US-CUBA Radio, TV Marti Seen as Bust Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 4 May (IPS) - Despite spending more than half a billion dollars over the last quarter century, U.S. government broadcasts to Cuba have gained only a tiny audience and have had virtually no effect on the island's politics, according to a new report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. more...   New Software Could Outwit Tehran's Censors Omid Memarian SAN FRANCISCO, California, U.S., 22 Apr (IPS) - While the Iranian government has intensified its aggressive efforts to expand Internet filters, Austin Heap, a young programmer in the U.S., says he has developed software that would enable Iranians to evade their censors. more...   SOUTH AFRICA Teaching Girls to Report on the World Cup Brian Dalek * NEW YORK, 31 Mar (IPS) - For the nearly 50 million people of South Africa, the 2010 World Cup represents an opportunity to show the world its progress through sports. But for a new nonprofit organisation, soccer's biggest stage also offers an opportunity to publicise young women who tend to go unheard. more...   US-CHINA Google Puts Ball in Beijing's Court Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, 24 Mar (IPS) - Internet users in China are reporting varying degrees of censorship on Google search results after the company moved its Chinese operation out of mainland China. more...   POLITICS U.S. Lifts Restrictions on Web Services Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, 9 Mar (IPS) - After U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's January address on the role of internet freedom in U.S. foreign policy, the Barack Obama administration appears to be taking the first steps to introduce specific legislation and policies to exploit the role of the internet in opening up those countries ruled by oppressive or authoritarian governments. more...   U.S. Gov't Sued Over Cell Phone Tracking William Fisher NEW YORK, 22 Feb (IPS) - If you are a U.S. resident who owns a cell phone, you should care about the outcome of a court case that "could well decide whether the government can use your cell phone to track you - even if it hasn't shown probable cause to believe it will turn up evidence of a crime." more...   U.S. Telecom Lobby Tests Pledge of Transparency William Fisher NEW YORK, 15 Feb (IPS) - Despite President Barack Obama's pledge in his State of the Union address last month to "require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or Congress," the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says the Obama administration has been "fighting hard to stop the release of the names of these representatives." more...   MIGRATION Lost in the Desert? There's an App for That Enrique Gili SAN DIEGO, California, 5 Feb (IPS) - Over the past two decades, Ricardo Dominguez has made a career for himself tweaking the sensibilities of government officials and developing software tools meant to disrupt the status quo. more...   MEDIA Foreign News Channels Drawing U.S. Viewers Haider Rizvi NEW YORK, 29 Jan (IPS) - Television viewers in the United States seeking international news are starting to switch over to foreign channels to learn what is happening in the outside world, media watchers here say. more...   US-CHINA Spat Escalates Over Internet Freedom Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, 26 Jan (IPS) - The stern warning given to China by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning internet censorship and responding to allegations that Chinese hackers had accessed Google email addresses has received a pointed response from the Chinese government, raising questions over what the next move will be for Google, the United States, and U.S. firms that do business in China. more...