LONDON, September 28 -- The British inventor of the World Wide Web warned on Saturday that the freedom of the Interne is under threat by governments and corporations interested in controlling the web.
Mr Berners-Lee, 59, is director of the World Wide Web Consortium, a body which develops guidelines for the development of the Inernet. He called for an Internet version of the "Magna Carta", the 13th century English charter credited with guaranteeing basic rights and freedoms. Concerns over privacy and freedom on the Internet have increased in the wake of the revelation of mass government monitoring of online activity following leaks by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. A ruling by the European Union to allow individuals to ask search engines such as Google to remove links to information about them, called the "right to be forgotten", has also raised concerns over the potential for censorship. "There have been lots of times that it has been abused, so now the Magna Carta is about saying...I want a web where I'm not spied on, where there's no censorship," Mr Berners-Lee said. The scientist added that in order to be a "neutral medium", the Internet had to reflect all of humanity, including "some ghastly stuff". "Now some things are of course just illegal, child pornography, fraud, telling someone how to rob a bank, that's illegal before the web and it's illegal after the web," Mr Berners-Lee added. Source: De Peet Journal
0 Comments
NEW VIDEO: Release of IS تعليق على القصف الصليبي لبعض مقرات جبهة النصرة وبيوت المسلمين في الشام28/9/2014 RAQQA, September 28 -- Comment on the bombing of the Crusader front, of some of the headquarters, of the victory and the houses of the Muslims in the Caliphate. SYDNEY, September 28 -- AC/DC announced that they will release their new album Rock or Buston December 1 and that they will tour next year without founding member Malcolm Young. The Australian rock legends confirmed that Young, who is believed to have suffered a stroke last year, is unable to continue in the band and has been replaced by his nephew Stevie Young, who plays on the new album. Rock or Bust will be the first AC/DC album in 41 years not to feature Malcolm Young, brother of guitarist Angus Young. A single from the album, Play Ball, will be revealed this weekend on American TV channel TBS, in association with Major League Baseball. Source: De Peet Journal TOKYO, September 28 -- Japan's national media has reported that 30 hikers have been found in a state of "cardiopulmonary" arrest near the peak of the volcano that erupted on Saturday. The victims have been described as not breathing and their hearts have stopped, which is the customary way for Japanese authorities to describe a body until police doctors can examine it. Rescue workers found the individuals near the summit of 3,067-metre Mount Ontake, in Nagano prefecture. "We have confirmed that more than 30 individuals in cardiac arrest have been found near the summit," a Nagano prefecture police spokesman told the AFP news agency. About 550 soldiers, police officers and firefighters were involved in a large-scale search-and-rescue operation in a bid to save dozens of hikers who were thought to have been stranded on the volcano since it erupted without warning spewing ash, rocks and steam into a sunny autumn weekend busy with tourists and hikers. About 250 people were initially trapped on the slopes. Most had made their way down by Saturday night but about 40 spent the night near the peak. More than 40 people were injured, several with broken bones. The volcano was still erupting on Sunday, pouring smoke and ash hundreds of metres into the sky. Ash was found on cars as far as 80km away. Volcanoes erupt periodically in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active nations, but there have been no fatalities since 1991, when 43 people died in a pyroclastic flow, a superheated current of gas and rock, at Mount Unzen in southwestern Japan. Source: Agencies PYONGYANG, September 28 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's failure to appear in public for almost THREE weeks has renewed rumours of his rapidly-deteriorating health. The secretive leader, aged 31, is due to make an appearance during a special session of the country's rubber-stamp parliament today. Governments and leaders around the world are expected to be watching closely to see if Mr Jong-un takes part in the Parliament session – and if he does, whether it reveals any clues to his rumoured condition. The stability of the North Korean regime and health of its leader is of particular interest to the country's closet neighbours, South Korea. Professor at Tokyo's Waseda University, Toshimitsu Shigemura explained: "There have been lots of reports that Kim is not in good health, supported by video footage of him walking with a noticeable limp at an event in July and again earlier this month. "It was clear that he could not walk fast or in a straight line. "Another reason why Kim may be reluctant to appear in public is the ongoing power struggle inside the North Korean military, which means that the situation in Pyongyang is still unstable. "Or, there is the possibility that there has been some sort of accident" The latest images released by North Korean state-controlled media suggest that Mr Jong-Un's has piled on weight since coming power after the death of his father – the supreme leader Kim Jong-il – in December 2011. Experts have attributed his substantial weight-gain to the stress of his new position combined with the mysterious North Korean leader's love of fine dining – including an affinity for cheese, that some link to his time studying in Switzerland. Many believe the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-il was linked to high blood pressure and diabetes – fuelled by similar expensive dining habits and an outspoken love of French cuisine. Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public since attending a concert on September 3 with his wife, 24-year-old Ri Sol-ju. Source: Agencies LONDON, September 28 -- One man currently fighting in Syria has claimed that the UK should be frightened of the skills he has learned there. A Twitter account thought to belong to Nasser Muthana, 20, has a picture showing what appear to be improvised explosive devices in a garage. The caption reads: 'So the UK is afraid I come back with the skills I've gained.' He also describes himself as a 'soldier of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham', and has previously spoke of jihad as 'obligatory'. Muthana is one of a group of three Britons fighting in Syria who have joined the Islamist extremist groups Isis. His brother Aseel, 17, from Cardiff, and their friend Reyaad Khan, 20, have also joined the fighting in the war-torn country. The bank accounts of the two older men have both been frozen by the UK Treasury after they appeared in an Isis recruitment video. Another Brit who has joined the fighting has claimed that public executions will be staged in London's Trafalgar Square, according to the Sunday People. The man, using the name Abu Dugma al-Britani, has claimed that a 'holy' war will be waged in Britain. Writing on Twitter, he said: 'Downing Street will be a base for Muslims. 'Trafalgar Square is where public executions will take place. Army of Islamic State is coming.' The comments come as it emerged two twin sisters aged just 16 have fled their Manchester home and flown to Syria. The girls, who have not been named but are of Somalian origin, are said to have sneaked out of the family home while their parents slept. It is thought that they have joined an older brother fighting for Isis in Syria. A source told The Sun: "Two young girls don't go to Syria to take in the sights so their family and the police are understandably worried."But they have told their family they are not coming home." ISIS is known for its harsh interpretation of Islam and brutal violence. It has at least 4,000 fighters in its ranks, and has claimed responsibility for attacks which have killed thousands. Source: Agencies WASHINGTON, September 27 -- Islamic State militants are changing tactics wary of US airstrikes in Iraq, abandoning headquarters, using less cellphones. "They took all their furniture, vehicles and weapons. Then they planted roadside bombs and destroyed the headquarters," said the tribal sheikh who was quoted by Al Arabiya. "They don't move in military convoys like before. Instead they use motorcycles, bicycles, and if necessary, they use camouflaged cars," he added. The militants have erected their black flags on the rooftops of civilian buildings to create confusion about their presence. "They have also increased the number of headquarters, instead of two, they now have 20, with only 3-4 people in each one of them," said the eyewitness in Jalawla town in Diyala. According to the witnesses, the US-led airstrikes have not frightened the Islamists. Instead, they now head towards a strategically important town on northern Syria's border with Turkey. According to Al Arabiya, possible civilian causalities are a matter of concern as US fighter jets get deeper into the country. The United States launched airstrikes against the IS fighters in Iraq back in August, following the jihadists' rapid advance in the country's North. The move has been later backed by France, Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Earlier in September, US President Barack Obama outlined a strategy on fighting the IS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East. The plan implied the establishment of a multinational coalition to counter terrorism in the region. Since the beginning of the week, Washington has been carrying out strikes against the IS and other insurgents on the Syrian territory, without any formal permission from Damascus. Various international experts argued that Obama's plan is ineffective, as a professional army, such as the IS, will find a way to deal with the airstrikes. Up to 50,000 militants are believed to be currently fighting for the IS. Source: Agencies MANCHESTER, September 27 -- Louis van Gaal agrees with referee Lee Mason after Wayne Rooney saw red for his professional foul on Stewart Downing. Rooney, who was dismissed after he kicked Downing, recieved his first straight red in his Premier League career for the challenge. "It was a break-out of a set-play of ours and he makes a professional foul