United Kingdom Media

[The Herald] GOVERNMENT is mulling the establishment of a Financial Times Stock Exchange with a view to reinvigorate activity in capital markets. An FTSE is an independent company, which originated as a joint venture between The Financial Times newspaper and the London Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom.

Quick to condemn as a "violation of freedom of expression" the revocation of the licence of a television station which blatantly called for and helped organize a coup d'état, European countries have no qualms about the silencing, on obviously fallacious arguments, of satellite TV stations that criticize their policies. We may recall in 2004 the decision of the French State Council to ban the Hezbollah channel, Al Manar, for allegedly disturbing public order, or more recently the European (...) - 04. News in Brief / Iran , United Kingdom , Communication

Waka Jagne, a Gambian based in the United Kingdom, who is also the founder of Waka J Promotion, in collaboration with the Gam-Promotion recently awarded the Gambia Showbiz and Fashion Award 2011 to the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) for the recent achievement of going globally (on satellite) and for giving the Gambian musicians the platform to showcase their talents. The award was received by the director general of GRTS, Alhaji Momodou Sanyang, on Fa2 Show, held at the GRTS building along MDI

The United Kingdom’s The Daily Mail is reporting that Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks is in negotiations to join the cast of Sally Potter-directed 1960’s anti-nuclear war movie “Bomb.” She will join the cast that already included Ell Fanning (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Super 8”) and Alice Englert (“Singularity,” “Sumo Joe”). The site also reported that Alessandro Nivola (“Face/Off,” “Jurassic Park III”) has already been cast and Annette Bening (“American Beauty,” “The Kids Are All Right”) is being considered for a part in the film. It is not known at this time on the role that Hendricks will play in the film. The film is about two teenage girls who became involved with the nuclear ban movement and the sexual revolution. Hendricks is best known for her role in the television series “Mad Men.” She recently appeared in the movies “Drive” and “Detachment” this year. The film will begin production in London in February next year.Source: UK's The Daily Mail

In a wide-ranging newspaper article, Britain's top civil servant warns the possible break-up of the United Kingdom is an "enormous challenge" for politicians.

 French Finance Minister Francois Baroin raised concerns about the state of the British economy today  and said France was in better shape. "It's true that the economic situation in Great Britain is very worrying and that we prefer being French rather than British on the economic front at the moment," Baroin said on Europe 1 radio. "We don't want to be given any lessons and we don't give any," he said, fuelling a British-French row that broke out yesterday when senior French officials mockingly criticised the British economy, arguing that ratings agencies are targeting the wrong country for a debt downgrade. "They should start by degrading the United Kingdom, which has greater deficits, as much debt, more inflation and less growth than us," central bank chief Christian Noyer had told the regional newspaper Le Telegramme. Noyer also warned that Britain, which clashed with France at last week's EU crisis summit and refused to join the members of the eurozone single currency bloc in a new fiscal pact, was facing a credit crunch. The British press reacted furiously today. His comments were dismissed as "outrageous" and...

By William A. Cook

'Remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community…' -- (Newt Gingrich, Fox News. December 10, 2011)

Many “Newts” produce toxins, the rough skinned Taricha, for example, produces enough to kill an adult human, and while all “Newts” go through a metamorphosis from tadpole to lizard, few expected that metamorphosis to reach human form in the person of the front running Republican candidate for President, Newt Gingrich. This Newt avoided the Vietnam War draft while studying for his degrees, then accepted a position as an historian and geographer at West Georgia College, a position he lost when his colleagues denied him tenure. A resourceful man, Newt ran for a congressional seat numerous times before capturing the 6th Georgia district seat in 1979, when the incumbent retired. He resigned his position in 1998 following disciplinary action by his colleagues for 84 ethics violations, having served as House Speaker from 1995 to 1999. Today he’s back, metamorphosed into a presidential candidate willing to spread lies about a people who have lived for 63 years under the brutal occupation of the Israeli military.

Consider his statement to the people of Israel on Jewish Television this past week quoted above. “Remember there was no Palestine as a state.” Omitted was the second part of that statement if the first was to have relevance: “Remember there was no Jewish state.” What existed was a Mandate Government under the control of the United Kingdom that governed this area beginning in 1922 through the authority of the League of Nations following the demise of the Ottoman Empire and later under the continued authority of the United Nations. During the Mandate period, from 1922 to May 15, 1948, the British government attempted to meet its obligations as enunciated in the Balfour Declaration to help in the “establishment of a national home for the Jewish people.” The Command Paper 1922, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School, underlines this intent: “His Majesty’s Government therefore now declare(s) unequivocally that it is no part of their policy that Palestine should become a Jewish State.” It must be noted here that the Command Paper specifically marks the existence of a Palestine area to which the Jews were immigrating.

“I think we have an invented Palestinian people,” Gingrich continues, forgetting to mention that Dr. Shlomo Sand in his recent book The Invention of the Jewish People, according to Leon Hadar in his review, concludes by,

“Countering official Zionist historiography, Sand questions whether the Jewish People ever existed as a national group with a common origin in the Land of Israel/Palestine. He concludes that the Jews should be seen as a religious community comprising a mishmash of individuals and groups that had converted to the ancient monotheistic religion but do not have any historical right to establish an independent Jewish state in the Holy Land. In short, the Jewish People, according to Sand, are not really a “people” in the sense of having a common ethnic origin and national heritage. They certainly do not have a political claim over the territory that today constitutes Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.”

In an even more recent book, just published by Pluto Books, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh in an historical review of the ancient lands of Palestine noted that “The kingdom of Judah lasted 341 years (927-586 BCE) while Israel lasted even a shorter 205 years (927 - 722 BCE).” In short, between the two recent studies, Gingrich could have found the truth; but truth is not what Gingrich needed for his interview: he needed a fabrication that would endear him to his audience both in Israel and in the United States as he groveled for monetary support for his campaign at the expense of the Palestinian people.

