websites to remove the objectionable content in the form of photographs, videos or texts which might hurt religious sentiments.

Facebook India, which also filed its compliance report before additional civil judge Praveen Singh, told the court that it does not control or operate the servers that host the website available at www.facebook.com, which are located in the United States.

The compliance reports were filed in response to the court’s December 24, 2011 order directing them and 21 other social network websites to give replies on a civil case filed by a man who has sought removal of certain “anti-religious” or “anti-social” content in the form of photographs, videos or texts which might hurt religious sentiments.

Although, Google and Facebook, tried their very luck, Delhi High Court is rightfully very stubborn on the matters of Religion and i believe, as a land of many religions, India must protect its identity as the place where a man can follow his religion without any fear or getting hurt.

Senator Chuck Grassley (Iowa-R) applauded U.S. ambassador Susan Rice’s strong statement about “Soviet Russia” and “Red China” Saturday afternoon. Only Rice didn’t say anything about “Soviet Russia” and “Red China.”

OMG! US senator needs wakening up. Lets go back in History, when did Russia eliminated the Communist rule? 1991! And here we have the senator bragging about the  ‘get-rid-of-Russia-China’ slogan.

I leave you with the tweet of the senator.

They did it again! New York Police Department, is under fire after civil complaints from all across the country pour in demanding legal explanation on spying over a Muslim community.

The complaint comes after an internal memo became public recommending [Spying?] increased surveillance of the city’s Shia community.

Top police officials insist the police only follow-up legitimate leads.

The memo, part of a 2006 report, recommended expanding the NYPD’s spying operation on Shia mosques and Muslim centres. It was addressed to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

On Thursday, Mr Kelly called the memo a “contingency plan” in case of military conflict between the US and Iran, although no such language is used in the document.

The report was made public by the Associated Press as part of a series of reports on the NYPD’s response to terrorism.

The police commissioner is already under fire for appearing in the “The Third Jihad”, a controversial movie about Muslims.

Letter to Attorney General

In their letter, addressed to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, thirty-three groups said that the memo further uncovered “a disturbing picture about the NYPD’s institutional approach” to the Muslim community that “erodes the public’s trust and confidence”.

“The need to hold the NYPD accountable for its flagrant use of discriminatory policing practices has never been more glaring and urgent,” the letter says.

Mr Schneiderman’s office did not offer comment on the letter.

Mosque president Asad Sadiq of Bait-ul-Qaim in New Jersey, one of the institutions listed in the NYPD memo, said the department’s policy was noticeably different than that of the FBI, which has occasional meetings with him to discuss security issues.

Mr Sadiq said the NYPD would be more than welcome in his mosque if they came in announced, like the FBI does.

“Just because we are the same religion doesn’t mean we’re going to stand up and harm the United States,” he told the Associated Press. “It’s really absurd.”

Are you a Muslim living in US? What do you have to say on NYPD discrimination? Share with us your views.

Micron Technology Inc has lost it’s CEO and Chariman Steve Appleton in a small plane crash on Friday. As Micron Technology is already struggling to make ends meet this loss will further drag it behind.

The 51-year-old Appleton, a three-decade industry veteran who performed stunts at airshows, died after the small plane he was piloting crashed at an airport in Boise, Idaho, where the chipmaker is headquartered.

His death stunned the tight-knit semiconductor industry. Appleton was a prominent figure in Boise, a city of 200,000 in the western United States, and a member of the Idaho Business Council.

Shares in Micron, halted prior to the announcement, resumed trade after the regular market close and promptly slid 6 percent.

“Steve was a high-energy, never-give-up type of inspirational leader of the company. The entire industry will miss Steve’s energy,” said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Kevin Cassidy. “That said, Micron has a deep bench of managers that shared Steve’s vision.”

The accident happened while Appleton flew an experimental Lancair single-engine airplane, Boise Airport spokeswoman Patti Miller told Reuters. Lancair sells kits to build high-end planes.

After taking off and reaching an altitude of about 200 feet, Appleton radioed that he had a problem and needed to turn around, Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower told reporters.

The aircraft rolled left, then plummeted to the ground, where it crashed, causing a large fire and leaving a twisted, black wreckage.

Appleton, a California native, joined Micron to work a night shift right after graduating from Boise State University in 1983. His subsequent meteoric ascent led to his becoming the youngest CEO on the Fortune 500 at the age of 34, in 1994.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter said Appleton was sensitive to how job cuts by Micron in recent years affected the community.