I think you can call it like that," said Van Gaal. "I don't think Wayne wanted to do it that way but he did it and you can give a red card." The Manchester United boss, despite agreeing with the match officials for the red, praised his young debutantes Luke Shaw and Paddy McNair for their performances against the Hammers "Luke Shaw was always injured but now I could play with him for 90 minutes. He had a little cramp and it was amazing he lasted 90 minutes. "Also, Paddy McNair played a very good match and I'm very pleased for him that we won. "The rhythm of the game is very high. You cannot compare it with Germany and Spain. "There is always pressure on the ball. Most of the English teams play physically. We have to keep the ball more easily and then we can improve our play," said Van Gaal. Source: Agencies MELBOURNE, September 27 -- The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has revealed previously undiscovered extinct volcanoes and ridges. As part of the hunt for the stricken jet, search teams have learnt more about the seabed than ever before. The collation of information about what lies thousands of metres below the surface of the Southern Indian Ocean has been a by-product of the search. 'Bumps' on the ocean floor discovered during the hunt are thought to be bigger than Ben Nevis. Simon Boxall, from the National Oceanography Centre, told the BBC that they are: "Five kilometres (three miles) across and typically rising 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the sea floor. "The terrain of the area around Broken Ridge makes the European Alps look like foothills." The production of sonar maps ensures the search team's deep-water vehicles do not crash into ridges and bumps in the ocean floor. The hunt, which is being coordinated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), is currently focusing on using sonar to map the search area. The area has been narrowed down using satellite "pings" given off from the lost aircraft. MH370 lost contact with air traffic controllers on March 8 while carrying 239 people on a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. The aircraft last made contact 120 nautical miles off the east coast of the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu. A huge search operation has continued since the jet's disappearance but so far not a single piece of debris has been found. Source: Agencies VENICE, September 27 -- George Clooney was spotted relaxing with friends Saturday ahead of his wedding to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in the romantic lagoon city, seemingly unbothered by a flotilla of photographers hovering in boats off-shore for a glimpse of the couple. Clooney had a late-morning coffee with Cindy Crawford and her husband on a luxury hotel terrace the day after the betrothed couple and a host of celebrity friends arrived for the weekend wedding extravaganza. The bride was nowhere to be seen. Hotel staff at the five-star Cipriani hotel formed a protective barrier blocking the view of Clooney and his guests from about a dozen boats of photographers, but then Clooney apparently waved them away. The actor, maintaining his ever-cool demeanor, even interacted briefly with the paparazzi. After someone yelled "Is this really happening, George?" the actor feigned looking at a watch on his bare wrist and yelled back: "Yeah, right now." Venice is perhaps a natural setting for Clooney's wedding. The star owns a villa on Lake Como north of Milan, feels at home in Italy and is a frequent visitor to Venice, often to promote his films at the Venice Film Festival. While the Venetian waterways offer stunning views of the city's Byzantine and Renaissance architecture, where East truly meets West, its system of islands and maze of canals also permit privacy and easily restricted access. Singer Bono and his wife were among the late arrivals on Saturday, joining Clooney's cousin Miguel Ferrer, Matt Damon, Ellen Barkin, Anna Wintour and Richard Kind. Clooney, 53, and Alamuddin, 36, who were engaged in April, have not publicly divulged details of the celebrations — leaving plenty open to speculation. There were signs of festivities at the luxury Aman hotel overlooking the Grand Hotel on Saturday, with large plants placed on the private arrival pier, which would afford more privacy. The hotel has been cited as the venue for the main festivities. Venice city officials, meanwhile, have announced the closure of a 50-meter (yard) length of pedestrian way along the Grand Canal near the 16th-century Cavalli Palace, used for civil marriage ceremonies, for two hours on Monday because of the Clooney nuptials. The Cavalli Palace is just opposite the Aman hotel. Media have speculated that the couple will have two ceremonies — one on Saturday followed by a civil ceremony Monday. Clooney and Alamuddin are among thousands of non-Venetian couples, foreign and Italian, who chose each year to marry in Venice, and the Venice city administration smooth over the process with an on-line application form and list of documents needed to make the ceremony legally binding. In St. Mark's Square a bride dressed in white was kissing her groom as photographers snapped away. The couple said