Mainstream News

New Zealand becomes home to global tech industry

"The Google foray into New Zealand, dubbed Project Loon, is perhaps the most ambitious high-tech test carried out in the country, aiming to bring Internet to the two-thirds of the global population currently without web access. It involved sending 30 helium-filled balloons to the edge of space above the South Island last Saturday, each carrying transmitters capable of beaming wi-fi Internet access down to antennae on properties below. The first person to access the web under the scheme was dairy farmer Charles Nimmo, who said he appreciated the chance to work with one of the world’s largest companies to push the frontiers of technology." Continue reading →

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Satellites to bring cheap, multi-gigabit Internet speeds to 3 billion people

"The first four of 12 satellites in a new constellation to provide affordable, high-speed Internet to people in nearly 180 'under-connected' countries, were shot into space. The orbiters, part of a project dubbed O3b for the 'other 3 billion' people with restricted Internet access, will be lifted by a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kourou in French Guiana. The project was born from the frustrations of Internet pioneer Greg Wyler with the inadequacy of Rwanda’s telecommunications network, while travelling there in 2007. The system would cover the entire African continent, most of Latin America, the Middle East, southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands." Continue reading →

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South African group calls for Obama’s arrest during presidential tour

"Cosatu cites Obama's 'horrifying record of US foreign policy in the world', highlighting, the 'militarisation of international relations for the multinational companies and their profit-seeking classes in the US'. It is also opposing the 'US support for oppressive regimes that benefit US narrow interests', saying in a statement on its website that its call was part of world-wide struggle against imperialism. Many in the country have already heeded the call with a huge protests, dubbed the 'Nobama campaign', being planned across the country. The University of Johannesburg's decision to award him an honorary degree has already spurred protest and frustration." Continue reading →

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U.S. government will finally retire most research chimpanzees but retain 50

"The US government said Wednesday it will send most of its 360 research chimpanzees into retirement but will keep a small colony of about 50 for possible future studies on vaccines and behavior. The National Institutes of Health announced after more than two years of examination it was accepting most of the recommendations of independent experts to phase out the bulk of biomedical research using the primates. One recommendation the NIH did not accept was that chimpanzees should be provided at least 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) per animal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. government will finally retire most research chimpanzees but retain 50

Dept. of Agriculture approves horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico

"A New Mexico meat plant received federal approval on Friday to slaughter horses for meat, a move that drew immediate opposition from animal rights group and will likely be opposed by the White House. The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue threatened on Friday to sue the USDA, saying horses are raised as pets and as working animals. Because they are not intended as food animals, horses are given medications banned from other livestock, the groups said, questioning if the meat would be safe. The USDA says it can test for residues of 130 pesticide and veterinary drugs. It also has safeguards to keep horse meat out of the food supply." Continue reading →

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Where Immigration Policy Intersects with Government Surveillance

"The drones are already there, though they aren’t continuously in the air; some are Predator B and Guardian drones — unarmed versions of the fighter jet-shaped aircraft commonly used in the Middle East. Also in the sky are large blimps loaded with high-tech cameras, on loan from the Justice Department — like the one I saw resting here outside of Valentine, Texas, roughly 20 miles from the border. Called 'the floating eye,' these building-sized balloons were formerly used to spot insurgents in Afghanistan. Now, they have become so common in the area that one was included in an artist’s rendering of a soon-to-be-built drive-in movie theater in Marfa, Texas." Continue reading →

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Surveying the wreckage of torpedoed Swiss-US tax deal

"Following parliament’s rejection of a deal to solve the United States tax evasion dispute, there are grave doubts in both Switzerland and the US that serious damage to the Swiss financial system can be prevented. Switzerland’s lead negotiator, Michael Ambühl, already painted a bleak picture of life without a US agreement during an address back in February. 'Whether we like it or not, the US has the ability to destabilize the entire Swiss financial centre by taking measures against Swiss banks,' he said. It is believed that the DoJ already has some 14 other Swiss or Swiss-based banks in its legal cross hairs, including Credit Suisse, Pictet and several cantonal banks." Continue reading →

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Who Are These ‘Bankers’ Ecuador Keeps Referencing?

"Roberto and William Isaias Dassum were the president and vice president of Filanbanco, Ecuador's largest bank. In the late '90s, Ecuador descended into a severe banking crisis, so it pumped $1.16 billion into Filanbanco to keep it afloat. That failed and, according to the government of Ecuador, the Dassums fled to Miami after allegedly embezzling millions. Ecuador was asking the U.S. to confiscate about $20 million worth of assets the Dassums allegedly have in Miami. The U.S. court refused Ecuador's request. What's more, to allow Ecuador to confiscate property in the U.S. would 'signify a substantial deviation from U.S. law and policy.'" Continue reading →

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Anti-government protests continue in Istanbul: ‘Government, resign!’

"Thousands gathered in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Saturday to protest against the harsh police treatment of demonstrators whose anti-government rallies have rocked the country for nearly a month. Riot police blocked off the centre of the square, the symbolic heart of the nationwide protest movement, for some two hours as the demonstrators chanted 'Government, resign!' but there was no fresh violence. The crowd also denounced the death of a demonstrator in the country’s Kurdish-dominated southeast on Friday after soldiers opened fire to disperse villagers protesting against the expansion of an army outpost." Continue reading →

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Gulf Arab youth get around segregation with smartphone flirting

"In the United Arab Emirates and all across the conservative Gulf countries, dating is unacceptable among nationals while arranged marriages are the norm. By switching on WhosHere, a smartphone application which is popular in the kingdom, a young man sitting at the men’s section of the cafeteria could contact girls sitting in the families’ section. Before such applications, men would throw at the girls pieces of paper with their telephone numbers scribbled on them. But the Saudi telecom authority warned in March that it would ban applications like Skype and WhatsApp if providers failed to allow authorities access to censor content, according to an industry source." Continue reading →

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