MediaBistro News Feed by Biodun Iginla, BBC News and MediaBistro Topic: media, mediabistro, bbc news
Morning Media Newsfeed
Friday, November 19, 2010
Are you coming to eBook Summit on December 15? Speakers include Ken Auletta (The New Yorker), Douglas Rushkoff (author), Debbie Stier (HarperCollins), and David Gaspin (Condé Nast).
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Fox News Chief Blasts NPR 'Nazis,' Apologizes (Daily Beast) Yesterday, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes apologized to the Anti-Defamation League for describing NPR brass as "Nazis." He wrote: "I was of course ad-libbing and should not have chosen that word, but I was angry at the time because of NPR's willingness to censor Juan Williams for not being liberal enough." Abraham H. Foxman, ADL's national director and a Holocaust survivor, responded: "I welcome Roger Ailes' apology, which is as sincere as it is heartfelt." Yahoo! / The Cutline:Ailes' letter also touched on other recent issues relating to Fox News and references to Nazis and the Holocaust. "I think this all goes back to the visit we received from Rabbi Steve Gutow and Simon Greer," Ailes wrote. "We had a cordial conversation where they explained the sensitivity of the Jewish people, and I said Glenn Beck was very sensitive to Jewish issues and would never intentionally offend them."
House Rejects Bill To Defund NPR (TheWrap) House Democrats rejected a bill -- supported unanimously by Republicans -- to defund NPR. The measure, proposed by Republican Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), was defeated in a 239-171 vote, with only three Democrats joining the Republicans. In their own statement after the measure was shot down, NPR said, "Good judgment prevailed as Congress rejected a move to assert government control over the content of news."
News Corp.'s iPad Daily To Use Drone Choppers For Newsgathering? (NY Observer) Sources say that News Corp.'s much-anticipated The Daily iPad "newspaper" is experimenting with an investigative secret weapon -- the Parrot AR.Drone "quadricopter." It comes equipped with two cameras, an on-board Wi-Fi transmitter, two interchangeable hulls, and an "ultrasound altimeter." Best of all, it can be controlled with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
mediabistro.com event
EBOOK SUMMIT December 15, 2010 | New York City Presented by Mediabistro, GalleyCat, and eBookNewser Ken Auletta, bestselling author and media columnist for The New Yorker, discusses the new era of publishing with media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, Movable Type founder Jason Ashlock, literary agent Kate McKean, and more. Register early and save!
Time Warner Cable Offers Cheaper TV Package Without ESPN (WSJ) Time Warner Cable is rolling out a lower-priced cable-TV package called "TV Essentials" that excludes major cable networks like ESPN, Comedy Central, TNT, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Fox regional sports networks, and Madison Square Garden Network. The offering will begin Monday on a test basis in New York, where it will cost $39.95 per month, and northern Ohio, including Cleveland and Akron, where it will cost $29.95 per month for a yearlong promotion.
Cablevision Explores Spinoff Of TV Channels Including Mad Men Home AMC (Bloomberg) Cablevision Systems Corp., the New York-area cable-television provider, is exploring a spinoff of its Rainbow Media Holdings unit, which includes cable channels Sundance Channel, The Independent Film Channel, and AMC, the broadcaster of Mad Men. The unit would be spun off to Cablevision's shareholders as a "tax-free pro rata distribution," the company said in a statement. The plan calls for a completion of the transaction in mid-year 2011.
Monthly Mag 2010 Ad Pages 'Improve' To +4.22 Percent (minOnline) After 2009's recession-impacted -20.05 percent, 149 tracked monthly magazines rebounded modestly in 2010 -- a year without any major economic shocks, but also one plagued by high unemployment and home foreclosures. The uncertainty is reflected in the modest +4.22 percent ad-page differential, but the 99-monthlies-up/50-down ratio is far better than 2009's 10-up/141-down.
B2B Publishers Say 2010 Subscriptions Struggled, Will Be Better Next Year (paidContent) B2B publishers Informa and Reed Elsevier say subscription-renewal rates remained tough during the past few months. In interim market updates, Reed Elsevier said subs "remain constrained by low customer activity levels and budgets, while advertising, promotion, and other cyclical markets have continued to stabilize." Informa said professional sub "renewals continue to be as tough as expected," although 2011 indications are encouraging.
Hannity, Beck Dumped In Philly (Mediaweek) Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck, two of radio's biggest talk personalities, were bumped from their Philadelphia affiliate WPHT-AM yesterday, leaving both national radio programs without clearance in the eighth-largest radio market. No doubt Premiere Radio Networks, the Clear Channel programming arm that syndicates the shows, is scrambling to find two of its top-rated personalities a Philadelphia home. Having top-10 clearances is a must for national advertisers.
Fair Use: How Much Is Too Much? (eMedia Vitals) Page-view "journalism" and content aggregation are the cornerstones of the explosive growth of Gawker, The Huffington Post, and slews of other blogs, but does that growth come at the expense of the publications that conducted the original reporting? Every editor and publisher should be well-versed in fair-use standards in order to take advantage of aggregation opportunities themselves while also protecting their copyrighted materials from story harvesters.
student news
Mediabistro graduate Colleen Mescall found a new career and a passion for blogging after she took our intro to magazine writing class. Congratulations, Colleen! read her story
Crunching Denton's Ratio: What's The Return On Paying Sources? (NJL) Just for a moment, let's set aside the traditional moral issues journalists have with paying sources. Does paying sources make business sense? Financially speaking, the justification given for paying sources is to generate stories that generate an audience -- with the hope that the audience can then be monetized. Does it work?
Slide Shows: A Faustian Bargain (CJR) As page views became a priority, Web editors had to decide when slide shows morph from fun novelty to craven solicitation. But maybe this pandering is worth it. Every site is trying to figure out a sustainable business model, and even the most asinine galleries help to subsidize the serious, thoughtful, and wordy articles that don't earn as much traffic. Perhaps we should stop thinking of slide shows as the scourge of online journalism. Instead, we should consider them its savior.
