Today's Headlines & Columnists

InternetElect~ News.  Briefly. InternetElectPress InternetElectVideo InternetElect InterElect Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Top News Fort Hood suspect warned of threats within the ranks The Army psychiatrist believed to have killed 13 people at Fort Hood warned a roomful of senior Army physicians a year and a half ago that to avoid "adverse events," the military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars against other Muslims. (By Dana Priest, The Washington Post) Hasan e-mails to cleric didn't result in inquiry FORT HOOD, TEX. -- Maj. Nidal M. Hasan corresponded by e-mail late last year and this year with a radical cleric in Yemen who has criticized the United States for waging war against Muslims, but the contact did not lead to an investigation, federal law enforcement officials said Monday. (By Philip Rucker, Carrie Johnson and Ellen Nakashima, The Washington Post) FHA's reserve fund hits 7-year low The Federal Housing Administration, which has played a crucial role supporting American home buyers after the collapse of the mortgage market, has burned through a huge cash reserve in less than a decade and could soon wind up with what amounts to an automatic taxpayer bailout if the agency's for... (By Dina ElBoghdady, The Washington Post) Detecting glimpses of humanity in D.C. sniper If attorney Jon Sheldon's final plea to save the life of John Allen Muhammad fails, he will go to Virginia's death chamber Tuesday night to watch the sniper die. (By Maria Glod, The Washington Post) Will host switch horses as 'Week' gains ground? In network television, Sunday mornings are not for sleeping in, going to church or Belgian waffles. They're for the Sunday morning talk shows, serious political palaver platforms that sometimes make news and consistently attract a demographically attractive audience. (The Washington Post) More Top News Politics 'Scozzafava' turns into epithet GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. -- Over Halloween weekend, Dede Scozzafava morphed from a rosy-cheeked Republican mom to a political figure of speech. (By Jason Horowitz, The Washington Post) In raw oyster trade, FDA's safety proposal is tough to swallow Glistening oysters cradled on beds of ice have provoked a political battle, with fishing industries along the Gulf Coast and their allies in Congress pitted against food safety officials in the Obama administration, who are determined to sanitize raw oysters. (By Lyndsey Layton, The Washington Post) Groups redirect health-care ads to cheer and jeer Democrats The House's passage Saturday of a sweeping health-care bill has pushed the advertising battle over reform into a new phase, as competing groups have taken to the airwaves to thank or punish Democrats for their votes. (By Aaron C. Davis and Ben Pershing, The Washington Post) FHA's reserve fund hits 7-year low The Federal Housing Administration, which has played a crucial role supporting American home buyers after the collapse of the mortgage market, has burned through a huge cash reserve in less than a decade and could soon wind up with what amounts to an automatic taxpayer bailout if the agency's for... (By Dina ElBoghdady, The Washington Post) For doctor, the Senate is a bitter pill Tom Coburn is a Southern Baptist deacon, a family man married to a former Miss Oklahoma, a white-coated physician back in Muskogee who has delivered more than 4,000 babies and sees patients free of charge every Monday. (By Mary Jordan, The Washington Post) More Politics Europe Britain seeks to expand nuclear energy LONDON -- The British government unveiled plans Monday to launch one of the world's most ambitious expansions of nuclear-power capacity, calling for the construction of 10 plants to help meet surging energy demands in the era of global warming. (By Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post) In Germany, an ode to joy BERLIN -- For once, Germans celebrated a moment from their tumultuous past without a pang of guilt. (By Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post) More Europe Middle East 3 Americans in Iran charged with spying Three Americans who were arrested by Iranian border guards in late July after crossing into Iran from neighboring Iraq have been charged with espionage, a top Iranian prosecutor said Monday. (By William Branigin, The Washington Post) More Middle East Business In N.C., damage not easily mended HICKORY, N.C. -- The expansion of global trade may enrich