(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now and here are your headlines.

Pop icon Whitney Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room late Saturday afternoon. No cause of death has been released, but Houston's body wasmoved to the L.A. County Morgue this morning, where an autopsy will be performed, The Los Angeles Times reports.

CNN covered the social media outpouring this morning.

“...it links you over to an official Facebook, which is getting tens of thousands of posts and they keep increasing. ...Twitter had an incredible number of tweets come through. People weighing in on Whitney Houston here.”

In political news, Mitt Romney takes two. The GOP front-runner grabbed the non-binding caucus in Maine and the endorsement of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Saturday. Former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin spoke to end the CPAC event, but didn’t endorse a candidate. Here’s Boston’s WCVB...

PALIN: “Our candidate must be someone who can instinctively turn right to Constitutional conservative principles.”

In Europe, the cold snap continues across parts of the continent. More snow makes it difficult for army police and firefighters to clear routes for delivering food and water, says euronews...

“Europe’s big freeze has deepened. Fresh snowfalls have swept across parts of the continent. The number of deaths has risen. ...‘No leader has come to ask us if we’re still alive,’ says this woman. ‘It’s only today they have sent emergency services to help us.’”

Get ready for Microsoft to potentially crash the tablet party. A writer for CNET says Microsoft could be poised to compete with the iPad.

The writer points to Microsoft Office 15 apps and competitive pricing with Android tablets and iPads as key items.

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Nathan Byrne, highlighting the top headlines, making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: News Junkyard)

BY BRICE SANDERS

Just as the News of the World phone hacking scandal leaves the headlines, The Hollywood Reporter says another Rupert Murdoch publication is taking a humiliating hit.

“… Murdoch is facing a new crisis at News International after five senior and current reporters at his flagship daily paper The Sun were arrested … Saturday morning. The News Corp chairman and CEO is understood to be flying to London to reassure staff amid concern that the arrests may force the title to be shut down.”

The Guardian explains the investigation, launched when a lawyer researching the News of the World case found evidence of bribery.

“Details as to why the journalists have been arrested remain sketchy for the moment but what is clear is that the … investigation into allegations of corrupt payments made by journalists to police officers has been widened to encompass other public officials…”

Those officials? A police officer, Ministry of Defense employee and a member of the armed forces. As The New York Times reports, this is a setback Murdoch might not be able to survive.

“… News Corporation … sought to shield The Sun, seen by many industry analysts as [Murdoch’s] crown jewel and cash cow here, from [last year’s] scandal. In the face of occasional mentions in lawsuits last year, the company fiercely disputed any suggestion that the newspaper was embroiled in widespread illegality.”

Euronews says Murdoch is being proactive in an effort to save The Sun.  

“Amid ongoing public anger over the scandal, Murdoch’s News Corp. company says it provided the information to police that led to Saturday’s arrests.”

But a media consultant – and former editor at News of the World – tells the BBC it will be hard to bounce back from this latest blow. He says:

“‘If you have a police force or military or officials in the civil service who are so terrified to have contacts with journalists, that will not serve the public interest.’”

(Image Source: SANA)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

The videos are unconfirmed, but reports of military strikes on civilians continue to come out of Syria.


“Here amateur footage seems to show a field hospital under attack. People scream in pain as medical staff do all they can do to help.” (SOURCE: ITN)

“Take a look around, we lack medicines, equipment, medical staff. We don’t have any doctors. The Red Crescent ambulances cannot enter … because of the shelling by Assad army.” (SOURCE: The Telegraph)

And reports indicate Assad’s forces are suffering casualties as well.


“Violence has also spread to Syria’s second largest city Aleppo with two massive explosions on Friday. State television called it a terrorist attack. Both civilian and military officials were reported to have been killed.” (SOURCE: Al Jazeera)
 

“Gunmen assailing an army general in Damascus today. This marks the first killing of a high ranking military officer ... The attack indicate the violence is reaching the tightly controlled capital though.” (SOURCE: MSNBC)

The assassination of a military general has particularly shocked the Assad regime.
Calling the general a “martyr,” state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA, says he is one of many top officials that have been targeted.


“Over the past period, a number of efficient, skilled and specialized national cadres were assassinated by armed terrorist groups.”
 

In a separate article, the news agency claims foreign powers are behind the killing of innocents in Syria.

“The Ministry [of Interior] also held the regional and international forces and countries which support terrorist groups and provide them with funds and weapons responsible for the Syrian blood which is being shed every day in several Syrian cities.”


Meanwhile, the BBC reports Saudi Arabia is circulating a resolution similar to the one vetoed in the Security Council.


“The draft resolution circulated by Saudi Arabia ‘fully supports’ the Arab League peace plan published last month, which called on Mr Assad to hand over power to his vice-president, and make way for the rapid formation of a national unity government including the opposition.”


But will disposing of Assad work? A contributor for Fox News says not necessarily.

“…anyone who believes that just forcing President Assad out is going to magically bring a nice bright shiny new perfect democracy with leaders who carefully read the New York Times every day belongs in Cloud Cuckoo Land alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”


For many Syrians, inaction is worst the possible path.


“Why isn’t anyone helping us? Where is the humanity in the world? Where the **** is UN? Why isn’t anyone doing anything about this? Now this animals harming civilian houses. Aren’t these human beings living in these…(explosion)”



 

(Image Source: Al Jazeera)

BY NATHAN BYRNE

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chose a rally celebrating the 33rd anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution to announce...an announcement. euronews reports...

"... President Ahmadinejad told the huge crowd in Azadi Square that, in the coming days, they and the world would hear some very important and very major announcements of nuclear achievements."

This, on the heels of a U.N. investigation into Iran’s nuclear program. But, Fars News Agency claims there’s nothing to hide, saying...

"Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only."

A report from The Guardian details Iran’s explanation.

"[Iran] has said it is forced to manufacture nuclear fuel rods, which provide fuel for reactors, on its own since international sanctions ban it from buying them on foreign markets."

Also in his speech, Ahmadinejad fired verbal warnings to the West. According to BBC News...

"He also promised that Iran would never yield to the West if it continued to use ‘the language of force and insult’. Last week, President Barack Obama said the United States would work in ‘lockstep’ with Israel to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons."

Ahmadinejad didn’t elaborate on the nature of the nuclear announcement, but the scientific reporter for the Islamic Republic News Agency backs up the other peaceful claims, saying...

"... the achievements deal with scientific application of nuclear know-how to the betterment of life standard and augmenting level of food and agriculture products."

The Iranian president didn’t specify a date for the announcement.

(Image Source: CNN)

BY ORLA O'MUIRI

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS


Police in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro have begun a ten day strike over low salaries --- just less than two weeks before the city is due to host its legendary Carnival. 
The BBC reports.
 

“Rio have voted to strike over pay and conditions just a week before the city’s annual carnival begins. The government have approved a thirty nine per cent pay rise over the next two years for police, personal guards and firefighters but officers claim they want double that."

Thousands gathered in Rio Friday morning for a six-hour demonstration. The strike is expected to spread to several more of Brazil’s cities and states in the coming days. The Guardian explains the reason behind the disruption.
 

“Police in Rio face one of the toughest jobs in the country – tackling heavily armed gangs in the city's many sprawling slums – they are among the worst-paid, with salaries starting at $964 (£612) a month.”
 

The impact of the strikes are yet to be felt, but with Carnival celebrations typically attracting more than 800,000 tourists and bringing millions of dollars to the Brazilian economy, it’s not a risk many Brazilians are willing to take.

Although officaials are adamant the show will go on, many vistors have already cancelled their trips.
 

Brazil will also play host to the championship matches of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. They must wait and see if this disruption will have any consequences on a global scale.
 

(Image Source: Emirates 24/7)

BY LUKE LEONARD

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

A Saudi blogger who angered Saudi religious authorities has been arrested on his way to New Zealand to seek asylum. A blogger for the Christian Science Monitor reports.


“A 23-year-old Saudi Twitter user, Hamza Kashgari, fled the country Sunday to avoid being arrested for his religious tweets, only to find himself in the hands of the Malaysian police today. … It has been reported that Malaysia, an officially Islamic state, will forcibly repatriate Kashgar to Saudi Arabia.”


Last Saturday was the celebration of the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday. Kashgari tweeted several messages
 

“I love many things about you and hate others, and there are many things about you I don't understand.”
“I won't bow in front of you, I won't kiss your hand. Instead, I will shake it as an equal...”
And
“No Saudi women will go to hell, because it's impossible to go there twice.”
 

After those tweets, Kashgari became the target of harassment and death threats. His name and address were posted, and he fled the country.


As of Friday, over 14,000 people have joined a Facebook group called “The Saudi People Demand the Execution of Hamza Kashgari.”


A video posted to YouTube shows the Saudi Sheikh Nassar al Omar weeping over the tweets, calling them the worst things he’d ever read.

And it wasn’t just religious authorities. A panel for The Daily Beast discussed political leaders getting involved as well.
 

“The king has issued a warrant for his arrest. So it wasn’t just the general sort of online fatwa and the explosion … but the government getting involved as well.”


The arrest in Malaysia struck up international debate over free expression. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa said the organization is calling for Kashgari’s release.


“Amnesty International considers Hamza Kashgari a prisoner of conscience since he is being detained in Malaysia for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression...”



Kashgari claims his statements were not in vain and were a step towards freedom of speech — a basic human right. The Twitter account has since been deleted.
 

BY NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now and here are your headlines.

After a week of government attacks on the uprising in Homs, Syria, activists fear for their lives. CNN reports...

“...we have heard from anti-government activists in Syria, who say that if they don’t receive help, the violent government crackdown will end up killing millions.”

In an address to crowds celebrating the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 revolution, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised to make a major nuclear announcement in the next few days.

Al Jazeera reports the Iranian president spoke in front of a full-scale model of the U.S. drone officials claim to have downed in December. He said, quote...

“In the coming days the world will witness Iran's announcement of its very important and very major nuclear achievements.”

After being painted as a moderate by his fellow Republican opponents and losing recent primaries, Mitt Romney gave what MSNBC calls a “fiery speech” to conservative voters...

“I know that this president will never get it, but we conservatives aren’t just proud to cling to our guns and our religion, we are also proud to cling to our Constitution.”

In sports, the NBA’s surprise phenom continued his miracle-working by helping hold off the mighty Los Angeles Lakers last night. The New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin scored a career-high 38 points in the win. He downplayed the hype in an interview with ESPN...

“This has been a wild week for me and the team. I mean, obviously, you hope for the best and prepare for the worst and I’m just thankful that it’s turning out the way it is.”

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Nathan Byrne, highlighting the top headlines, making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: The Pirate Bay)

After the FBI seized Megaupload and torrent giant BtJunkie voluntarily closed down, the “galaxy’s most resilient bittorrent site” — The Pirate Bay —has found a way to become immortal. Gizmodo explains, the entire website has been packed into a 90MB file.

“Pirate Bay user ‘allisfine’ ripped the text contents from the site ... and luckily, that's all you really need to keep it alive forever.”

The site will soon stop hosting torrents directly — using magnet links, instead. The file copy contains the Pirate Bay’s links to more than 1 million torrents, so if even one user has the file, the whole site can be rebuilt in case of a takedown.

TorrentFreak blog writes the copy is an effective defense for the site.

“Recent history has shown that when a site is threatened with shutdown, or censored, the Internet is very quick to come up with a workaround. And with thousands of backups of The Pirate Bay floating around, it will be very hard at this point to get rid of the famous torrent site.”

The crackdown on Megaupload and the legal action against owner, Kim Dotcom and company is a possible reason for the website’s sudden caution.

A legal expert told Technewsworld:

“Megaupload sent a message. The Pirate's Bay was the bad boy out there, so it was easy to ignore or brush off what was happening with that site. However, a lot of people were surprised by the Justice Department's shutdown of Megaupload, and it definitely grabbed their attention.”

The Pirate Bay’s founders were recently denied appeal by Sweden’s Supreme Court on their copyright violation case from 2 years ago. The three men received sentences of 4, 8 and 10 months. They’ll also pay a fine of around 7 million dollars.

But a writer for TechCrunch says the Bay isn’t going anywhere soon.

“The Pirate Bay changed piracy by becoming the Google of content. … [Y]ou have to admit the Pirate Bay asks for nothing and expects nothing in return. We feed the beast that is the pirate underground and, no matter how hard we try or how many times we seize a bunch of Swedish servers, we will never tame it.”

(Image Source: RT)

BY TATIANA DARIE

ANCHOR EMILY SPAIN

With less than a month left until the Russian presidential election, some coffee drinkers are asking for a cup of democracy.  The Russian coffee chain Koffein is offering its customers something special when they buy a latte or cappuccino.  No, they don’t get a paper ballot but they get something special when they cast their vote. 

The initiative called "Vote and you won't lose!" is simple: order your drink while naming one of the five hopefuls for Russian presidency and their face will be expertly crafted on your milky froth. The Moscow Times gives a quick review of the two top vote getters.

“There is a smiley Prokhorov, looking like a man confident of winning far more votes than his current statistical error percentage would suggest.  The most instantly recognizable is Putin who is depicted with a deadpan expression, as if only he realizes that winning the election is not just a matter of milky caricatures.”

The winner of the coffee poll will be announced two days before the presidential election.  Currently, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is leading with 48% of the votes, followed by current Prime Minister Vladimir who comes in second with 22%.  RT says...

“The café network doubts its initiative will seriously affect the alignment of political forces. The point of the idea is to let people practice making their selection, since Russians have no real tradition of democratic choice...”

