UN: worldwide internet users hit two billion, cellphone subscriptions top five billion
January 28, 2011 No Comment
The UN’s International Telecommunication Union predicted last fall that the number of internet users worldwide would hit two billion by the end of 2010, and it’s now issued its full report that confirms just that — 2.08 billion, to be specific. As the ITU’s Hamadoun Toure notes, that number represents a huge leap from the mere 250 million internet users that existed a decade ago, and it means that roughly one third of the world’s population now has internet access of some sort — of those, 555 million have a fixed broadband subscription, and 950 million have mobile broadband. Just as impressive as that (if not moreso), are the number of cellphone subscriptions worldwide, which has now crossed the five billion mark. That’s up from 500 million at the beginning of the year 2000, although the agency notes that it’s only accounted for “subscriptions,” and not individual users. Any way you slice it, however, that’s quite a record of growth for the first decade of the 21st century. UN: worldwide internet users hit two billion, cellphone subscriptions top five billion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Click here to view this media Chaos as Egyptian police fire teargas to control demonstrators in mass protests in Cairo and Suez following Friday prayers. This Guardian video tells the story of how events unfolded and escalated today. Locals pray in the street in front of The l-Istiqama Mosque watched by riot police in Giza on January 28, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Internet in Egypt , as far as we can tell, has now been disabled for a full 24 hours. Arbor Networks, which has been monitoring traffic in and out of the country over 80 service providers, has released an updated graphic:
Continue reading …The US threatened today to reduce a $1.5 billion program of foreign aid to Egypt based on President Hosni Mubarak’s response to swelling street protests in Cairo and other cities. “Violence is not the response” to the demands for greater freedoms, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. President Obama…
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DALLAS (AP) — The NFL Players Association said its TV ad, set to run during a college football all-star game this weekend, was rejected by CBS College Sports Network because the message was connected to labor negotiations. The 30-second commercial, which can be seen on YouTube, includes shots of empty seats and a padlocked gate at a stadium. After voice-overs say, “Let us play,” and “Let them play,”… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 28/01/2011 21:55 Number of articles : 6
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DALLAS (AP) — The NFL Players Association said its TV ad, set to run during a college football all-star game this weekend, was rejected by CBS College Sports Network because the message was connected to labor negotiations. The 30-second commercial, which can be seen on YouTube, includes shots of empty seats and a padlocked gate at a stadium. After voice-overs say, “Let us play,” and “Let them play,”… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 28/01/2011 21:55 Number of articles : 6
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This Should be Done Everywhere According to a piece in the NYT’s Green blog , new regulations for heating oil in NYC were proposed today and could phase out the dirtiest types of heating oil used by about 10,000 buildings in New York: “No. 6, the cheapest but most viscous type pumped into aging boilers, and another heavy oil, No. 4, which is only slightly less noxious. Air pollution from these oils can irritate the lungs and worsen conditions like asthma and emphysema as well as increase the risk of heart attack and premature death.” All … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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In what wildlife conservationists are calling a dangerously unprecedented move, Montana Representative Denny Rehberg introduced two separate bills aimed at removing wolves from the endangered species list. This would enable the wolves to be hunted at will across the country — and biologists say that it could “set the stage for nationwide wolf eradication.” … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …What the Deregulation of Genetically Engineered Alfalfa Means for Organic Consumers
January 28, 2011 No Comment
Alfalfa is the primary forage crop for dairy cows and other livestock. Photo Credit: Royalty Free Images via Flickr Creative Commons . Yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack officially approved the unregulated planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa. In a move that will undoubtedly set a precedent for what comes next (namely, the question of
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Cities searching for ways to trim the fat and stretch their budget dollars may want start looking at their residents’ waistlines.
Continue reading …White House backs plan to reserve 700MHz ‘D Block’ for public safety network
January 28, 2011 No Comment
Public safety agencies in the US have been pushing for some time to have the so-called ‘ D Block ‘ portion of the 700MHz wireless spectrum all to themselves , and it looks like they can now officially count on the support of the White House in that effort. The Obama administration announced today that it’s backing plans to reserve the airwaves — estimated to be worth $3 billion if they were auctioned off — for a new national public safety network, and it also plans to ask Congress to approve the additional spending needed to actually build out the network, which the FCC estimates could cost as much as $15 billion. As The Wall Street Journal notes, the fate of the proposed network is now largely in the hands of House Republicans, who remain divided on the plan — although some key members have come out in support of it in recent days. White House backs plan to reserve 700MHz ‘D Block’ for public safety network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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