Jackson UK tribute gig in doubt

A Michael Jackson tribute concert in London next year is in doubt after the company organising the show dissolved.

The Austrian firm, World Awards Media, said the decision to wind-up was made in November.

No further details have been released but liquidator Martin Schneider said the company had lost the financial support of its main sponsor.

It is not yet known if Jackson's brother Jermaine will still put on the gig himself.

The concert was set to take place in June.

It was initially planned to take place outside Vienna's Schoenbrunn Palace in September, but it was moved London's Wembley Stadium after running into problems.

Organisers said too many performers were unable to commit because of scheduling conflicts.

The Austrian media was also accused of stirring up a negative atmosphere.

Former chief promoter Georg Kindel told the Austria Press Agency that he and Superfund founder Christian Baha - the majority owner of the now defunct company - split in October.

Neither Mr Kindel nor Mr Baha could be reached for comment.

Jackson died in June in Los Angeles aged 50.

Pro-Iranian hackers hit Twitter and opposition websites

A group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army has hacked Twitter and an Iranian opposition website, replacing it with an anti-American message.

Traffic to the social networking website was redirected for nearly two hours on Thursday night.

The opposition website mowjcamp.org remained disrupted on Friday.

The opposition in Iran have used the websites to publicise protests and accuse the government of rigging elections in June.

"This site has been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army," the message read.

The message, written in confused English, said the hackers had turned the tables on the US, who they criticise for sanctions on Iran.

"USA think they controlling and managing internet by their access, but they don't, we control and manage internet by our power," the message continued.

It ended on a seemingly polite note, telling visitors to "take care", and the hackers added a winking emoticon.

The hackers left an e-mail address, but could not be reached for comment.

Inner workings

Reporting on the hack, technology website techcruch.com recommended that Twitter users who have the same password for other websites like Facebook or their email should change them.

Twitter posted a blog on their website saying the micro-blogging service had been restored an hour and a quarter after the hack was first noticed.

The post said the hackers had gained access to the inner workings of the site and redirected visitors to their own website.

The website Mowjcamp.org is run by supporters of the reformist candidates who challenged Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June's elections.

Both Twitter and Mowjcamp.org became a focal point for protesters during mass opposition rallies on the streets of Tehran, and the hundreds of arrests that followed.

Protesting Iranians posted pictures of the rallies, and the reaction of the Iranian riot police and pro-government militia, on the sites.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have said elections in June were rigged against them.

Dubai film festival awards go to Zindeeq, Lola

Palestinian, Filipino filmmakers win Dubai film awards

DUBAI:  The movie "Zindeeq" (renegade), directed by Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi and "Lola" by Filipino director Brillante Mendoza won the first prize of the sixth edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has been rocked by a crisis on its debt, attended the closing ceremony on Wednesday night, during which prizes worth more than $1.5 million have been awarded to winners.

"Zindeeq", a joint Palestinian-UAE-British production, received the Muhr award for Best Arabic Feature Film. It tells the story of a Palestinian director in exile, who returned home to shoot a film about the exodus of 1948 and realizes he has become a stranger among his own people.

"Lola", which won the Muhr for best film in Africa and Asia, portrays the suffering of two grandmothers whose grandchildren have killed each other.

"Harragas" by Algerian director Merzak Allouache on illegal immigration, has won the Special Jury Prize and another award for international criticism as well as a special prize for films defending human rights.

The first Arabic Literature award went to the Lebanese Zeina Daccache for his film "Twelve Angry Men", a play performed by prisoners.

A total of 28 prizes worth of $575,000 was awarded to filmmakers of long and short movies, and three prizes worth a total of $1 million went to Arab TV series.