But more scientific polls are showing that Putin is likely to win the election.  So, besides the coffee poll, Russians are finding other creative ways of showing support for open and clean elections, something they don’t think Putin will allow.  Al Jazeera reports...

“Artists have taken to the forefront to these efforts expressing their dissatisfaction through street performances, music videos and powerful images as this one on my screen which is depicting Putin as  Muammar Gaddafi.”

Other activists express their anger through unconventional demonstrations including rallies staged by toys. France 24 talks with Andrey Teslenko, one of the organisers.

“It also allowed us show the absurdity of the authorities’ attempts to forbid peaceful demonstrations, since even toys have more rights than we do!”

The Russian presidential election is set for March 4th. 

(Image Source: BBC)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In Athens — clashes between riot police and protesters have erupted, amid increasing public anger over Greek leaders’ agreement on new austerity measures. The country’s workers could now be facing even further salary and pension cuts. The BBC has more on the clashes.  
 

“Petrol bombs and stones were thrown at security forces. The union began a two-day general strike. The clashes come hours after Europe's finance ministers demanded even deeper cuts for conditions of a second, crucial bailout.”

 

GOP presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are set to speak today at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in D.C. Fox News says — all eyes are on the front-runner and former Massachusetts Governor.
 

“A lot of pressure, a lot of attention on Mitt Romney’s speech. He’s going to follow a surging Rick Santorum today with his speech...”
 

The public is now hearing new dirt on the late Steve Jobs — thanks to the now-public FBI files — but it looks like the stock market’s faith on his legacy is still going strong. Apple stocks reached new highs on Thursday — making the company’s market cap bigger than ever. Here’s WFLD with some Apple tidbits.

“Shares are $7 shy of $500 each. If you combine the market cap of google and microsoft together, apple is bigger than that. And it is bigger than ExxonMobil.”
 

It’s been three years since Chris Brown assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna — and today, a judge denied Brown’s petition for early dismissal of his five-year probation. The singer is set to perform at the Grammy’s on Sunday. Here’s WAGA.
 

“The judge commented on Brown’s positive attitude throughout his sentence, but would still like to continue supervising the singer. Brown will be making his first Grammy appearance since the 2009 incident...”
 

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Jim Flink, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ORLA O'MUIRI

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

The England national team was left without a head coach Wednesday — just four months before the start of the 2012 European Championships. ESPN tells us what happened.

“The head of England’s Football Association said he will not rush to replace head coach Fabio Capello, who resigned yesterday over how the FA decided to strip veteran player John Terry of his captaincy.”

The investigation of John Terry for alleged racial abuse of another player has been a continuing debate in England. Even the prime minister weighed in. Politics.co.uk has his comments.

“The prime minister insisted Mr Capello was ‘a good coach and good man’ but he was critical of his approach to the captaincy. ‘I don't think he was right on the John Terry issue … You can’t be captain with that question mark that needs to be answered.’”

The media also took the opportunity to criticize England’s football culture. A writer for the Huffington Post criticized the press and the fanbase for being unable to accept Capello — because he’s Italian.

“If the national team is a reflection of their society, then it is fitting that England have rejected a thoughtful, successful and hardworking man and are looking to replace him with someone whose main attribute is that they speak English.”

But what about the team’s future? Spurs coach Harry Redknapp has long been the favorite to succeed Capello. But he told ITN his primary focus for the moment is Tottenham.

“Obviously this England job, it’s a long time ambition. You wouldn’t be able to turn it down, would you?”
“I’ve not even thought about it. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got a big game Saturday with Tottenham, so Tottenham is my focus.”

Capello’s former assistant Stuart Pearce will lead England in its upcoming game against Netherlands in February and will remain in the post until the F.A reach a decision.

(Image source: Ynetnews)

BY BLAKE HANSON

U.S. officials say Israel financed, trained and equipped a terror group that killed an Iranian nuclear scientist. NBC News broke the story, writing...

“Two senior U.S. officials confirmed for NBC News  the [People’s Mujahedin of Iran’s] role in the assassinations, with one senior official saying, ‘All your inclinations are correct.’ A third official would not confirm or deny the relationship, saying only, ‘It hasn’t been clearly confirmed yet.’  All the officials denied any U.S. involvement in the assassinations.”

The report from NBC was following up on initial claims made by a senior Iranian official. So what’s Israel saying about all this? The Jerusalem Post writes:

“The Foreign Ministry declined to comment, saying it would not ‘react to every gossip and report being published worldwide...’”

The group is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. Ynetnews.com has more on the terror group’s long history, writing...

“The organization fought the Iranian monarchy in the 1960s and the Islamist regime in the 1980s. It moved its HQ to Iraq following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It was claimed it provided the US with intelligence on Iran.”

Before the news broke, NPR spoke with an expert from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who said we’ll likely see many more shots at Iran.

“...it's very likely that Iran's nuclear sites have been penetrated by foreign intelligence agencies. So there are likely to be more computer viruses and explosions and things like we've seen in the past.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently suggested Israel could attack Iran as soon as this Spring.
 

(Image Source:  The Toronto Sun)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

A 29-year-old mother in China has given birth to a big baby. Chun Chun is so big … he’s broken a record. At 15-and-a-half pounds, he’s believed to be the heaviest Chinese baby ever. NTD Television interviews the mother fresh off delivery, where she compares this pregnancy to her previous one.

“ … my body was more clumsy than when I was pregnant with my daughter. My belly was bigger than it was then.”

But, the mom says she never expected her baby to be THIS big. The parents are both of average size, and mother and son are both in good health. The Global Post has the translated quote from a proud baby daddy -- who’s happy his son was born in the lucky Dragon Year.

“‘My wife was not different from other pregnant women. She ate and drank normally as she should. But she's given birth to such a big, fat son. Today is the first day of spring in the Chinese calendar and he’s a ‘dragon baby’. I feel very happy.’”

NTD Television reports the previous record for heaviest baby in China was 15 pounds. And to put Chun Chun’s weight in perspective, 9News has info from a doctor at the hospital.

“[The] head of the obstetrics department at the hospital where Chun Chun was born, said the baby was ‘twice as heavy’ as a normal newborn.”

But could this only be the beginning of lots of baby news in the nation? The BBC reports China is ready for a baby boom because of the Dragon Year.

“We believe the dragon baby is more lucky, clever, and smart ... Doctors say there could be 10 percent more births this year.”

No word on whether any more will be 15-pounds.

(Image source: The Manufacturer)

BY ZAKIYYAH WAHAB

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

You're watching multisource global video news analysis from Newsy.

Nokia has announced it will cut 4,000 manufacturing jobs, and the assembly of the company’s mobile phones will relocate to Asia. Slate News Channel has more.

“ … they’re moving all assembling of cellphones from Europe to Asia by year’s end in order to be closer to their suppliers.”

....

“The hope is that the move will enable Nokia to introduce innovations into the marketplace more quickly and ‘ultimately be more competitive.’”

The job cuts affect employees of three factories in Hungary, Finland and Mexico. But the factories won’t completely close, according to BBC …

“The company said the plants would remain open and refocus on customising phones whilst the actual assembly would move to South Korea and China.”

The affected Finnish factory is the oldest factory owned by Nokia. Although the layoff does not affect Finnish research and design laboratories, the Financial Times reports …

“... the move will be particularly [unwelcomed] in Finland, where Nokia has its headquarters, given its significance as an employer in the country … ”

The cuts come about after the Finnish company reported a devastating loss in the fourth quarter of 2011. As ABC News reports,

“... smartphone sales plummeted 23 percent globally in the fourth quarter as net revenue fell 20 percent to … 10 billion euro compared to a year earlier … ”

So, is Nokia leaving 4,000 employees out to dry? Nokia’s executive vice president for smartphones, Niklas Savander, says the company will provide training for those affected so they can look for new jobs. As quoted in Information Week, Savander says,

“We recognize the planned changes are difficult for our employees and we are committed to supporting our personnel and their local communities during this transition.”

Telecoms reports that the company will provide …

“ ... a comprehensive locally-tailored support program, including financial support and assistance with local re-employment.”

The job cuts are expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

 

(Image Source: CNN)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

A monetary relief for up to one million American homeowners could be just around the corner. New York, California and Florida have reportedly gone in on a mortgage settlement deal worth 25 billion dollars with America’s largest banks. CNN says the deal could be officially announced as early as Thursday.
 

“This will be the largest and broadest housing rescue plan yet. The largest settlement between the industry, and industry and the states, since that big tobacco settlement in 1998.”

Greek leaders have now agreed on austerity and reform measures — all required steps to secure a 130 billion euro bailout cash. A Greek default could push the eurozone deeper into its crisis. MSNBC says the agreement is not without its contentions. 

“Some political leaders, however, have pushed back against amends to make $400 million pension cuts in order to receive a massie bailout from the other 17 Euro countries.”

 

Violent government crackdown continues in Syria. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is condemning the, quote “appalling brutality.” The BBC says up to 40 civilians were killed in Homs on Thursday.
 

“Some say it was the worst day of shelling. The Syrian armor roamed menacingly at the edges of those areas still holding out.”

 

A picture of the purported iPad 3 back casing has turned up — and CNET says it matches up with many of the improvements Apple is said to be working on.
 

For one — the internal logic board of the iPad 3 looks smaller than the iPad 2’s. This smaller size could open up room for an extended battery. But despite rumors of being thicker to accommodate a better screen, this iPad 3 is no thicker than the iPad 2.



 

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Jim Flink, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY NIELS SCHACK NORGAARRD

ANCHORED BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

It’s been thirty years since the war between Great Britain and Argentina -- but now tensions rise once again over the Falkland Islands.

The BBC has video of the British Royal Navy’s most advanced battleship. In a few weeks it will head towards the Falklands to replace a smaller and ageing ship.

“HMS Dauntless is one of the newest and most powerful warships in the fleet, equipped to repel attack from the air. Argentina says this has militarized the dispute. Britain says it’s a routine deployment – not an escalation.”

Britain has held the Falklands since 1833 — though tension has always surrounded the islands, leading to a war between the two nations in 1982 which caused the deaths of 904 Argentinian and British troops.   

Now, as the HMS Dauntless heads toward the islands, Argentina’s president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner says she will launch a complaint to the UN’s Security Council.

She spoke at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires in front of a map of the Falkland Islands symbolically painted in the colours of the Argentinian flag. CNN reports.

“I simply want to ask the Prime Minister of England to give peace a chance, to give peace a chance. And not war.”

Recently, Argentina has indicated it wishes to discuss sovereignty of the islands, home to some 3,000 people. But according to the Buenos Aires Herald, a British Foreign Official says:

“The people of the Islands are British out of choice. They are free to determine their own future and there will be no negotiations with Argentina on sovereignty unless the islanders wish it.”

As for Dauntless, there’s debate about whether deployment of the battleship is truly an act of provocation. The Telegraph reports a Navy spokesperson as saying the move is routine and had long been planned. Then again, the paper also talked with an anonymous Navy source, whose language was more confrontational.

“Dauntless ... could ‘take out all of South America's fighter aircraft let alone Argentina’s,’ according to one Navy source.”

Another Navy source said:

“It can shoot down Argentine fighters as soon as they take off from their bases. This will give Buenos Aires serious pause for thought.”

Meanwhile, former financial advisor to the Blair government Peter Slowe, has said England should be ready to hand over the Falklands to Argentina. He writes on politics.co.uk:

“...it is surely time for a compromise. Britain should cede sovereignty to Argentina while ensuring by treaty with the now-democratic government of Argentina that the tiny local population can continue to enjoy local democracy and a ‘British’ way of life. … Then 904 young servicemen, who should by now be old or middle-aged, will not have died in vain.”
 

(Image Source: TIME Magazine)

BY CELIA MURRAY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Former Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have kicked his Presidential campaign up a notch by investing in the media — a little too much it seems. Hackers have uncovered emails detailing a plan to buy a little media love. Russian newspaper Gazeta filed this report:

“The letters that were made public discussed financing of pro-Kremlin internet bloggers, anti-opposition protests, as well as creation of a positive image of those in power.”

According to reports, Nashi (a pro-Putin youth movement) had plans to spend as much as $10 million rubles to buy a series of articles in two popular Russian tabloids. There were also plans to demonize Alexei Navalny — an avid blogger and critic of Putin.

The Guardian explains why he was on the target list.

“The fervour of Navalny's work is cut with wit. When he described United Russia as ‘the party of crooks and thieves’ last year, it quickly became a meme and is now recognised by two-thirds of Russians. He writes sharp updates on his blog and tweets throughout the day, bantering with 180,000 followers.”

It’s been 12 years since Putin first won the presidency in Russia and many analysts say this will be the hardest election he’s fought yet. The Financial Times released this video about counter protests organised by Putin’s supporters:

“Yet while organisers had promised a turnout of 15 thousand, the actual number of attendees appeared to be a third of that. Moreover, some of those who did attend admitted that they’d done so for reasons other than their political affiliations.”

Whether or not the information released by the hacking group will have any affect on the presidential race remains to be seen. A writer for Web Pro News says — not likely.

“The attitude being displayed by … those in power in Nashi seem to indicate that it’s business as usual for them.”

But many believe that the wave of protest again Putin is a sign of the end of his career. A columnist for Foreign Policy says:

“As the Russian protest movement expands and radicalizes in the lead-up to the March 4 presidential election, the key question is not whether Vladimir Putin -- and Putinism -- will survive. They will not.”

