About Spam Gate, Spanish desperation and the downside of virtual dieting

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Auctioned

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The US Weather Channel, owned by Landmark Communications, is up for sale for as much as US$5-billion. According to the Sunday Times/The New York Times, media companies that have shown interest include Liberty Media, NBC, CBS, the Walt Disney Co, the Comcast Corp and Time Warner. According to Reuters, fewer than five companies are expected to participate in second-round bids due in May.

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Banned

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The Google Maps website will not be allowed to publish imagery and a 360° view of a Texas military base, IOL Technology reports. Gary Ross, spokesperson for the US Northern Command, says it “…poses an operational risk to our force protection”. No unauthorised vehicles with “imaging or surveillance capabilities” will be allowed access to the base (AFP).

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Fined

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Microsoft has been fined an additional €899-million by the European Commission for failing to comply with its 2004 antitrust ruling. The software giant was previously fined €497-million by the commission, for “abusing its dominant market power” (IOL Technology.co.za/AFP).

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Stunted

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Google Asia’s growth could be stunted if Microsoft acquires Yahoo! Reuters reports the acquisition will allow Microsoft to work with Alibaba.com, an e-commerce firm, and Yahoo! Japan, thus strengthening its Asian market share.

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Criticised

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YouTube was criticised after a clip had been posted on the video sharing site that showed the rape of a 25-year-old mother. The clip has “sparked calls for the site to be moderated”, The Times Online reports.

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Apologised

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The UK’s Daily Express and Daily Star have apologised publically and admitted that their reports claiming that Kate and Gerry McCann were responsible for the death of their daughter, Madeleine, were “utterly false”. The Express newspaper group has been ordered to pay £550,000 in damages to the McCanns. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times has apologised to rapper P. Diddy after linking him to a shooting in which the late Tupac Shakur was seriously injured. The report was based on fabricated documents (AFP/News24/The Guardian).

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Lost

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Jamie Fawcett has lost a defamation suit against the Australian newspaper Sun Herald after the publication referred to the paparazzo as a “cowboy” and said “he is determined to wreak havoc in Nicole Kidman’s life” (The Star/Reuters).

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Condemned

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British parent groups and healthcare experts have condemned a website that publishes the “Miss Bimbo Internet game”, which encourages young girls to keep their virtual personalities looking good through breast enlargements and extreme dieting. Meanwhile, Lisa Marie Presley was forced to admit to her pregnancy, after Britain’s Daily Mail reported that she was “piling on the pounds”. As a result, Presley has sued the newspaper (News24/Reuters/Sunday Times).

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Investigated

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Juicy Campus, a university website that encourages students to post uncensored gossip and rumours anonymously, has sparked outrage at campuses across the US. CNN.com reports that the website contains racist, sexist and anti-Semitic remarks and a number of student governments have “called on administrators to block or take actions against the site”.

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Refused

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Web forum!_LT_STRONG !_LT_/STRONGHowardforums.com!_LT_STRONG !_LT_/STRONGhas refused to comply with a request from MobiTV, which provides TV services on cellphones, to remove links from its site that give instructions on how to access its channels for free. MobiTV has subsequently asked the site’s web host to shut down the forum (IOL Technology.co.za).

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Attacked

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Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, has attacked reporters in an opinion piece in the national newspaper Le Monde. Bruni-Sarkozy directed the piece at reporters “who reported gossip”, following rumours that the president sent his ex-wife, Cécilia, an SMS stating that he wanted her back eight days before he married Bruni (Guardian.co.uk).

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Imitated

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Univision, a Spanish network, is broadcasting a Spanish version of !_LT_EMDesperate housewives. !_LT_/EMAccording to !_LT_EMThe Times/The New York Times !_LT_/EMthe episodes are a scene-for-scene imitation of the first season of the US version.

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Beaten

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Ellen DeGeneres has beaten Oprah Winfrey in a popularity poll hosted by AOL Television. DeGeneres received 46% of the votes, compared to Winfrey’s 19%, when respondents were asked which “daytime TV host made their day” (News24/Reuters).

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Decreased

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Some US town officials have drawn up schedules that make time for evenings with no activities involving the use of digital communication, to make room for more family time (Sunday Times/The New York Times).

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Twittering

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The UK government is now on href=”https://www.twitter.com/” target=_blank mce_href=”https://www.twitter.com/”Twitter.com. British prime minister Gordon Brown has become the first head of a European government to open such a channel, The Guardian reports.