'Berlusconi bill' passed in Italy

Italy's Senate has passed legislation which opponents of PM Silvio Berlusconi say is designed to help him in his legal battles with the nation's courts.

The bill would freeze some long-running trials for a year, including one involving Mr Berlusconi in Milan.

Ovi magazine, Copycats and Nokia

First of all, we want to thank reporters, journalists and bloggers because they are the only ones who have seen what Mr. Nikula missed and hopefully the legal department of Nokia Corporation will not ignore. Mr. Nikula unethically ignored that there was already an Ovi magazine in Finland that had been well-established since December 2004 well before he ever created his copycat.

Read the original story here: http://ovimagazine.com/art/926

The fact that there is an internet link with the same name was a major clue, plus when he was forced to choose a name like Ovi dash something. Actually he missed that there is Ovi Lehti, Ovi Sanomat, Ovi Junior, Ovi Cartoons, Ovi iKritic, Ovi-magazine, Ovi stories, Ovi iBite and many others that belong to Ovi magazine and are registered to Chameleon Project, never forget the Ovi Bad Boys weekly radio show that is announced to all the Finnish newspapers and magazine; none of which are for sale. Fortunately reporters and bloggers did notice and they are aware of the major ethical injustice.

We like to emphasize this ‘not for sale’ because the Ovi magazine is not just an internet magazine but it is an idea with a heart and soul that hosts from its establishment in 2004 the ideals of democracy, freedom of speech and the exchange of opinion. Human rights, domestic abuse, the plight of children have been among just a few of the worthy causes we have championed, while simultaneously offering a platform for the work of new writers and illustrators, from Finland and from all around the world. That makes us a universal family that cannot be estimated in money.

Unfortunately, through leaks to the press, we discovered that Mr. Nikula is negotiating the sale of his copycat magazine and the Ovi trademark to Nokia Corporation. We trust that this is just a wishful thought and that Nokia Corporation will search a little bit better as to what is going on behind the name Ovi magazine.

Our four years of hard work advocating freedom of speech was recognised and rewarded by Newropeans, while we have had cooperation with many national and international magazines, such as Ydin magazine, Europe & Us, Agenda magazine, Books from Finland, EU-MAN, Free magazine, Newropeans-Magazine, OneWorld, Psihadi magazine and more. We have relationships with Non-Governmental Organizations, such as Reporters without Frontiers and Finland's International Cultural Center CAISA, and the site receives well-over 20,000 visitors a week - the numbers literally increase day after day. We are considered a well-established magazine and trademark internationally and Ovi magazine has been reference for hundreds of sites and blogs from all around the world.

We have always believed that this was an issue of ethics should it ever come to a court house – where, as we are well-informed by experts, we can easily win the case – and it comes as a surprise that, according to leaks to the press, some representative of the Nokia Corporation said that they had never heard of us. It is a simple enough task for them to Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves or whatever else to locate the name Ovi and then find us straight away. Of course we didn’t financially invest in the promotion and push of Ovi magazine, like an international corporation can do, but the thousands of articles, the thousands of links and references to our work, even from Wikipedia and most of all the thousands readers keep us on the top in every search engine.

The fact that the copycats of the printed Ovi magazine ignored us, despite the fact that we could open a case anytime demanding a large percentage of their profits, which they knew, doesn’t excuse an international corporation like Nokia maintaining the same attitude. We are expecting their telephone call before investigating our legal rights on what they plan to pay the copycat because we want to know whether it is true and not a wishful greedy act of somebody who wants to increase his lost popularity.

It has been a justifiable question as to why we didn’t take the case to the court. From the very first moment, other than the support that came from every side and every corner of Finland including employees of the certain magazine, we believed that there is justice that punishes the unethical and the failure of the magazine from its second issue to reach anybody in Finland was proof.

Regarding the money behind this case, we believe that the people who read this magazine and have seen the path we have followed and the fights we have given over the last four years for democracy, for justice, against poverty and have realized the hours, the effort and the financial cost we have put in this magazine will know in their heart of hearts whether we are after the money!

The Ovi Team

Obama, Clinton Fundraisers Looking to Fall Together

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama may be locked in a state-by-state battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, but with no end in sight, the party's fundraisers aren't wasting any time. Fundraisers for the two candidates are discussing how to merge their war chests into a single campaign focused on taking on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona in November.

Each party eventually unifies its donor base, but what makes this move unusual is that the campaign is still hard-fought and relations are strained. The Clinton campaign confirmed the move, saying, "We believe Hillary Clinton will be that nominee." Talk of a joint war chest comes as the two candidates prepare for an expected split decision in the primaries being held Tuesday.

