May 14 2009

Tamils deserve straight talk – Globe and Mail


Telegraph.co.uk

Tamils deserve straight talk
Globe and Mail
Since last weekend, when thousands of Tamil protesters shut down a major Toronto highway, the talk shows have been boiling with outrage.
Video: Sri Lanka ambassador denies shelling – 13 May 09 Al Jazeera
'Dozens killed' in Sri Lanka as UN voices concern AFP
CNN International – CTV.ca – Bloomberg – Voice of America
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May 13 2009

IE Losing 10% Market Share Every Two Years

mjasay writes “Mozilla’s Asa Dotzler points to some interesting long-term trends in browser market share, noting that ‘browser releases aren’t having any major impact on the macro trends,’ which suggests that a better IE will likely have little impact on its sliding market share. The most intriguing conclusion from the data, however, is that Firefox could surpass IE market share as early as January 2013 if Firefox continues to gain 5 percent every year, even as IE drops 5 percent each year. In the past, Microsoft might have fought back by tying IE to other products to block competition, but with the EU keeping a close antitrust eye on Microsoft and the US Obama administration keen to make an example of an antitrust bully, Microsoft may have few good options beyond good old fashioned competition, which doesn’t seem to be working very well for the Redmond giant, as the market share data suggests. Microsoft’s loss of IE market power, in turn, could have serious consequences for the company’s efforts to compete with Google on the Web.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


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May 12 2009

Funding For Automotive Fuel Cells Cut

rgarbacz writes “The US will stop funding research on automotive fuel cells and redirect the work towards stationary plants, because of slow progress on the research. Developing those cells and coming up with a way to transport the hydrogen is a big challenge, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in releasing energy-related details of the administration’s budget for the year beginning Oct. 1. Dr. Chu said the government preferred to focus on projects that would bear fruit more quickly. The industry and the National Hydrogen Association criticized the decision and declared their intention to fight for funding. Dr. Chu also announced that funding for a coal gasification pilot project, cut by the Bush administration, will be reinstated. The Obama administration will also drop spending for research on the exploration of oil and gas deposits because the industry itself has ample resources for that, Dr. Chu said.”

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May 11 2009

DOJ Nixes Lax Policy, Hardens Antitrust Enforcement

eldavojohn writes “A policy from the Bush era seen as a hurtle to the government prosecuting companies under antitrust laws has been withdrawn by Obama’s Department of Justice. From the article, ‘The DOJ’s Antitrust Division has withdrawn a September report that “raised too many hurdles to government antitrust enforcement and favored extreme caution” toward antitrust enforcement action, the DOJ said. The change in policy could mean that the department looks harder at the actions of technology vendors such as Google, Oracle and IBM, as detractors have raised antitrust concerns about all three in recent months.’ You may recall that Google has come under some antitrust scrutiny recently and the pressure may have just gotten a little more intense.”

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May 9 2009

Work Resumes On Virtual Fence With Mexico

Hugh Pickens writes “Work resumed this week on the five-year project to link a chain of tower-mounted sensors and other surveillance equipment over most of the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. The network of cameras, radar, and communications gear is intended to speed deployment of US Border Patrol officers to intercept illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and other violators, yielding greater ‘operational control’ over the vast and rugged area. A M pilot project for the Secure Border Initiative, or ‘SBInet,’ carried out in the Bush administration, was generally considered a colossal IT failure. Since that time the DHS has given the prime contractor, Boeing, another 0M. The government says it has learned many lessons and made many changes in the program since the previous pilot rushed off-the-shelf equipment into operation without testing. The Obama administration has lowered the cost estimate for the 5-year project by .1B, to .7B, mainly by deferring work on the most difficult 200 miles of the border, in southwest Texas.”

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May 8 2009

'Pakistan need hearts and minds to defeat Taliban' – AFP


TVNZ

'Pakistan need hearts and minds to defeat Taliban'
AFP
ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan may have superior military might, but to win the war against Taliban guerrillas they must avoid collateral damage and rebuild angry lives shattered by the offensive, analysts say.
Video: Residents Flee Pakistani War Zone The Associated Press
Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis flee fighting The Associated Press
Washington Post – BBC News – Telegraph.co.uk – Reuters
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May 8 2009

US-Afghan-Pakistan summit after Afghan poll – Reuters


Telegraph.co.uk

US-Afghan-Pakistan summit after Afghan poll
Reuters
WASHINGTON, May 7 (Reuters) – The United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan will hold a trilateral summit after the Afghan presidential election in August, the special US envoy for the region said on Thursday, citing progress in getting often fractious
Video: Joining forces against the Taliban threat – 7 May 09 Al Jazeera
'Progress' in Afghan-Pakistan talks Aljazeera.net
Xinhua – New York Times – Reuters India – CNN
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May 7 2009

Obama Wants Spain to Ban BitTorrent Sites

Every year the United States releases the Special 301 Report, which examines the intellectual property laws of important trading partners.


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May 7 2009

What’s Getting Cut From Science Part of the Federal Budget

Kristina at Science News writes “As part of the announcement of its proposed fiscal year 2010 budget, the Obama administration released a summary (called ‘Terminations, Reductions, and Savings: Budget of the US Government, Fiscal Year 2010’) that includes which science-related programs are getting cut. Two big programs are the nuclear waste storage project at Yucca Mountain in Nevada and a second prototype airborne laser missile-defense weapon.” Update: 05/07 23:03 GMT by T : On the other hand, reader Dusty writes, “The NASA budget for 2010 has been announced, up 5% on 2009. Human space flight plans to be reviewed.”

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May 7 2009

Tensions rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan – ABC Online


guardian.co.uk

Tensions rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan
ABC Online – Lisa Millar
PETER CAVE: While the three leaders were meeting at the White House the tension on the ground in both Afghanistan and Pakistan was threatening to dampen even the most optimistic reading of the situation.
Video: Riz Khan – Obama's 'AfPak' strategy – 06 Apr 09 – Part 1 Al Jazeera
US, Afghan, Pakistan leaders meet amid mounting Taliban threats Xinhua
Reuters India – Reuters – New York Times – Los Angeles Times
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