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By LORI HINNANT and ELAINE GANLEY Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - Hackers claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group simultaneously blacked out 11 channels of a French global TV network and took over its website and social media accounts on Thursday, in what appeared to be the most ambitious media attack so far by the extremist group.

Anti-terror prosecutors opened an investigation into the attack that began late Wednesday and blocked TV5 Monde from functioning part of the day Thursday. Operations were fully re-established Thursday evening.

France's interior minister, while counseling caution until investigators find hard evidence, said the attack was likely a terrorist act. "Numerous elements converge to suggest the cause of this attack is, indeed, a terrorist act," Bernard Cazeneuve said at a news conference.

France is "absolutely determined to catch those who want to strike at its heart," the minister said.

The hackers briefly cut transmission of 11 channels belonging to TV5 Monde and took over its websites and social media accounts. The channel's director, Yves Bigot, said the attack continued into Thursday. However, the station was able to broadcast its 6 p.m. live show, "64 Minutes."

"We are no longer dark," the station said.

More than a dozen technicians worked to return the station to life "without erasing the traces of the intrusion, which are precious for the investigation," the National Agency for Computer Systems Security said in a statement.

The message on the TV5 Monde website read in part "I am IS" with a banner by a group that called itself Cybercaliphate.

Hackers operating under the name Cybercaliphate have carried out a string of attention-seeking attacks against media outlets - including several in the U.S. - since late last year. Even though the hackers express support for the Islamic State group and routinely use its imagery in their attacks, it is difficult to know for sure whether they are genuine members, simple supporters or hackers with no link to IS. Experts who have followed the group's online communications say its supporters have regularly expressed interest in launching cyber-attacks at Western targets.

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French network's channels hacked by group claiming IS ties

When it comes to social media communications, its not why or whenits how and where.

But accounting firms face significant hurdles and oftentimes it seems like the risks are not worth the rewards. Overzealous regulators, independence rules, clients that largely avoid the use of social media professionally and skeptical leadership all stand in the way.

As a strategic communications company that caters to accounting firms, weve heard it all. Our clients aren't using social media so why should we? Social media is for consumer brands, not accounting firms. Social media poses too much risk and we can lose control of the conversation.

Sound familiar? The objections are plentiful and the excuses are easy; however the rewards for those that do it right can be handsome.

If your firm has stumbled out of the gate trying to create a meaningful social media presence, or you are considering stepping up your companys efforts, you probably have questions. And here are the answers to three questions that your senior leadership team is likely asking:

1. How can my company and employees publish and circulate content over social media and not run afoul of regulators?

Regulators are often cited among the top reasons why accounting firms dont embrace a proactive social media effort. However, technologies and platform companies such as Hearsay Social and CommandPost make it easier for firms to track and report social media activity and adhere to strict compliance demands. Whats more, proper social media training and focusing content on thought leadership rather than conducting business (aka selling solutions) will also help manage compliance issues and avoid the wrath of regulators. It will also prove more effective in reaching and intriguing your target audiences.

There is a great opportunity to get your firms stance out there on a range of important issues. How are new technology tools, software and digital communications changing the business of accounting and the ability of companies to track, assess and report data? How are changes in accounting standards or new regulatory regimes impacting how clients are managing compliance demands? Prospective clients, media and other important audiences are looking for guidance on these and other timely topics.

2. How do I convince my firms leadership that social media is a worthwhile investment when our clientswho are mostly senior level business executivesdont use it?

If one of your communications goals is to enhance and increase the quality of media coverage of your firm and its leaders, social media is a vital tool. It is the conduit for the brand and its lead spokespeople to engage with media on topics and issues that are driving much of their editorial coverage. Many reporters and media outlets that cover the audit industry are active on social media. Look no further on Twitter than @Rapoportwsj, @AICPA_JofA and @AccountingToday If youre not present on social media, youre missing a golden opportunity to build relationships with these media.

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Why Accounting Firms Must Embrace #SocialMedia

Deliberations during the first two days of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference on the Parliament and the media law were good and fruitful, Speaker of AP Legislative Assembly Kodela Siva Prasada Rao said on Thursday.

He said delegates felt that the self-control was needed as far as social media were concerned and this would benefit society, he said.

Feedback forms received from the delegates would be sent to the CPA and the comments and suggestions would help in improving the associations activities, Dr. Siva Prasada Rao said. The main object of CPA was to promote parliamentary democracy and the role of media was important in it, Assistant Director (programmes) Arlene Bussettee said. The workshop outcome document would be circulated among the 170 branches of the CPA, she said. There are 17,000 MPs and members of legislatures in these countries.

The third and final day of the conference would be held at tourist centre Araku, situated on the Eastern Ghats, on Friday. Answering a question on how self discipline could be entertained when all types of people are entering the media, Dr. Siva Prasada Rao and Mr. Roy said that said there were good and bad elements every where. If the limits were crossed the judiciary and legislatures were certainly stepping inOn the delay in the process of law making, Mr. Roy said some bills were passed quickly but some were delayed. Some like the GST bill pending for many years were big in size and they needed thorough scrutiny with an effort to get consensus of all States.