they didn't mind sharing the spotlight with the Hollywood star and his bride. "It is a pleasure for us that a person as famous as him is celebrating his wedding here just like us," said Michele Santoriello. Alamuddin, a London-based human rights lawyer, is of Lebanese origin, and her wedding was also being celebrated Saturday in her family's village of origin, Baakline in the Chouf district. Alamuddin left Lebanon during the civil war and was raised in the United Kingdom. She met Clooney, who is active in many political causes, through her work. As the wedding party descended on Venice, the Alamuddin family house in Baakline was empty. Her neighbors said the bride's cousins departed the night before. Many villagers welcomed the news of the impending nuptials. "We congratulate them and we hope that the happiness will be international," said shopkeeper Ghassan Bou Hatoum. Source: Agencies LONDON, September 27 -- Henry Kissinger, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a former U.S. Secretary of State, believes that the West should espouse a constructive approach to relations with Russia in the context of the situation in Ukraine and the problems of world order. He said it in an interview published on Saturday by The Independent, a British daily. The newspaper says Kissinger’s views “are informed by a breadth and depth of historical knowledge that rivals that of most major players in today's foreign-policy arena.” In this context, it singles out Kissinger’s approach to Russia, saying: “From the 17th century to the mid-20th century, Russia proved crucial in maintaining the balance of world power - thwarting the expansionist dreams of Charles XII of Sweden, Napoleon, and Hitler.” “This is key to Kissinger's verdict on how we should respond” to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, The Independent says. Kissinger voices his disagreement with the political line taken by the incumbent Russian leaders as regards Ukraine, "but why didn't somebody, somewhere along the road, propose a solution that would have addressed both sides' concerns within the context of an independent Ukraine?” He insists that the West could display more flexibility for the sake of achieving peace settlement. Also, he warns against the demonization of Russia. When Europe said Ukraine has to choose between Europe and Russia in a commercial negotiation, [maybe] saying the opposite, saying let's do it together, might have made great progress, Kissinger said. "It's easy to demonise Putin," he continued. "Of course he's not easy, but one has seen that type of Russian leader before - and he's not a Hitler.” “One shouldn't discuss it in terms of one Russian leader, Kissinger said. “The question is how does one visualise the long-term relationship of Russia to the West at a moment when Asia is transforming itself and Islam is in permanent upheaval?" Kissinger spoke to The Independent in the context of publication of his new book, World Order. His new work raises a broad spectrum of issues from the rise of the Westphalian system of international relations after the ends of the Thirty Years War in 1648 to the pressing geopolitical problems of nowadays. A section of the book is devoted to the ‘Russian enigma’. Source: The Independent LONDON, September 27 -- British Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets ready to begin airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militant group positions in Iraq as early as today. Britain's six Tornado GR4 fighters have been positioned in Cyprus for the past six weeks, occasionally carrying out surveillance missions in the Middle East. British parliament yesterday gave approval for the UK to join the US-led coalition, which fights the extremists in the Middle East. The United States launched airstrikes against the IS fighters in Iraq back in August, following the jihadists' rapid advance in the country's North. Earlier in September, US President Barack Obama outlined a strategy on fighting the IS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East. The plan implied the establishment of a multinational coalition to counter terrorism in the region. Since the beginning of the week, Washington has been carrying out strikes against the IS and other insurgents on the Syrian territory, without any formal permission from Damascus. Various politicians and international experts have stressed that all actions against the IS and other extremists in the Middle East must be carried out with consent of suffering countries' legitimate authorities, otherwise such actions violate the international laws. According to Sky News, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said US-led airstrikes had already worsened a dire humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria. Source: Sky News TOKYO, September 27 -- A water treatment system to decontaminate radioactive water at Fukushima nuclear plant fails again and thus had to be partially shut down, Japan's NHK news agency reported Saturday. According to the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the trouble could have been caused by faulty filters. One of the three lines of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) was turned