CIO.com Named 'Web Site Of The Year' By ASBPE (Folio:) CIO.com is the "best Web site of 2010," according to the American Society of Business Publication Editors, which cited its "comprehensive news content and ease of operation." The announcement is part of ASBPE's unveiling of the winners of its digital Azbee Awards in 28 categories. Other "Top 10 Web Sites" included Computerworld, DVM360.com, ENR.com, HotelNewsNow.com, NetworkWorld.com, and SmartMeetings.com.
mediabistro.com event
SOCIAL GAMING SUMMIT - EAST December 1, 2010 | The New Yorker Hotel, New York City Explore the intersection of games and the social web. Speakers include Trip Hawkins (Digital Chocolate), Katharine Lewis (FM Ventures), and Dennis Ryan (PopCap). Register today!
News Corp.'s Myspace Deepens Ties To Facebook With 'Mash Up' Account Links (Bloomberg) News Corp.'s Myspace is adding more features from Facebook, owner of the world's largest social network, in an effort to draw users and boost ad sales. Myspace subscribers may now coordinate accounts using Facebook "Mash Up," a service that lets Facebook users export their preferences, Myspace CEO Mike Jones said in an online press conference. There is no financial component to the relationship, Jones said.
60 Minutes iPad App Debuts (CBS News) CBS' 60 Minutes is now available on the iPad -- the first primetime news magazine to have its own stand-alone application for the hand-held device. The app delivers video and text versions of 60 Minutes program content, including weekly previews, segments, Web extras, and clips. It also features new, original content from 60 Minutes online series 60 Minutes Overtime.
A New Breed Of Journalist Fits Right In At Forbes (Forbes) A single journalist can use the Web to research, report, and investigate. That same journalist can then produce and program it all, then distribute and market it across the Web, then join and moderate a rewarding conversation. This new kind of journalism is continuous and never-ending, because the individual content creator has truly become part of a community. News consumers benefit as full participants in a transparent process that offers more information and context.
student news
Mediabistro graduate Kara Richardson Whitely published her book, Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half Myself and Gained Happiness, after taking personal essay and nonfiction book proposal courses. Congratulations, Kara! read her story
• RT @cnnmoney: House fails to pass bill to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. http://ow.ly/3c6WC — @mbJobPost • Cooks Source Magazine Forced To Close, Following Facebook Backlashhttp://nick.ly/9MofG0 — @AllNick • Here for our monthly breakfast with fellow CEOs. Ping me for the next invite. (@ Cereal Entrepreneur Breakfast) http://4sq.com/9Emaic — @LaurelTouby • When is the last time Jerry Yang of Yahoo has been quoted or appeared anywhere? Does anyone care? I do. — @AlanMeckler • RT @insidecablenews: don't know what's sadder FNC devoting time to a car chase or @SteveKrak &@BrianStelter going gaga on Shep's coverage? — @TVNewser
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LISBON, Portugal – NATO will start drawing down its troops in Afghanistan next July and its combat role in the war-torn nation will end by 2014 or earlier so security can be turned over to the Afghans, a top alliance official said Friday.
"We think that goal is realistic, and we have made plans to achieve it, but of course if circumstances agree, it could be sooner, absolutely," said Mark Sedwill, NATO's top civilian representative in Afghanistan.
Sedwill said the troop withdrawal starting next year will be "shallow" and eventually accelerate but did not elaborate.
The escalating war in Afghanistan, where the alliance is struggling to contain Taliban militants, looked set to dominate a two-day NATO summit opening Friday in Lisbon.
NATO spokesman James Appathurai also said the alliance's 28 leaders, including President Barack Obama, were set to approve the withdrawal plan. He said NATO is "quite confident of the end of 2014 timeline for handing responsibility to Afghan security forces" as requested by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Appathurai and Sedwill did not say how many NATO troops would stay in Afghanistan after 2014 serving as military advisers and trainers.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, said the session at Karzai's hotel was "candid and friendly" and covered key aspects of theNATO mission in Afghanistan — including the planned transition to Afghan security control, as well as international civilian assistance to Kabul.
They reached a "common understanding" on outlines of a longer-term Afghan-NATO partnership, the official said.
NATO officials say they expect unanimous support from the allies for Obama's plans for a new, expanded missile defense system in Europe that would be based on an existing shield meant to defend military units from attack. The U.S. already has a missile defense system based mainly in North America, and it is planning one for its European allies.
But Obama will face tough questions from U.S. allies on his exit strategy in Afghanistan. He will also meet with leaders of the European Union on Saturday to defend his preference for stimulus spending at a time when many European nations are enacting economic austerity measures.
The NATO leaders are expected on Saturday to endorse the plan by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, to start handing over responsibility for security in some areas of Afghanistan to government forces next year.
Obama told El Pais, Spain's leading newspaper, he expected the allies will pledge additional trainers for Afghan security forces.
"This effort is going to take time and our commitment to Afghanistan and the Afghan people is for the long-term," Obama said. "We cannot turn our backs on the Afghan people."
Clinton defended the high cost that European nations are paying for their participation in the war in Afghanistan, and urged them to stay the course despite dire economic difficulties for many countries that have translated into wage cuts, lost jobs and massive government budget reductions.
"Though we are very supportive of the difficult decisions that will have to be made concerning the economy, just as back home President Obama is making difficult decisions concerning our own economy, we believe that the mission we are pursuing in Afghanistan must continue," Clinton told reporters.
The alliance has 140,000 troops in Afghanistan, two-thirds of them Americans. The government's security forces are being built up to just over 300,000 members. Their Taliban opponents are estimated to number up to 30,000 men.
Allied commanders have highlighted their successes this year against Taliban insurgents in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, to emphasize that transition is ready.
But allied casualties have also reached record levels of some 650 dead this year, and the Taliban have spread out into other parts of Afghanistan.