the United States, as economists say, but it has overwhelmed this manufacturing area beside the Blue Ridge Mountains. (By Peter Whoriskey, The Washington Post) Wall Street surges to new 13-month high Wall Street reached a new high for the year Monday, surging after world finance leaders pledged to keep fiscal stimulus efforts in place until an economic recovery has been assured. (By Renae Merle, The Washington Post) FHA's reserve fund hits 7-year low The Federal Housing Administration, which has played a crucial role supporting American home buyers after the collapse of the mortgage market, has burned through a huge cash reserve in less than a decade and could soon wind up with what amounts to an automatic taxpayer bailout if the agency's for... (By Dina ElBoghdady, The Washington Post) Three top executives ousted by Washington Times Three top executives at the Washington Times were ousted Monday in a top-level shake-up prompted by the ongoing economic crisis. (By Frank Ahrens and Howard Kurtz, The Washington Post) Discovery launches science news Web site Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications announced Monday that it has launched a new Web site dedicated to reporting science and technology news. (By Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post) More Business U.S. Economy Special Report Oil below $79 as storm fears abate SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to below $79 a barrel on Tuesday, as tropical storm Ida, which cut U.S. oil and gas supplies, was downgraded from a powerful hurricane and U.S. crude oil stockpiles were forecast to rise slightly. (By Felicia Loo, Reuters) US-BUSINESS Summary Dow hits 2009 high NEW YORK (Reuters) - A broad U.S. stocks rally sent the Dow industrials to a 13-month high on Monday, after the Group of 20 pledged to keep aid flowing to the world economy, strengthening investors' desire for risk. The agreement by G20 finance ministers and central bankers over... (Reuters) Asia shares rise on improving risk appetite HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asian stocks nudged higher on Tuesday on hopes continued stimulus will support economic recovery, while the dollar hovered near a 15-month low on expectations U.S. rates will remain near zero. (By Susan Fenton, Reuters) Oil below $79 as storm fears abate, stocks seen up SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices eased to below $79 a barrel on Tuesday, as tropical storm Ida, which cut U.S. oil and gas supplies, was downgraded from a powerful hurricane and U.S. crude oil stockpiles were forecast to rise slightly. (By Felicia Loo, Reuters) In N.C., damage not easily mended HICKORY, N.C. -- The expansion of global trade may enrich the United States, as economists say, but it has overwhelmed this manufacturing area beside the Blue Ridge Mountains. (By Peter Whoriskey, The Washington Post) More U.S. Economy Special Report Books Was blind drunk but now she sees LIT By Mary Karr Harper. 386 pp. $25.99 The poet Mary Karr has produced three provocatively titled memoirs -- " The Liars' Club ," " Cherry " and now "Lit" -- to tell her life story, or at least her story up to the point when she published the first installment in 1995. With every new book, she must... (By Valerie Sayers, The Washington Post) More Books Entertainment News US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Disaster flick "2012" is preposterously fun LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - If you rolled every disaster movie into one spectacular package, you would wind up with something close to "2012," Roland Emmerich's latest apocalyptic fantasy. This time Emmerich and co-writer Harald Kloser use the Mayan... (Reuters) Maya Angelou, Rihanna among Glamour mag's honorees NEW YORK -- Even for a venue as grand as New York's Carnegie Hall, there was a pretty dazzling concentration of star power at Glamour magazine's Women of the Year awards. (By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP) US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Disaster flick "2012" is preposterously fun LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - If you rolled every disaster movie into one spectacular package, you would wind up with something close to "2012," Roland Emmerich's latest apocalyptic fantasy. This time Emmerich and co-writer Harald Kloser use the Mayan... (Reuters) Feuding rockers Aerosmith looking for new singer LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Who wants to become