Campaign to get UK online kicks off

More than a fifth of the British population are missing out on access to public services and employment opportunities because they do not use the Internet, the government's digital champion said this week, reports Reuters.

Introducing her 'Manifesto for a Networked Nation', Martha Lane Fox called on the government, industry and charities to take urgent action to help get every British citizen of working age online by the end of 2012.

Around 10 million adults in Britain have never used the Internet. "The disadvantages of being offline are becoming so great and growing at such a pace, that for reasons of social justice and economic necessity we must act now," Lane Fox said in the manifesto.

Jordan's Yarmouk University has signed an agreement with online language teaching company ArabiCollege to co-operate on Arabic language e-learning, states ITP.net.

The agreement will deliver ArabiCollege's live online Arabic language classes on a 24/7 basis, to enable non-Arabic speaking foreign students at Yarmouk to improve their Arabic language skills.

The two will co-operate on developing new online teaching materials for Arabic language, drawing on Yarmouk University's experience teaching Arabic to foreign students, with the academic staff of both organisations collaborating on the project.

Small businesses can access a free online training programme to help them use the Internet to increase sales, reduce costs and simplify running their business, says The Sydney Morning Herald.

Winning Business Online is a new training programme funded by the Australian government that helps businesses who are yet to get online, or who already have an online presence and want to build their knowledge and ability.

The programme provides free modules online, low-cost seminars and one-on-one training.