(Image source: Sky News)

BY XIAONAN WANG

On Tuesday, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad promised to end violence in Syria after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. However, the government’s crackdown on Homs continues into its fifth day, and the death toll is still rising. A BBC reporter close to the city of Homs said the relentless bombardment there has been the heaviest ever.

“We hear some very high casualty figures, more than 50, which cannot be verified at the moment. But in the one small neighborhood that we are in, they claim to have counted 27 bodies so far.”

Last week Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution for an Arab plan that would have urged Assad to give up power. Lavrov said Tuesday that his Syria visit was productive. And on Wednesday, he said the situation will take time to resolve, and warned against demonizing President Bashar al-Assad.

“A day after his diplomatic mission to Syria, Russia’s Foreign Minister is sticking to his support for President Bashar al-Assad ... Lavrov also blamed both sides in the conflict for the violence, and warned of outside interference.” (Video source: euronews)

But activists report the pro-Assad forces are moving deeper into the city, firing rockets and mortar rounds. A video from Al Jazeera shows civilians apparently fleeing the violence.

“The government says it’s fighting armed gangs that have taken the city and its people hostage. But activists posted this video on the Internet. They say it shows women and children running for their lives.”

And The New York Times reports, Russian influence in the country may be dwindling.

“It remained unclear whether Russia possessed the diplomatic power to significantly influence events on the ground. … Neither was it clear whether Russian diplomatic efforts could push Mr. Assad to a compromise, considering his repeated assertions that he is battling terrorism, not a popular uprising.”

The EU is threatening harsher sanctions against Syria. The government of Turkey also said it’s ready to host an international conference to support the Syrian people. And a UN official said on Wednesday it’s time to cut through the politics and take effective action.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Image Source: BBC/ TVM)

BY SCOTT MACDONALD

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

After nearly a month of protests culminated in a police and civilian mutiny on the streets Tuesday, the president of the Maldives has resigned his position. Here’s Euronews.

“President Mohamed Nasheed announced his resignation after rebel police took control of the state broadcaster... Vice President Waheed Hassan stepped up to the top job.”

Nasheed faced no shortage of problems during his more than three years in office, from rising sea levels threatening to wipe out the islands to growing heroin addiction among youth. But open outrage came after a controversial arrest, according to Al Jazeera.

“It all began three weeks ago, after the country’s top criminal judge was taken into custody after he ordered the release of an imprisoned opposition leader and former minister. The government accused the judge of being an agent of the former president....”

Nasheed went against court rulings to arrest the judge. Even Vice President Hassan took to his blog to denounce Nasheed’s actions. But it’s unclear whether the support for the judge was influenced by the country’s former president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Mark Lynas, a climate-change adviser to the Maldives, criticized Gayoom’s “thugs” in the Guardian.

“The former dictator Gayoom and his forces never accepted the outcome of the 2008 elections, and their networks of power and influence were increasingly threatened by Nasheed's campaign against corruption in the judiciary.”

In 2008, Nasheed became the first democratically elected president of the island nation, which is located in the Indian Ocean. He replaced Gayoom, who in the past had imprisoned Nasheed for a total of six years over two decades. Minivan News reported that protests began in the capital Tuesday morning and quickly grew violent. Police dispatched to quell the violence actually joined with the demonstrators, who soon set their sights on the state TV station.

“Opposition protesters and police supporters subsequently took over the Maldives National Broadcasting Commission (MNBC) and began streaming VTV over the station. The channel was later rebadged ‘TVM’, its name under Gayoom’s government.”

The Hindu explains that the nature of the protests evolved throughout the day.

“If the morning started with the ‘coup’ word being bandied about by observers, by evening the entire transition appeared orderly with Parliament endorsing the changeover and the streets of the capital city, Male, appearing calm even if vigorously policed.”

In a televised address Tuesday, Nasheed said:

"I resign because I am not a person who wishes to rule with the use of power. I believe that if the government were to remain in power it would require the use force which would harm many citizens.”

Hassan, the new president, has urged citizens to “avoid chaos” in order to keep the Maldives’ crucial tourism industry in good shape. The British government advised its citizens to avoid all but essential travel in the capital of Male until the crisis has passed.

(Image Source: Global Post)

BY EMILY ALLEN

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

The Catholic Church isn’t closing its doors this week on the topic of sexual abuse. Instead, it’s opened them for a four-day summit on the subject in Rome. euronews talked with the only sexual abuse victim attending the event -- Marie Collins.

“As a survivor I don’t want to see any child go through the same as I have myself and I think that’s they way most survivors feel so I feel this is an extremely important event for everybody.”

Collins told the crowd of bishops and religious-order leaders that she won’t settle for just an apology. News24 quotes her.

"There must be acknowledgement and accountability for the harm and destruction that has been done to the life of victims and their families by the often deliberate cover up and mishandling of cases by their superiors."

But News Video Network reports not everyone thinks this summit is a good idea.

“There are many advocates of abuse activists of abuse victims, for abuse victims, that have derided this four day symposium saying it’s nothing but window dressing for the church.”

A CNN analyst agrees to some extent this could be a public relations stunt but argues the church is trying to address the problem of sexual abuse first and its tarnished image second.

“I do think the church does realize that it’s taken a massive blow to moral authority and to its public image and I do think they want to try and turn that around.”

News.com.au reports national bishops' conferences  worldwide must submit comprehensive guidelines to deal with sex abuse in the Church by May. However, some in the Church are already questioning this step’s effectiveness..

“Vatican officials say some countries are having trouble formulating these rules because of ‘cultural differences’ over what exactly constitutes child abuse and victim-support groups say the measures lack enforcement powers."

The BBC says attendees of the summit are already brainstorming ideas -- including creating e-learning centers to educate leaders on abuse.

(Image Source: The New York Times)

BY NATHAN BYRNE AND HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now and here are your headlines.
 

All three of Tuesday’s primaries belong to GOP presidential Rick Santorum, who’s sitting a little prettier this morning. Commentators on Fox and Friends say he ought to savor the moment.
 

“Attention, Rick Santorum, start your TiVo. This is the morning you’ve been waiting for. ...Who would’ve predicted this? A couple of days ago, it looked like Mitt Romney would take two of three, and Santorum routs him in two of three while taking all three.”

 

Reports of violence continue to come from Syria. Activists say they’re being fired upon as tanks enter neighborhoods. euronews reports...
 

“Neither reports nor images from Homs can be verified, but it appears ordinary families are bearing the brunt of the Syrian army’s offensive.”


European air safety officials are expanding a check for wing cracks on Airbus A380s. They initially ordered inspections only for the heaviest-used A380s in January. Inspectors traced cracks to Airbus’ use of a less-flexible aluminum alloy. CNN explains what’s ahead.

“It has to happen within the next three to four weeks. The planes will not have to be grounded, I’m sure this is the question many of the airlines were concerned about.”  

A recent CDC report says nine out of 10 Americans are getting too much sodium in their diet. The number one salt source? It’s not chips, not pretzels... but bread. Yup. HLN has the rest of the list.

“Number two with sodium-packing power: deli lunch meats. Then it’s pizza, chicken, and soups! You know, not all of these foods are high in sodium by themselves, but we eat too much of them, piling on.”

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day.

(Image Source: Sky News)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

The largest M&A deal of the year — announced Tuesday — would forge one of the world’s biggest commodities companies. Glencore and Xstrata announced plans for the largest-ever merger in the mining sector. Euronews has the details.

“The deal would create a powerhouse, spanning mining, agriculture and trading — with mining assets from New Caledonia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

But some Xstrata shareholders think they’re getting shafted. A Wall Street Journal columnist explains what is branded as a merger of equals … really isn’t.

“In the end, Glencore shareholders, at this current exchange, will end up controlling the group, and the vast majority of Glencore shareholders are actually employees.”

An angry Xstrata shareholder tells Bloomberg...

“‘The proposed exchange ratio clearly undervalues Xstrata’s assets and future earnings contribution... It is our intention to vote against the deal unless the merger terms for Xstrata are materially improved.’”

Traders are calling the would-be combined company Glen-X. Glencore already owns a big chunk of Xstrata, and at least one fund manager — who actually owns Xstrata shares — tells CNBC the deal is about as good as the company can get at the moment.

“With a 34 percent stake owned by Glencore, we’re not really in a position to get a huge premium for control.”

But will the regulators brand the $90 billion deal a blow to competitiveness? An analyst tells BBC News the merger will most likely be smooth sailing.

“The EU, for instance, already regard Glencore and Xstrata as being one single entity...This is vertical integration.”

If the deal gets done, the newly merged company — based in Switzerland — would trade on the London Stock Exchange.

(Image Source: Daily Mail)

BY JING LIU

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

You're watching multsource global video news analysis from Newsy.

Sorry treasure seekers -- the lost city will remain lost, thanks to Google Earth map updates.

This week, an update to Google Ocean, the underwater extension of Google Earth, has removed the gridlike pattern that raised rumors that the lost underwater city of Atlantis had been found.(video:Cosmos TV)

Atlantis was first mentioned by Plato around 360 B.C. as a city that “in a single day and night of misfortune … disappeared into the depths of the sea.”(image:Wikipedia)

Back in 2009, Google Ocean spotted a large grid on the seafloor that looked like the streets of a well-organized small town. Slate reports, that kicked off speculation that Atlantis had been found.

“Enthusiasts hoped the vague underwater grid, nearly the size of Wales and about 620 miles west of the Canary Islands, could represent streets of the lost city.”


But Live Science explains -- it can’t be Atlantis.


“In fact, the grid was merely caused by overlapping datasets, according to NOAA. Besides that, the grid that looked like a little town actually covered an area of ocean more than 100 miles wide -- not exactly small-town proportions.”


Researchers spent the past three years identifying and correcting the mistakes related to the original archived data -- and have now released the updated images. The new, more accurate map has disappointed those who dreamed of exploring Atlantis. A Wired blogger says,


“I’m all in favor of accuracy and truth. But what about the dream? A tiny part of me died with this news because part of me wants to believe that Atlantis could exist. In the same way that Middle-earth could exist. Or Narnia.”


But a TG Daily writer doesn’t believe the advanced technology will end the story of Atlantis.


“Of course, only time will tell if Google's removal of the ‘Atlantis grid’ will put a stop to the rumors once and for all. Personally, I very much doubt it will.”

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ALYSSA CARTEE AND ZACH TOOMBS

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

Iran’s Foreign Ministry is calling tightened U.S. sanctions “antagonistic” and “psychological warfare.” The sanctions target Iran’s Central Bank and give U.S. banks powers to freeze Iranian government assets. The Media Line reports the sanctions are already impacting the country — but not in the way the United States intended.

“For ordinary Iranians, the pain they have wrought by sanctions is already palpable in the form of spiraling inflation and shortages. But Iran’s leaders, and not a few outside observers, say that if Western leaders are counting on consumer distress to pressure the government to abandon its nuclear ambitions they will be disappointed.”

The sanctions are intended to deter the nation’s nuclear program, but analysts on cable news programs were pessimistic about the potential impact.

“The reality is at this point is that the Iranian regime has made the decision that there’s only downside for suspending their nuclear program and there’s only upside in getting it.”

“The problem comes in the end when there’s nothing left to sanction and the Iranians are still moving forward with this nuclear program. Then it becomes an enormous question for the Obama administration.”

“We’ve long known sanctions have a limited chance of convincing Iran to stop its nuclear program. The Israelis are increasingly worried that Iran is getting to a point of no return.”

A columnist for the New York Daily News points out while an attack on Israel seems to be the main worry, there is a bigger concern.

“A nuclear Iran would probably mean a nuclear Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as well. An increasingly unstable Middle East would become even more so. There’s no sleep here for anyone.”

On Monday, members of Iran’s parliament readied plans to fight back against many western nations with sanctions of their own. The Tehran Times has the text of the proposal:

“The government will be allowed to stop selling oil to the countries that initiated sanctions on Iran and the countries that are insisting on the implementation of oil sanctions on Iran.”  

The Iranian government refused to cooperate with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency last month. Although the agency will send more inspectors into the nation this month, The New York Times reports Iran is again unlikely to provide full access for the agency.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)


BY KEVIN DUBOUIS

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Romania’s prime minister Emil Boc resigned Monday after weeks of protests. He is the sixth European prime minister to lose his office since the debt crisis hit Europe in 2009. Euronews explains Boc’s decision.

“Announcing his resignation, he said he hoped the decision would ease political and social tension and ensure the country's economic stability.”

Boc admitted he made mistakes but says he sees a bright future for Romania. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has his statement.

“I believe that this government did its duty … I believe it's time to make room for a new government that should consolidate the results of our work and be more popular, since there are no more austerity measures to be taken.”

Boc said he was happy with the measures the government took to reduce the budget deficit, but thousands of people have been protesting against them since January. In 2009, the government accepted a $26 billion loan from the EU and the IMF to help pay salaries and pensions, then raised sales taxes and cut public sector salaries by 25 percent.

Financial Times explains the country’s situation.

“The country pushed through some of Europe’s toughest austerity measures and endured one of the continent’s longest recessions. After joining the EU in 2007, it remains the union’s second-poorest member...”

And CNN reports -- the government’s popularity took another hit due to the recent extreme weather.

“ … criticism has also mounted over the government's handling of a recent, and continuing, cold snap -- including snow-clogged streets, widespread power outages and other problems that contributed to the deaths of at least 34 people.”

According to the opposition parties, the prime minister’s resignation isn’t enough to make up for the government’s failings.