Consider the reality of the past two thousand years, when this area “between the Jordan and the Mediterranean,” which “has had a history of 6000 years of civilization,” known for a large portion of its history, as the Southern part of the Land of Canaan, has been called, for all these 2000 years,  Palestine. As Qumsiyeh reviews this period he concludes, “These people (known to the world as Palestinians) absorbed the religions and various philosophies and changed their allegiances to survive in an ever amorphous world.  This world, sometimes violent, sometimes symbiotic was always there.”

“Known to the world as Palestinians”; known to Newt Gingrich as “invented.” So how is it, this historian and geographer, could determine that the people of Palestine did not exist, that they could have removed themselves to “other” Arab lands and left all of Palestine to the Jews? In an unfortunate comment meant to deflect criticism about his reinvention of history, Gingrich made this comment: "Somebody ought to have the courage to tell the truth. These people are terrorists," he said. "It's fundamentally time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say, 'Enough lying about the Middle East." In four words, he turns all Palestinians into “terrorists.” And he justifies this slanderous and invidious judgment by assuming the chauvinistic persona of the brave man who condemns those who lie about the Middle East even as he omits the decision of the Mandate Government to hand over the resolution of the immigrant problem in Palestine to the UN, a decision that resulted in the Partition Plan (1947) dividing that land into two areas, one for Jews the other for the Palestinians who lived there, who had a 71% to 29% majority in the whole of Palestine. Since the Resolution created, numbered 181, divided the land into two, recognizing two peoples contending for the area of Palestine, it recognized as well Palestinians inhabiting the land with heritage going back two thousand years to the Roman era. At the same time, as immigration for Jews materialized through the 1940s, the contrast between indigenous inhabitants and newly arrived immigrants from foreign lands makes ludicrous Gingrich’s comments.

Even more ludicrous and perhaps more frightening, is this man’s willingness to undermine US policy since WWII, a policy that recognized the Palestinian people and their rightful claim to their own state. His convoluted logic would have the United States President negotiate peace with a people he has determined to be terrorists, all of them. He claims that what has been going on is a “delusional peace process”; true enough, but not because the Palestinians haven’t been willing to arrive at peace, but because Israel has had no intentions of recognizing a Palestinian state as the Likud Party Platform declares openly even now, “no state of Palestine west of the Jordan River.” But this fact, neither Gingrich nor the American press nor the Israeli government will acknowledge; it is rather the unwillingness of the Palestine Authority and Hamas to recognize Israel and cease their violence against Israel that prevents peace. But once again, had Gingrich taken the time to read yet another book on the subject, released in the summer of 2010, The Plight of the Palestinians, published by Palgrave MacMillan, he could have read about Israeli intransigence in negotiating peace, “The Problem with Israel,” by Dr. Jeff Halper, an article that recounts 19 different proposals rejected by Israel.

In that same volume, Gingrich could read about the Zionist stated reality that they had no plans to abide by the UN Partition Plan, but rather eradicate all Arabs from the land of Palestine, and that in Jewish documents from the Mandate period. “The challenge of Zionism was to create a Jewish state in a land already inhabited by natives who mostly practiced Islam and Christianity.  Early Zionist understood the challenge and contrary to their public pronouncements about "a land without a people for a people without a land" came to see that the natives posed an obstacle to their visions” (Qumsiyeh).

There are 32 chapters in that book that detail Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, all written in the first decade of this century, a veritable catalog of ethnic cleansing to complement Dr. Ilan Pappe’s volume on the same subject, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

Let me close this recounting of Gingrich’s vitriolic commentary by remembering the Palestinians who suffered at the hands of real terrorists during the Nakba, an historical event he must immerse himself in if he is to understand how toxic his offhand commentary is to those who lived through these years awaiting justice. Here are the words of the Zionist’s general:

“Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because Geography books no longer exist, not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either … There is not one single place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population.” (Moshe Dayan, Address to the Technion, Haifa, as quoted in Haaretz, 4-4-1969) 

“Thus began in November of 1947 what is euphemistically called the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by the combined forces of the Jewish armies, the Haganah, the Stern, and the Irgun as they drove more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes leaving them destitute, homeless and abandoned without a country in what is now the largest refugee Diaspora in the world.

More truthfully, the plight of the Palestinians that began so ruthlessly in 1947, and is now called the Nakba, was an intentional, calculated campaign to force the Palestinian Arabs out of Palestine, a systematic genocide of a people as defined by the United Nations in its adoption of Genocide Convention, Article II” (The Plight of the Palestinians). Now that Gingrich knows what to read, will he?

- William A. Cook is a Professor of English at the University of La Verne in southern California. His works include Psalms for the 21st Century, Mellon Poetry Press, Tracking Deception: Bush Mid-East Policy, The Rape of Palestine, The Chronicles of Nefaria, and most recently in 2010, The Plight of the Palestinians. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. Contact him at: wcook@laverne.edu or visit: www.drwilliamacook.com.

Several MacRumors readers have reported that Apple has rolled out new Apple TV support for streaming purchased television shows in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Users in those countries have been able to rent movies directly on the Apple TV, but purchased content was required to be downloaded to a computer and then streamed to the Apple TV via Home Sharing. With the new update, purchased TV shows are simply stored in iCloud and streamed directly to the Apple TV on demand.