the new singer for Aerosmith? (Reuters) Maya Angelou, Rihanna among Glamour mag's honorees NEW YORK -- There was a huge pop star, a tennis phenom, a top fashion designer, a key U.S. diplomat and three Beatle wives. (By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP) More Entertainment News Movies Coming to DVD The following is a list of soon-to-be released DVDs and videos. All capsule reviews have been taken from The Washington Post's Weekend section. (washingtonpost.com) More Movies Science U.S. military expands efforts to track satellites The U.S. military said last week that it is tracking 800 maneuverable satellites on a daily basis for possible collisions and expects to add 500 more non-maneuvering satellites by year's end. (By Andrea Shalal-Esa, The Washington Post) Amazon? Still not out of the woods. We used to hear so much about the destruction of the Amazon rain forest, but lately not a word. So what happened: Did we save it, or not? (By Brendan Borrell, The Washington Post) The high price of avoiding space junk LONDON -- A growing storm of debris flying around in space is dramatically increasing the risk of orbital crashes, and steps to avoid them will add greatly to the costs of future space flight, British space experts say. (By Kate Kelland, The Washington Post) SCIENCE NEWS You knew those Ding Dongs, candy bars and strips of bacon weren't good for you. But now comes a study suggesting that junk food may be addictive in the same way as heroin or cocaine. (The Washington Post) SCIENCE SCAN (The Washington Post) More Science New Technologies Discovery launches science news Web site Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications announced Monday that it has launched a new Web site dedicated to reporting science and technology news. (By Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post) Mount Disk Images as Virtual CD/DVD Drives With Gizmo Drive I expected Gizmo Drive (free) to be something like WinCDEmu , which sits quietly in the background and allows you to mount images as virtual CD/DVD drives. In the end, that's part of what Gizmo Drive turned out to be--but before that I was taken for a ride to a little world which I'm going to call... (Jon L. Jacobi, PC World) More New Technologies Health Med schools offer doses of new reality When Aaron Laviana started medical school at Georgetown University in 2007, he dissected a cadaver in his first week, in anatomy class. Today, classes such as "Physician-Patient Communication" and "Social and Cultural Issues in Health Care" come first. Dissection doesn't begin until month four at... (By Sarah Lovenheim, The Washington Post) A glut of Google can give you a virtual fever It always starts out innocently enough -- for example, with an eye twitch. It's just a little tic, but it keeps coming and going over the course of a few weeks, and so I decide to do a little medical investigation online. I plug "recurrent eye twitch" into my friendly search engine and, after sev... (Carolyn Butler, The Washington Post) Head games Blake Lawrence tried not to think about injuries when he was on the football field. But Lawrence, a junior who until recently played linebacker at the University of Nebraska, could have been forgiven for worrying about his head. In one 12-month span, from spring 2008 to spring 2009, three on-fiel... (By Jonathan Starkey, The Washington Post) After checkup, heeding the warning signs High cholesterol. Early osteopenia. Pre-diabetes. I was stunned by the diagnosis. I had breezed in for my annual checkup last year as a healthy-looking, 125-pound, energetic 59-year-old. Diabetes in particular was a terrifying prospect. My doctor was taking it very seriously. She recommended that... (The Washington Post) Adapted from the week's postings on The Checkup, The Post's health blog. Cat survives swine flu A 13-year-old cat in Iowa has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, "marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza," the American Veterinary Medical Association said in a statement. "The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in t... (The Washington Post) More Health TODAY'S ... Comics |  Crosswords |  Sudoku |  Horoscopes |  Movie Showtimes |  Most E-mailed Articles |  Tom Toles Editorial Cartoons and Sketches |  Traffic |  TV Listings |  Weather © 2008 The Washington Post Company Privacy Policy Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive c/o E-mail Customer Care 1515 N. Courthouse Road Arlington, VA 22201