“Opposition leaders are calling on President Traian Basescu (Trayan Basescu) to step down as well. Crin Antonescu (Krin Antonesku), who heads the opposition Liberal Party, called it ‘the most corrupt, incompetent and lying government’ since the 1989 revolt against communism ...”

The new prime minister has 60 days to get a government approved by parliament. But opposition leaders say they aren’t willing to support the new government. Al Jazeera explains what else could happen.

“For now, Basescu has named Romania’s justice minister as caretaker premier, but Basescu may well try to appoint a technocrat to the job and bring forward parliamentary elections that are due by November.”

The current government is polling around 20 percent approval, and is expected to take a big hit in the elections.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY NATHAN BYRNE AND HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now and here’s a look at your headlines.
 

In U.S. news, President Barack Obama urged his wealthy supporters to donate Democratic ‘super’ political action committees, or super PACs. In 2009, Obama criticized the Supreme Court decision that allows super PACs to spend unlimited amount of money on political campaigns. KPIX explains what’s changed.
 

“A recent report shows Republican super PACs are bringing in nearly five times more money than Democratic ones. President Obama’s campaign is defending its decision -- saying the stakes are just too high to play by two different sets of rules.”
 

A blockbuster merger will create what reports call “a commodities powerhouse,” spanning agriculture, mining and trading. Trader Glencore is set to buy mining company Xstrata in a $90 billion deal.

But CNBC reports some of Xstrata’s biggest shareholders are skeptical, saying...
 

“...they don’t like the deal. If they’re going to be bought out, they think they could get a much better premium than what they’re getting off Glencore. So, expect that to occupy some minds in investors over the next few days.”

 

The California Court of Appeals is expected to rule on the state’s same-sex marriage ban today. In 2008, Proposition 8 technically made same-sex marriage illegal in California.

CNN’s senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says the tide should turn today...
 

“Based on the way the judges reacted last year when the case was argued, I think a lot of people -- including me -- expect that they will overturn Proposition 8 and reinstate same-sex marriage in California.”

 

McDonald’s has pulled a radio ad and apologized after pit-bull owners barked about it...
 

The spot said claimed eating the fast-food chain’s new “Chicken McBite” was less risky than petting a stray pit bull. (Video: MSNBC)
 

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day.
For Newsy Now, I’m Nathan Byrne, highlighting the top headlines, making you smarter, faster.
 

Image Source: (Cycling News)

BY TOM MARTIN

Spanish cycling star Alberto Contador won the 2010 Tour De France... that is, for eighteen months. Monday, Contador was stripped of his title and banned from cycling two years. The reason? Doping. Here’s ESPN:

“Contador claims his positive test was a result of eating contaminated meat. Only one other rider has been disqualified and stripped of the Tour title, American Floyd Landis for testing positive for testosterone.”

Contador had appealed the test results, and was rejected. Now, he joins the list of cyclists connected to doping -- but as the positive tests pile up, former cyclist Eddy Merckx argues it’s actually a system issue:

"It's a terrible thing. Alberto Contador has won a lot of competitions, not just the Tour de France... He doesn't deserve this … I'm the first to say that we need good anti-doping tests. But I think that in cycling they go too far."

So how far is too far? Tests found a mere 50 pictograms per milliliter of the banned substance clenbuterol in Contador’s system, an amount Spanish rider Oscar Pereiro says could be incidental:

“Two years of sanctions to Alberto Contador and the judgment says that the doping [intent] is not proven … Do you know what I think? He is innocent.”

But not everyone has Contador’s back. Says The Guardian: if the substance is there, it’s on the rider to explain the reason:

“The finding is a vital one for anti-doping, because it reasserts the fundamental principle of strict liability … The verdict will not kill cycling, as its critics claim. Rather the opposite … It has proved that … the [Union Cycliste Internationale] will contest the most high-profile of cases, as far as is necessary.”

And ESPN’s Jim Caple writes, in these cases, nobody wins:

“I'll continue to love cycling despite the scandals, as will most cycling fans. But I also know this: Until there is a long stretch where the winners are determined the instant they cross the finish line … no one else is going to take the sport seriously.”

Contador’s two-year ban is better than it looks. Because he sat out the past year, he’ll resume cycling in August.

(Image source: 20th Century Fox)

BY BRICE SANDER

The Simpsons are no longer welcome in Iran. The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults banned any merchandise featuring the cartoon characters Monday. Here’s Houston’s KRTK.  

ART RASCON: “‘The Simpsons’ now join Barbie on that list of banned dolls.”
MELANIE LAWSON: “Yeah. Two of the world’s greatest criminals there. But kind of interesting. I’m surprised Bart Simpson was playing in Iran to begin with.”

That’s where Fox News says the ban gets tricky.

“However, while ‘The Simpsons’ is the longest continuously running series in U.S. television history, it is not even shown in Iran … So how the toys would promote a show that is unavailable is puzzling.”

USA Today gives a little insight to the ban, quoting the Iranian institute’s spokesperson.

“He did point out that any doll that has distinguishable adult genitals, or any dolls of adults at all, are banned ‘because these dolls are promoters of western culture’ … That, certainly, explains why Barbie got the heave-ho. But why did the same agency give Spiderman and Superman a thumbs up?”

The agency says superheroes help oppressed people and have a “positive stance,” so they’re good to go. But The Daily Mail suggests if you’re going to let some things slip through, you might as well stop banning things all together.

“…despite bans on many books, movies, satellite TV channels, music, haircuts and fashion from the West, many young people follow Western culture avidly and can often obtain illegal products on the black market. In 2011 Iran imported $57 million worth of toys.”

But a writer for South Africa’s News 24 hints the toy ban might just be a PR move.

“The Islamic Republic’s morality police [are] fighting ‘Western intoxication’ as the dispute over nuclear technology has raised fears of war…”

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY NIELS SCHACK NORGAARD

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Developments continue in Syria as the United States closes its embassy in Damascus and pulls out all staff -- including ambassador Robert Ford. On Monday, the State Department held a briefing regarding the escalation of violence. Fox reports ..

”The situation in and around Damascus is becoming increasingly violent, reflecting the fact that the regime is increasingly losing control of the situation.”

CNN’s Jill Dougherty explains the reasoning behind the shut-down.

”One of those concerns, we are told, is the possibility of some kind of Al Qaeda action. (...) This does not mean they’re breaking diplomatic relations but it is a serious step by the United States Government.”

The development comes after reports that the Syrian military is intensifying its assault on the city of Homs.  On Saturday, China and Russia blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution to stop the bloodshed in Syria and remove President Bashar Al-Assad. Al Jazeera writes:

”The death toll in Syria rose to at least 88 people over the weekend - one of the bloodiest since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad's government erupted almost 11 months ago. Opposition groups say at least 6,000 people have now been killed in Syria.”

For more reactions to the veto of the UN resolution, click on the link in our transcript section.

(Image source: The Wall Street Journal)

(Image Source: USA Today)

BY ZAKIYYAH WAHAB

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

U.S. Senator John McCain warns the Arab Spring will spread to China. New Tang Dynasty Television reports on what happened during the 48th Munich Security Conference.

“I have said on many occasions and I will say it again. The Arab Spring is coming to China as well, and there’s not a way that you will be able to stifle it completely because of these devices (shows a mobile phone).”

McCain’s warning came in response to the recent self-immolations of three Tibetan monks. The New York Times reports there have been 19 self-immolations in protest of Chinese rule this year. According to Voice of America ...

“Many Tibetans accuse the Chinese government of working to erode their culture and faith, and resent the large-scale migration of China’s ethnic Han majority into Tibetan areas.”

The Times of India reports China’s foreign vice minister was visibly upset by McCain’s comments and refuted the possibility of a Chinise Arab Spring, saying ...

“‘Tibet is an integral part of China ... We are very resentful to any kind of lecturing on how we should manage our own affairs ...’”

The face-to-face confrontation highlights the divergent views on issues in Asia. The South China Morning Post notes ...

“It is rare for senior diplomats or political heavyweights from China and the United States to face off at major international forums ... perhaps even more unusual for a Communist Party-run newspaper to make [such] debates ... public.”

An international studies expert tells the state-run People’s Daily – McCain’s words reveal a lack of basic knowledge about both the Middle East and China.

"The current conflicts in some Arab countries have their root in geopolitics, practical interests and the Sunni-Shiite split. So it's just ridiculous to say the pattern could be copied in China.”

But The Telegraph points out growing unrest in the region.

“Following recent sporadic, deadly riots and a series of self-immolations … Beijing fears the potentially volatile holiday period – which begins on the 22nd – could muster coordinated and widespread anti-Chinese rule riots.”

McCain shook hands with Zhang at the end of the panel, saying that his comments reflect what the U.S. advocates for throughout the world, not just in China.
 

(Image Source: HLN)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now, and here are your latest headlines.
 

In world news, Greece might have missed yet another deadline to reach a deal with its international lenders today. But a spokesperson denies the government even had a deadline. The Greek debt talks are at an impasse as lawmakers could not agree on the required austerity measures. CNBC explains what’s at stake.
 

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera: “This is a country that needs to borrow every single day, in order to function.”
Becky Quick: “How much?”
Caruso-Cabrera: “Half a billion a week, they need, just to keep running...”
 

Still in world news, Syrian troops launched fresh attacks at the city of Homs on Monday. The AP says they struck a makeshift medical clinic and residential areas. This, after Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution that would back the removal of President Bashar al-Assad from power. Sky News reports from near the beleaguered city.
 

“There’s no idea on how many people have been hurt. We know it’s a lot — the estimates vary, but there’s currently 75 to 100 confirmed.”
 

In U.S. news, a new poll shows President Barack Obama leading GOP front runner Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general election. The ABC News/Washington Post poll sees Obama with 51 percent of the votes, and Romney trailing with 45 percent. But ABC News reports - other poll numbers show, when it comes to the economy, Romney leads.
 

“And Mitt Romney, even though he trails Obama, is trusted more to handle the economy by a narrow margin, 48 to 45. And when it comes to trusting to create jobs, same thing, 47%, 45%. Romney with a slight edge.”
 

In entertainment news, NBC is apologizing for rapper M.I.A.’s middle-finger salute at the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night. The rapper performed alongside Madonna and Nicki Minaj.
 

The network says its delay system didn’t catch M.I.A.’s flip-off until it was too late. HLN says – you gotta feel bad for Madonna.
 

“She had been rehearsing for months leading up to this. And now, all we’re talking about, instead of an amazing performance, was M.I.A giving the middle finger to the camera and in my opinion, a terrible move for M.I.A.”

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day.
For Newsy Now, I’m Nathan Byrne, highlighting the top headlines, making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: Granma International)

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance this weekend to promote a new book on his life. Here’s HLN.

“A Cuban newspaper says he just released a memoir that covers his life before he took power. He says he wanted to have it done before his memories fade away. Castro is 85 years old.”

The book is called A Guerrilla of Time, and follows Castro’s life from his childhood to the eve of Cuba’s revolution. Its two volumes total nearly 1,000 pages, and are written as a dialogue between Castro and a journalist.

RT writes -- this is the first time Castro has been seen in public for nearly 10 months.

“The world has not seen him since the closing session of the Communist Party Congress in April last year. Yet he was present throughout the launch of the book, which reportedly lasted over six hours.”

State media were quick to mention how lively Castro looked, and report he told jokes and conversed with the crowd. But a reporter tells the BBC it was a tightly-controlled event.

“You say this was a public appearance, but it was an appearance before an invited audience, and only in front of the state media here. The video that was released to state television was mute, there’s no sound on it.”

The memoir isn’t publicly available yet, and there’s no word on what’s inside. But a writer for The Inquisitr says, you can expect it to paint the Communist Party and Castro himself in as flattering a light as possible.

“Leave it to Cuban leader Fidel Castro to spend much of the only public time he’s had recently involved in obvious self promotion.”

Castro handed the presidency off to his brother Raul in 2008, and stepped down as head of the party in 2011.

(Image Source: NASA)

BY ANDREW CARTER

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Queen Elizabeth II is nearing 60 years on the throne. The anniversary will be celebrated with a weekend of events called the Diamond Jubilee -- and planned gifts for the Queen include a £60 million yacht. The Guardian reports on Education Secretary Michael Gove’s idea.

"Michael Gove has brushed aside Britain's economic problems to propose the public donate a new royal yacht to the Queen as a mark of respect ... Gove at one point comes close to suggesting that Britain's dire economic climate means that a large-scale celebration is required to shift the country's spirits."

In a time of cutbacks and bailouts, Prime Minister Nick Clegg believes the £60 million gift -- that’s a little over $25 million -- is unrealistic. Sky News has words from Clegg.

"I suspect most people in the country would think that given that there is very little money around, that this probably isn't, wouldn't be at the top of their list of priorities of the use of scare, scarce, scarce resources."

Clegg shut down public funding of the yacht, so Gove says the gift should now be privately funded. Still the campaign may be rocky, according to the Telegraph’s Ed West.

“I have to say that in these times of financial austerity and belt-tightening, I would have imagined that a campaign to buy one of the world’s richest women a new pleasure boat would be a charity that might struggle.”

Queen Elizabeth may enjoy a new royal yacht, but Times Higher Education reports the National Union of Students proposed alternative spending for the £60 million.

“£9,000 university tuition fees for 6,500 students for one year; providing 45,000 students with the scrapped Education Maintenance Allowance for a year ... £1,000 bursary element of the National Scholarship Programme by two years for 30,000 students.”

But the BBC reports private funding for the gift may be successful. The network spoke with the business secretary for the Shadow Cabinet -- the leadership of the Labor party.