TV shows on Apple TV in Australia (Source:

How many IMAX theaters will be showing The Dark Knight Rises prologue in the United Kingdom? Has The Wolverine been delayed after all? What comic book did an Illinois man find in his attic? Does Jeremy Renner think a Hawkeye solo movie is possible? How would Chloe Moretz change Hit Girl for Kick Ass 2? Read about all of this and more in today's Superhero Bits. In 1966, a newspaper writer predicted a rise in the importance of Batman. Comics Alliance [1] has much, much more on this. If you live in the UK, I have some bad news. There are only four IMAX theaters in your country that use 70mm IMAX so there are only four places you can see The Dark Knight Rises prologue in a few weeks according to What Culture [2]. The characters of Batman: Arkham City get a Simpsons makeover by Dean Fraser over at Springfield Punx [3]. Head there, or Geek Tyrant [4], for a better look at each one. JoBlo [5] reports The Wolverine has NOT been delayed. /Film reader Gabriel V alerted us to this Watchmen trailer by dracudelishio [6] made with Little Big Planet 2. It's pretty phenomenal. Marvel [7] picks their top five moments from the DVD release Iron Man: Extremis. They'll be featuring moments from other movies in the new in stores Marvel Knights Animation Collection [8] all week. A man in Illinois had the best day ever when he was looking in his attic and found a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man. Read more at the LaGrange Patch [9] (via THR [10]). Continue Reading Superhero Bits >> [11] Due to the amount of graphics and images included in Superhero Bits, we have to split this post over TWO pages. Click the link above to continue to the second page of Superhero Bits. [1] http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/11/28/batman-sociology/ [2] http://whatculture.com/film/the-dark-knight-rises-prologue-only-screened-at-5-imax-cinemas-in-the-uk.php [3] http://springfieldpunx.blogspot.com/ [4] http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/11/29/batman-arkham-city-characters-get-a-cool-simpsons-makeover.html [5] http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/has-the-wolverine-been-delayed-again [6] http://lbp.me/u/dracudelishio [7] http://marvel.com/news/story/17122/the_5_coolest_moments_from_iron_man_extremis [8] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FWO34M/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=marvelcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005FWO34M [9] http://lagrange.patch.com/articles/comic-found-in-attic-worth-over-10-000 [10] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/man-finds-amazing-fantasy-15-attic-267165 [11] http://www.slashfilm.com/superhero-bits-131/2/

The Venezuelan press celebrated the election of Miss World as the "modern Cinderella" Ivian Sarcos, noting that with the victory of the young orphan the country achieved a "record" crown in the pageant, surpassing the five six queens of India and the United Kingdom."Venezuela, crowns record" popular newspaper titled News, adding that Sarcos front ... (more)

Netflix Inc. plans to offer its online subscription service to the United Kingdom and Ireland starting early next year, providing access to movies and television shows.

Netflix Inc. plans to offer its online subscription service to the United Kingdom and Ireland starting early next year, providing access to movies and television shows.

AP - Netflix Inc. plans to offer its online subscription service to the United Kingdom and Ireland starting early next year, providing access to movies and television shows.

AP - Netflix Inc. plans to offer its online subscription service to the United Kingdom and Ireland starting early next year, providing access to movies and television shows.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom--Betty Driver, a much-loved actress who starred for 42 years in Britain's longest-running television soap opera "Coronation Street," died Saturday at the ...

United Kingdom-based African Voice Newspaper Thursday unveiled the much-awaited shortlist of nominees for the 2011 edition of its African Film Awards, also known as the Afro Hollywood Awards.

There are a ton of solid modern-day ghost films out there to enjoy, but there's something inherently spooky about taking a trip to the past, a time when the spirit world wasn't made into daily 'Ghost Hunter' television shows. 'The Awakening' probably isn't a film that you've heard anything about. It has yet to be picked up for domestic distribution, rather it's hitting theaters in the United Kingdom and Ireland shortly. The film is also playing at the Toronto Film Festival, so if you're in the area, it sounds like something that's worth a watch. Here's the synopsis provided by the official website of the festival: "A renowned author and debunker of hoaxes, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is called to a provincial boarding school to explain away sightings of a phantom boy. What she discovers will prompt her to reconsider her deductive tactics — and send her mind spiraling back to a distant, forgotten past. Set in 1921, The Awakening belongs to a great English tradition of ghost stories that work their chills through psychology and suggestion." For a more detailed write-up on the film, hit the link. You can check out a brand-new trailer below as well. Starring the aforementioned Rebecca Hall, the remainder of the cast includes Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, John Shrapnel, Richard Durden, Isaac Hempstead Wright, and Joseph Mawle. 'The Awakening' is the first theatrical outing for director Nick Murphy. He has a few made-for-television documentaries and a couple of episodes of 'Primeval' and 'Occupation' to his name. Depending on the reaction to this film, it could be his big break.What do you think about the trailer, are you digging the vibe?  Source: YouTube

According to the 10/10 rule, it takes about a decade to take a product from initial idea to having a standard developed, and then another decade to reach mass market adoption. How can that second decade be reduced in the case of Internationalized Domain Names and their adoption by Internet users? The most effective way to speed up IDN mainstream adoption is learning from history. This includes avoiding mistakes of the past as well as creating an environment where innovative solutions can be created that will enhance the IDN adoption rate.

The 10/10 rule is discussed in Steven Johnson’s book “Where Good Ideas Come From.” The author presents various technological developments throughout history that fall under the 10/10 rule, such as color television, HD television, VCRs, and others.

There are many other examples of the 10/10 rule. On my last trip, I was flying on the Airbus-A380, the largest and most silent airline passenger plane that exists today. It took about a decade to develop. The main structural sections were from France, Germany, Spain and United Kingdom, causing some level delays since they had to be transported to one central location for assembly. Although the plane is in commercial service, it is yet to be seen if it takes another decade for the plane to become mainstream.

It is amazing to realize that it only took the same amount of time to build a stable version of the IDNA protocol as it took to build the A380 plane. Work towards the IDNA protocol began just over a decade ago and only recently has its second version been released. This second version will for example function for any future versions of Unicode, making it a much more stable protocol than previously. Meanwhile the protocol development we also saw the implementation and launch of the processes by which IDNs can be introduced at the top-level of domain names. The overall development of IDNs was a truly diverse, multi-national effort, with the precise number of participating countries difficult to assess. The biggest challenge now for IDNs is how to avoid waiting another decade for achieving widespread adoption by Internet users and application developers.