Tech Update: China Disables Some Google Functions

InternetElect~ News.  Briefly. InternetElectPress InternetElectVideo InternetElect InterElect June 19, 2009 Tech Update China Disables Some Google Functions By EDWARD WONG The Chinese government said that the Chinese-language Web site of Google was linking too often to pornographic and vulgar content. Profit Rises 33% for Maker of BlackBerry By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Research In Motion posted a higher quarterly profit but delivered an outlook that may disappoint some investors. ADVERTISEMENT Music Labels Win $2 Million in Web Case By BLOOMBERG NEWS A federal jury says a woman should pay $80,000 for each of 24 songs posted on an Internet site for others to download. From the Magazine and Book Review The Medium Are 'Midtails' the Future of Television? By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN They're not top-down like TV or bottom-up like YouTube. And they may be the future of how we watch. More The Medium Columns Post a Comment Book Review Into the Fray By ROSS DOUTHAT Mark Helprin scrappily defends the rights of individual creators in this furious treatise against Internet culture. More in Technology Main Owner of WebMD Is to Merge With the Site Behind an iPhone Discount, Twitter Congress Questions How Web Sites Use Personal Data Google Improves Book Search Service Movie Editing Software for Average Joe 2.0 Does the U.S. Senate Want a Verizon iPhone? ADVERTISEMENT Get home delivery of The New York Times for as low as $3.15 a week. New in Gadgetwise Blu-ray in a Laptop: Does It Compute? By STEPHEN WILLIAMS Sony unveils a Vaio laptop for less than $900 that plays Blu-ray discs. Opening Day: The iPhone 3G S June 19, 2009, 11:21 AM Tech Payoff for Companies Remains Elusive, Study Finds June 19, 2009, 8:00 AM Amid Iran Turmoil, Google Adds Persian To Translation Service June 19, 2009, 12:11 AM Google Invests Again in Company of Co-Founder's Wife June 18, 2009, 7:07 PM Go to the Bits Blog » Tech Gifts for Summer Slide shows and advice on the latest smartphones, phone apps, cameras, netbooks and outdoor electronics. Go to Special Section Technology Headlines From Around the Web What's This? Engadget Apple unleashes iPhone 3G S Official Google Blog Google translates Persian Ars Technica Thomas verdict: willful infringement, $1.92 million penalty Facebook Blog Streamlining the Inbox Reuters Microsoft open to investing in search More at Blogrunner » ADVERTISEMENT Copyright 2009 | The New York Times Company | | NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

EM.com: Today Latest News

May 05, 2009 'Idol': Predict who's going home! Can you read the tea leaves better than Michael Slezak? Find out in EW's ''Idol'' Prediction Challenge! Read More Ausiello TV: Love and death The Grim Reaper in ''Smallville,'' sex on ''Bones,'' a wedding (but whose?) on ''Grey's'' -- spoilers await! Read More Marilu Henner salutes Dom DeLuise Late comic actor's pal remembers a ''crazy brain that would try anything if he thought it would get a laugh'' Read More 'HIMYM': So, is it Stella?! Michael Ausiello asks ''How I Met Your Mother'' boss Carter Bays the question on every fan's lips today Read More TV recaps: 'DWTS,' 'Gossip,' '24' Annie Barrett on ballroom and Latin moves; Tim Stack on Georgina's revival; Dan Snierson on Bauer hour Read More Jessica Simpson: Size? Sighs... Alynda Wheat on the singer's new Vanity Fair cover story -- aren't we all tired of this ''fat'' business yet? Read More More Entertainment News from EW.com InternetElectPress Daily Brief News InternetElectVideo InternetElect

Bank of America needs extra US$33.9 billion

This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com Title : Bank of America needs extra US$33.9 billion By : Date : 06 May 2009 1219 hrs (SST) URL : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/427281/1/.html WASHINGTON: Bank of America will need 33.9 billion dollars in extra capital from the US government to remain financially stable, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The government has informed the banking giant of its decision, the Times said, citing a bank executive, but the amount is greater than what executives think the bank needs. "We're not happy about it because it's still a big number," said J. Steele Alphin, the bank's chief administrative officer. "We think it should be a bit less at the end of the day." The report came ahead of results Thursday from "stress tests" conducted by US authorities on 19 top banks, including their capital adequacy levels. The Wall Street Journal meanwhile said 10 of the 19 banks subject to the tests may need to raise more capital. The exact number of banks required to raise more funds has not yet been determined, the financial daily said, but those affected could include banking giants Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citigroup. - AFP/yt InternetElectPress Daily Brief News InternetElectVideo InternetElect

