PointFilter - News, Analysis & Opinion

The Republican crackup

Matt Miller — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 04:00:00 +0000

The signposts in the Republican universe have been abruptly altered.

Pilots Needed for Cockpits as Asia Travel Boom Creates Shortage

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:15:08 +0000

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Qantas Airways Ltd. and Emirates Airline are awaiting deliveries of about 400 planes to capitalize on Asia’s rising prosperity. Finding pilots is the next job.

China Property Bonds Rebound on Record Sales: Credit Markets

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:15:06 +0000

Bonds issued by China developers are rebounding from their worst first half in two years as a record $6.8 billion in offshore debt sales spurs confidence the borrowers have the resources to weather a slowing economy.

Car bomb kills 12 at Baghdad military HQ Iraq

Leila Fadel and Jinan Hussein — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:25:00 +0000

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

Israel, Palestinians Must Think ‘Outside Box’ on Deal

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:19:00 +0000

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet in its first meeting since he returned from Washington that Israelis and Palestinians must think “outside the box” to reach a peace agreement.

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

Andrew Higgins — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:04:00 +0000

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

By ERIC PFANNER — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:54:06 +0000

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

By ADAM B. ELLICK and SANGAR RAHIMI — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:49:05 +0000

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

By RAPHAEL MINDER — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:48:34 +0000

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.

Ten-Year Swap Spread Spurs Banks to Sell Longer Debt, BIS Says

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:39:15 +0000

Banks have been encouraged to sell longer-term bonds since 10-year interest-rate swaps fell below U.S. Treasury yields for the first time, making it cheaper to convert fixed-rate liabilities to floating payments, according to the Bank for International Settlements.

BIS Study Suggests Households, Companies Are Poised to Cut Debt

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:31:08 +0000

Households and companies will continue to cut debt built up before the financial crisis, according to a report by the Bank for International Settlements.

Sportswriter benched over Tweet

CNN.com - Video — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:26:46 +0000

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

Lessons of the Summer Box Office

By BROOKS BARNES — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:22:24 +0000

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

By ALBERT R. HUNT — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:20:40 +0000

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

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:20:06 +0000

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

Real-life Russian nightmare for investor

CNN.com - Video — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:16:31 +0000

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

Banks Bought Bonds Amid Debt Crisis

By JACK EWING — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:13:23 +0000

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

samzenpus — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:10:00 +0000

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."

Democrats defend state of economic recovery

CNN.com - Politics — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:05:26 +0000

As the summer begins to wind down, Republicans are criticizing Democrats over economic promises they made at the beginning of the season.

Gubernatorial Candidate Wants to Sell Speeding Passes for $25

samzenpus — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:51:00 +0000

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."

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

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:40:00 +0000

“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

Leila Fadel and Jinan Hussein — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:35:00 +0000

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

Scores Feared Buried in Guatemala Landslides

By REUTERS — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:20:35 +0000

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

By ERIC PFANNER — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:18:58 +0000

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

CNN.com - Video — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:10:40 +0000

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

7 boaters rescued in South Carolina

CNN.com - U.S. — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:02:14 +0000

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

CNN.com - U.S. — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:59:51 +0000

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

By ETHAN BRONNER — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:42:56 +0000

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

samzenpus — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:26:00 +0000

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."

Rain, landslides kill 36 in Guatemala

CNN.com - World — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:22:25 +0000

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.