Many services or products have broken the 10/10 rule.  What they have in common is that they are considered innovative. One example is YouTube. It took YouTube only 2 years to become one of the top ten visited sites in the world and the most visited video site ever. Today, Youtube powers more than 3 billion videos views a day. YouTube’s disruptive innovation was to take advantage of the Internet and thereby its ability to create a different way to access and consume videos, and that in an era of early Internet consumers.

Another example is Facebook’s strategy to become the social networking leader by leveraging the trusted and verified .EDU top-level domain. Facebook facilitated membership through the restricted .EDU extension to create an exclusive membership club of verified students. Facebook soon became the largest social network in the world by surpassing Myspace, the previous market leader. Just like Youtube, the adoption rate for Facebook was less than a decade. Facebook was another innovative service.

So what can we do to take IDNs to mass-market? Granted, IDNs have been available at the second level of domain names for about a decade, with some of the early implementations starting in 2000. While most of the very early implementations have been used primarily for testing purposes, the standard second-level implementation was quickly adopted by for example European based TLD registries, but the most significant milestone was achieved in 2010 with the launch of ICANN’s IDN ccTLD Fast Track Program. Under the new program, the entire domain name could be expressed in Chinese, Indian, Russian, and other languages. While the technology is essentially the same, IDNs expressed in languages not using the Latin alphabet is a bigger differentiator than “simply” adding IDNs at the second level under existing TLDs based on the basic Latin script [e.g. blåbær.tld]. The opportunities and implications for regions that do not use the Latin alphabet as their primary language script will be game-changing.

As experience shows, in order to break the 10/10 rule, we need innovative services complementing a product in order for it to reach mass market in less than the typical decade. The question remains: Are IDNs innovative enough on their own or do they require complementors to push the adoption cycle in to the mainstream? I believe the answer is two-fold, although related. We need add-on innovative services making IDNs useful, and that we need to create incentives for the market to pick them up.

Creating effective incentives that serve the Internet’s public interest and opening up IDNs for innovative ideas can be done in several different ways.

One way is by widespread usage by key players that drive the industry. If we give existing TLD registries easy access to internationalized versions of their TLDs, then the deployment of these Internationalized TLDs could reach big markets quickly. This will not only speed up mainstream adoption, but it will also make IDNs more compatible by pushing more application developers to support IDNs, which in turn creates a better user experience and usability.

Some of the existing TLD registries have announced they will apply for and launch internationalized versions of their TLDs. However, not all will since the incentive may not be desirable enough given the high costs involved and the first-mover risk of being an early innovator in an immature market. Recall that use of IDNs is largely up to application developers, and for example email is only in its very early stages of roll-out. Offering customers a domain product that cannot be used broadly or generally in applications can be a challenge.

I previously proposed that bundling prices be introduced for gTLD applications containing internationalized versions of the applied for TLD string. There has been some concerns expressed associated with this type of lowering the barrier for companies. Most concerns express that this would create additional competitive advantages for already prominent industry players. However, in order to get new products into an existing market it is often common practice to offer lower prices initially. You could argue that while the Fast Track Process for IDN ccTLDs was cost-neutral, it was effective since it helped introduce new products at a low price, and that for internationalized versions of already existing TLDs (ccTLDs in this case). There is no reason why the internationalized gTLDs could not be introduced in similar fashion and thereby be able to compete with IDN ccTLDs.

Since there is limited competition and innovations in the IDN space, it would be beneficial to allow all Internationalized TLD applicants to be incentivized by lower prices if their strategy is aligned with that offering to Internet users. By allowing this, app and software developers will be quicker to embrace IDNs and will help improve IDN usability on a global scale. That kind of development will be positive for all Internet users and players involved. It will help lower the prices and barrier of entry for other companies or organizations interested in competing in the space and provide new IDN solutions to Internet users. In addition, it would create a safer introduction, by bundling and connecting the various internationalized TLD contracts with ICANN.

More benefits to Internet users would materialize in the IDN space as new innovative products and services are incorporated by industry players and entrepreneurial technology companies. For example, Internet usage in Asia, despite having gone through a 700% increase in the last decade, is still only at a penetration of about 10% of the general population, which means there is huge growth potential in this region. But is the growth opportunity enough to convince an applicant to go for the Internationalized (or localized rather) version of a TLD?

Interestingly, Asia is also one region where the high costs create an unnecessary barrier to IDN innovators. Considering that internationalized TLDs comes with high development and infrastructure costs, extensive first-mover marketing campaigns and a high probability of ongoing changes, bundled with the ICANN fee of 185.000US$ the financial risks are still too high. First movers have a high risk of failing under these circumstances since the market is in early adopter mode and not a mature and profitable market with users paying high or equitable fee’s to existing and more established domain name products. Multiple applicants have told me they would include internationalized version of TLDs they are intending to apply for, if the price was lower. Many are awaiting the specifics of the ICANN program for allowing lower application prices for certain applicants. 

As a result, and unfortunately, there have not been many public announcements about intentions of TLD applicants to launch IDNs. Most announcements have been made by major players, such as Verisign, to apply for their IDN equivalent in .COM. If ICANN’s goal with the new TLD program is to increase competition, consumer choice and innovation, more has to be done to incentivize the launch of IDNs to serve under-represented communities.

That brings me to an interesting subject on the topic of innovation and where the IDN innovation will come from. Are we still waiting for technology to catch up, or is it already here and we need to catch up with it? I recently asked a group from DIT, CDAC, NIXI, and Afilias India, in India, and another group, comprised primarily by Western-participants in the IDN session at the Dot-Nxt Conference on new TLDs in San Francisco. The findings were exceptional:

India: 50% feels like they wait for technology // 50 % feel like they have to catch up with technology.

Dot-Nxt: 10% feels like they wait for technology // 90 % feel like they have to catch up with technology.

The differences in the findings are interesting. Especially considering that the individuals asked are all from the same industry and involved in the same technology.