On other issues, NATO's newly expanded anti-missile shield would cost euro200 million ($273 million) over the next 10 years, according to NATO chief Fogh Rasmussen, who also wants Russia to cooperate in the project. Despite claims by protesters that debt-plagued Europe can't afford it amid austerity cuts, alliance officials insisted the project is worth it.
"We think it's a good thing to have a missile defense system which is NATO-based," Britain's Defense Secretary Liam Fox told BBC Radio 4's Today program. "That provides us with communal protection over the years ahead, it's cost-effective for us, and there are some 30 countries now which either have or are developing ballistic missiles."
NATO's leaders will not explicitly identify any potential enemy, although in the past officials have publicly singled out Iran and its ballistic missile program. But alliance member Turkey, which maintains close ties with Tehran, refused to let NATO name Iran as a threat.
"We cannot accept that any specific country (including) our neighbor Iran to be shown as a target," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said. "It is absolutely out of the question."
Founded in 1949 to counter the threat of a Soviet invasion, the 28-member alliance is in the midst of a mid-life crisis as it searches for relevance almost 20 years after the collapse of its communist rival.
Other elements of NATO's new mission statement expected to be adopted Friday include new roles such as cyber-warfare and missions outside NATO's traditional area in Europe, such as anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coastline.
NATO's previous strategic concept focused mainly on its peacekeeping role in places like Bosnia and Kosovo. It was adopted in 1999, soon after the end of the Cold War and before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States forced the alliance to take on missions such as counterinsurgency warfare in Afghanistan.
The new document will also warn European governments not to slash defense spending at a time of economic crisis, because of the growing discrepancy in military capabilities between the United States and Europe's NATO members. Most European nations are not even meeting the minimal requirement of devoting 2 percent of their GDP to defense.
America's latest defense budget of over $710 billion dwarfs the combined annual military expenditures of its European allies, which total about $280 billion.
BY MELISSA GRUZ, BBC NEWS US DESK, FOR THE BBC's BIODUN IGINLA
| 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John Pistole testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, before the the Senate Commerce Committee hearing to examine the TSA. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)View more photos
WASHINGTON — The head of the Transportation Security Administration says the close-quarter body inspections causing a furor among some passengers and pilots are unavoidable in a time of terrorist threats.
John Pistole tells CBS's "The Early Show" he understands public distaste for more intense security procedures, particulary hand pat-downs. He called it a "challenge" for federal authorities and airport screeners.
But Pistole said the attempted bombing of a U.S. bound plane last Christmas and the effort to ship packages with bombs to this country on cargo planes more recently makes tougher security necessary. He said Friday, "The bottom line is, we're trying to see that everybody can be assured with high confidence that everybody else on that flight can be properly screened."
Leaders of NATO's 28 member states are meeting in Lisbon for one of the most important summits in the military alliance's history. But will they reconsider the old way of doing business in NATO's critical mission in Afghanistan?
The relatives of eleven French engineers who were killed in a bombing in Pakistan in 2002 have demanded that President Sarkozy and two other senior politicians be made to testify over alleged corrupt deals that may have caused their deaths.
Ireland is expected to receive an EU and IMF-funded loan of tens of billions of euros in order to help the country overcome its spiralling debt crisis, Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan said on Thursday.
A Swedish court has ordered the arrest of runaway WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is accused of rape and sexual molestation. The prosecutors also plan to issue an international arrest warrant.
Guinea remained under a state of emergency on Thursday, after the nation's disputed presidential election sparked widespread violence across the country. The death toll has now risen to seven.
GM pulled off the biggest initial public offering in US history on Wednesday, raising 20.1 billion dollars after returning to the stock market following a US taxpayer-funded bailout. The US stalwart floundered during the credit crisis.
The head of Ireland's Central Bank said on Thursday that he expects the government to accept a joint EU/IMF bailout, potentially worth "tens of billions" as euro-zone finance ministers arrive in the country to hold advanced talks with the government.
Rolls-Royce announced Thursday that they are to replace as many as 40 engines across the Airbus A380 fleet of passenger aircraft, following safety fears sparked by a mid-air explosion on board a Singapore Airlines flight earlier this month.
EU and the IMF officials are heading to Ireland this week in a bid to stabilise Irish banks and stem the spread of Ireland’s financial woes following Tuesday’s meeting which ended without a bailout agreement.
US President Barack Obama warned emerging economies like China against relying heavily on exports Saturday at the APEC forum in Japan, as the divisions between America and China on trade and currency issues re-emerged Saturday.
With their best players injured on the bench, England failed to impact on a very average performance from France, who won 2 - 1 at Wembley on Wednesday, with goals from Karim Benzema (pictured) and Mathieu Valbuena.
FIFA suspended two executive members for one to three years and fined them after the ethic’s committee found them guilty of alleged malpractice for the bidding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Germany’s Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) picked up the 2010 Formula One world champion title with a win at the season’s last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. At 23, Vettel is the youngest F1 driver to claim the title.
Sweden's Robin Soderling clinched the Paris Masters title with a 6-1, 7-6 win in the final over Frenchman Gael Monfils. Soderling becomes the first Swede to win a Masters 1000 tournament since Thomas Enqvist in 2000.
Frenchman Franck Cammas has won the ninth edition of the Route de Rhum, finishing the transatlantic solo sprint from Saint Malo in France to Guadeloupe's Pointe-à-Pitre in his giant trimaran Groupama 3 in nine days, three hours and 14 minutes.
For some wine drinkers and diehard Francophiles, the yearly arrival of the Beaujolais nouveau is a day they await with gusto. For more discerning palates, and most people in France, it’s at best an excuse to throw a party.
UNESCO has chosen the “gastronomic meal of the French” to feature on its list of the world’s intangible cultural treasures. But what exactly is French cuisine?
