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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryBush's new Iraq strategy fails to rally public support
President Bush's address to the nation last week outlining a "new way forward" in Iraq failed to move public opinion in support of his plan to increase U.S. troop levels and left Americans more pessimistic about the likely outcome of the war. Off the Wahl
The WorldBomb strikes police patrol in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A roadside bomb struck a police patrol in a predominantly Shiite area of downtown Baghdad on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding 10, police said.
Sunnis blast hanging of 2 Saddam aides
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi government's attempt Monday to close a chapter on Saddam Hussein's repressive regime — by hanging two of his henchmen — left many of Saddam's fellow Sunni Muslims seething after the former leader's half brother was decapitated on the gallows.
Kurdish battalion moves toward Baghdad
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq - A predominantly Kurdish battalion based in this northern city has started the march toward Baghdad, its commander said, as the Iraqi military gears up for a major security operation aimed at pacifying the capital.
U.N.: 34,452 civilians killed in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nearly 35,000 civilians were killed last year in Iraq, the United Nations said Tuesday, a sharp increase from the numbers reported previously by the Iraqi government.
Paper: Israel, Syria reach understanding
JERUSALEM - Israel and Syria have reached understandings on a future peace deal between the two countries following a series of secret talks between its representatives, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday.
U.S. Officials Say Taliban Attacks Surge
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Taliban fighters seeking to regain power in Afghanistan are taking advantage of a recent peace deal with the Pakistan government to dramatically increase attacks on U.S. and allied forces in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, several American military officials said...
New ethnic violence shocks Australia
SYDNEY (AFP) - Shocked Australians have wrestled with fresh signs of simmering tensions in the country's multicultural melting pot after ethnic violence erupted at the glamorous Australian Open tennis tournament.
Mexican president launches jobs program
MEXICO CITY - President Felipe Calderon launched a program Monday to create jobs for young Mexicans and curb the flow of millions of migrants to the United States.
New president takes office in Ecuador
QUITO, Ecuador - Rafael Correa vowed to put Ecuador's poor ahead of foreign debt payments as he was sworn in as president on Monday, raising a sword given to him by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in a ceremony attended by members of the growing club of leftist Latin American leaders.
Far-right group formed in European parliament
STRASBOURG (AFP) - A new extreme-right group, including veteran French firebrand Jean-Marie Le Pen and Mussolini's granddaughter, was formally created in the European parliament, parliamentary president Josep Borrell announced. The NationGates Says Iran Sees U.S. As Bogged Down
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that new U.S. military moves in the Persian Gulf were prompted in part by signals from Iran that it sees the United States as vulnerable in Iraq.
AP: Iran gets army gear in Pentagon sale
WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries — including Iran and China — who exploited security flaws in the Defense Department's surplus auctions. The sales include fighter jet parts and missile components.
Bush shifts deficit burden to Dems
While President Bush now shares the Democrats' goal to erase the deficit by 2012, the politically perilous work of making that happen -- cutting spending or raising taxes -- falls to the Democratic-run Congress.
Convicted lawmakers may lose pensions
WASHINGTON - Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, behind bars for bribery, can at least be consoled by the federal pension he'll continue to collect. Current or future lawmakers convicted of crimes may not be so lucky.
Judge rules agent can sue CIA
WASHINGTON - A fired CIA employee, who collected prewar intelligence that Iraq was not developing weapons of mass destruction, can continue with a lawsuit challenging his dismissal, a federal judge has ruled.
Politics at forefront in Libby trial
WASHINGTON - Potential jurors in the perjury trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby likely will be asked their opinions of the Bush administration, political scandals and the Iraq war Tuesday, foreshadowing the political tenor of a lengthy trial.
Evangelicals, scientists join forces to combat global warming
Leading scientists and evangelical Christian leaders have agreed to put aside passionate differences over the origin of life and work together to curb alarming levels of global warming that threaten the survival of life on Earth.
This is an extremely important development, friends. We need to develop the ability to work together on issues we agree on, but we’ll never be able to do that as long as hatemongers keep us from having any respect for one another. —Caro Economy & BusinessDow ends at record as energy up on higher crude
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Friday as energy shares, including Exxon Mobil Corp. , rebounded with oil prices, and government data showed retail sales rose more-than-expected last month, underscoring a more robust economic outlook.
Data point to uncertainty in US housing
Policymakers and bond market investors alike appear more confident about the resilience of the broad US economy in 2007, with its still-thriving service sector, strong jobs market and improving exports.
Video Emerges As Key to Cisco's Growth
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - So far, when it comes to making money, the online video explosion is mostly about potential. Studios selling TV shows and movies for download, and Web sites like YouTube that link ads to user-generated content, stand to reap billions from the Internet's hottest trend. But a select group of companies whose products exist largely outside the public view are already profiting handsomely. Led by industry powerhouse Cisco Systems Inc., the network equipment makers are seeing their gear snapped up by service providers who must upgrade their networks to accommodate surging Internet traffic and booming broadband demand. MediaCopps Unveils New American Media Contract
Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps calls for "local stations that are actually local," "strengthen our democracy" and "look and sound like America"—while noting that "you deserve all this on free-over-the-air TV and radio" because "by the way, you have already paid for" it. Half a trillion dollars. That's a conservative valuation of the airwaves that our country lets TV and radio broadcasters use—for free.