In less than 24 hours after the question was asked, one of the leaders of the team in India brought a timeline for new products focused on the usability of IDNs, nailing the 10/2. They also demonstrated newly developed tools helping users managing IDNs. These tools were exceptionally outstanding and could be very useful in regions outside India.

This exemplifies that we are witnessing a region where the people are ready for the next step in Internet development, and I believe this is where the expansion, and change of the namespace, will come from. Considering that the Internet has provided many benefits for us over the last decade, we have a responsibility to continue allow and encourage the ongoing development in an open and transparent manner. We simply need to make sure that next step of Internet evolution is available and more easily accessible by every Internet user.

I hope this post will help initiate the discussion on the topics related to innovations, prices, and other ways of making the internationalized TLD introduction and competition fair, and making the access equal. I also hope it will give a market perspective for those involved in the ICANN program focused on application fee reduction for certain applicants.

Written by Tina Dam, Co-Founder MYTLD

Harare - A United Kingdom newspaper, the Daily Mail, yesterday claimed that Gaddafi arrived in Zimbabwe last week aboard Mugabe's private jet. But President Robert Mugabe's spokesman ...

A United Kingdom newspaper, the Daily Mail, yesterday claimed that Gaddafi arrived in Zimbabwe last week aboard Mugabe's private jet.

By Nath Aldalala'a

The Trial of the 'Pharaoh on the Nile' captured the imagination of the street in Egypt and beyond. For the second time the ousted leader Hosni Mubarak appeared in court on Monday 15th August and this seemed for many to symbolise the successful conclusion to the popular protests that lasted over the last six months. However, the point I would raise is that the trial does not serve the cause of justice and furthermore, it will have a negative impact on the immediate political future of Egypt. The slogans of “down-down with regime” voiced during early stages of the protests remained collective and adamant only until the overthrow of Mubarak. The fall of the regime meant that the core demand of the protestors has been met. This should have been followed with a second phase focusing on political, economic and social issues and thus begin the process of restoring dignity to the Egyptian citizen and that of Egypt itself.

Besides interrupting, and possibly impeding, the restoration of stability and consequent progress at both a domestic and international levels, the trial will have an immediate effect on the voting in the looming elections in the country. There are several considerations I would like to air in support of my contention. Factor one: the image of Mubarak’s appearance before the court as an ailing man. Factor two: the fact that the Military remain in power. Factor three: the Muslim Brotherhood policy of “wait and see” is likely to benefit from a rift amongst the ranks of the protestors.

To expand on the first of these factors, is to examine Mubarak’s appearances in court and their effect. On both occasions when he appeared before the court, wheeled in on his hospital bed, he looked frail and humiliated. This helped to elevate the degree of sympathy towards him. His image as a dictator, a corrupt and tyrannical leader, begins to lose currency, as a wave of sympathy on the street started perceiving him as merely “the poor old ill man”. As time passes his image will, to some extent, transforms into that of a victimised old man of 83 years.  This in itself is not detrimental until it brings discord amongst the people. Indeed, his second appearance in the courtroom triggered clashes between his supporters and those who were advocates of his trial. A number of his supporters chanted: “Mubarak is not Saddam” and “He is Egyptian until death”.  Again, this alone will not be tantamount to a major rift, and it will not unduly affect the outcome of the trial, but it will impinge upon the universality of the spirit of the protests that initially prevailed. It will also have an impact on the long term Zeitgeist in the Egyptian political landscape. The success of the pending elections in Egypt is not dependent simply on the number of voters, but also on a politically acute and enlightened mentality in order to lay the foundations for a new system. It is only through an informed electorate that the best results for the country can be achieved. Yet such a position may be undermined by the rift emerging around Mubarak’s trial and the flourishing of latent, ambivalent prejudices.  It would be naïve to assume, despite the sheer size of protests in the country, that Mubarak lacks supporters. The few voices reverberating the ousted leader is “Egyptian until death and that he is not Saddam” may gather momentum, especially when people start to associate the dignity of Mubarak with that of Egypt. 

The haste in which Mubarak has been brought to court is certainly on social grounds rather than in the service of justice. If so, the concept of justice loses its essence as it hangs in the balance between the authority of the military and the demands of the protestors.  This point becomes more marked when considered alongside the second of the three factors identified here.

While the Military forms the transitional government, composed of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), effectively the governing body, then a state of “civil mentality” will not dominate the streets of Egypt.  By civil mentality I mean the focus on post Mubarak period to which the masses have aspired. Even if protestors go home, collective consciousness will remain charged with anxiety and uncertainty. Obviously, this has an effect on the country’s move towards a stable and long-lasting democratic form of governance.  I should mention at this point, that the top generals in the Army, who monitor and govern, are old brothers-in-arms with the ousted leader.  Their political influence has only increased over the last six months, and it will do so further while there is no civil government in power which could help minimise their role.  It is notable that to date, the Military have not brought to trial any further elements of the old regime. And while their grip on power continues, their economic privileges stay intact. Their popularity has so far resided in the fact that it is a draft military made up of the people. But the SCAF has come to resemble a political body which takes on many of the characteristics of the old regime. The military became notorious for its trials of activists and journalists. Journalists Hossam El-Hamalawy and Rasha Azab were summoned by prosecution, Asmaa Mahfouz, who was accused of inciting violence against the military and insulting members of SCAF was referred to a military court and later released on bail. The presidential candidate Mohammed El-Baradei wrote on his twitter account “Military trials for young activists, while Mubarak & Co. stand before civilian courts, is a legal farce. Don’t abort the revolution”. The recent clashes between the protestors and military supporters are evidence of this.  On Saturday 23rd July protestors moved from Tahrir Square towards the Defence Ministry, the headquarters of SCAF, in order to voice their demands for more freedom for the civilian government of Prime Minister, Essam Sharif, and also to condemn the military trials. More than 250 people were hurt in the clashes. Interestingly, the slogans during that protest were “down with the military” and branded the leader of SCAF Marshal Hussein Tantawi, as being “an agent of America.” It is inevitable that while the Military are part of the political machinery this will influence the outcomes of the future civil governance in the country. It is already the case that disagreement is rife between different groups while preparing for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

While these elections are regulated and administered by the Army, the political environment is emphatically militaristic and confrontational. The government of Essam Sharaf exits in the shadow of a military presence, and hence the climate is not dissimilar to the days of Mubarak. This point alone suggests there has been little progress in civil society.