“The idea of the private sector essentially contributing to this gift for her majesty and the country I suppose, and I”m sure there would be many people in the country who may consider to donating to such a fund.”

And an interview with England’s First Secretary of State puts the Queen’s last 60 years in perspective.

“I think people will want to reflect on that as well and they will do that in many weird, wonderful, and wise ways.”

The Diamond Jubillee weekend will take place in June, before the start of the London Olympics.

(Image Source: Bikya Masr) 

BY ALYSSA CARTEE AND KYLIE MCGIVERN

43 non-government organization workers will face trial in Egypt, including 19 American workers, one of which is Sam LaHood -- the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Al-Ahran explains the investigation.

“... [they] are accused of influencing political groups in Egypt by offering funding through their NGOs and will be prosecuted as a result of the ministry of justice investigation.”

But many are saying the investigation is more about making a statement, than actual wrongdoing. Egyptian activists describe the crackdown as a step backward - to the Mubarak-era mentality -- rather than a move forward. A government minister who serves under Mubarak is spearheading the investigation.

The Telegraph has more...

“Human rights activists fear the raids are revenge for their links to secular pro-democracy movements in Egypt...They complain that the breach of the law cited – illegal foreign funding – is not used against suspected support for religious groups from wealthy Gulf countries.”

Several of the American NGO offices were raided in late December. An analyst told Fox Business Network the workers have been worried ever since.

“The American NGOs, the people who are not working for the government, but who are doing good deeds in Egypt … a lot of them have gone into the American embassy in Cairo because they’re afraid of what might happen to them.”

Some feel the actions have greater implications - and that this is about more than investigating a legal funding issue. BBC reports.

“... Cairo's action has widely been seen as an attack on free speech and an attempt by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' (SCAF) to silence critics of its attempt to put down ongoing street protests.”

But CNN reports, Cairo’s attempts to silence has Congress members speaking out.

“Egypt's investigation of and raids on U.S. democracy support groups working in that country could mean the end of U.S. aid to Egypt, members of Congress told top Obama administration officials, as well as the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, last week.”

The two countries have been close allies for more than three decades. The Wall Street Journal quotes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the investigations that could rock that steady foundation.

"We are very clear that there are problems that arise from this situation that can impact all the rest of our relationship in Egypt ... We don't want that."

As the Washington Post points out, threatening to cut off Egypt’s U.S. aid - including $1.3 billion of military assistance given each year -  is a swift, strong and unusual response.

“The investigation has triggered unusually blunt warnings from Capitol Hill to a nation that has for years been seen as a stalwart ally.”

Egypt’s ruling military has remained silent on the NGO raids. There is currently no date set for the start of trial.

Image: New York Times

ALYSSA CARTEE

The United States, United Kingdom and France are not backing down when it comes to finding a way to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia and China vetoed a vote at the UN Security Council to implement a plan designed by the Arab League that would have done just that.

Russia defended its veto, saying the plan had no consideration for armed opposition groups. But Euronews reports there may have been other motivating factors.

“Syria hosts a Russian Naval base and arms trade between Moscow and Damascus is worth 3.8 billion Euros.”

But the three remaining nations in the coalition say they will not give up on the Syrian people. The Guardian reports British Foreign Secretary …

“William Hague has described the Syrian regime as ‘doomed’ and ‘murdering’ and warned that the country is moving closer to an all-out civil war... .”

And Bloomberg says …

“The U.S. will “redouble efforts” with partners outside the United Nations to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end violence and step down, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.”

President Nicolas Sarkozy says France is in touch with Arab and European partners to create a “Friends of the Syrian People Group” that would marshal international support to implement the Arab League plan.  A politics professor in Beirut told the Christian Science Monitor keeping up the fight will cost the countries involved.

“... there would be an increase of diplomatic pressure on Russia and China to reverse its backing for Syria which would likely require even greater concessions from the US, Europe, and the Arab world.”

An analyst told MSNBC, in spite of the apparent setback, the proposed plan itself is a sign of progress in the region.

“And that is historic because a year ago, if you had said the Arab League is gonna call for a fellow Arab ruler to step down, people would’ve said you were hallucinating.”

But a blogger for Slate writes the real problem is not China and Russia, it’s the system’s set-up.

“This veto power – far more than the theater of the absurd that is the General Assembly – do more to undermine the institution than any other single factor.”

The violence is not limited to Syria’s borders. Seven Syrian embassies around the world were attacked.

“The protesters are upset about the brutal crack down on the uprising in Syria. Australia, London and Cairo are among the places where the embassies were trashed.”

Violence continues to escalate in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 22 people were killed Sunday including a 14-year-old child.  

(Image source: Red Dog Report)

BY NATHAN BYRNE

(Image Source: YouTube/user/deluxe621)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

Romanian model Ioana Spangenberg’s waist is only a bit bigger than a CD -- but she says she eats like any other person.

30-year-old Spangenberg is 5’ 6” and weighs 84 pounds. Her waist measures 20 inches. But she tells The Sun she eats three big meals a day and snacks on chocolate and chips. In fact -- she says her slender frame gave her low self-esteem as a teenager.

“It's a bit like having a natural gastric band — if I eat too much, I feel sick. … In Romania it is better to be overweight, because that means you are from a wealthy family. So while my friends were going out and dating, I was sitting at home with Mars bars wishing I could fatten up."

But now, Spangenberg is finally comfortable with her body. The Daily Bhaskar reports …

“She was conscious for her frame until she met her German husband Jan in 2006, and he encouraged her to become a model.”

And The Daily Mail quotes her on where her weight is headed now.

“I would still like to gain weight so I don't look so shocking. And now that I live in Germany I can't get enough pizza or kebabs.”

 

(Image Source: BBC)

BY ORLA O MUIRI

Malaria elimination receives a devastating punch to its progress. A report published by medical publication The Lancet shows that the number of deaths by the disease are double what  previous figures show. BBC reports.

“New research suggests Malaria kills twice as many people globally as previously thought. The study was funded by the Bill Gates Foundation and published by the Lancet, it found that 1.2 million people died of the disease in 2010.”

The results also seem to suggest a commonly accepted belief to be false. redOrbit.com says:

“IMHE researchers said that deaths from malaria have been missed in previous studies because of the assumption that mainly young children under the age of 5 died from the disease.”

One of the authors of the study, Professor Christopher Murray, explains how this has been overlooked.

“Quite an appreciable number of adults die from Malaria. The risk of dying from Malaria is much lower for adults but there are a lot more adults and so it adds up. Its probably the most important finding we have in terms of magnitude.”

The study remains adamant that — despite the findings — the billions of dollars donated to the Malaria cause has had an effect in malaria reduction. The director of an anti-malaria advocacy group tells NPR not everyone is buying the new numbers.

"I would be very cautious (about the new estimates)... It is a dramatic increase from what the WHO says, and it contributes to the overall discussion, but it's unclear if it will lead to significant policy change.

Meanwhile the developing countries deal with the reality of the news and the disease. NTV reports the final word;

“Doctors here admit that malaria figures are just as elusive as the parasites themselves....Countries like Kenya remain far from burying the killer disease.”
 

(Image Source: ABC.net.au)

BY BLAKE HANSON

Just hours after a massive attack on the Syrian city of Homs -- the U.N. Security Council rejected a proposal calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down. The New York Times writes...

“While the casualties were impossible to confirm, and were denied by Syria, reports of the bloodshed drew widespread international condemnation, and moved the Security Council toward a vote on an Arab League peace plan, despite new objections by Russia.”


Ultimately, both Russia and China vetoed the plan. The Guardian points to Russia’s history with Syria as a possible reason for the veto...

“Syria has been a key Russian ally since Soviet times and Moscow has opposed any UN demands that could be interpreted as advocating military intervention or regime change.”

Meanwhile, The Telegraph points to another part of the resolution it suspects Russia took issue with...

“... Russia said it could not support a resolution backing an Arab League plan for a swift transition of power and elections. It was said to have demanded a last-minute change dropping a call, already agreed by Syria in November, for tanks and artillery to be withdrawn from the streets.”

So what does this mean for progress in Syria? A CNN anchor and analyst react to the failed vote...

ANCHOR: “Months of paralysis inside the U.N. Security Council, now lead essentially to a diplomatic dead-end.”
ANALYST: “I think Western ambassadors will say it might all have been a charade a stall to the last minute.”
 

Shortly after the vote, U.S. United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice tweeted...

“Disgusted that Russia and China prevented the #UN Security Council from fulfilling its sole purpose.”

 

(Image Source: BBC News)

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ELIZABETH RINEHART

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

Ever wonder what the two biggest intelligence agencies in the world talk about with each other?

"’Do you want to talk about cheese?’

‘Cheese?!’

‘What about the McDonalds in the Pentagon?’

‘I tell so many people, no one believes me!’” (Source: Youtube.com/Soundmigration)

On Friday, hackers posted a conversation between the FBI and Scotland Yard to YouTube. WCBS reports -- the talk focused on more than fast food. 

“The group, known as Anonymous somehow recorded the 15-minute call and then posted it on the Internet. They also bragged about it on Twitter. Ironically, the agents were discussing ways to catch the hackers.”

From the sublime to the serious. What’s been released includes some in-depth discussions -- that got very specific.

The Telegraph has some of that.

“The conversation covered updates to on-going court cases, the recent arrest of a 15-year-old for hacking his school website …. (and) the on-going court case against Ryan Cleary, arrested last June for his alleged role in the group LulzSec, and reveals legally sensitive information.”

The BBC reports that the FBI confirmed the validity of the call. The Guardian touts the move as a smart one for Anonymous, saying....

“For Anonymous, the posting on YouTube of the 18-minute audio from the call was a particular triumph, indicating that it can worm its way even into the most powerful organisations in the land. ‘The FBI might be curious how we're able to continuously read their internal comms for some time now,’ said one account controlled by the group on Twitter.”

You would think -- someone would find that curious. According to ABC News, Anonymous says it was able to dial into the call through an email sent to a personal account.

Cleary’s lawyer tells ZDNet...

“‘I think it's astonishing that the FBI and the e-Crime unit don't have secure email ...'”

Now, the FBI is investigating the evesdroppers as well. TechWorldNews notes, this brings up what could become a problem for firms everywhere.

“The odds are that cybersecurity at the FBI and Scotland Yard is on par with, or superior to, security at most corporations, [...]This means it's extremely difficult to trust the supply chain for defense contractors, and also that corporations are probably pretty porous to industrial cyberespionage."

(Image source: The Australian)

BY CELIA MURRAY

Ever since Julia Gillard successfully took leadership of the labor party from Kevin Rudd in 2010, Australian media have speculated when he would return the favor. Now, as the new parliamentary year starts up, pundits say it’s just a matter of time.

Here’s ABC Australia.

“Leadership rumblings are continuing to dog the Prime Minister as MPs prepare to return to Canberra for the year’s first sitting of parliament. There’s been a renewed focus on the leadership including speculation of a challenge before the end of March.

If Rudd’s challenge is successful, he will retake the Prime Minister position. The Australian outlines Rudd’s chances.

“Strategists from both camps believe the Foreign Minister can afford to lose a first leadership ballot if he were to secure a reasonable level of support, whereas they believe Ms Gillard must win a ballot comprehensively to see off the possibility of a second Rudd challenge.”

Labor’s power brokers are trying to warn Rudd off the challenge. Several MPs have announced they would step down to the backbenches with “suicide” resignations should Kevin Rudd win back his position.

Former Labor leader Simon Crean tells SBS Rudd isn’t a team player:

I think that part of the reason he lost the leadership was that he wasn’t. There’s no point having a band of prima donnas unless they operate as a team.

In a recent article on The Punch, Adelaide Advertiser’s political editor says it’s not about Rudd’s popularity within the party -- it’s about staving off the opposition.

If it were, he would have no chance now and would not have been leader the first time around. Then, as now, his potential attractiveness is about voter appeal. MPs will be asking, can we win with Kevin or at least avert annihilation? If enough conclude that the answer is yes, then it’s game-over for Ms Gillard.

Gillard hasn’t publicly acknowledged the chance of a Rudd challenge, saying he’s doing a great job as Minister of Foreign Affairs. But a writer for The New Zealand Herald believes things may be more tense behind the scenes.

This will be a long, cold autumn for Prime Minister Julia Gillard. With polling at rock bottom, an appalling run of bad press, blunders and deep rumblings among her backbenchers, the sound of knives on whetstones is growing louder.

(Image Source: ABC News Australia)

BY LUKE LEONARD

ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT

Australia’s southern Queensland has been declared a natural disaster zone. Record breaking floods are forcing residents out of their homes. 

Towns of northern New South Wales are also preparing themselves as the swollen Mehi River’s banks are close to bursting.

Australia’s ABC News has more details...

“Hundreds of people are in evacuation centers after being forced from their homes. Three quarters of the town of Mitchell is underwater ... while tonight Roma is bracing for the worst with 200 homes under threat.” 

After having barely recovered from devastating floods in March 2010 and Novermber 2011, many people in the area are unfortunately familiar with the situation. An opinion writer for the National Times Australia suggests--  a disaster fund should be in place given the recurring events. 

“...unlike standing emergency services, infrastructure and co-ordination, governments' financial responses to disasters are, almost always, ad hoc. ...throwing cash where the need is greatest...”

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said the evacuation center in Mitchell, used in previous years, worked without incident. However this year the center has been left vulnerable by more intense flooding. Despite the vulnerability of the center, residents are otherwise responding well to emergency services. Ten News spoke to New South Wales state services... 

