A Republican controlled committee has defeated a bill that would have guaranteed fair access and stopped companies like AT&T and Verizon from charging high-bandwidth sites for allowing their customers to have priority access to them
Anti-terrorism detectives escorted a man from a plane after a taxi driver had earlier become suspicious when he started singing along to a track by punk band The Clash. Detectives halted the London-bound flight at Durham Tees Valley Airport and Harraj Mann, 24, was taken off. The taxi driver had become worried on the way to the airport because Mann had been singing along to The Clash’s 1979 anthem London Calling
, which features the lyrics Now war is declared — and battle come down
while other lines warn of a meltdown expected
— via Boing Boing
The Australian Consumers Association has savaged the federal Government’s plans for the full roll-out of digital television services as part of its media reforms
Telemarketers will have to abide by a national Do Not Call register in 2007, after the federal government announced it would soon introduce legislation to protect consumers
Australian ISPs could face huge fines if they do not provide spam filtering or impose e-mail sending limits under new rules set down by a communications watchdog
The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed (by the signing into law of HB 1215, effectively banning all abortions in the state, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli). A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women. To me, it is now a question of sovereignty,
she said… I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction
— via Warren Ellis
ISPs will be forced to block violent and pornographic material before it reaches home computers if Labor wins the next federal election. Under the policy, announced by Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, international web sites would be banned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority if they contained graphic sexual or violent material, rated R or higher. The proposal has been dismissed by the Internet Industry Association as unnecessary
The UK government has threatened to cancel an order for US-built Joint Strike Fighter jets unless America turns over the source-code for the jets’ firmware. Britain is worried that the jets could contain back-doors that let the US remotely disable them. Australia has made the same demands — via Boing Boing
The Australian Government has shut down a parody web site that mocked Australian Prime Minister John Howard. The web site featured a satirical speech that apologised
for the Iraq war. The site was down for two days before a phone call from Melbourne IT advised the owner that it had been shut down on the advice from the Australian Government
. A mirrored PDF copy of the apology speech
is available
Reporters who write about government surveillance could be prosecuted under proposed legislation that would solidify the administration’s eavesdropping authority, according to some legal analysts who are concerned about dramatic changes in US law
Internet copyright pirates in France will face prison and large fines after French MPs pushed through laws to curb illegal music and film downloads
Walter Soehnge, a retired Texas schoolteacher, and his wife had a little run in with the Department of Homeland Security. The crime? Paying off their credit card
A US state has signed into law a bill banning most abortions, in a move aimed to force the US Supreme Court to reconsider its key ruling on the issue. The South Dakota law — approved by the governor on Monday — makes it a crime for doctors to perform terminations. Exceptions will be made if a woman’s life is at risk, but not in cases of rape or incest. Harking back to the era of Jane, an organisation providing illegal abortions in the Chicago area in the 1960s and early 1970s, Molly has published a manual for setting up an abortion clinic
Robert Fisk says that in his three decades of reporting from the Middle East for British newspapers, he’s never seen it more dangerous, and that he’s certain another major crisis, possibly even another September 11, is coming. The veteran war reporter also says he remains baffled by just who is trying to generate civil war in Iraq
About 50,000 opponents of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra are holding a peaceful protest in Bangkok, vowing to stay in the streets until he steps down. Thai television has been notorious for remaining silent when historic events are happening. Instead of covering the protest they aired Backstreet Boys concerts, MTV shows, commercials and chat — via Warren Ellis
Missouri legislators in Jefferson City, unfamiliar with the separation of church and state, considered a bill that would name Christianity the state’s official majority
religion — via Warren Ellis
Prime Minister Tony Blair has told how he prayed to god spoke to his invisible friend when deciding whether or not to send UK troops to Iraq. Anti-war campaigners attacked Mr Blair’s comments as a joke
— via The Pagan Prattle
The US Senate has passed a renewal of the Patriot act, 89-10, after two extensions caused by months of negotiations. The only thing standing in the way of a full renewal is a House vote, expected to pass next week. The renewal comes with some privacy protections attached, however, some worry they are only cosmetic
A special Australian committee on copyright and DRM has published its findings, and has recommended a drastic scaling-back of the protections given to DRM in most countries — via Boing Boing
Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran has halted the export of Australian livestock to Egypt, amid allegations of animal mistreatment. Channel 9’s 60 Minutes program has aired footage of cattle in an Egyptian abattoir, having their tendons slashed before slaughter. The 60 Minutes reporter believes the cattle are Australian, but Livecorp says that is unlikely
RSS – Posts