I expand on my third factor with the contention that the Muslim Brotherhood or any other religiously oriented group in the Arab world always profit from any vacuum created in the social and political landscape.  While the Muslim Brotherhood played no major role in the instigation or the process of the protests, they are likely to harvest the fruits of this unrest. Their overall policy is based on a ‘wait and see’ principle. They have heavily remained on the side of the military with the understanding that this will please the masses.  However, the Brotherhood stance towards Mubarak’s trial is straightforward. They were keen for it, actively requested it, and they got it.  That straightforward narrative was interrupted though, when at the second hearing of Mubarak’s trial, Judge Ahmed Rifaat announced that “In the public interest, the court had decided to stop the television broadcast of the court sessions beginning on 5th  September 2011 until the announcement of the sentences".  Voices on the street were denouncing the removal of the camera from the courtroom. It was seen to be a preposterous betrayal of the protestors who were killed and a disloyalty to their families. Further accusations were made that there is a deal between the military and Mubarak. Such a charged atmosphere extends the potential rift between the people and the military. It is easy to see how the Muslim Brotherhood will benefit from such circumstances. In the case of political parties, although there are over 20 registered parties in the country, they remain politically un-organised. Apart from their support to the encompassing cause of the protesting masses, these parties pursue their own agendas and are factional in nature.

Moreover, the government of Essam Sahraf, as mentioned above, has been overshadowed by the SCAF, and this curtails the performativity of civil institution. The clashes between opponents and supporters of Mubarak in front of the court testify to the critical point that has been reached in relation to this. The Muslim Brotherhood is established and well organised and they are poised to take up the role of “rescuer”. Their tactics include cunningly keeping a low profile while at the same time waiting for gaps to fill in the structure of ongoing debate and protests. They established the Muslim Brotherhood Political Party to run in the next parliamentary elections, scheduled this fall, appointing a Coptic Christian as its vice president.  This is an obvious gesture to quell any fears they will use religion as a tool in their domestic political agenda. However, in their rhetoric on foreign policy and the future of Egypt’s relationship to its neighbours, they shall beat their rivals in election in an easy fashion.  When asked, in a recent interview about Egypt’s treaty with Israel, Youssef Nada, a long time strategist for the Muslim Brotherhood, stated that the “treaty should be rewritten- to be fair to everyone.”  Such statements are welcomed in Egypt as the treaty has long been viewed as an alliance between Mubarak and Israel rather than between the two countries. The Treaty was signed in 1979; Mubarak came to power in 1981 and became its de facto guardian. For many Egyptians it is a treaty very much identified with Mubarak’s strong ties with Israel. Therefore, when the Muslim Brotherhood plays popular tones and these will find wider audience on the street.

So far, the spirit of protest was subject to reason: “down-down with the regime for dignity and justice”. The reasoning underpinning this is the exchange of a regime that hindered justice for a new system which could restore it. Nonetheless, the courtroom in the case of Mubarak does not necessarily symbolise justice and seems more a vengeful form of catharsis for the people. Justice is known as the “first virtue of social institutions.” While the SCAF still holds ‘the’ momentary authority, one would assume that the spirit of wider social institutions lacks virtue.

Rational political protest must be guarded from becoming merely an instrument of revenge. That is, objectivity ought to prevail rather than the satisfaction of the deeply entrenched cultural and religious ethics of the Arab world. The true spirit of the early protest must remain authoritative and not be subjugated to over-hastiness and popular appeasement.  I say that because these protests have not yet become fully incorporated into a body juridiques, and cannot be so while the military is still the governing body. Thus, the trial of Mubarak could remain of an ailing old man.

- Dr. Nath Aldalala'a - School of English Literature, Newcastle University, United Kingdom – contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

The big-budget zombie film, 'World War Z' has been filming in the small seaside town of Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. A few days back, star of the film, Brad Pitt was caught on set on board of a ship where most of the filming took place. The ship went on a brief voyage to another area, then returned to Falmouth. You can view the images of the set action below, as well as a video, courtesy of Splash News.Last time we got a look at the film, there were a lot of zombies and guns. This time around, we have color-coordinated head apparel and a lovely locale. Such diversity will probably be the theme of 'World War Z' as its source material -- the novel of the same name from author, Max Brooks -- isn't your typical hokey zombie-fare. In the film, Brad Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a representative of the United Nations who is tasked with doing a report on the Great Zombie War. He interviews a slew of people, compiling their experiences. As the name implies, the war pitted humans against with the reanimated flesh-eating undead, who came to be through a quickly spreading disease. The cast of the film also includes James Badge Dale, perhaps best known for his roles in 'The Departed' and the television series, '24;' as well as Mireille Enos, who stars in the television show, 'The Killing.' 'World War Z' is from 'Quantum of Solace' director, Marc Forster, and has a tentative release date planned for sometime in 2012. Source: Splash News

The phone hacking scandal in the UK has claimed two of its biggest scalps yet - those of the Commissoner and Deputy Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Force. Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates say their positions had become untenable after yet more allegations emerged over the illegal activity at now-defunct newspaper the News of the World, although both deny any wrongdoing.

Rupert Murdoch, his son and the former head of his newspaper business in the United Kingdom are expected to appear before a parliamentary committee Tuesday. They are due to be questioned about the phone hacking-scandal at the News of The World .