“The good news is many have taken our advice and have left early, gone to friend’s places and relatives’ places, those sorts of things. But a lot of people are registering at the evacuation centers as well as other small townships around the Moree area.”

As reported by the The Sydney Morning Herald, forecasters are predicting the Balonne River in the town of St George will exceed 13 meters deep. This will make it the third year in a row the town has been swamped by 13 meter flood waters. 

Editor of the local Moree newspaper, Cady Andersen, suggests that although prevention and rescue efforts are better this time, nature was going to win no matter what. Sydney Morning Herald has that quote...

“At least this time we were more prepared...Having said that, after … getting off a chopper, so many residents have been inundated and would have been no matter how much preparation there was.”

Over 17,000 residents remain isolated by the floods.

(Image source: The New York Times)

BY LIAM KEEGAN

Violence in Egypt spilled over into a second day as police squared off against protesters. The catalyst for the latest unrest was Wednesday night’s deadly soccer riots. ESPN has more.

“Anger over the soccer riot that left 74 dead yesterday led to a protest outside the Interior Ministry by as many as 10,000 people who accuse police of failing to stop the assaults.”

Protesters say the match, between the teams Al-Ahly and Al-Masry, suffered from a lack of security. An analyst tells CNN police have steered clear of the stadiums for some time.

“The fans would fight the police every weekend, from 2007 really when these fan movements started coming into existence. So since then, a lot of the police have not been going to the grounds because they’re so hated, and you see a power vacuum...”

Over the last two days police have shot two protesters dead, one soldier was killed outside the interior ministry, and two more protesters died yesterday from tear gas inhalation. On PBS News Hour, Matt Bradley of the Wall Street Journal explains what’s driving the protests.

“A lot of the protesters, a lot of the activists are saying this was a deliberate effort by the military regime, or the Ministry of the Interior, to cause violence.”

The protesters say police wanted the violence to break out so they would have an excuse to reinstate Egypt’s Emergency Law, giving police broad powers. But not everyone pointed the finger at police. The National Post reports.

“The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party blamed pro-Mubarak forces, saying it was orchestrated by Mubarak’s sons from their prison cells, and discerned the ever-popular influence of ‘foreign fingers’ as also being responsible.”

NBC News correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin put the responsibility for the violence on Egypt as a whole..

“Those responsible for the violence at Wednesday’s game were Egyptians. Period.
Now, they could have been instigated, motivated and, even more sinisterly, hired to carry out these attacks on each other. But in the end, they were all fellow countrymen...”

(Image source: Act For America) 

BY MALLORY PERRYMAN

An editorial post claims U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes Israel will attack Iran soon-- and the media ran with the story.

“U.S. officials now fear Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear facilities sooner than later.” (NBC)

“A report that Israel may be getting ready to launch an attack this spring.” (Fox News)

“...U.S. officials worry that Israel could actually attack Iran as early as this spring.” (KTTV)

That news came from this editorial piece by David Ignatius in The Washington Post.

“Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June...”

But Politico’s Tim Mak points out--

“Ignatius does not characterize the source behind his claim...Indeed, the writer does not indicate whether his source is Panetta himself, top aides to the secretary, or someone else.”

When asked about the article-- Panetta told the Associated Press-- he’s not commenting on the story.

But CNN’s Barbara Starr says she confirmed the timetable with a senior Pentagon official. She explains, Israeli officials believe this spring is their last chance to reach Iran’s nuclear facilities with Israel’s own weapons.

Barbara Starr: “After that, they believe Iran would have made enough progress that Israeli weapons can not get to Iran’s nuclear effort, it would only be U.S. weapons.”

If Israel goes ahead with the strike, the U.S. may have to get involved. And NBC’s David Gregory says, that’s the worst-case scenario for the American military.

David Gregory: “... depending upon the nature of the strike it will be destabilizing for the region if not lethal for parts of Israel should something like this happen and the reverberations both in terms of nuclear proliferation and U.S. interests...”

And according to The National Post’s Matt Gurney-- Israel isn’t thrilled about leaving it up to the U.S. either. So will Israel actually strike? Gurney says-- the latest reports sound like deja vu.

“Another year, another report saying that U.S. officials are concerned that Israel may be on the verge of launching a pre-emptive strike...Time will tell, of course.”

On Thursday-- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said publicly-- time is running out to stop Iran from developing its nuclear program.




 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
 

BY XIAONAN WANG

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO 

The tiff between novelist Paul Auster and Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan got started earlier this week. At issue: the 70 Turkish journalists that the group Set Turkish Journalists Free says are in prison there.

Auster told a Turkish newspaper that he refused to visit Turkey to publicize his new book  because they jailed journalists.  

The prime minister called Auster, who is Jewish, “an arrogant man”.  Erdogan says Paul has a double standard because he visited Israel in spite of its bombing Gaza. The prime minister also mocked the noted writer, saying he is just not interested in his visit.

“As if we need you! Who cares if you come or not? Would Turkey lose any grandeur?”

Paul picked up the fight. He defended himself Wednesday in his latest statement:

“Whatever the Prime Minister might think about the state of Israel, the fact is that free speech exists there and no writers or journalists are in jail. ”

Paul’s stand is applauded by Jewish Journal.  The Journal’s Shmuel Rosner says the author is admired for taking on this fight with Turkey’s P.M.    Rosner also speaks out against Erdogen for dragging down Israel.

“Suppose Israel is a terrible country, does it make Turkey better? Does it make Turkey’s imprisonment of journalists more justified?”

However, a blog post on Mondoweiss echoes Erdogan’s accusation against Paul. It quoted a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January:

“the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm over ongoing attacks on and detention of journalists in Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as over a recent series of developments that restrict freedom of the press in Israel.”

No matter where this ends up, a Wall Street Journal article points out that Auster will benefit by it.   

“......he certainly got some publicity for his latest book — “Winter Journal” — published in Turkey last month, ahead of the U.S. edition.”

(Image Source: euronews)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.

In world news, extreme cold weather in Europe has claimed more than 100 lives in the past week. The death toll in Ukraine alone is 101. euronews says the country is experiencing its coldest winter in six years, with temperatures dropping as low as 33 degree celcius below freezing.
 

“The country’s Emergencies Ministry has set up around 3,000 heated tents to provide shelter for the homeless. Some 64 of the dead were found on the streets.”

 

Still in world news, a former Khmer Rouge official has been sentenced to life in prison after appealing his previous 30-year sentence. The official, better known as Duch, oversaw the deaths of some 15,000 people during Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime. Al Jazeera has more details.
 

“Duch’s crimes, the court said, were an affront to all humanity and the Cambodian people in particular. He was in charge of the factory of death at the S-21 torture center, known as Tuol Sleng.”

 

In U.S. news, in a rare act of bipartisanship, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill which would ban insider trading by members of Congress. The bill would also require lawmakers and thousands of executive branch officials to promptly disclose any stock tradings. HLN has more.
 

“One sponsor though said, this means that lawmakers will be subject to the same rules when it comes to stocks, as everybody else.”
 

Still in the U.S., burglars have stolen gold nuggets from a historic collection in a Northern California courthouse. The entire collection is estimated at $3 million — authorities are still figuring out how much was actually stolen. The county has deep gold rush roots, and KTVU talks to one resident who says he’s offended by the crime.
 

“We’ve been violated. All the people. It’s not really the county or the... thing. It’s the people that were violated today.”

Stay with Newsy for more analysis of news thoughout the day.  For newsy now, I’m Jim Flink, highlighting the day’s top headlines, making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY KEVIN DUBOUIS

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

For the fifth time in nearly two decades, Israelis elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leader of the right wing Likud party.

The Telegraph reports Tuesday wasn’t just any win — he got 3/4s of the vote.

“The size of his victory will boost Mr Netanyahu, who has faced criticism from some within his traditionally hawkish party for accepting the notion of Palestinian statehood. Senior party officials were quoted as saying that he is contemplating calling an election in October, taking advantage of a strong showing in opinion polls and signs of disarray in some opposition parties.”

Israel’s general election normally wouldn’t take place until late 2013. According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu denied setting an earlier date for the general elections. But euronews points out another challenge in Netanyahu’s political agenda — the upcoming American presidential election.

The Israeli leader has clashed with President Obama on Middle East peace issues, and some analysts suggest Mr. Obama will be more determined in pressuring Israel for concessions if he is re-elected for a second term.

“It is thought he wants a strengthened mandate to be better placed to deal with Barack Obama on Middle East peacemaking, should the U.S. president himself be re-elected.”

The primary comes under the backdrop of international pressure on Israel to resume peace talks with the Palestinians. The New York Times reports United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Jerusalem the day after Likud’s primary to call for good-will gestures toward the Palestinians from Israel.

“The secretary general said he hoped that the exploratory talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials that took place last month in Jordan, the first direct contacts in more than a year, could be sustained.”

The Israeli channel Infolive.tv has Israeli prime minister’s response.

“Netanyahu has said is willing to make such gestures, but only if he is given guarantees that the Palestinians will not walk away from the negotiating table a few weeks later.”

And Haaretz reports Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas’ pessimism about peace talks.

“ ... Abbas said that during the talks in Jordan, Israel did not present ‘any encouraging proposal that we could advance with.’ He also said ‘Israel continues to establish facts on the ground, to build settlements and take control of lands in Jerusalem and the West Bank. This is something we cannot accept, not today and not tomorrow.’ …”

Those settlements remain a sticking point in peace talks. But as the Middle East Monitor points out -- with Netanyahu staying at the helm of Likud -- that isn’t likely to change.

“Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed his commitment to his country's illegal settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territories. ... the Israeli prime minister said that the settlements are a ‘key element’ of the state's future.”

According to the Jerusalem Post — Netanyahu told Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon he’s willing to talk to Palestinians about Israeli settlements, but that a freeze can’t be a precondition of those negotiations.

(Image Source: Herald Sun)

BY EMILY ALLEN

ANCHOR EMILY SPAIN

A ferry capsizes during rough weather off the coast of Papua New Guinea.  The vessel was carrying mostly students and teachers on it’s way to the mainland of Lae.  Here is KTRK.

“Officials say the ferry sent out a distress signal overnight, capsized in choppy waters then sank several hours later.”

Rescue crews have a problem.  The Australian Broadcasting Corporation says the shipping agency will not confirm the number of passengers on board.

“That is frustrating the local police and the search and rescue effort that, as far as they can’t tell how many more people may be out there.”

But the Sydney Morning Herald thinks there is a reason the company is staying mum about the numbers.

“Local people said there had long been concern about overcrowding on the ferry, owned by the brother of PNG's National Maritime Safety Authority chairman.”

A TV New Zealand reporter says this accident doesn’t come as a surprise following two similar disasters in recent years.

“There first two, incompetence.  And the ferry owners, the people who are running this got away with it because they could and it’s people’s lives here that are at risk.”

News of the wreck prompted the country’s Prime Minister to issue a call to action.  Here is the Guardian.

“We need to bring some safety measures back into this industry.  We cannot afford to continue to lose our people’s lives.  And sea transport is one of the most important forms of transportation in the country.”

Herald Sun reports bad light and poor weather are hampering rescue efforts.  It says this shipwreck has been described as the worst-ever shipping disaster in the country’s history.
 

Image: National Geographic

(Image Source: BBC)

BY BLAKE HANSON

NATO’s primary combat role in Afghanistan could come to an end in 2013. Top U.S. and NATO officials echoed each other Thursday -- discussing what would be an accelerated draw down in troops. NBC’s Today Show has the story...

“Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, said the U.S. military hopes to end its formal combat mission there some time in 2013.”

“The Pentagon says the U.S. will be open to teaming up with the Afghan army in the ongoing fight against the Taliban, and will stay on the ground through 2014.”

The Associated Press reports this is the first time NATO has hinted combat operations would end before 2014. A Sky News reporter says the move gives the Taliban a timetable.

“In some areas, in particular, the Taliban have decided to sit on their hands, let NATO go so they can then fight an easier foe in the form of the Afghan government.”

A writer for the National Post explains why there’s so little trust the Afghan government will be able to handle the job.

“No one even pretends that these troops will be coming home as victors. Instead, the job will be left to the Afghan military, which is decently trained and equipped, but has low morale and … is shot through with Taliban sympathizers.”

CNN’s Pentagon correspondent says support for the war from other NATO countries is dwindling, which could explain the accelerated timeline.

“Everybody agrees this war is not going to be sustainable much longer. Every source we speak with tells us that. So this is now a question of when, not if.”

Finally, the Christian Science Monitor asks -- what does this mean for the troops?

“Are they likely to be safer? To see less fighting? In practical terms, probably not … The move away from a ‘combat role’ into … an ‘advise and assist role’ is replete with some murky military definitions.”

(Image Source: Flickr/Eddie S)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

In world news, public anger in Egypt after more than 70 people die in a soccer tragedy. Some Egyptians are blaming government security forces for failing to protect civilians.  Eyewitnesses say they saw police officers standing idly by as the violent clashes broke out. One NBC correspondent says the incident highlights one of Egypt’s biggest problems.
 

“...many people have lost confidence in the police and the security forces in being able to keep any kind of law and order. And when they try to do that, it often turns violent and angers and fuels more protests, so it is a very precarious situation.”
 

Still in world news, a ferry sinks off Papua New Guinea’s east coast with as many as 350 people on board. Rescuers have recovered more than 200 survivors. Reports say most of the passengers were students and teachers’ trainees. Here’s KING.
 