Turkish police clash with Kurds

Clashes have broken out in a number of cities in Turkey between police and demonstrators celebrating the Kurdish spring festival.
Dozens of people were hurt and scores arrested in the protests, media said.

Famous last words! US economy

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has admitted that the US economy is facing a "sharp decline" at the moment but hoped for a recovery later in the year.

New parliament opens in Pakistan

Pakistan's new parliament has convened for the first time since President Pervez Musharraf and his allies suffered a heavy blow in elections.Correspondents say the stage is set for a confrontation between President Musharraf and the government.

The parties of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and another former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, have agreed a coalition.

Conservatives win Iran election

Conservative candidates in Iran's general election have kept control of parliament, in line with expectations.They did particularly well in the capital, Tehran, which is seen as the key to parliamentary power.However, many of the conservative winners are critics of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Chavez dares U.S. to put it on terror list

President Hugo Chavez dared the U.S. on Friday to put Venezuela on a list of countries accused of supporting terrorism, calling it one more attempt by Washington to undermine him for political reasons.
Chavez said the "threat to include us on the terrorist list" is Washington's response to his government's successes in the region.

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s working girl!

Meet the Jersey Girl whose high-priced services forced a governor's resignation.

And he …resigns!

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has resigned, after being linked to a prostitution ring.

Flanked by his wife Silda, Mr. Spitzer, a leading Democrat, told a news conference: "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work." He once again apologized for failing to live up to the standards he demanded of others - but he gave no details. Mr. Spitzer had allegedly been identified arranging to meet a prostitute in a Washington hotel. Mr. Spitzer made his name as an investigator of organized crime, financial crime and prostitution.

The man definitely had the right connections! I bet he had a small black book with all the necessary telephone numbers!

Deadline to quit for NY's Spitzer

New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer has been given a deadline to step down or face impeachment proceedings over allegations that he hired a prostitute.

His top Republican opponent in the New York Assembly gave him up to 48 hours - until early on Thursday - to resign.

Sex scandal with NY governor who says …sorry!

New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer has apologized amid allegations of involvement in a prostitution ring. The married father-of-three said he had acted in a way that violated his obligations to his family.

Gov Spitzer, a Democrat, apologized to his family and the public, whom he said he should have served better.

Europe's new orbital cargo ship

Europe's new orbital cargo ship has launched from French Guiana on a mission to resupply the space station. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is the biggest and most complex spacecraft Europe has ever tried to put in orbit. The 20-tonne unmanned freighter left the Kourou spaceport at 0403 GMT, riding atop an Ariane 5 rocket.

Obama defeats Clinton in Wyoming

Barack Obama has won the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination in the state of Wyoming, defeating his rival Hillary Clinton by 61% to 38%.

He remains ahead in the overall contest in terms of delegates but is trying to regain momentum lost last week when Mrs Clinton won Texas and Ohio.

US missile hits 'toxic satellite'

Monday, February 21, 2008

The US has successfully struck a disabled spy satellite with a missile fired from a warship in waters west of Hawaii, military officials say. Military operatives had only a 10-second window to hit the satellite - USA 193 - which lost control shortly after it was launched in December 2006. Officials were worried its hydrazine fuel could do harm, but it is not yet known if the fuel tank was destroyed.

Fidel Castro is stepping down.

Monday, February 18, 2008
Fidel Castro is stepping down.

Heavy Somali fighting amid crisis

Fierce fighting has resumed in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, following UN warnings of a humanitarian disaster.

One human rights agency put the death toll at 113. However, this figure cannot be confirmed. The main route used by people fleeing Mogadishu has been closed after an Ethiopian convoy on the road was attacked, and a blast hit a nearby military base on Thursday.

Jail for Serb video death squad

Serbia's war crimes court has jailed four Serb paramilitaries who were filmed as they shot dead six captured young Bosnian Muslims.

The Scorpions unit leader and one of his accomplices were given 20 years each - the others 13 and five years.

Iraq hosts key security meeting

Iraq's prime minister has appealed to neighbouring states to co-operate in tackling the insurgency which has left tens of thousands dead since 2003.

Addressing an international meeting in Baghdad, he did not name any particular country. But the US accuses both Iran and Syria of stoking the violence.

Chavez attacks Bush 'domination'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has attacked US counterpart George W Bush as a "symbol of domination" as the pair continue rival Latin American tours.

Speaking at an "anti-imperialist rally" in Buenos Aires, Mr Chavez said Mr Bush was no more than a "political corpse".