More than one in five homeowners underwater: Zillow - Reuters/Yahoo News

More than one in five homeowners underwater: Zillow Wed May 6, 2:33 AM ET Properties for sale are displayed in the window of Bremis Realty in Somerville, Massachusetts April 2, 2009. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Slideshow:Mortgage Crisis Play Video Economy Video:Retail sales figures through roof Australia 7 News Play Video Economy Video:Recession Hits Bridal Businesses, Couples CBS 11 Dallas Wed May 6, 2:58 am ET NEW YORK (Reuters) – Home values in the United States extended their fall in the first quarter, with more than one in five homeowners now owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, real estate website Zillow.com said on Wednesday. U.S. home values posted a year-over-year decline of 14.2 percent to a Zillow Home Value Index of $182,378, resulting in a total 21.8 percent drop since the market peaked in 2006, according to Zillow's first-quarter Real Estate Market Reports, which encompass 161 metropolitan areas and cover the value changes in all homes, not just homes that have recently sold. U.S. homes lost $704 billion in value during the first quarter and have depreciated $3.8 trillion in the past 12 months, according to analysis of the reports. Declining home values left 21.9 percent of all American homeowners with negative equity by the end of the first quarter, Zillow said. By comparison, 17.6 percent of all homeowners owed more on their mortgage than their property was worth in the fourth quarter of 2008, and 14.3 percent were underwater in the third quarter of last year, the reports showed. Nine consecutive quarters of declines have left eight regions -- including the Modesto, California, Stockton, California, and Fort Myers, Florida regions -- with median value declines of more than 50 percent since those markets peaked... InternetElectPress Daily Brief News InternetElectVideo InternetElect

Clinton returns to Oklahoma bombing site for tour - AP/YahooNews

Clinton returns to Oklahoma bombing site for tour Fri May 1, 3:15 AM ET Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network event in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg) By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer Sean Murphy, Associated Press Writer 23 mins ago OKLAHOMA CITY – Bill Clinton recalled the profound impact of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing on the nation and his presidency during a private tour of a memorial and museum honoring the 168 people killed. The former president announced Saturday he is joining an honorary national board of trustees that will promote the privately operated Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Clinton was president when the powerful truck bomb tore through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. On his fifth visit to the site, the former president declared that the resilience of Oklahomans in the bombing aftermath shows people can draw strength from one another and prevail while confronting "the worst in humanity." "My life has been indelibly marked by the people I met here," Clinton said Saturday in addressing about 200 museum supporters, bombing survivors and former rescue workers. "I came here, more than anything else, to say 'Thank You.'" He added: "The memories I have here ... have changed my life, and I think, fundamentally changed the lives of the nation." Others joining Clinton on the honorary board are former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge; the Rev. Billy Graham, who led a National Prayer Service days after the bombing; former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and his wife Cathy; and Lee Woodruff, author and wife of TV news reporter Bob Woodruff, who was critically injured in Iraq... InternetElect~ News.  Briefly. InternetElectPress InternetElectVideo InternetElect InterElect

Somali pirates hijack ship with Ukrainian crew -AP/Yahoo News

Somali pirates hijack ship with Ukrainian crew Sat May 2, 12:51 AM ET Filipino crews of the chemical tanker Stolt Strength are welcomed by their wives upon their arrival in the country Saturday, May 2, 2009 at Manila's international airport after they were released from captivity by Somali pirates. The ship was seized by the pirates and held for more than five months before a US$2.5 million ransom was reportedly paid. (AP Photo/Pat Roque) Slideshow:Somali Pirates Play Video Barack Obama Video:AP Top Stories AP Play Video Barack Obama Video:Obama: Gov't ready for swine flu battle AP By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writer Katharine Houreld, Associated Press Writer 17 mins ago NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates have hijacked a British-owned cargo ship crewed by Ukrainians, a NATO spokesman said Saturday. Lt. Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes said the Maltese-flagged Ariana was hijacked in a rare overnight attack northwest of the Seychelles islands about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from NATO's operating area. The crew members are all Ukrainian, he said, but ship-owner Seven Seas Maritime Ltd. has not given the exact number of people onboard. In a separate incident, a Portuguese warship seized explosives from suspected Somali pirates after thwarting an attack on a Norwegian-owned oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. It was the first time NATO forces found pirates armed with raw explosives, Lt. Cmdr. Fernandes said from the Portuguese frigate the Corte-Real, the warship that responded to the attack on the tanker. The four sticks of P4A dynamite — which could be used in demolition, blasting through walls or potentially breaching a the hull of a ship — were destroyed along with four automatic rifles and nine rocket-propelled grenades also confiscated. It was unclear how the pirates planned to use the dynamite, Fernandes said. The Corte-Real had sent a helicopter to investigate a distress call from the crude oil tanker MV Kition late Friday about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north from the Somali coast. The suspects fled to a larger pirate vessel, but were intercepted by the warship an hour later... InternetElect~ News.  Briefly. InternetElectPress InternetElectVideo InternetElect InterElect