“This picture shows ships and helicopters are on the scene. So far officials say 238 people have been rescued. Right now it's unclear what caused the ferry to sink.”
 

In U.S. news, Mitt Romney’s Wednesday morning gaffe on CNN is still getting backlash. In an interview with Soledad O’Brien, the GOP presidential hopeful says he was, quote - ‘not concerned about the very poor.’ He has since clarified the remarks -- but his opponents aren’t missing the opportunity to attack. Here’s CNN, with Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail.

Gingrich: “I am running to be the president of all the American people, and I am concerned about all of the American people.”
 

Still in U.S. news, it’s Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and according to folklore, that means there will be six more weeks of winter. Fox News has that clip - with some in the audience booing the groundhog for a prediction he can’t even help! Come on guys - it’s not Phil’s fault.
 

Punxsutawney gentleman: “...many shadows do I see -- six more weeks of winter it must be.”
Audience: [cheering and booing]


Stay with Newsy for more analysis on news throughout the day.  For Newsy Now, I’m Jim Flink, highlighting the day’s top headlines to make you smarter, faster.
 

(Image Source - CBS)
 

BY JOSHUA LANDER

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Riots in Port Said, Egypt left 73 dead and hundreds more injured Wednesday morning.  It had nothing to do with politics.  It was all because of a soccer match.
 
Fans from home team Al-Masry stormed the field and began hurling stones and fireworks at fans and players of the opposing team from Cairo.  Many of the reported dead were security officers who were beaten to death while trying to bring order.

The New Zealand Herald quoted Al-Ahly player Mohamed Abo Treika as saying...

"This is not football. This is a war and people are dying in front of us. There [was] no movement and no security and no ambulances."

Another player said..

"The players' room has turned into a morgue." 

Soccer related violence has increased dramatically in Egypt since the country’s revolution last year.  One CNN expert says the riot was most likely not spontaneous. 

"There’s a small group of fanatical fans called the Ultras who often times go to these games with the specific intent of getting into fights with fans from the opposing team."

According to Voice of America, the riots have forced the hand of Egyptian officials. 

"Egypt's state prosecutor has ordered an immediate investigation into the violence and the country's football association called for an indefinite suspension of the annual championship."

While the riot does not appear to coincide with Egypt’s political unrest in the past year, it does raise the continued issue of the state police’s ability to deal with violent crowds.  CBS News recorded the incident as...

"...the deadliest incident of soccer violence since Oct. 16, 1996, when at least 78 people died and 180 others were injured in a stampede at a stadium in Guatemala City..."

(Image source: CNNMoney)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

The deal that would have forged the world’s largest stock exchange is officially dead. Euronews has the headline.

“Competition regulators in Brussels have blocked a merger that would have created the world’s biggest stock exchange. Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext say they will now unwind the deal.”

Leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, the head of EU’s Competition Commission told Bloomberg the deal between US-based NYSE and German exchange Deutsche Boerse was anything but done...

“My conclusion is that some problems of competition will not be solved by this merger, but will be aggravated.”

In fact, Fox Business quotes EU officials coming out with some pretty harsh antitrust descriptions for the deal. According to one of them...

“The merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide. These markets are at the heart of the financial system and it is crucial for the whole European economy that they remain competitive.”

You can guess the head of Germany’s flagship exchange wasn’t too pleased to hear the news. A German TV station has the soundbite...

“This is a black day for Europe and its future competitiveness on world financial markets.”

And a financial reporter for the BBC seems to agree.

“Where are these stock exchanges going to go? There’s a feeling that when you’re talking about a global market you have to be globally competitive and you have to be big.”

At least one person on the US-side of the pond likes the deal’s death. The familiar name in national politics, big-city real estate, and prime-time reality TV talks to CNBC....

Donald Trump: “The New York Stock Exchange should be this country...I’m very happy to see it, Becky, I think it’s a good thing for the country.”

This is the latest merger to fall through for America’s oldest exchange. Back in April, rival NASDAQ attempted and failed at a hostile takeover of the NYSE.

(Image Source: Flickr/jam_90s)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now, and here are your latest headlines.
 

In world news, four British nationals have admitted to plotting al-Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks on the U.S. embassy and the Stock Exchange in London. The men were arrested in December 2010, after being put under surveillance. The BBC reports on one damning piece of evidence that was found in one of the men’s apartments: a handwritten list.

“On that list were the names and addresses of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and two rabbis. As well as the words ‘American embassy’ and the initials LXC.”
 

In U.S. news, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney won what some have called a ‘resounding victory’ in the Florida primary Tuesday night. He had 46 percent of the votes, while runner-up Newt Gingrich had just 32 percent. On CNN, Florida Governor Rick Scott offers his analysis on why Romney came out on top.
 

“What Florida voters want, is they want a president that’s going to focus on reducing taxes, reducing regulations and gear our economy back to work. And last night, Governor Romney was that candidate.”
 

In tech news, sources familiar with the topic say Facebook could file for IPO as early as this morning. The company reportedly will file plans to raise $5 billion. It has picked Morgan Stanley to lead the process. Bloomberg talks to a venture capitalist who says once the documents are released, he’ll be looking for data on Facebook’s monetization per user.
 

“Because Facebook has an immense amount of traffic. Over 10 percent of the Internet traffic now, but how quickly that continues to grow as they grow their user base. They are already at 800 million people, and there are so many people on the planet...”
 

Finally, in health news, Pfizer is recalling one million packets of birth control pills. The company says the pills might not contain enough contraceptive to prevent pregnancy. KNXV has the details.
 

“The problem affects Lo/Ovral-28, and generic Norgestrel, and also Ethinyl Estradiol. ... the affected packets have expiration dates between July 31, 2013 to March 31, 2014.”



Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m ___, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY KEVIN DUBOUIS

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

Starbucks announced plans to bring its coffee shops to India through an $80 million joint venture with Tata Global Beverages. The company expects to open 50 outlets by year’s end. Bloomberg has comments from Starbucks’ China and Asia Pacific president John Culver.

“What they provide to us is the opportunity to build up this business in the right way. They have local knowledge, they have local infrastructure, we have a grand iconic brand.”

The Seattle Times reports Starbucks has been eyeing the Indian market for several years but the economic situation there had delayed any business agreements.

“The chain first planned to launch in India in 2007, when it still bragged it would reach 40,000 stores worldwide. The recession and Starbucks' overexpansion ended that talk. An overhauled Starbucks, at 17,250 stores worldwide, also plans less robust growth.”

India’s Daily News and Analysis says Starbucks and Tata eventually agreed on a 50:50 partnership.

“For Starbucks, Tata’s retail stores will help it sell its packaged coffees and other products. There will also be a co-branded premium tea that the two companies will work together on. Under a separate agreement between Starbucks Coffee Company and TataCoffee Ltd, the latter will roast coffee at its upcoming facility in South India for the whole of Starbucks India operations and to export to the Starbucks globally.”

The Indian business newspaper The Economic Times has comments from Tata Global Beverages’ Vice-chairman who sees the partnership with Starbucks as a development ...

“…‘that fits into the specific architecture of Tata Global Beverages which is to go into more valuated, superior category of the market place...’”

The New York Times reports India’s finance minister -- Pranab Mukherjee -- said coffee is becoming more popular in India, where tea had been the traditional drink of choice.

“ ... ‘India presents opportunity at this moment that cannot be ignored,’ Mr. Mukherjee said … India, long a country of tea drinkers, has experienced an explosion in cafes and restaurants over the last decade because of its growing middle class and a large youth population.”

And The Financial Times reports on Starbucks’ challenges.

“Starbucks will face competition from a handful of incumbent coffee chains… Starbucks is seeking to reduce the dominance of the US in its operations. More than 12,000 of its 17,000-plus stores are in its home market. The Americas region – including a few hundred stores in Canada and Latin America – accounts for three-quarters of its revenue.”

(Image source: The Asian Age)

BY JING LIU

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

Yor're watching multisource global video news analysis from Newsy.

Italian rescue officials called off the search for bodies on the Costa Concordia cruise ship Tuesday. Italy's Civil Protection agency announced Tuesday the hull is too deformed for rescuers to navigate within the ship safely.

More than two weeks have passed since the cruise ship grounded off the coast of Italy. Seventeen bodies have been recovered, with 15 people still missing.(video: The Telegraph)

What’s next for the ship? KIRO reports -- a half million gallons of fuel must be extracted.

“There it is. They were able to blast a hole on the underwater compartment. That would allow them to unload fuel once the ship is stable."

But according to MSNBC, cleanup and removal are not that easy, and could take up to 10 months.

“Inclement weather over the weekend shut down search and salvage efforts at the site of the ship wreck off the Tuscan coast. High winds and rough seas delayed plans to begin pumping 500,000 gallons of fuel off the Concordia.”

Fuel removal is expected to continue later this week. But that’s not the only difficulty the cruise’s US parent company -- Carnival -- is facing. Tuscan islanders are threatening to sue Carnival over potential environmental pollution. The Daily Mail quotes one fisherman:

“‘Let's hope we are able to solve everything without pollution … That's the main worry.’”

And another resident says…

“‘The damage to the environment is strong. If I think of just one cabin, it's like throwing a whole bar into the sea. That alone, I think, can pollute with just what it contains. Imagine a floating town!’”

According to The Wall Street Journal, Carnival Corp. estimated Monday the Costa Concordia crash will lower net income by as much as $175 million in fiscal year 2012.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In U.S. news, it’s Florida primary day. The state is breaking presidential primary rules by jumping ahead of the schedule set by the national GOP. Washington Post says officials want to make sure the state remains a relevant voice in the race to the nomination. No matter who wins there -- Fox News explains --- the move is costing Florida half its delegates to the national convention.
 

“It’s being punished. 101 delegates, or, 100 cut down to 50. So the total winner-take-all today is 50 delegates.”
 

Still in the U.S., Occupy D.C. tents are still up in the city’s McPherson Square, despite passing yesterday’s deadline, which would make it illegal to camp in the city’s parks. WTTG explains the new rules.
 

“The tents may remain in place as a symbol of the protest, but they must be free of any gear that would allow folks to sleep here overnight. That is the no camping rule that they are beginning to enforce.”
 

In world news, the head of the Arab League is set to address the UN Security Council on the Syria situation. The UN hopes to draft a resolution to push President Bashar al-Assad out of the way. One problem though - Russia will most likely veto it. CNN says the violence on the ground will not cease until Russia agrees to a resolution.
 

“Because at least in that case, the Syrian government will be getting a signal that its long time international ally Russia might be beginning to change its position.”
 

Still in world news, Italian officials have permanently called off the search and rescue effort on the submerged parts of the Costa Concordia. KIRO has the details.

“They’re calling of the search due to the dangers to rescue workers. Sixteen people are still listed as missing, 17 bodies are recovered.”


Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Megan Murphy, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.  

(Image Source: BBC)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

A British man named Steve Hornsby has blue balls -- blue balls of mysterious jelly, that is, in his yard. But what are they -- and how did they get there? The Guardian has his story:

“Hornsby, an aircraft engineer, said: ‘ … the sky went very dark and then a strange yellow colour. There was then a short, sharp hail storm that lasted for about 20 seconds. … then I spotted something on the lawn and it looked like broken glass.”

What Hornsby found covering his lawn were about 20 gelatinous, blue spheres. He says they were definitely not there before the storm. Hornsby says they have a hard exterior and a softer inside -- they don’t smell, they don’t float. He has one idea about what the balls could be.

“I think it might be some kind of atmospheric pollution that’s been caught up in the hail stones and it’s solidified. ... It’s almost impossible to pick up -- you have to scoop it up, really, and it just falls to pieces.”

But, the BBC reports the Met Office says the balls are, quote, “not meteorological.” The Sun has other speculation.

“A scientist at his local university suggested they may be eggs that were taken from the sea by a bird that dropped them over Steve's house in the hail storm. But this seems unlikely as they are transparent and there are no signs of eggs or an embryo inside.”

So, that idea might be out too. Doubtful News has one more theory -- that the balls are ‘hydrogel balls’ used for planting.

“ … these are described as ‘Crystal Soil’ – a new type of green environmental material, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium … can absorb water up to 50-100times of its original weight, and after expansion it looks colorful and brilliant.”

The gel has been sent to a university for testing.

(Image Source: KIMA TV)

BY GARY GRIGSBY

ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Fighting continues in the streets of the Damascus suburbs.  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have moved in attempting to regain control from the Free Syrian Army.  In just the last five days, more than 190 have been killed.  The Guardian notes there is a reason for the spike in violence.

“They say the aim of the weekend forays was to demonstrate the capital was no longer an impregnable regime stronghold, but buffeted from the escalating violence rife in many of Syria’s other towns and cities.”

More amateur footage collected by The Telegraph shows dozens of Army tanks moving in to Douma, just outside the city center, later accompanied by thousands of soldiers.

Ayman Mohyeldin reports on the affects of the violence after Syrian soldiers passed through Zabadani, just outside Damascus...

“The residents in this house have been showing us the damage caused by the Syrian soldiers. They also say the Syrian Army set up here a sniper’s nest from which they were overlooking the village and attacking the residents below.”

CNN says potential solutions to the violence are being evaluated.

“The U.N. Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would call on president Bashar al-Assad to step down and transfer power.”

The Security Council is expected to take up that resolution Tuesday.

(Image source: Cosmos Magazine)

BY STACEY WELSH

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Sperm zapping-- is it the new form of birth control for men?  Scientists believe zapping testicles with ultrasound waves is an effective way to kill sperm.  Researchers at the University of North Carolina tried out the treatment on rats. The BBC reports the findings…

“…showed that sound waves could be used to reduce sperm counts to levels that would cause infertility in humans.”