“He called me and told me about the layoffs coming up and explained how the business-end of chip technology would develop and that Micron would come out strong on the other end. And it happened exactly the way he said it would,” Bieter told reporters.

The loss of Micron’s dealmaker could waylay a possible acquisition of troubled Japanese rival Elpida Memory. Saddled with millions of dollars in operating losses and major upcoming debt payments, Elpida may be in talks to be bought by Micron or reach some kind of partnership, media recently speculated.

Electronics manufacturer Sony has suffered a $2.9 Billion loss annual lose and it’s new CEO Kazuo Hirai who said he will straighten things out but it will all come with pain.

Overtaken by more innovative rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics over the past decade, Sony posted a $2.1 billion net loss for October-December, normally a strong quarter boosted by year-end holiday sales, as it battled a strong yen, flooding in Thailand that ruptured supply chains, and a weak economy.

It also took a one-off charge for exiting a flat panel joint venture with Samsung, and said sales dropped 17 percent to 1.82 trillion yen.

Hirai, a 51-year old Sony veteran known for reviving the PlayStation gaming operations through aggressive cost-cutting, said he would not hesitate to scale back or withdraw from businesses if they were not competitive.

“I have a very strong sense of crisis about the environment surrounding us,” Hirai told a news conference. “We cannot be afraid to make painful choices for the future of Sony. Our rivals and the operating environment won’t wait for us.”

Others are less optimistic about his chances.

“It won’t be easy for Sony to regain its lost ground under new leadership, as its overall competitiveness has sharply weakened,” said Kim Young-Chan, analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp in Seoul.

“It’s got structural problems that will take years to fix.

“It’s not just Sony, but Japanese IT firms have similar problems. They are failing to innovate and produce industry-leading products in almost every major area – from TVs to displays, tablets and smartphones.”

About 100 people are feared trapped inside a ferry that sank in rough weather off Papua New Guinea, a rescue official said on Friday, a day after the crowded boat went down with about 350 people on board.

Rescuers plucked 238 people from the sea off PNG’s northeast coast after the MV Rabaul Queen was hit by three large waves and quickly sank, Rony Naigu, a rescue official from Papua New Guinea’s maritime safety authority, said on Friday.

While a definitive passenger list was not available, rescuers believed 352 people were on board the ferry when it sank and about 100 people were thought to have been trapped inside, Naigu told Reuters by telephone.

Naigu, who spent Thursday at the scene, said survivors told how the ferry rolled and sank in deep water after it was hit by the waves in stormy conditions.

Scores of passengers survived by clinging to debris before being picked up by at least six merchant vessels that diverted to the scene after being alerted by Australian maritime safety authorities.

“We found a number of (opened liferaft) capsules with no people in them,” Naigu said.

As rescuers resumed their search on Friday, relatives of those missing vented their anger over a lack of information from authorities, Australian media reported.

Survivors had been taken to Lae on PNG’s north coast early on Friday, said Nurur Rahman, acting chief of Papua New Guinea’s maritime authority.

“As you would expect people who have been in the water for such a long time have a bit of dehydration, and they are very tired,” Rahman told Reuters by telephone.

No bodies had been recovered on Thursday before nightfall halted the search, he added.

Police in West New Britain said relatives angry at the lack of information about their family members on the ship threw stones at the offices of the ferry operators, Rabaul Shipping, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio reported.

“There were a lot of people crying and then they wanted to know the fate of their loved ones, the people actually who were on board the Rabaul ship,” Inspector Samson Siguyaru said.

Don Cornelius, the host of Soul Train who’s performance has lit up hearts for over 3 decades with his voice, dance movies and style died today at the age of 75. The apparent reason for his death is suicide.

The silken-voiced host of “Soul Train” who helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of black culture with funky music, groovy dance steps and cutting-edge style.

Police responding to a report of a shooting found Cornelius at his Mulholland Drive home around 4 a.m. He was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound about an hour later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to the coroner’s office.

Police Officer Sara Faden said authorities have ruled out foul play. Detectives have not found a suicide note and are talking to relatives about his mental state.

His death prompted many to speak of the positive influence he and his show had on pop culture, music and the black community.

“God bless him for the solid good and wholesome foundation he provided for young adults worldwide and the unity and brotherhood he singlehandedly brought about with his most memorable creation of ‘Soul Train,’” said Aretha Franklin, an early performer on the show.

Franklin called Cornelius “an American treasure.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson told KNX-Los Angeles that Cornelius “was a transformer.”

“‘Soul Train’ became the outlet for African-Americans,” Jackson said, adding that he talked to Cornelius a few days ago and there were no signs Cornelius was upset.