Google accused of 'malicious' censorship

The Chinese Communist Party's main newspaper accuses Google of unfairly censoring its Web site for having reported on the search firm's book-scanning copyright dispute, reports The Register.

People's Daily said its online book section was blocked from Google searches via a malware warning for three days, beginning last Wednesday. It insists the blockage was "malicious revenge" for the book section prominently featuring stories about how Google's rather dubious practice of scanning books without permission might violate the rights of Chinese authors.

Search results for People.com.cn's book channel read: "This Web site may have malicious software, which might damage your computer.”

Home secretary Alan Johnson is to look at new medical evidence before formally approving the extradition of British hacker Gary McKinnon, says Computing.co.uk.

Johnson said he had "stopped the clock ticking" on proceedings to give McKinnon's lawyers time to appeal to the European court of human rights.

McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, stands accused of hacking into 97 US military computers and causing almost £500 000 worth of damage in what US officials claim is the "biggest military hack of all time".

Visitors to technology blog Gizmodo are being warned they could have picked up more than tips about the latest must-have gadget, says the BBC.

According to security firm Sophos, the Web site delivered advertisements "laced with malware" last week.

A statement on the Gizmodo Web site admits it was tricked into running Suzuki adverts, which were in fact from hackers.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, former CEO and chairman of Advanced Micro Devices, Hector Ruiz, has been linked to the Galleon insider-trading case, says CNet.

This revelation comes after an unnamed executive at AMD was cited repeatedly in a complaint filed by the US attorney for New York's Southern District earlier this month.

The case revolves around Raj Rajaratnam, who founded the Galleon Group, a New York-based hedge fund that manages $7 billion in funds. Federal prosecutors charged Rajaratnam and five others with securities fraud, alleging they were involved in insider trading of well-known tech companies, including Intel, Google, AMD and IBM.

The launch of a prototype rocket, designed to replace the aging shuttle, has been delayed by bad weather, reports the BBC.

The slender, 100m-tall Ares I-X vehicle is due to test technology crucial for the development of a manned craft.

A combination of high wind speeds and clouds contributed to Nasa's decision to halt the launch at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.