off after the engineers found out that the water contains calcium, hindering the elimination of radioactive strontium. Since March, the ALPS system at Fukushima has had a series of similar failures. TEPCO then replaced the filters and resumed the system operations, highlighting company's plans to set up another facility to treat the tainted water. On March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, which caused a partial meltdown of three of the plant's nuclear reactors as radiation leaked into the atmosphere, soil and sea. The incident was the world's worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. Several areas within the 20-kilometer (12 miles) zone from the plant are still considered unfit for habitation due to the high levels of radioactive contamination. TEPCO has been widely criticized for being inadequately prepared for a tsunami and for its slow response to the disaster. Cleaning the toxic waste from the abandoned nuclear plant and reactors decommissioning have become the principal task of TEPCO, the process of disaster cleanup is expected to take at least 40 years. Source: Agencies VICE NEWS interview: I have seen reports of women brought in from Iraq as slaves, mainly Yezidi girls. That's not true, it's just propaganda. Do the women of the Al-Khansa brigades execute people too, or do they just carry weapons, but hand over people to the men of the group? They just hand them to the men. They lash women, they take them to prison. Things like that, but they don't make executions. How are Raqqa's women, your sisters, or other relatives, reacting to all this? Women now cannot say "no." The worst things that happened in Raqqa happened to women. Now the Al-Khansa brigades are even telling women, "you cannot wear colorful shoes, it's haram. Just black shoes." Now a lot of them are trying to find girls to marry ISIS fighters. They are now telling women who want to marry ISIS fighters to wear a white veil under the black veil, so they can recognize them. But no women want that, they don't like ISIS. Are any women being forced to marry ISIS guys? Not by ISIS, but some of the fathers are forcing their daughters to marry ISIS fighters, because of the money and power they have. In one case, a girl called Fatima, she was 18, when her father forced her to marry an ISIS fighter from Tunisia, she committed suicide. The other girl, I don't remember her name, her father also forced her to marry a Tunisian fighter from ISIS and she ended up in the hospital because of… how can I say it… sexual violence. You have mentioned Tunisian fighters a lot. Are there many? You know, fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and so on, they want to marry Syrian girls. But fighters from the UK, US and so on, they prefer to bring their own or just marry another foreigner, from Sweden, and Holland. They keep to themselves. There's like a wall between them and the people of Raqqa because there is no language, the people don't like them, they are taking all the good houses and money from the people, and all of these things. Who is in charge? Mostly foreigners? Or mostly Iraqis or Syrians? Most of them are Iraqis and Tunisians. But mostly Iraqis. How was Raqqa before ISIS, and before the war, especially for women? Were they able to work? It was a normal city like any other city in the world. There were female doctors, lawyers, teachers. There were a lot of women who weren't even wearing hijabs. It was a mixed city, there were mixed marriages, mixed cafes, mixed restaurants. It was a normal city like any city in the world. Are women allowed to work at all now? No, just the teachers, and they are not allowed to teach boys over 6 years. Are any girls still going to school? There has been no school or education since ISIS has taken the city. No universities, no school, no nothing at all. They said they want to make new, special books, and special schools, but until now there is nothing at all, and they say that teachers must take special lessons from ISIS to be allowed to teach and those who don't won't be allowed. This week, the Islamic State publicly executed Samira Salih al-Nuaimi, an Iraqi women's rights activist, in Mosul. Have women's rights advocates in Raqqa faced the same backlash? Most of the women in Raqqa now are just at home. They do nothing. Are there any underground organizations, or groups like yours? There are almost no activists. Do you think they are looking for the woman that took this video? I think she's now in Turkey, because her face shows in the video. I think she will not go back to Raqqa. Are you afraid for your family in Raqqa, because of the work you do? Sure. A week ago, they went to the home of one member of our group who's in Turkey, searching for him, and they said to his father, "If your boy does not stop talking about us, that will be a big problem for you." Related Articles: Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (2/4) interview Related Articles: Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (1/4) |
Thank you for choosing to make a difference through your donation. We appreciate your support.
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesCategories
All
Archives
April 2024
|