PointFilter - News, Analysis & Opinion

The Republican crackup

The signposts in the Republican universe have been abruptly altered.

Car bomb kills 12 at Baghdad military HQ Iraq

BAGHDAD - Just five days after the United States declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq, U.S. soldiers opened fire Sunday morning on suicide bombers who snuck into an Iraqi army base in Baghdad, a U.S. military spokesman said.

Iraq - Baghdad - Middle East - Warfare and Conflict - Suicide attack

Property of Afghan bank bosses frozen, but not Karzai’s brother’s

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Struggling to contain asset-stripping at Afghanistan's biggest bank, Afghan authorities have barred the sale of Kabul properties held by the troubled bank's principal owners. But the freeze excludes President Hamid Karzai's brother, who is the third largest Kabul Ban...

Hamid Karzai - Afghanistan - Warfare and Conflict - Afghanistan Civil War - Peace Process

Die-Hard Fans Follow Iron Maiden Into the Digital Age

The success of Iron Maiden's latest album and the continued loyalty of its fans offer the troubled music industry some tips on survival in the digital age.

Afghan Government Takes Greater Role in Ailing Bank

The Afghan government assumed a more active role in some operations of the troubled Kabul Bank, as perturbed crowds and security forces surrounded the main branch of the bank.

Movie About Plane Crash Draws Ire of Victims’ Families

A Spanish association representing victims of an air crash is vowing to continue its fight against a television channel that has produced a movie about the tragedy without its consent.

Sportswriter benched over Tweet

Writer Mike Wise discusses his suspension from The Washington Post following a stunt on his Twitter account.

Lessons of the Summer Box Office

Movie attendance was down, but some films — like “Toy Story 3” and “Inception” — made out very, very well.

Letter From Washington: Having Little in Common With King

Glenn Beck wrapped himself in the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at a recent rally. But he fits much better with the late Charles E. Coughlin, the Catholic priest who led a populist-right crusade in the 1930s.

Shadow Shoguns Will Trash $5 Trillion Economy: William Pesek

Even for a guy dubbed Japan’s “Shadow Shogun,” it was a breathtaking moment.

Real-life Russian nightmare for investor

CNN's Fareed Zakaria talks to investor William Browder about his business nightmare after exposing corruption in Russia.

Banks Bought Bonds Amid Debt Crisis

A report from the Bank of International Settlement suggested that the European Central Bank inadvertently encouraged institutions to increase their risk.

Fidel Castro, Internet News Junkie

pickens writes "The LA Times reports that 84-year-old Cuban ex-President Fidel Castro consumes 200 to 300 news items a day on the World Wide Web. In a recent interview he called Web communication 'the most powerful weapon that has existed' and extolled its power to break a stranglehold on the media by 'the empire' and 'ambitious private groups that have abused it' adding that the Internet 'has put an end to secrets.... We are seeing a high level of investigative journalism, as the New York Times calls it, that is within reach of the whole world.' Well, not the whole world. Cuba has the lowest level of Internet penetration in the Western Hemisphere (lower than Haiti), plus severe government restrictions and censorship affecting those who do have access. In addition Cuban law bans using the Internet to spread information that is against what the government considers to be the social interest, norms of good behavior, the integrity of the people or national security."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Gubernatorial Candidate Wants to Sell Speeding Passes for $25

If Nevada gubernatorial candidate Eugene "Gino" DiSimone gets his way $25 will buy you the right to drive up to 90mph for a day. DiSimone estimates his "free limit plan" will raise $1 billion a year for Nevada. From the article: "First, vehicles would have to pass a safety inspection. Then vehicle information would be loaded into a database, and motorists would purchase a transponder. After setting up an account, anyone in a hurry could dial in, and for $25 charged to a credit card, be free to speed for 24 hours."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

‘The American’ Is Top Weekend Film With $13 Million

“The American,” a spy thriller from NBC Universal’s Focus Features, was the top movie in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the Labor Day weekend with $13 million in receipts.

Car bomb kills 12 at Baghdad military HQ Iraq

Iraq - Baghdad - Middle East - Warfare and Conflict - Suicide attack

Scores Feared Buried in Guatemala Landslides

A massive landslide buried up to 100 people in Guatemala when they tried to dig out a bus caught in deep mud as torrential rains battered the country.

Media Cache: British Advertising Regulator Making Itself Felt Online

The Advertising Standards Authority of Britain plans to extend its oversight to social media, company Web sites and other nontraditional digital marketing activities.

Media turn the page on Iraq

Howard Kurtz breaks down the media's coverage of President Obama's Oval Office address with his panel.

7 boaters rescued in South Carolina

Seven people, including three children, who were missing since Saturday night were rescued Sunday about 25 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, Sunday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Labor Day travel expected to be up

Recession and Tropical Storm Earl aside, more Americans were expected to hit the roads and airways this Labor Day weekend.

Leaders in Mideast Hopeful After Initial Talks

Palestinian and Israeli leaders expressed satisfaction and hope on Sunday in their first public utterances following the opening round of peace talks in Washington last week.

UN Tech Group Finds Most Expensive Broadband

destinyland writes "In the Central African Republic, broadband internet service costs 3891% of the average monthly income. 'Put another way, a month's broadband service costs more than three years' average wages in the country,' notes one technology blog, 'compared with less than two hours' earnings in Macau.' A United Nations' technology group released the figures in a new report in advance of a September 19 summit on the digital divide in developing countries. ('We are trying to avoid a broadband divide,' said Dr. Hamadoun Toure, the secretary general of the UN's International Telecommunications Union.) Their agency noted that the rate for broadband penetration is below 1% in many poor countries, with monthly costs higher than the average monthly income. 'By contrast,' notes the BBC, 'in the world's most developed economies, around 30% of people have access to broadband at a cost of less than 1% of their income.' And the report also estimates that there are 5 billion cellphones in the world — though some people may own more than one."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rain, landslides kill 36 in Guatemala

The death toll in a mudslide that buried a bus on a Guatemalan highway rose to 28 today, officials said. Thirty people are injured and 40 are missing after heavy weekend rains caused landslides across Guatemala.

Obama to lay out new economic plan

President Obama this week will lay out a new plan that includes a proposal to extend a tax cut popular with the business community, according to an administration official.

Critics decry Oval Office facelift

CNN's Candy Crowley talks about the critical reaction to the renovated White House Oval Office.

McCain wants Obama to visit border

Republican Sen. John McCain on Sunday invited President Barack Obama to visit the border with Mexico to get a complete picture of the region and called on the president to do more for security.

Barclays Said to Hire Weiner-Trapness as Asia Financials Head

Barclays Plc, Britain’s second- biggest bank by assets, hired Helge Weiner-Trapness, a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker, as head of its financial institutions group for Asia-Pacific, two people with direct knowledge of the situation said.

The Last of the Punch Card Programmers

Peter Cus writes "Cluny Lace, an English lacemaking manufacturer, has reverted to 19th-Century Leavers machines in order to stay competitive. These 19th-Century machines use Jacquard punch cards. Ian Elm, thought to be the last of the card punchers, says young people don't want factory work: 'Younger people coming into a trade want a guarantee of a career out of it, and this is so uncertain.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Paper: Cricket player confirms corruption

A British newspaper said Sunday that a top Pakistani cricket player confirmed its allegations of corruption on the Pakistani national cricket team.