Topic: POLITIK - on May 9, 2012 at 10:14:00 AM CEST
China Expels Al Jazeera Channel
Al Jazeera, the satellite broadcasting network, was forced by the Chinese authorities to close its China news operations of its English-language channel on Monday, the first such action in almost 14 years and the strongest sign yet of fraying relations between the ruling Communist Party and the overseas journalists who cover it.
The network’s correspondent Melissa Chan was scheduled to leave Beijing by jet Monday night after the government refused normally routine requests to renew her press credentials or to allow another correspondent to replace her.
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Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 9, 2012 at 9:17:00 AM CEST
German File Sharing & Copyright Debate - 'Just Shut Them Down, Man'
In a SPIEGEL interview, German pop star Jan Delay and Christopher Lauer, a Pirate Party member of the Berlin state parliament, debate the value of art in the digital age and whether music and movies should be made available for free download on the Internet.
Jan Delay is one of Germany's most successful pop musicians. Like many fellow artists, he feels threatened by the Pirate Party's call for the legalization of online music-sharing sites like Pirate Bay. Like many, Delay worries musicians will no longer be able to make a living if their work is given away for free on the Internet. Last week, the musician met with Pirate Party politician Christopher Lauer at SPIEGEL's headquarters in Hamburg to continue a debate sparked by musician and writer Sven Regener (the author of the novels "Element of Crime" and "Herr Lehmann") four weeks ago. Regener argues that the refusal to consider music a commodity for which one should pay is "preposterous."
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Topic: MUSIK - on May 9, 2012 at 9:13:00 AM CEST
Bad Lawsuit, Worse Timing: Beastie Boys Sued Over Infringing Samples On Seminal Albums
The Beastie Boys have been hit with lawsuit over four tracks, two on their landmark debut album Licensed To Ill and two from their follow-up, Paul’s Boutique.
HipHop/R&B label Tuf America filed the lawsuit against all members of the Beastie Boys on May 3, just one day before member Adam “MCA” Yauch died from cancer on May 4.
Tuf America filed the lawsuit in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit claims that the Beastie’s illegally sampled Trouble Funk’s songs “Say What” and “Drop The Bomb.”
The group is accused of using portions of Trouble Funk’s 1982 song “Drop The Bomb” on Licensed To Ill and Paul’s Boutique.
Tuf America claims the group used portions of the song on their classic 1986 song “Hold It Now Hit It,” as well as “The New Style,” both on Licensed To Ill.
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Topic: DRUGS - on May 9, 2012 at 9:09:00 AM CEST
Four Sinaloa Cartel Figures Targeted Including Sons of “Chapo” Guzman
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced today the designation of four key Sinaloa Cartel operatives, including two sons of Sinaloa drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera.
Today’s action, pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), prohibits United States persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these four individuals, and also freezes any assets they may have under the jurisdiction of the United States. Today’s action would not have been possible without the support of the DEA.
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Topic: POLICE REPORT - on May 8, 2012 at 8:53:00 AM CEST
CIA thwarts 'undetectable' al-Qaida bomb plot
The CIA thwarted an ambitious plot by al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen to destroy a U.S.-bound airliner using a bomb with a sophisticated new design around the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said Monday.
The plot involved an upgrade of the underwear bomb that failed to detonate aboard a jetliner over Detroit on Christmas 2009. This new bomb was also designed to be used in a passenger's underwear, but this time al-Qaida developed a more refined detonation system, U.S. officials said.
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Topic: TV - on May 8, 2012 at 8:46:00 AM CEST
Losses at Oprah's OWN approach a staggering $330m as industry insiders predict it will be axed within the year
The losses at Oprah Winfrey’s troubled cable channel are approaching a staggering $330 million, according to a report over the weekend.
Industry insiders believe the channel - the Oprah Winfrey network (OWN) - will not last another year unless they come up with a hit show and make a dramatic turnaround.
Though ratings have seen a slight insurgence thanks to interview program Oprah's Next Chapter, it has stumbled since the get go with ratings of just 308,000 daily.
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Topic: WEB - on May 8, 2012 at 8:14:00 AM CEST
Host Your Own Cloud Server With OwnCloud
Enter ownCloud, an open source cloud hosting script that you can install on a Windows or Linux based web server. And since it would not really be cloud space without synchronization, you also get Windows, Linux and Mac apps for syncing, plus mobile apps for Android, and soon iOS as well.
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Topic: FUN - on May 7, 2012 at 6:14:00 PM CEST
Yeah You Did: Converse All Star Tattooed On Foot
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Topic: EU - on May 7, 2012 at 5:36:00 PM CEST
Debakel für Griechenlands Regierungsparteien
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Topic: GOOGLE - on May 7, 2012 at 3:40:00 PM CEST
Google Play About To Pass 15 Billion App Downloads? Pssht! It Did That Weeks Ago
Way to blow your own horn, Google. Yesterday a newspaper in the UK, the Independent, ran a short item about how Google was about to reach an app milestone — 15 billion apps downloaded. So we reached out to Google to ask about this… and guess what? It already happened.
A Google spokesperson, Gina Weakley Johnson, tells us the milestone was passed “a few weeks ago.”
The last number that Google released with more public declaration was 11 billion downloads, when the store was still called the Android Market, which it announced during its Q4 2011 earnings in January. In April, when Google reported its Q1 2012 earnings, it didn’t mention downloads on Google Play, the newly-rebranded store.
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Topic: AUSTRIA - on May 7, 2012 at 3:30:00 PM CEST
Vorratsdatenspeicherung: ÖJC unterzeichnet Verfassungsklage
Der Österreichische Journalisten Club (ÖJC) werde, die vom AK Vorrat und Albert Steinhauser (Grüne) initiierte Verfassungsklage gegen die Vorratsdatenspeicherung unterzeichnen, erklärt der Club in einer Aussendung. "Die Vorratsdatenspeicherung untergräbt den investigativen Journalismus und ist ein Rückschritt in die Zeit des Vormärz", begründet ÖJC-Präsident Fred Turnheim den ÖJC-Aufruf zur Abschaffung der Vorratsdatenspeicherung.
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Topic: AUSTRIA - on May 7, 2012 at 3:26:00 PM CEST
Vorratsdaten, Österreich: Liste speicherpflichtiger Firmen
herausgegeben vom Innenministerium.
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