Rupert Murdoch, his son and the former head of his newspaper business in the United Kingdom are expected to appear before a parliamentary committee Tuesday. They are due to be questioned about the phone hacking-scandal at the News of The World .

Rupert Murdoch, his son and the former head of his newspaper business in the United Kingdom are expected to appear before a parliamentary committee Tuesday. They are due to be questioned about the phone hacking-scandal at the News of The World .

After 168 years in print, the British tabloid, News of the World , is closing after fallout from a phone hacking scandal. Host Scott Simon talks with political columnist Simon Hoggart of the Guardian newspaper about the impact on the media landscape in the United Kingdom.

After 168 years in print, the British tabloid, News of the World , is closing after fallout from a phone hacking scandal. Host Scott Simon talks with political columnist Simon Hoggart of the Guardian newspaper about the impact on the media landscape in the United Kingdom.

After 168 years in print, the British tabloid, News of the World , is closing after fallout from a phone hacking scandal. Host Scott Simon talks with political columnist Simon Hoggart of the Guardian newspaper about the impact on the media landscape in the United Kingdom.

by Radar Staff

The Royals have arrived!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles International Airport, after wrapping up their nine-day whirlwind tour of Canada.

California Gov. Jerry Brown is welcoming the royal couple upon their arrival at LAX Airport. From there, the Royals will go immediately to the Beverly Hills Hilton where they'll meet with a group of venture capitalists, business leaders and philanthropists before heading to a Consular-General Reception held by the United Kingdom Trade and Investment.

PHOTOS: Kate Makes A Little Girl’s Dreams Come True

British consul-general reception Barbara Hay will host the event at her home in Hancock Park -- a posh neighborhood in L.A. -- where Prince William and Kate will be staying while in town.

According to St. James Palace, Prince William and Kate’s objective while in the Golden State will be "supporting British interest in California through the prism of their own interests," on the trip which marks the first time Kate has visited the United States.

PHOTOS: William & Kate Attend A Rodeo In Calgary

Officials issued a preemptive statement putting the city's numerous paparazzi cameramen on alert, as Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Michael Downing said Thursday, "We ask that the paparazzi be respectful and dignified. And we will be respectful and dignified to the paparazzi.

"It is a very important event for Los Angeles," Downing said, noting the security measures taken will be a tick under the usual protocol when the president's in town. "It is really an honor to have the royal couple in Los Angeles, and we want to make sure they have a good impression."

PHOTOS: Prince William & Kate Hug After Boat Race

On Saturday afternoon, Prince William -- an avid polo player -- is slated to lead a team at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, for a charity match to benefit the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry. Kate is scheduled to present the winners with a trophy.

Tickets for the event were going for $4,000 for a meet-and-greet with the royals; and $400 for general admission to watch the match in the grandstand, with a box lunch and a souvenir program included into the cost of the ticket.

On Saturday night, the second-to-the-throne will join his lovely wife in downtown Los Angeles for a dinner at the 1926 Belasco Theatre put on by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. There, they will be the guests of honor at a reception to pay tribute to 42 of the U.K.’s top young filmmakers. Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks are among those on the guests lists.

PHOTOS: William & Kate Cook In Montreal

On Sunday, they'll check out the Inner-City Arts School, an establishment that's in the dreary Skid Row section, to watch a dance recital featuring kids from a nonprofit academy in the area. After that, they'll pay a visit to Culver City's Sony Studios to attend the Service Nation: Mission Serve job fair.

From there it's back to LAX Airport, where around afternoon, the beautiful young couple will head back to the motherland after the jam-packed Hollywood weekend.

Keep checking back with RadarOnline.com all weekend long for the very latest Royal news!

 

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and law-enforcement partners in Europe have seized the computers and bank accounts of a cybercriminal ring responsible for PC scareware attacks worldwide. Moreover, two alleged members of a second group posing as a legitimate advertising agency were indicted on criminal charges.

The PCs and servers seized were in the Netherlands, Latvia, Germany, France, Lithuania, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The FBI estimated that the hardware helped cybercriminals bilk more than $74 million from victims.

"Cyber threats are a global problem, and no single country working alone can be effective against these crimes," said Gordon Snow, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division. "The FBI thanks the participating foreign law-enforcement agencies for their ongoing partnership and commitment in disrupting this threat."

Long Arm of the Law

In a survey last year by Symantec, nearly 80 percent of respondents said it's not possible to bring cybercriminals to justice. "Many criminals reside in a foreign country, so it's no surprise that people regard them as 'faceless' -- they physically are," said Norton Cyber Security Adviser Adam Palmer.

However, the FBI's success this week in shutting down a network responsible for infecting an estimated 960,000 PCs is a warning to criminals who think they can safely wreak havoc without consequences. Though they may reside on the other side of the globe, the proverbial "long arm of the law" continues to have the ability to reach around the planet and tap them on the shoulder.

Under one of the phony schemes shut down, the Minneapolis Star Tribune was contacted by criminals posing as representatives of a hotel chain that wanted to purchase advertising on the newspaper's web site. Though the initial ads functioned in a normal manner, the cybercriminals subsequently switched the ad's codes so that PC...

By Alexis Tereszcuk
Radar Staff Reporter

The brand new Scientology Mission center which John Travolta helped open just two weeks ago has been vandalized and RadarOnline.com has the exclusive photos of the graffiti damage.

The letters “ANON” were spray painted on the windows of the mission in downtown Ocala, Florida early Wednesday morning, before the center opened at 1pm.  The blinds were drawn still when the first photos were taken showing the letters on the glass.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Travolta’s Local Scientology Center Vandalized

“Anonymous” is the internet based group that has wagered attacks against Scientology in the media, often with videos claiming that the organization is a criminal organization.

John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston live in Ocala and were at the opening of the new Mission on May 29.  The actor broke down in tears while thanking the town for the support given to his family following their “intense loss” of their son Jett, who tragically passed away in 2009.