New Studies Dismantle Big Media Case for Consolidation
Civil rights and consumer groups address the negative impact of corporate media with a host of recent studies that "pointedly refute" arguments for "abandoning the ownership protections that currently prevent media conglomerates from swallowing up even more local outlets." Among the studies is an exposé of the National Association of Broadcasters’ fraudulent financial reporting on commercial broadcasters, and an analysis of news consumption online—where the top Internet news sites are owned by the same giants that control the rest of the media.
Newsweek could benefit from Time's personality change
With Time focusing on commentary from "star" pundits and forward-looking analysis, Newsweek could end up with a near-monopoly on scoops, says Matthew Flamm. "Perhaps best of all, the casual observer will have an easier time telling the two publications apart," he writes.
Leave it to Time to buck the trend toward democratization of media content. They tried years ago to publish letters only from famous people, and got a barrage of criticism--and that was before the internet. Newsweek has an opportunity here to benefit from Time’s stupid move. —Caro
Netflix to be delivered on the Internet
LOS GATOS, Calif. - Netflix Inc. will start showing movies and TV episodes over the Internet this week, providing its subscribers with more instant gratification as the DVD-by-mail service prepares for a looming technology shift threatening its survival.
British band breakthrough another online victory
WITHAM (Reuters) - A little known band reaching no. 31 in the British charts is not normally the stuff of headlines. But Koopa's breakthrough into the prestigious top 40 this week is another landmark in an Internet revolution sweeping the music industry.
YouTube Mulls TV Channel
YouTube is considering creating a linear TV channel compiled from the video clips submitted by its users. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, the vice-president of content, Kevin Donahue, said the company had been considering the idea of a creating TV shows and might even extend that into a full channel.
Media Push Across Multiple Devices a Gamble
A growing "soccer mom audience" for accessing content legitimately on new devices is giving media companies pause, says Jupiter Research analyst Todd Chanko. Industry watchers disagree on which platforms -- TV, PC, phone, laptop, portable player -- will ultimately draw the most viewers.
NY Times Anthrax Libel Case Dismissed
A federal judge is dismissing a libel lawsuit filed against the New York Times by Steven Hatfill, a former Army scientist once identified as a "person of interest" in the 2001 U.S. anthrax attacks. Times lawyers argued that Hatfill should be considered a public figure under libel law.
Claim: The plethora of media criticism is good for news orgs
Nick Madigan recalls when one had to have a long list of intellectual credentials to be a critic. "Now, everyone's a critic, and media outlets themselves are in the crosshairs," he writes. Jameson Foser of Media Matters thinks that's good. "Anyone can benefit from someone looking at your work and saying, 'Look, here's where you missed the boat.'" But he says there's no benefit in self-appointed critics "calling you names," which happens a lot.
Buy, Sell, Now: Newspaper Business Model is 'Collapsing'
The newspaper industry will see strong merger-and-acquisition activity in 2007, according to a survey of media execs by media bank AdMedia Partners. Says head Mark Edmiston: "This is the first year that people really realize the business model for newspapers is collapsing."
Tribune Share Price Suggests No Sale of Company
Tribune's share price suggests the company won't be sold when bids for the newspaper publisher come due on Jan. 17, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine. "Investors appear to anticipate that no sale will transpire. Even if there is a sale, a big premium is unlikely."
Scripps CEO: No 'Immediate' Plans to Sell Papers
But Ken Lowe points out, "Keep in mind, though, that it's prudent for the company to continuously review the strategic value of our local newspapers as well as our entire portfolio of media businesses." Science & TechnologyMissing Boy Left Clues On The Internet
Shawn Hornbeck, who was missing for four years, sent Internet messages while in captivity ? and he may have crossed paths online with his parents. That revelation could change how detectives investigate kidnappings
At Some Airports, Cellphones Can Check In Passengers
Airlines in Japan and Europe are experimenting with systems that let passengers check in by identifying themselves with a cellphone.
The Great Comet of 2007: Watch it on the Web
Comet McNaught, the brightest comet to appear in our skies in more than 30 years, has been putting on a spectacular show in the eastern sky at dawn and the western sky at dusk this week.
'Hobbit' galaxies discovered around Milky Way
A recent sky survey has turned up eight new members in our Local Group of galaxies, including a new class of ultra-faint "hobbit" galaxies and what might be the smallest galaxy ever discovered.
Genes quash lung cancer in mice: study
CHICAGO (AFP) - An experimental lung cancer treatment that drastically suppresses tumors in mice may point the way to more effective and less toxic therapies for this type of cancer in humans, a study said.
Freak Chickens Lay Eggs Loaded with Drugs
Genetically modified hens can produce drugs in the whites of their eggs, scientists reported today. The technology "signifies an important advance in the use of farm animals for pharmaceutical production," the scientists said in a statement. Traditional methods for producing therapeutic proteins such as antibodies used to treat cancer and arthritis are expensive. Farm animals could produce them faster and cheaper, the thinking goes.
Strange Old Skull: Human or Not?
A newfound ancient cranium adds to mounting evidence that humans and Neanderthals interbred and suggests that humans evolved considerably after settling the European continent some 40,000 years ago. |
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