Finland’s Government passed a law that entitles every person in the country to a one megabit-per-second internet connection, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications have committed to ensuring that every person in Finland can access the internet at a minimum speed of one megabit per second from July next year.
The Government had already committed to rolling out 100 megabits per second broadband connections across the country by 2015. It’s the first country …

The Communication Workers Union have confirmed that two 24-hour nationwide postal strikes will start on Thursday, 22nd October, the BBC reports.
The union said they had no choice but to announce a strike after the Royal Mail rejected their latest set of proposals.
On the first day, mail centre staff and drivers will strike. The next day it will be delivery and collection staff.

Pop group A-ha have announced they are to call it a day, just months after scoring a top 10 album in the UK, the BBC reports.
“We’ve literally lived the ultimate boy’s adventure tale,” the group said in a statement, adding that the split would allow them to pursue “other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else”.
The Norwegian band scored international hits with The Sun Always Shines On TV and Take …

Police have sealed off a village on the Northern Ireland border after a 600lb vehicle bomb was abandoned there, The Times reports.
The vehicle was abandoned on a bridge in the village of Clady, near Strabane, County Tyrone, yesterday evening with its hazard warning lights on.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland closed a number of roads leading to the village after receiving a telephone warning about the van bomb.
Last month another 600lb bomb was discovered close …

Channel 4 signed a pioneering deal with video-sharing site YouTube to make hundreds of their homegrown shows available on demand, the Daily Mail reports.
In a world first, the broadcaster’s original, commissioned programmes will be added to the site in the coming months, plus 3,000 hours of archived shows. Programmes will be seen in full and free-of-charge, but the service will be supported by advertising.
Channel 4 will make its 4oD “catch-up” service of new programmes available on …

Happy Hour has been banned in the bars and nightclubs of Barcelona in an attempt to curb stag and hen party-style binge drinking, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Drinking establishments will no longer be able to offer 2 for 1 drinks, ladies’ nights, or any other promotion that encourages punters to drink more for less. The move is in part aimed at ridding the streets of Barcelona of drunken tourists visiting the city on stag and hen weekends.
Barcelona …

Google are launching a new online service for booksellers next year called Google Editions, which will let readers buy books and read them on gadgets ranging from mobile phones to possibly e-book devices, the AP reports.
It’s the first foray into charging for books for the company, which began their Google Books program in 2004, and will put it in competition with Amazon.com’s Kindle reader.
Tom Turvey, head of Google Book Search’s publisher partnership program, said the …

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today announced the removal of the Western extension of the Congestion Charge zone, but also rising the Congestion Charge rate for Central London by £1-£2, dependant on how the payment is made.
Johnson announced that his proposals would be all introduced by December 2010, subject to legal processes.
His proposals include removal of the Western extension of the Congestion Charging zone and introduction of automated payment account system, provisionally entitled CC Auto …

London transport prices are to rise in 2010, Mayor Boris Johnson announced today – overall, bus fares will rise by 12.7 per cent and Tube fares by 3.9%.
According to the Mayor’s press release, Oyster pay as you go bus fare will rise from £1.00 to £1.20 and a seven day bus pass from £13.80 to £16.60. On the Tube, the Zone 1 Oyster pay as you go fare will rise from £1.60 to £1.80. Most other Oyster pay as …

World’s largest mobile phone maker Nokia reported an unexpected £514million loss for the third quarter, hurt by a write-down in the value of their telecom equipment venture as well as declining mobile phone sales, MarketWatch reports.
A year earlier, Nokia reported a one billion pound profit in Q3.
While Nokia now expect industry revenue to drop 5% instead of 10% this year, they expect worse market share in equipment.
Sales fell 20% to £9billion. Phone volumes fell 8%, average …

Radical Muslim group Islam4UK has launched a campaign to impose sharia law on Britain, starting with a rally in London, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Members of the organisation have Muslims from all over Britain to meet in the capital on 31st October for a procession to demand the full implementation of sharia law. The demonstration will start at the House of Commons and will then converge on Trafalgar Square.
The group’s website shows a number of pictures of …

British National Party leader Nick Griffin has agreed to ask his party to allow non-white people to join, the BBC reports.
The BNP was facing prosecution by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for alleged racial discrimination.
Griffin, who was not in court today, said in a statement he would call a general meeting to change the party’s constitution.

Once again, rumors have begun circulating that Iran’s top Muslim leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died – but this time, according to informed sources, they might be true, Arutz 7 reports.
Other reports say he collapsed on Monday and is now in a coma.
According to some reports, Khamenei reportedly died yesterday of natural causes, and that an official announcement is expected on Thursday morning.
Three years ago, similar rumors turned out to be false.
Khamenei, 70, was President …

US President Barack Obama called on Congress to approve $250 payments to more than 50 million seniors to make up for no increase in Social Security next year – by law, the Social Security increases are pegged to inflation, which has been negative this year, thus Obama is planning to pay pensioners a “bonus” despite the cost of living not rising.
“Even as we seek to bring about recovery, we must act on behalf of …

A grenade exploded at a crowded concert in the main square of the Moldovan capital of Chisinau late yesterday, hurting at least 40 people, Reuters reports.
State security officials said the grenade had apparently been left in a box and exploded as the Russian pop group Bravo brought the concert to its climax.
“According to our provisional investigation there is no doubt that a military grenade exploded,” Interior Minister Viktor Katane said. “It was either an act …

An incredibly outrageous new Turkish TV-show called “Ayrilik” (“Farewell”) depicts a monstrous image of Israeli military as bloodthirsty murderers – in once scene it shows a supposed IDF soldier shooting dead an unarmed small Arab girl.
When a friend of mine showed it to me yesterday, I was astonished. Turkey has so far been quite reasonable with Israel, despite of being a fairly Islamic country, and it has been one of the few allies Israel has …