Six In The Morning

Wikipedia goes dark on piracy bill protest day

Wikipedia's English home page says, in part, "Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia."

By Suzanne Choney
Any student burning the midnight oil Tuesday may have been disappointed as what has become a primary research tool, Wikipedia, blacked out its Web pages as part of a global protest against anti-piracy legislation making its way through Congress. "Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!," warned Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on Twitter, and with that, one of the most heavily visited websites began a 24-hour "blackout."

Greek rescue blocked by hedge fund greed
Financiers who bought 'distressed' Greek debt insist on making vast profits from the crisis

Ben Chu Wednesday 18 January 2012
A group of hedge funds is threatening to block a last-ditch attempt to save Greece from defaulting on its huge debt pile, unless they are guaranteed a significant payout. There will be a final attempt today – when a group representing Greece's private sector bondholders meets senior ministers in Athens – to negotiate a writedown of the value of the country's debt ahead of a crucial bond repayment deadline next month.

'Anglo-American Interests' and the Currency War Myth
The Germans love a good conspiracy theory. The latest is about the evil American rating agencies that want to destroy the wonderful euro. It is a viewpoint shared even in the highest political circles. But that doesn't make it any less absurd.

A Commentary by Stefan Kaiser
When such political adversaries as European parliamentarian Elmar Brok, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, and German Left Party bigwig Gregor Gysi agree on something, skepticism is warranted. Particularly if the two use almost exactly the same words. We find ourselves, said Brok, after rating agency Standard & Poor's recently downgraded the credit rating of nine euro-zone countries late last week, in a conflict akin to a "currency war." The agencies, he went on, are pursuing "Anglo-American political interests." Gysi took things a tiny step further. For him, the "war" against the "European people" has already begun.

Kim Jong-un doomed, says his brother
Kim Jong-nam, eldest son of Kim Jong-il, describes succession as 'a joke' in new book and predicts regime will collapse

Jonathan Watts and Tania Branigan in Beijing January 18, 2012 - 7:46AM
The eldest son of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-il has predicted the regime would soon fail, with or without reforms, according to a new book that the author says is based on emails and interviews with Kim Jong-nam. The book says that Kim Jong-nam - who has never met the new leader, his half-brother Kim Jong-un - described the dynastic succession as "a joke to the outside world", and said even his father had originally opposed the hereditary transfer of power.

How China is advancing its military reach
As the US shifts its focus to Asia, Alexander Neill, head of the Asia Security Programme at the Royal United Services Institute, sets out the Chinese military advances challenging the regional balance.


At the Pentagon recently, US President Barack Obama announced deep cuts to the US military and set out a shift in attention towards the Asia-Pacific region, in a thinly-veiled message to China. Despite a narrative of peaceful intent, China's leaders have struggled to reassure the US over the direction of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Both countries admit that their military dialogue falls well behind other aspects of the relationship. So the shift has brought renewed scrutiny of the PLA's latest capabilities against US dominance in the Pacific.

Arab artists flourishing as uprisings embolden a generation
Innovative and edgy work attracts attention around the world – and record prices at auction

David Batty The Guardian, Wednesday 18 January 2012
At first glance the stones look unremarkable. Nothing about them suggests a reason for their inclusion in a contemporary art exhibition. But these stones were thrown by Egyptian military police at pro-democracy campaigners in Tahrir Square, and are indicative of how the Arab uprisings have emboldened a generation of artists across the region. Ashraf Foda's work will go on show in Frankfurt later this month. "The perception of Arab art has changed," said Reedah El-Saie, of London's Modern Islamic and Contemporary Art gallery, which represents Foda. "Before the uprisings people either saw it as exotic and innocuous or steeped in the Islamic tradition; artists were wary of showing work that might be seen as too political.