Mainstream News

Web founder Berners-Lee: Governments are suppressing online freedom

"While Yahoo!’s chief Marissa Mayer told the forum there was a 'trade off' between privacy and the benefits of increasingly personalised services offered by Internet giants, the network’s founding father took up the ethical issues at stake. 'The dream is of a more open web,' Berners-Lee told the gathering in the Swiss ski resort, citing social media as a way of breaking down barriers. But he said the recent suicide of Aaron Swartz, a 26-year-old US Internet activist who faced charges of illegally copying and distributing millions of academic articles, highlighted government efforts to police the Internet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWeb founder Berners-Lee: Governments are suppressing online freedom

Tina Turner to become Swiss citizen and give up U.S. passport

"'I’m very happy in Switzerland and I feel at home here. … I cannot imagine a better place to live,' Turner told German language daily Blick. The woman behind such hits as 'Private Dancer', 'Simply the Best' and 'What’s Love Got to Do With It?' will still need a green light from the canton of Zurich as well was federal authorities before she can receive red passport, the two papers reported. Turner spokeswoman Karin Rhomberg told the Zuerichsee-Zeitung that the singer wanted to 'clarify her situation'. 'Tina Turner will therefore also give back her US citizenship,' she said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTina Turner to become Swiss citizen and give up U.S. passport

Major ISPs set to implement ‘six strikes’ online piracy program

"A new voluntary system aimed at rooting out online copyright piracy using a controversial 'six strikes' system is set to be implemented by US Internet providers soon, with the impact unclear. The program was created with the music and film industry and the largest Internet firms, with some prodding by US government. Participating in the program are the five largest broadband Internet providers — Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Cablevision and Verizon — covering some 85 percent of US residential customers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMajor ISPs set to implement ‘six strikes’ online piracy program

Feinstein Gun Control Bill to Exempt Government Officials

"Not everyone will have to abide by Senator Dianne Feinstein's gun control bill. If the proposed legislation becomes law, government officials and others will be exempt. 'Mrs. Feinstein's measure would exempt more than 2,200 types of hunting and sporting rifles; guns manually operated by bolt, pump, lever or slide action; and weapons used by government officials, law enforcement and retired law enforcement personnel,' the Washington Times reports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeinstein Gun Control Bill to Exempt Government Officials

Idaho may be next state for lands fight with feds

"Language in statehood documents dating back to the 1800s contain a constitutional provision that the federal government intended to relinquish control of the land it held in each state. But for some states, especially those in the West, the federal government reneged, Utah state Rep. Ken Ivory says. In Idaho, more than 64 percent of the state's 53 million acres is under federal control. Both Idaho and North Dakota became states nine months apart and, Ivory claims, did so under identical statehood language. Yet, federally managed land in North Dakota accounts for less than 5 percent of the state's overall acreage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIdaho may be next state for lands fight with feds

MO Lawmaker Proposes Bill Requiring Parents To Inform Schools If They Own A Gun

"A Missouri lawmaker has proposed a bill that would require parents to inform their children’s school if they possess a firearm. Not only that, it would criminalize parents that '[fail] to stop the possession [of a firearm] or report it to law enforcement' for children in the house under the age of 18. The American Thinker relates the three main components of the bill, via the Missouri Senate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMO Lawmaker Proposes Bill Requiring Parents To Inform Schools If They Own A Gun

Spain: Unemployment For Under 25s Over 55%

"Overall, Spain's unemployment rate has risen to its highest level since measurements began in the 1970s, as a prolonged recession and deep spending cuts have left almost six million people out of work at the end of last year. The nationwide jobless total rose 1% to 26.02% in the fourth quarter of 2012, or 5.97 million people, according to the National Statistics Institute. More than 2,000 Spaniards a day joined the dole queue in the last three months of 2012. The results mean in Q4 there were 8.33 million Spanish households in which every potential worker was unemployed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpain: Unemployment For Under 25s Over 55%

Worldwide unemployment hits new high

"Five years after the global financial crisis hit, unemployment numbers continue to soar, with a record 202 million people worldwide expected to be officially jobless this year, the International Labour Organization said Tuesday. Last year saw a clear resurgence of the crisis, the UN’s labour body said in its annual report on global employment trends, pointing out that jobless numbers rose by four million to 197 million in 2012. Last year, the global youth unemployment rate stood at 12.6 percent, and it was expected to rise to 12.9 percent by 2017, according to ILO." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorldwide unemployment hits new high

Russian central bank to keep buying gold

"The Russian central bank will continue to buy gold as it seeks to diversify its foreign reserves away from paper assets it views as risky, First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said on Thursday. The Bank of Russia has built up the world's fourth-largest foreign reserves, worth $530 billion, by buying oil export dollars to keep the rouble competitive. The hoard includes two rainy-day budget funds that guard against fiscal shocks. The bank has also been a bullion buyer and the share of gold in its reserves is approaching a medium-term target of 10 percent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian central bank to keep buying gold

Fed Balance Sheet Hits Record $3 Trillion

"The size of the U.S. Federal Reserve's balance sheet reached a record, Fed data released on Thursday showed, due to the central bank's purchases of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities that are part of its unconventional policy aimed at supporting economic growth. The Fed's ownership of mortgage bonds guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) totaled $983.2 billion, up from $947.61 billion the previous week. The Fed's holdings of Treasurys totaled $1.697 trillion as of Wednesday, higher than $1.689 trillion the previous week." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFed Balance Sheet Hits Record $3 Trillion