Palestine Is Now Recognized by Google

The UN recognized the state of Palestine last year, but there's probably some Palestinians who think this latest convert might be more influential: Google. The BBC notes that the search engine has changed the tag on the home page of its Palestinian edition to read "Palestine" instead of "Palestinian Territories." The change went into effect at the start of this month, and a company spokesman cites the UN precedent, adding that Google consults "a number of sources and authorities when naming countries." The Palestinian Authority is thrilled because "this means putting Palestine on the virtual map as well as on the geographic maps," says a spokesman. (More Palestine stories.)