Six Oslo ambassadors from countries including Cuba, Russia and Iraq have turned down their invitation to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in honour of jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo next month, after pressure from China not to attend.
Eva Longoria, star of the hit American TV series "Desperate Housewives", filed for divorce in Los Angeles Wednesday from her French basketball-player husband Tony Parker. The TV star cited "irreconcilable differences".
Sarah Palin’s participation in a new television show about her life in Alaska has political commentators scratching their heads. Is reality television stardom compatible with presidential aspirations?
This week HEALTH explores several chronic conditions affecting the younger generation. We look at how 21st century kids are coping with juvenile diabetes, ADHD and a rare aversion to ultra-violet light. In particular, we show you the very latest technology and medicinal advances which are helping young patients to live as normal a life as possible.
This week Health has travelled to Chad for a special programme on the latest challenges facing the African country. Like several neighbouring states, Chad was hit by heavy flooding following an exceptional rainy season this year. Many areas in and around the capital are still underwater, months after the heavy rains. We investigate the health implications.
In today’s French press review, we focus on the five year anniversary of the riots that took place in the Parisian suburb of Clichy. The death of two boys chased by the police near a power transformer sparked extreme violence in the region. Also in the papers: medical assistance on the internet and the worst US campaign adverts, seven days before the mid-terms.
Finland has just become the first country in the world to make a law aiming to eradicate smoking entirely. The government has introduced a bill which aims to make Finland smoke-free by 2040. On October 1st, the first measures of the so-called Tobacco Act were introduced, making it harder for people under 18 to smoke, and restricting smoking outdoors. And tougher measures are to come. But can Europe follow the lead?
An accident at an Alumina factory in Hungary smothers three villages with a toxic sludge, leaving 9 dead and scores of others burned and badly injured. HEALTH meets those burned by the alkaline mud which ate deep into their skin. At Budapest’s hospitals doctors still rely on results from Greenpeace to see what metals or toxic materials are present in the mud.
The relatives of eleven French engineers who were killed in a bombing in Pakistan in 2002 have demanded that President Sarkozy and two other senior politicians be made to testify over alleged corrupt deals that may have caused their deaths.
For some wine drinkers and diehard Francophiles, the yearly arrival of the Beaujolais nouveau is a day they await with gusto. For more discerning palates, and most people in France, it’s at best an excuse to throw a party.
The new French cabinet, the third under the direction of PM Francois Fillon, held its first meeting on Wednesday, a day after President Sarkozy revealed to television audiences the challenges awaiting his new team.
At the end of March 1832 Paris’ Hotel Dieu hospital began to receive a steady stream of patients. A six-month cholera epidemic, which was to claim 7,000 lives in the next two weeks and 19,000 in total, had begun which was to shape the Paris of today.
A government reshuffle has bestowed the high-profile foreign affairs ministry to former justice minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who despite being a fixture of France's political class, remains relatively unknown to the rest of the world.
Namibian police have discovered a suspect laptop amongst luggage bound for Munich just a day after terrorism intelligence forced Germany to tighten security at airports and train stations. A terrorist attack on the country was said to be imminent.
Ireland is expected to receive an EU and IMF-funded loan of tens of billions of euros in order to help the country overcome its spiralling debt crisis, Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan said on Thursday.
The head of Ireland's Central Bank said on Thursday that he expects the government to accept a joint EU/IMF bailout, potentially worth "tens of billions" as euro-zone finance ministers arrive in the country to hold advanced talks with the government.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Wednesday that security was being stepped-up for certain potential targets in Germany, based on "concrete indications" of planned terror attacks in the country.
Prompted by the fracture of his governing coalition, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has warned Italians that if he loses a confidence vote in December the country would hold early elections.
Israel's security cabinet has agreed to withdraw troops from part of a disputed village on the Lebanese border and hand over control to a UN peacekeeping force, resolving a key issue between the two countries.
Two people were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Wednesday during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Israeli security claims that the targets were Islamic militants.
In an interview with FRANCE 24 Wednesday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he will not sign off on the execution of former foreign minister Tariq Aziz, who was condemned to death on October 26th.
Muslim pilgrims gathered on Tuesday for the festival of Eid al Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, and the symbolic "stoning of the devil" in Saudi Arabia's Mina valley for the third day of the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ask his Cabinet on Sunday to consider a US offer of security and diplomatic incentives in exchange for a 90-day moratorium on the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Guinea remained under a state of emergency on Thursday, after the nation's disputed presidential election sparked widespread violence across the country. The death toll has now risen to seven.
Six Oslo ambassadors from countries including Cuba, Russia and Iraq have turned down their invitation to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in honour of jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo next month, after pressure from China not to attend.
One of Morocco’s most outspoken activists and a campaigner for democracy throughout regimes of colonial rule and then monarchy, Abraham Serfaty died on Thursday aged 84.
The Nigerian military handed over 19 oil-rig workers on Thursday, following recent raids by guerrilla organisations in the country's Niger Delta. The Delta region is at the heart of one of the world's largest oil industries.
Madagascar’s prime minister Camilla Vital (photo) said all was under control on the island following a declaration by a group of army officers that they had attempted a coup d’état. The country voted Wednesday on a referendum for a new constitution.
In the first civilian trial of a Guantanamo detainee on American soil, Ahmed Ghailani was acquitted by a federal jury in New York Wednesday of all but one of the terrorism charges brought against him. He faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have reported their first case of cholera just weeks after the outbreak gripped neighbouring quake-hit Haiti. The patient was identified as a Haitian citizen who recently returned from a holiday in Haiti.
Russian arms trafficking suspect Viktor Bout arrived in New York from Bangkok Wednesday following a protracted extradition process that has sparked a diplomatic tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington.
Sarah Palin’s participation in a new television show about her life in Alaska has political commentators scratching their heads. Is reality television stardom compatible with presidential aspirations?
