AP - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is denying that his government plans to impose controls over the Internet.

AP - The Internet has emerged as one of the greatest threats to rare species, fueling the illegal wildlife trade and making it easier to buy everything from live baby lions to wine made from tiger bones, conservationists and law enforcement officers said Sunday.

Reuters - President Hugo Chavez denied on Sunday that he planned to censor or limit the Internet in Venezuela, saying on the contrary Web use had shot up more than nine fold during his decade in power.

AP - Add Michigan State University and the surrounding area to the cast of thousands of communities competing for Google’s experimental, high-speed broadband network.

AFP - Authorities in China’s Xinjiang have restored access to email services and 32 Internet sites that were blocked after ethnic unrest broke out in the region in July, state media reported Sunday.

NewsFactor - First, Facebook dethroned Google as the most trafficked web site in the United States, and now the social networking community has proven to have an extremely loyal following among news readers, potentially threatening the dominant position held by Google News. So says a recent Hitwise survey.

PC World - Google isn’t exactly known for its respect for privacy, but a recent blog post shows the search giant may be attempting to turn a new leaf on what has been called an “irresponsible” stance on user privacy. Maybe.

AP - President Barack Obama told Iranians in an online video message that the U.S. wants more educational and cultural exchanges, and lamented that Tehran’s leaders have “turned their backs” on good faith overtures in the past to expand opportunities for their people.

AFP - President Barack Obama on Saturday subtly shifted US rhetoric on Iran, pledging to ensure Iranians could access the Internet without fear of censorship, and blaming Tehran for isolating itself.

Reuters - Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and an inspirational Web site on Friday gave $30,000 toward the college education of a teenage lesbian whose high school prom was canceled when she asked to attend with a girl.