PHOTOS: John Travolta Takes Son Shopping

“This community protected us and safeguarded us. When the chips are down, you know who your friends are.  Our friends are right here,” Travolta said to the crowd of 1000 people.  “So the biggest gift I can give you in return is this mission.”  Kelly Preston walked on stage and gave him a tissue and a hug, according to the Ocala Star Banner newspaper.

The Scientology Mission of Ocala is 4, 500 square feet and the restoration was a $500,000 project for the organization.

A spokesperson for the Church of Scientology released the following statement to RadarOnline.com: “Anonymous is an internet-based criminal organization currently under investigation by the United States Department of Justice, local law enforcement, and law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and Spain, among others.

“Anonymous has claimed responsibility and is currently under investigation for its attacks on Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Sony's PlayStation Network, the Church of Scientology, the Spanish government and national police, as well as for crashing the Australian government's websites in response to Australia's attempts to curb the spread of child pornography on the internet.

“Anonymous declared a war against the Church of Scientology and has claimed responsibility for attacks on the Church, including: anthrax threats; bomb threats; death threats; arson threats; and, kidnapping threats.  These crimes, among others, are currently part of an open hate crimes investigation by the United States Department of Justice.”

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Live television is landing on the Xbox 360.
Microsoft announced plans to bring live TV and YouTube to the video game console at a press conference kicking off the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the gaming industry's annual convention.
The company says that live TV will be offered by domestic and international broadcasters, but no other details were revealed.
Partnerships with international broadcasters currently bring live TV to the Xbox 360 in the United Kingdom, Australia and France, but the service...  More >>

On Monday, Rwanda's Foreign Affairs Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, appeared on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news network to rubbish claims made by The Independent newspaper of the United Kingdom that Rwanda had sent an assassin to kill two Rwandan nationals in the UK.

All is set for Afri-Tech, Africa’s first internet and digital marketing conference. The event, set to be held in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is expected to bring world-class marketing gurus from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Asia and Africa.

According to Bernard Sanganza, the chief executive officer of Afri-Tech, the firm behind the Summit, all the speakers have confirmed participation for the meeting likely to be graced by Kenya’s President, Mwai Kibaki. The event is expected to last four days from June 15-18.

“We are just waiting for the big day in Nairobi as marketing gurus converge to chat the way forward on digital marketing,” Mr Sanganza said. The chief executive officer said the realisation of ‘Africa’s dream’ is finally coming to fruition, with significant support already confirmed from leading corporate firms in Africa, the Government of Kenya as well as universities. While the works involved have been hectic and bureaucratic, marketing experts argue that the conference will significantly shape the future of products and services sales globally.”

The development will see firms learn from marketing experts around the world. This will obviously impact positively on companies’ output,” Mr Ital Chando, the firm’s head of marketing said. Only three weeks ago, Afri-Tech hosted a curtain-raiser event at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre that was well attended by industry captains across East Africa.

Catherine Ngahu, the chairman of the Kenya ICT Board lauded the brains behind the June meeting, arguing that Africa can only come out of the perennial problems of poverty when the continent embraces modern technology. “This was a well thought-out meeting for digital marketing. Indeed through such a platform, firms can reach millions of clients within the touch of a computer button. ICT board is ready to host Afri-Tech, and provide all the support it will need,” Ms Ngahu said.

In the past two years, Kenya has been spotted by key foreign investors, who consider the country business-friendly. Today, the country hosts global firms’ Africa head offices in the city such as Google, Samsung as well as Nokia. Confirmed conference attendee list shows that a number of Government parastatals in East Africa, the corporate sector as well as Universities will be attending the Summit.

Moreover, the team spearheading the world-class meeting led by Mr Chando and chief operating officer, Chris Sanganza, are already in Kenya to bolster the firm’s preparedness for the conference.”After the June conference, focus will be shifting to Southern Africa as well as West Africa where similar activities have been planned,” the CEO said.

The four-day exhibition and “highly engaging” conference will provide the attendees with a mass of new knowledge and new contacts. It is projected to feature more than 150 leading minds from the local market, most of whom are brand advertisers, traditional and interactive agencies, portals, on-line publishers and technology providers.

According to Mr Sanganza, marketing executives from brand organisations, agencies, publishers and solution providers “attend our events in order to stay on top of the most important content, network with industry leaders.” “The conference will also provide understanding on how firms can work with the latest technology and media. Our events truly answer the needs and wants of those passionate about digital media,” he said.

Statistics show that Afri-Tech is Africa’s first and most established Internet and Digital Media institution. Marketing experts say the June summit is timely, especially at this time when the continent is fast embracing technology. Key subjects of discussion include the future innovations in Internet and Digital. This, the Afri-Tech President says will focus on the latest innovations in digital, what the future holds for investors and what one should look out for in the ever changing communications landscape. “More interesting will be the building of brands through a digital platform. Here, experts will take a look at the agency’s role traditionally companies built brands in the offline world through television and print media. But today some of the most well known brands, Google, Facebook, Skype all originated online. How can agencies help organisations build a successful online brand and are they currently equipped well enough to do so?” he said.

According to McKinsey Quarterly survey, companies that make the deep strategic and operational shifts required to become effective digital marketers can become more agile, more productive, and accelerate revenue growth. “Since the dawn of the Internet, marketers have regarded it as a vast laboratory, launching experiment after experiment to crack the code that generates sales and customer loyalty. Not surprisingly, most have failed. “Consumers adopted digital technology as they themselves saw fit, in the process fundamentally altering the way they make purchasing decisions,” the study found.

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The royal wedding might have been the United Kingdom’s but, if television viewership figures are to be believed, more Indians were interested in watching it than Brits themselves.

The royal wedding might have been the United Kingdom’s but, if television viewership figures are to be believed, more Indians were interested in watching it than Brits themselves.

With a million people lining the streets and two billion watching on television, the newlyweds exchanged kisses on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, before a party in the palace. The couple is expected to head off on honeymoon later Saturday.