Violent anti-UN demonstrations have spread across Haiti, killing two people and injuring some 20. The protesters blame Nepalese peacekeepers for a cholera epidemic which has now killed more than 1,000 people on the earthquake-devastated island.
Six Oslo ambassadors from countries including Cuba, Russia and Iraq have turned down their invitation to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in honour of jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo next month, after pressure from China not to attend.
The relatives of eleven French engineers who were killed in a bombing in Pakistan in 2002 have demanded that President Sarkozy and two other senior politicians be made to testify over alleged corrupt deals that may have caused their deaths.
Despite international condemnation and an opposition boycott, Madagascar is holding its first poll since a March 2009 coup. Wednesday’s constitutional referendum has been criticised as a bid to shore up current strongman Andry Rajoelina’s power.
At least 65 people were killed late Monday when a building collapsed in a densely populated area of New Delhi and rescuers expect the death toll to rise. Investigators said the multi-storey structure may have been weakened by recent flooding.
Accused Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death", was flown out of Bangkok on a special US jet after Thai authorities on Tuesday approved his extradition to the United States on terrorism charges.
Ministers said they would put whatever resources were needed into the rescue
Twenty-seven miners are missing after an explosion at a remote coal mine on New Zealand's South Island.
The mayor of Greymouth, about 50km (30 miles) south-east of the Pike River mine, said the situation was "pretty serious" but rescuers were on hand.
However, concerns about the possibility of another explosion have delayed attempts to enter the mineshaft.
There has so far been no contact with the missing miners, whose friends and relatives have gathered at the scene.
Earlier, two workers walked out of the mine with moderate injuries.
'Charred trees'
The explosion at the Pike River mine is believed to have happened at around 1530 local time (0230 GMT).
Police said an electrician had gone into the mine at 1550 to investigate a power failure and 1,500m (4,920ft) into the shaft he discovered the driver of a loader who had been blown off his machine. He then raised the alarm.
Mayor of Grey District Tony Kokshoorn: "At the moment we cannot contact the miners"
They and one other miner later emerged safely from the mine and told officials that three others were also making their way to the surface. However, there has been no contact yet with the second group of miners.
The operator of the mine, Pike River Coal, said that 27 workers remained unaccounted for - 15 of its staff and 12 local contractors.
Its chief executive, Peter Whittall, also denied that a body had been found.
"I've not had any reports of that at all," he said. "We've had two miners who've walked out of the mine and they're currently being spoken to and treated on the surface. We've had no communication with anyone else underground at this stage."
The two miners who emerged earlier had moderate injuries, Mr Whittall said. They are being treated at the hospital in Greymouth.
Peter Whittall, Pike River Coal mine chief executive, says two miners emerged after the incident
Mining experts said it could have been a methane gas explosion, a coal dust explosion, or a combination of both.
A TVNZ cameraman who flew over the scene said it looked like there had been a massive blast. There were charred trees, smoke rising over the area, and a cabin had been blown away, he said.
'Dreadful situation'
Specialist mine rescue crews, ambulances and helicopters rushed to the mine as soon as the blast was reported.
However, the helicopters were later sent back to their bases, when it became apparent that the rescue effort might take days.
Police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn said rescuers were still assessing the safety conditions inside the mine, and making sure the ventilation system was functioning as there was a potential for a build-up of gas.
Until that happened, it was unsafe for rescuers to enter the mine, she added.
"They're itching to get in there and start looking for other people and a bit frustrated at having to stand and wait," Ms Dunn told the Stuff news website.
Mr Whittall said every worker at Pike River carried a "safety rescue device at all times including a breathing apparatus with oxygen".
"The men are between 2 and 2.5km inside, but because the mine drills into the side of the mountain they are probably only 120m below the surface," he said.
"The issue for the rescue team will be to ensure that the ventilation underground is adequate for them to go in and find the men."
Mr Whittall added that the men might not be trapped, because they were trained to seek a place of safety and await rescue.
Mining Minister Gerry Brownlee said the government would put whatever resources were needed into the operation.
"Their priority will be getting people out," he added. "I certainly feel very sympathetic to [their] families. It's a dreadful situation for them to be in."
'Slow recovery'
Greymouth's Mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, told the BBC that the friends and relatives of the missing miners were "hanging on to hope".
Everybody knows what they are doing, but it's just a patience game”
End QuoteTony KokshoornMayor of Greymouth
"The rescue crews are doing a magnificent job. They are well trained for this and are doing everything they can. But this is going to be a very slow recovery," he said.
"Everybody knows what they are doing, but it's just a patience game. We've got support people everywhere. We've got families starting to arrive at the scene. We're just consoling them at the moment. We're setting up places for them to go.
"We're all hoping that everything will turn out all right, but it's looking pretty serious at the moment," Mr Kokshoorn added.
The Pike River mine, which employs some 150 people, has been operational since 2008 and runs deep under the Paparoa Ranges on the rugged western coast of South Island.
It accesses the Brunner coal seam via a 2.3km (1.4-mile) tunnel under the mountains, which then branches out into sub-areas.
Pike River is on the opposite side of the Paparoa Ranges from the former Strongman State Mine, where an explosion killed 19 miners in 1967.
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The rise of the virtual computer Topic: tech news, bbc, biodun iginla
Innovation in IT
The liquefaction of hardware
by Biodun Iginla, Tech Analyst for the BBC and the Economist
Nov 18th 2010 | From The Economist print edition
IMAGINE a personal computer that has two souls. One moment it is your work machine, complete with a set of corporate applications and tight security settings. Then it becomes an entertainment centre, allowing you to watch any video and download any program.
Thanks to a process called “virtualisation”, such computers are now being created. Ever more processing power and clever software are allowing devices of all kinds to separate from their hardware vessels and move to new homes. If this process continues as some expect, it will change computing radically. And more than one IT company will have to rethink how it does business.