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Self-control must for social media: Kodela

Deliberations during the first two days of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference on the Parliament and the media law were good and fruitful, Speaker of AP Legislative Assembly Kodela Siva Prasada Rao said on Thursday.

He said delegates felt that the self-control was needed as far as social media were concerned and this would benefit society, he said.

Feedback forms received from the delegates would be sent to the CPA and the comments and suggestions would help in improving the associations activities, Dr. Siva Prasada Rao said. The main object of CPA was to promote parliamentary democracy and the role of media was important in it, Assistant Director (programmes) Arlene Bussettee said. The workshop outcome document would be circulated among the 170 branches of the CPA, she said. There are 17,000 MPs and members of legislatures in these countries.

The third and final day of the conference would be held at tourist centre Araku, situated on the Eastern Ghats, on Friday. Answering a question on how self discipline could be entertained when all types of people are entering the media, Dr. Siva Prasada Rao and Mr. Roy said that said there were good and bad elements every where. If the limits were crossed the judiciary and legislatures were certainly stepping inOn the delay in the process of law making, Mr. Roy said some bills were passed quickly but some were delayed. Some like the GST bill pending for many years were big in size and they needed thorough scrutiny with an effort to get consensus of all States.

Please Wait while comments are loading...

1. Comments will be moderated by The Hindu editorial team. 2. Comments that are abusive, personal, incendiary or irrelevant cannot be published. 3. Please write complete sentences. Do not type comments in all capital letters, or in all lower case letters, or using abbreviated text. (example: u cannot substitute for you, d is not 'the', n is not 'and'). 4. We may remove hyperlinks within comments. 5. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name, to avoid rejection.

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Self-control must in social media: Kodela

By Will Greenwald

Editors' Note: This version of the Roku 2 has been replaced. A full review of the most current2015 Roku 2can be found here.

Sometimes a device gets even better when it loses a few frills, especially if it becomes even more affordable in the bargain. The Roku 3 stood as our Editors' Choice media hub because of its low price, huge selection of online services and channels, an intuitive menu system, and the option to listen to what you're watching through a headphone jack on the remote control. The Roku 2 keeps all of these handy features and still supports full 1080p HD. It only loses the motion-sensing remote control for games and an Ethernet port, neither of which are must-have features. And at $79.99 (direct) it's $20 less expensive, making it our new Editors' Choice.

DesignAlmost physically identical to the Roku 3, the Roku 2 is a small, square, black plastic puck measuring 3.7 inches on each side and standing 1.2 inches tall. It weighs just 3.5 ounces, so particularly heavy HDMI cables can potentially throw the little player off-balance and lift it up. It has no buttons and only one indicator light on the front. The back panel only holds HDMI and composite outputs and the power connector. The lower price tag and composite video output come at the cost of an Ethernet connector; you need to use the Roku 2's integrated dual-band (802.11a/b/g/n) Wi-Fi to take it online.

The remote is also similar, though it lacks the motion controls and video game support of the Roku 3's remote. That means you'll have to turn to another electronic device to play Angry Birds. It's a small, slightly curved wand with a prominent direction pad, standard playback and menu navigation buttons, and dedicated service buttons for Netflix, M-GO, Hulu Plus, and Blockbuster. It connects to the Roku 2 via Wi-Fi Direct rather than infrared, so you don't need to point it directly at the box.

The left side of the remote features a 3.5mm jack for headphones , which was one of the most welcome new features on the Roku 3. (Volume control is on the right.) You get a cheap-sounding pair of earbuds in the box, but you can use any pair of headphones with a standard 3.5mm connector. Plugging in the headphones automatically mutes the HDTV audio, which enables private listening. It's a useful feature we've not seen elsewhere.

You can also control the box with the Roku app for Android and iOS. It turns your smartphone or tablet into a remote control, and lets you stream local media to the Roku 2. This is a nice alternative to the Apple TVand AirPlay, especially if you have an Android smartphone.

ChannelsLike the Roku 3, the Roku 2 currently uses a panel- and tile-based layout that displays information on the screen in a much more dense, but accessible way than previous Roku menu systems. It's a simple, functional interface that shows more than a dozen icons for channels, movies, and shows at once. It's easy to set up, with a few on-screen prompts to configure the Roku 2's Wi-Fi and a short code to enter on Roku's website to sync it with your Roku account and manage your channels.

Roku's Channel Store offers more than 1,000 free and for-pay online services and apps, including the aforementioned Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Blockbuster streaming services (each with their own dedicated button on the remote). There are hundreds more services available, including on-demand options for major television networks, news portals, sports portals, and more targeted services like CrunchyRoll (Anime) and Midnight Pulp (horror and exploitation films).

The extremely useful Search function polls Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video-on-Demand, Vudu, and several other services, listing the various ways the movie you want to watch is available. However, the main menu focuses mostly on M-GO, a Vudu-like on-demand service that integrates into the Movies and TV Shows sections in the Roku 2's main menu. Fortunately, those are the only places where M-GO is forced upon your attention. Expect to spend much, much more time in the Search and Channel menus than the M-GO-heavy, curated Movies and TV Shows menus.

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Roku 2 (2013)