Virtualisation dates back to the age of mainframe computers. To make better use of them they were sometimes split into smaller “virtual machines”, each of which could run its own operating system and application. But the approach took off only in recent years, when VMWare, a software firm, applied it to servers, the powerful computers that populate today’s corporate data centres. VMWare and its main rivals, Citrix and Microsoft, have since developed all kinds of software tools to manage virtual machines—moving them between data centres, for example.
The success of server virtualisation has inspired IT firms and their customers to do the same thing with other types of hardware, such as devices to store data. Software now pools their capacity and allocates “virtual disks” as needed. Going further, Dropbox, an online storage service, saves identical files only once. Even large files can take only seconds to upload if they already exist somewhere on one of these firms’ disks.
The virtualisation of PCs is now under way. Many company computers can already work with applications that run on a central server. But start-ups are pushing the concept further. Desktone offers virtual desktops as an online service. NComputing, a maker of computer terminals, virtualises PCs so they can be shared by up to 30 users. It has already sold more than 2.5m devices, mostly to developing countries and schools. And technology from MokaFive can send an entire virtual machine—complete with operating systems, applications and data—over the network and install it on any PC. Eventually people may no longer need to carry laptops at all. Virtual computers, including data and applications, will follow them everywhere.
In the long run, smartphones and other mobile devices may also become shells to be filled as needed. Open Kernel Labs, a start-up in which Citrix has a stake, already lets smartphones run applications, multimedia and radio functions on a single processor, cutting manufacturing costs. Software from Citrix turns the iPad, Apple’s tablet computer, into a terminal for applications that run in a corporate data centre.
How quickly will virtualisation advance? Gartner, a market-research firm, predicts that the overall market for virtualisation software will grow from $2.7 billion this year to $6.3 billion in 2014. There is certainly no lack of demand. Virtualisation lowers costs by enabling firms to make better use of their servers and buy fewer new ones. The technology also allows PCs to be maintained remotely, which is much cheaper. But improved reliability and security are even more of an attraction. Users of MokaFive, for instance, can relaunch their virtual machine should a computer virus infect it. And it can be shut down if a laptop is lost or stolen.
Yet the technology also has to overcome a few hurdles. The virtualisation of servers is well understood, but for PCs and mobile devices the technique has yet to mature. In the longer run institutional barriers will prove more of a problem, argues Simon Crosby, Citrix’s chief technology officer. Virtualising IT systems, he says, is only the first step to automating their management. This is seen as a threat to existing workers and makes many IT departments hesitant to embrace the technology.
Still, analysts believe virtualisation will win out. Its impact will be felt through the industry. The technology not only makes IT systems more flexible, but allows firms to switch vendors more easily—which will weigh on the vendors’ profits. Big software firms such as Microsoft and Oracle may be hit hardest. But many hardware-makers may suffer as well, since their wares will become even more of a commodity than they are today.
What’s up, BYOC?
Moreover, virtualisation makes it much easier to add new servers or storage devices. Alternatively, firms can simply rent extra capacity from operators of what are called “computing clouds”, such as Amazon Web Services. That outfit has built a network of data centres in which virtual machines and disks can be launched in seconds. As a result, IT systems will increasingly no longer be a capital expense, but an operational cost, like electricity.
Yet the most noticeable change for computer users will be that more employees will be allowed to bring their own PC or smartphone to work, says Brian Madden of TechTarget, a consultancy. Companies can install a secure virtual heart on private machines, doing away with the need for a separate corporate device. A “bring your own computer” or “BYOC” movement has already emerged in America. Companies such as Citrix and Kraft Foods pay their employees a stipend, which they can use to buy any PC they want—even an Apple Mac.
Such innovations may help to ease growing tensions between workers and IT departments. New privacy regulations and rampant cybercrime are pushing firms to tighten control of company PCs and smartphones. At the same time more and more “digital natives” enter the workforce. They have grown up with the freewheeling internet and do not suffer boring black corporate laptops gladly. Giving workers more freedom while helping firms keep control may prove to be the biggest benefit of virtualisation.
Ministers said they would put whatever resources were needed into the rescue
Twenty-seven miners are missing after an explosion at a remote coal mine on New Zealand's South Island.
The mayor of Greymouth, about 50km (30 miles) south-east of the Pike River mine, said the situation was "pretty serious" but rescuers were on hand.
However, concerns about the possibility of another explosion have delayed attempts to enter the mineshaft.
There has so far been no contact with the missing miners, whose friends and relatives have gathered at the scene.
Earlier, two workers walked out of the mine with moderate injuries.
'Charred trees'
The explosion at the Pike River mine is believed to have happened at around 1530 local time (0230 GMT).
Police said an electrician had gone into the mine at 1550 to investigate a power failure and 1,500m (4,920ft) into the shaft he discovered the driver of a loader who had been blown off his machine. He then raised the alarm.
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Mayor of Grey District Tony Kokshoorn: "At the moment we cannot contact the miners"
They and one other miner later emerged safely from the mine and told officials that three others were also making their way to the surface. However, there has been no contact yet with the second group of miners.
The operator of the mine, Pike River Coal, said that 27 workers remained unaccounted for - 15 of its staff and 12 local contractors.
Its chief executive, Peter Whittall, also denied that a body had been found.
"I've not had any reports of that at all," he said. "We've had two miners who've walked out of the mine and they're currently being spoken to and treated on the surface. We've had no communication with anyone else underground at this stage."
The two miners who emerged earlier had moderate injuries, Mr Whittall said. They are being treated at the hospital in Greymouth.
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Peter Whittall, Pike River Coal mine chief executive, says two miners emerged after the incident
Mining experts said it could have been a methane gas explosion, a coal dust explosion, or a combination of both.
A TVNZ cameraman who flew over the scene said it looked like there had been a massive blast. There were charred trees, smoke rising over the area, and a cabin had been blown away, he said.
'Dreadful situation'
Specialist mine rescue crews, ambulances and helicopters rushed to the mine as soon as the blast was reported.
However, the helicopters were later sent back to their bases, when it became apparent that the rescue effort might take days.
Police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn said rescuers were still assessing the safety conditions inside the mine, and making sure the ventilation system was functioning as there was a potential for a build-up of gas.
Until that happened, it was unsafe for rescuers to enter the mine, she added.
"They're itching to get in there and start looking for other people and a bit frustrated at having to stand and wait," Ms Dunn told the Stuff news website.
Mr Whittall said every worker at Pike River carried a "safety rescue device at all times including a breathing apparatus with oxygen".
"The men are between 2 and 2.5km inside, but because the mine drills into the side of the mountain they are probably only 120m below the surface," he said.
"The issue for the rescue team will be to ensure that the ventilation underground is adequate for them to go in and find the men."
Mr Whittall added that the men might not be trapped, because they were trained to seek a place of safety and await rescue.
Mining Minister Gerry Brownlee said the government would put whatever resources were needed into the operation.
"Their priority will be getting people out," he added. "I certainly feel very sympathetic to [their] families. It's a dreadful situation for them to be in."
'Slow recovery'
Greymouth's Mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, told me at the BBC that the friends and relatives of the missing miners were "hanging on to hope".
Everybody knows what they are doing, but it's just a patience game”
End Quote Tony Kokshoorn Mayor of Greymouth
"The rescue crews are doing a magnificent job. They are well trained for this and are doing everything they can. But this is going to be a very slow recovery," he said.
"Everybody knows what they are doing, but it's just a patience game. We've got support people everywhere. We've got families starting to arrive at the scene. We're just consoling them at the moment. We're setting up places for them to go.
"We're all hoping that everything will turn out all right, but it's looking pretty serious at the moment," Mr Kokshoorn added.
The Pike River mine, which employs some 150 people, has been operational since 2008 and runs deep under the Paparoa Ranges on the rugged western coast of South Island.
It accesses the Brunner coal seam via a 2.3km (1.4-mile) tunnel under the mountains, which then branches out into sub-areas.
Pike River is on the opposite side of the Paparoa Ranges from the former Strongman State Mine, where an explosion killed 19 miners in 1967.
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Business this week from The Economist by Biodun Iginla, BBC News and The Economist Topic: bbc news, biodun iginla, the eco
Nov 18th 2010 From The Economist print edition
Yields rose on Irish government bonds ahead of talks in Dublinabout a possible bail-out of Ireland’s debt-laden economy. Other euro-zone countries are nervous about the impact of the Irish crisis on their own borrowing costs. The EuropeanCentral Bank indicated that there are limits to the short-term assistance it can give to Ireland’s banks, which account for around a quarter of the total liquidity offered by the ECB to all euro-zone banks, adding to the pressure on Dublin to accept a rescue package. See article
The Federal Reserve’s recent decision to add more liquidity to the American economy by buying $600 billion in bonds came in for more criticism from senior Republicans in Congress, with one suggesting that the policy would lead to a weaker dollar and that the Fed should no longer concern itself with measures to boost employment, one of its dual mandates. The Fed can point to America’s core consumer-price index, which excludes energy and food. It rose by 0.6% in October compared with a year earlier, the smallest rise since records began in 1957.
Stockmarkets in China tumbled as the government said it was considering taking measures to stabilise rising prices, which could mean price controls similar to those imposed during other periods of rapid expansion. October’s year-on-year inflation rate jumped to 4.4%, from 3.6% in September, but food prices, a potential source of political unrest, were up by 10%. See article
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation forecast that the global cost of food imports would reach $1.026 trillion this year, just shy of 2008’s record and a 15% increase from 2009. Supply shortfalls in grains and other foodstuffs have contributed to higher commodity prices. World cereal production is now expected to contract by 2% in 2010; in June it was forecast to expand by 1.2%. The FAO warned of “harder times ahead”.
BHP Billiton formally ended its $40 billion takeover bid forPotashCorp, the world’s largest fertiliser company. Potash is based in Saskatchewan and the Canadian government had rejected the acquisition as not in the national interest. The mining company vowed to pursue its strategy of growth through big merger targets, even though three potential megadeals have now unravelled in as many years.
AMP, an Australian wealth- management company, and AXA, a French insurer, launched a second joint offer for the outstanding shares in AXA Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of AXA based in Australia. A first proposal was rejected last year and a subsequent rival bid for the business from National Australia Bank failed to get regulatory approval. AMP and AXA have increased the value of their offer to A$13.3 billion ($13.1 billion).
General Motors increased the number of common shares it made available in its initial public offering by 31% because of strong demand. The price was set at $33 a share, well above the initial price range of between $26 and $29. Proceeds from the sale will go some way to repaying the bail-out that GM received from the American Treasury.
America’s Internal Revenue Service officially withdrew its complaint against UBS, following the agreement it struck with the Swiss bankin 2009 to disclose the names of alleged tax dodgers. The tax agency received information on 4,000 UBS account holders through its “treaty request” with the bank; around 18,000 individuals from all banks have responded to its voluntary-disclosure programme.
Newsweek and the Daily Beast, a news and entertainment website that was set up in 2008, announced a merger, just weeks after talks between the two appeared to have ended without any resolution on a tie-up. Tina Brown will be editor-in-chief of both publications and Stephen Colvin, who launched the Week magazine in America, becomes chief executive of the new company.
Facebook unveiled an e-mail service that further extends its scope beyond its core social-networking business and increases its rivalry with Google and others.
Responding to gripes about Microsoft’s weak stockmarket performance this year Steve Ballmer, the chief executive, reiterated his view that the software giant should not be split up to increase shareholder value. Goldman Sachs recently suggested such a move.
Albums by the Beatles were finally made available for download onApple’s iTunes, after several years of negotiations and rumours that a deal was in the offing. One likely beneficiary from the arrangement is EMI, a struggling music company which owns master recordings made by the Fab Four.
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Thursday celebrated the return of a reborn General Motors to the U.S. stock market, saying it shows some of the "tough decisions that we made" during the financial crisis were beginning to pay off.
"American taxpayers are now positioned to recover more than my administration invested in GM, and that's a good thing," Obama said, speaking of the government's $50 billion taxpayer-backed rescue of the venerable automaker.
Trading the new stock is a milestone for both the corporation and for the Obama administration.
The stock rose sharply at first, rising to nearly $36 per share from the $33 price GM set for the initial public offering before pulling back and closing at $34.19.
The trading — more than 400 million GM shares traded hands during its debut on the Big Board — helped reduce the federal government's stake in the company from 61 percent to about 36 percent.
For the U.S. to break even on its investment, it must sell its remaining stake for about $50 a share.
Obama said estimates indicate that actions by his administration helped save more than 1 million jobs across 50 states.
The Center for Automotive Research estimated that aid to GM and Chrysler saved more than 1.1 million jobs in 2009 and 314,000 jobs this year. The third Big Three automaker, Ford Motor Co., did not accept federal assistance and stayed out of bankruptcy.
With it's first day of trading, the once near-death automaker "took another big step toward becoming a success story," Obama said.
Obama said the revitalized GM proved that "doubters and naysayers" were wrong.
"We are finally beginning to see some of these tough decisions that we made in the midst of the crisis pay off," the president said.
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio, in line to become the House speaker in January, avoided a direct answer when he was asked whether the government's treatment of General Motors had saved any jobs.
He said he had favored allowing GM to go through bankruptcy, and said the episode "could have been handled without the heavy hand of the federal government in the midst of it." He said tens of thousands of people were punished as a result of the process that was used.
Rep. Dale E. Kildee, D-Mich., co-chairman of the Congressional Automotive Caucus, said the company's strong IPO performance shows that government loans were "a smart investment of taxpayer money" that saved jobs and that GM was well on its way back to productivity and profitability.
Those who held old GM stock were essentially wiped out when the company filed for bankruptcy.
(This version corrects to $50 billion instead of $50 million in 2nd paragraph and changes it to say it was the government's rescue, since the Obama and Bush adminstrations both invested in GM.)
Business this week from The Economist by Biodun Iginla, BBC News and The Economist Topic: bbc news, biodun iginla, the eco Business this week
Nov 18th 2010 From The Economist print edition
Yields rose on Irish government bonds ahead of talks in Dublinabout a possible bail-out of Ireland’s debt-laden economy. Other euro-zone countries are nervous about the impact of the Irish crisis on their own borrowing costs. The EuropeanCentral Bank indicated that there are limits to the short-term assistance it can give to Ireland’s banks, which account for around a quarter of the total liquidity offered by the ECB to all euro-zone banks, adding to the pressure on Dublin to accept a rescue package. See article
The Federal Reserve’s recent decision to add more liquidity to the American economy by buying $600 billion in bonds came in for more criticism from senior Republicans in Congress, with one suggesting that the policy would lead to a weaker dollar and that the Fed should no longer concern itself with measures to boost employment, one of its dual mandates. The Fed can point to America’s core consumer-price index, which excludes energy and food. It rose by 0.6% in October compared with a year earlier, the smallest rise since records began in 1957.
Stockmarkets in China tumbled as the government said it was considering taking measures to stabilise rising prices, which could mean price controls similar to those imposed during other periods of rapid expansion. October’s year-on-year inflation rate jumped to 4.4%, from 3.6% in September, but food prices, a potential source of political unrest, were up by 10%. See article
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation forecast that the global cost of food imports would reach $1.026 trillion this year, just shy of 2008’s record and a 15% increase from 2009. Supply shortfalls in grains and other foodstuffs have contributed to higher commodity prices. World cereal production is now expected to contract by 2% in 2010; in June it was forecast to expand by 1.2%. The FAO warned of “harder times ahead”.
BHP Billiton formally ended its $40 billion takeover bid forPotashCorp, the world’s largest fertiliser company. Potash is based in Saskatchewan and the Canadian government had rejected the acquisition as not in the national interest. The mining company vowed to pursue its strategy of growth through big merger targets, even though three potential megadeals have now unravelled in as many years.
AMP, an Australian wealth- management company, and AXA, a French insurer, launched a second joint offer for the outstanding shares in AXA Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of AXA based in Australia. A first proposal was rejected last year and a subsequent rival bid for the business from National Australia Bank failed to get regulatory approval. AMP and AXA have increased the value of their offer to A$13.3 billion ($13.1 billion).
General Motors increased the number of common shares it made available in its initial public offering by 31% because of strong demand. The price was set at $33 a share, well above the initial price range of between $26 and $29. Proceeds from the sale will go some way to repaying the bail-out that GM received from the American Treasury.
America’s Internal Revenue Service officially withdrew its complaint against UBS, following the agreement it struck with the Swiss bankin 2009 to disclose the names of alleged tax dodgers. The tax agency received information on 4,000 UBS account holders through its “treaty request” with the bank; around 18,000 individuals from all banks have responded to its voluntary-disclosure programme.
Newsweek and the Daily Beast, a news and entertainment website that was set up in 2008, announced a merger, just weeks after talks between the two appeared to have ended without any resolution on a tie-up. Tina Brown will be editor-in-chief of both publications and Stephen Colvin, who launched the Week magazine in America, becomes chief executive of the new company.
Facebook unveiled an e-mail service that further extends its scope beyond its core social-networking business and increases its rivalry with Google and others.
Responding to gripes about Microsoft’s weak stockmarket performance this year Steve Ballmer, the chief executive, reiterated his view that the software giant should not be split up to increase shareholder value. Goldman Sachs recently suggested such a move.
Albums by the Beatles were finally made available for download onApple’s iTunes, after several years of negotiations and rumours that a deal was in the offing. One likely beneficiary from the arrangement is EMI, a struggling music company which owns master recordings made by the Fab Four.
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