Scientists found two 15-minute zaps delivered two days apart produced the most effective results. Fox News explains different sessions…

“…reduced the rat's sperm count to an index of zero, or an extremely low number of motile sperm. They also looked inside and saw that the rats had fewer sperm-making cells.”

This isn’t the first time scientists have tried out the zapping technique. According to CBS, a researcher tested the idea back in the 1970s- but as CBS reports, since then--

“...doctors had tried and failed to replicate [the original researcher’s] findings, even when turning up the ultrasound so high that it caused skin burns.”

Four decades later-- new technology has allowed scientists to revisit sperm zapping. But as one researcher tells Live Science-- this method of birth control isn’t quite ready for public use.

"Further studies are required to determine how long the contraceptive effect lasts and if it is safe to use multiple times."

But if the procedure does work out-- one blogger for The Mark explains what it will mean for the average guy.

“...if the procedure is found to be safe not just on rats but also humans, then we can hope to never have to consider a vasectomy ever again.”

But how will guys react to the idea of having their sperm zapped? The anchors at WPBF may give us an idea.

PAUL: I’m gonna need a moment here. Hold on.

ANCHOR: Zap! Paul’s like, “Ow!” I’m like, “Really?”

SHELLI: He’s a little uncomfortable.

PAUL: Alright… Well, you know. We’ll see where that goes.

SHELLI: Oh, we know where it goes! We just don’t know if it works!

A grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the study.

(Image Source: CBS)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In U.S. news, one day before the Florida primary and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has a significant lead over rival Newt Gingrich in the polls. Fox News has the numbers - saying even though Gingrich came in with a lead after his win in South Carolina, his momentum has stalled...
 

“The polls are all showing Mitt Romney with a comfortable lead here in Florida - where it’s 7 points in the latest PPP poll, or 14 in the couple of polls that came out Saturday and Sunday.”
 

Still in U.S. news, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta tells 60 Minutes he believes the Pakistani government must have had an idea that Osama bin Laden was hiding in the country. Still - he says he has no hard evidence. CNN has Panetta’s remarks.
 

“I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was
happening in this compound. Don’t forget, this compound had 18-foot walls around it...”
 

In world news, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the Peruvian central coastline early Monday. Another quake hit the region last October, leveling buildings and leaving some homeless.
 

Reports note the scale of this quake’s damage is not yet clear - but KXAS has info about the injured.

“We’re getting some reports now, about 60 people injured there. None of the injuries from what we’re hearing appear to be very serious, though.”
 

In tech news, U.S. prosecutors are saying all data stored on Megaupload could be deleted as soon as Thursday. The company’s lawyer says about 50 million users could lose their data - including ones that were legitimately uploaded.
 

CNET quotes one of its readers, who says: “Millions of people have their work and personal files on MegaUpload and depend on MegaUpload to provide service for them to make money to feed their family.”
 

Stay with Newsy for more analysis on news throughout the day.  For Newsy Now, I’m Nathan Byrne highlighting the day’s top headlines to make you smarter, faster.

(Image Source: Montreal Gazette) 

BY KYLIE MCGIVERN 

Three people were found guilty in Canada on Sunday of first-degree murder - killing four women -- women who were members of their own family. And it was all in the name of “honour.” CTV has more ...

“Prosecutors have long argued that the young Shafia sisters had shamed the conservative Afghan family - and especially its patriarch - by wearing revealing clothing, refusing to don hijabs and having boyfriends … Teachers, child protection workers and police officers testified about reports from the girls that they were afraid of their father and brother and wanted to run away from home.”

The bodies of Mohammad Shafia’s three teenage daughters and his 53-year-old first wife were found in a submerged car near Kingston back in 2009. Shafia, his other wife and their 21-year-old son were convicted in the killings. The family had moved from Afghanistan to Canada in 2007. The Globe and Mail explains these types of cases.

“There have been other murder charges involving so-called 'honour killings' … but not on this scale, and not involving parents who were willing to wipe out half their family for the sake of their honour, and then lie about it.‬”

As part of the case, police planted bugs in the Shafia family’s car and home phone.

Referencing photos of his two daughters, the Toronto Star reports Shafia said...

“Whenever I see those pictures, I am consoled. I say to myself, ‘you did well. Would they come back to life a hundred times, for you do to the same again.’... “They betrayed kindness, they betrayed Islam, they betrayed our religion and creed, they betrayed everything...They brought about their rightful deaths.’’

In trial, the judge asked the father, mother, and 21-year-old son if they had anything to say. Here’s CBC with details on the responses.

“Mohammad Shafia said, “I did not commit any murder.’ His wife Tooba Yahya, same thing, saying, ‘We are not murderers,’ and their son Hamed got up and in English said, ‘I did not drown my sisters.’”

But The Canadian Press reports, Judge Robert Maranger had no sympathy, and quotes him.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more despicable, more heinous … more honourless crime … The apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honour … that has absolutely no place in any civilized society."

And in an interview with CNN, the UK Crown Prosecution Service spoke about the religious undertones of the case.

“At the end of the day, murder is murder. There is no faith on Earth, no community on Earth that justifies this. Abrahamic faiths say, ‘Thou shall not kill.’ So you don’t kill to support your faith.”

Shafia and Yahya have four other children, who have all been placed in foster care. Their convictions of first-degree murder carry automatic life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY STACEY WELSH

ANCHOR BRICE SANDER

International Atomic Energy Agency officials arrived in Iran Sunday morning. Their goal: to prove if the country is developing nuclear weapons. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the country’s nuclear program is for research purposes. CNN reports he was set to ...

“... discuss the problem with world powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S. But the U.S. and other officials have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, and that’s why the I.A.E.A. is there right now.”

But the New York Times cites evidence against the president’s claims, reporting the I.A.E.A. has…

“…amassed ‘over a thousand pages’ of documents, presumably leaked out of Iran, showing ‘research, development and testing activities’ on a range of technologies that would only be useful in designing a nuclear weapon.”

Protesters waited for the inspectors’ arrival to speak out against the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s Iran policy. Iranian officials believe the U.S. and Israel are responsible for the killing of a nuclear scientist. Euronews shows...

“...demonstrators carried pictures of a murdered nuclear scientist who was killed by a car bomb earlier this month.”

A motorcyclist had attached an explosive to the scientist’s car. Deutsche Welle reports the six inspectors kept a low profile at Tehran’s airport.

“[They] avoided contact with reporters and left for the capital through a rear exit.”

There is speculation that officials will be allowed to visit the Fordo uranium enrichment facility, but the Vienna-based I.A.E.A. predicts the visit will not involve inspections. It will focus on resuming discussion. Haaretz.com reports Iran is expected to…

“…cooperate with the I.A.E.A. team during their three-day visit but indicated it would not give up uranium enrichment, which it considers a sovereign right.”

Iran’s foreign minister is optimistic about the visit and maintains Iran has nothing to hide.

(Image source: San Francisco Chronicle)

BY NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.

Inspectors from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency are in Iran today. CNN reports what they’re tasked with...

“The inspectors will attempt to examine Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The IAEA says it will try to clarify any military dimensions to that program.”

Police arrested more than 300 people at ‘Occupy’ protests in Oakland, California Saturday night. According to Fox and Friends, police officers used tear gas and flash grenades to stop protestors from throwing rocks and tearing down fences...

“So far, three police officers have been hurt. A group also broke into City Hall, reportedly damaging exhibits and burning an American flag.”

The search for missing toddler, Ayla Reynolds shifts to a criminal investigation. Maine State Police confirm they’ve found blood in the basement of the home where she was last seen. Boston’s WCVB reports...

“Whose blood was it? How long had it been there? Authorities say the crime lab is still working to answer those questions.”

GOP presidential hopeful, Rick Santorum has canceled his Sunday-morning campaign events. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer...

Santorum’s youngest daughter -- three-year-old Bella -- has been admitted to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. The three-year-old suffers from a chromosomal condition and was not initially expected to survive until her first birthday.

Hope you weren’t holding out for a Colbert-Cain GOP ticket. Saturday, the man with the 9-9-9 plan said Newt Gingrich is his number one. Here’s HLN..

CAIN: “Hereby, officially and enthusiastically endorse Newt Gingrich for President of the United States.”

REPORTER: “Now, Cain said that Gingrich isn’t afraid to propose big ideas that benefit the nation, even if he’s ridiculed for it.”

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Nathan Byrne, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: ABC.net.au)

BY BLAKE HANSON

A spike is violence puts the Arab League’s observer mission in Syria on hold, Arab League leaders announced Saturday. WNBC reports...

“The league is responding to today’s reports of a massacre in the city of Homs. More than 30 people have been killed in a barrage of mortar fire and bullets reportedly fired by troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.”

So does the suspension come as a shock? Not according to a BBC Middle East analyst, who says...

“...it is not a big surprise that the mission has been halted, as activists and human rights groups have accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using it to buy time.”

A statement from the Arab League says they won’t be pulling the monitors out of the country, but a writer for the Daily Mail says even if the observer mission continues -- it won’t go forward with much support.

“...the mission has been widely criticised for failing to stop the violence. Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia pulled out of the mission. The UN Security Council has been unable to agree on a resolution since violence began in March because of strong opposition from Russia and China.”

The Christian Science Monitor says the observers face a staunch task, writing for the regime...

“... to abandon the course of violence, at this point, would amount to giving up the hopes of keeping his family in power. That's the motivating impetus behind the regime's actions, and a handful of observers can do little to change that.”

The U.N. says more than 5,400 have been killed since protests began in March.
 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY LUKE LEONARD
 

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

$15,000. That’s about how much Costa Concordia is paying out - with strings attached - to passengers on board its cruise ship the night it sailed dangerously close to shore-- and tipped over. Here’s CNN.

“Uninjured passengers aboard the italian cruiseship "costa concordia", they're being offered $14,500 each if they agree not to sue the cruise line company. It also covers reimbursement of the cost of the cruise and all transportation expenses.”

The company also says it will deal with injured passengers on a case-by-case basis. Costa Cruises agreed to the amount with 15 Italian consumer organizations. But Fox News reports, passengers aren’t required to take the cash, and many may opt for a chance at much larger settlements.

“...there are already class action lawsuits which have been filed by italian advocacy, the consumer advocacy groups, hired a law firm out of miami to sue carnival cruise lines, the parent company. They think they can get roughly million dollars per claim.”

So how much money should the passengers be entitled to? USA Today hosted a poll on its website.

As of 5 pm Friday, 65% of the 1880 poll takers thought the payout should be higher. Only 31% of readers agreed with the amount and a mere 4% thought it should be lowered.

It will probably take weeks before passengers will start to see signs of their compensation packages coming through. As an alternative, Consumer association Codacons, is urging passengers to reject the offer and receive other immediate compensation. The Financial Times writes...

“Marc Bern, senior partner at Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, … one of the law firms organizing the lawsuit, called the offer “insulting”. Codacons said that it was looking for at least $160,000 per passenger. “Nobody thought they’d get on the next Titanic,” Bern said.”

While the world’s media covers the stories of the passengers, the 1,000 crew members who were aboard the ship seem to have been forgotten. The International Business Times acknowledges the crew in its report...

“What is unclear is what, if anything, the crew members of the Concordia will get from their employer. While they may not be entitled to the payments, they are still able to sue Costa for damages and injuries, according to Miami-based maritime lawyer John Hickey.”

The cruise industry will likely take a big hit in the wake of the Costa Concordia incident. However, as a modest gesture from Costa Cruises, passengers have also been offered 30% off their next cruise if they can be talked in to taking one.  
 

(Image Source: Al Jazeera)


BY GILLIAN STEDMAN AND ADNAN KHAN

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have begun force-feeding prisoners, to counter an inmate-led hunger strike.

But euronews reports the prisoners took an extreme measure to fight back. A warning -- some might find this video disturbing.

“More than thirteen hundred prisoners are said to have sewn their lips together with nearly seven thousand on hunger strike. The shocking images come from Kyrgyzstan.”


According to the BBC, the protesters are demanding better living conditions and, they say, an end to constant beatings that plague the prison system.


But prison authorities argue the disruption is being led by imprisoned gang members who oppose tighter regulations within the prison. WAGA reports.


“The prison system say staff confiscated several banned items during routine security sweeps, but prisoners claim that special forces barged into their cells and even beat some of them for no reason.”


Those tighter regulations include the elimination of the “common room,” where prisoners could move around freely. Al Jazeera quotes the penitentiary's head, who explains why the common room was removed.


“He dismissed the protest against restrictions on movement, saying the prisoners wanted to move around the jails ‘to continue to be able to make fools of the guards’. ‘That will no longer happen … Let them all sew shut their mouths.’”


But a reporter for Voice of America notes there’s a good reason for the restrictions, quoting the director for Detention Center Number 1.


“This is not a hotel, this is not a holiday resort, they should serve their time … You have taken pictures of everything that was seized. That included plasma screen TVs, refrigerators, handmade beds, mattresses that were smuggled in.”


Voice of America further reports some 200 prisoners have removed the stitches after a visit from family members and human-right activists.



###

(Image Source: PCWorld)

BY ELIZABETH RINEHART

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

It’s a bird... It’s a plane... It’s a Lego?!

“Built a man out of legos, attached him to a helium balloon, threw a camera on there and this is the result. Lego man got 80,000 feet into the air,” (SOURCE: ABC NEWS)

At 17, when most of their peers are more concerned with beating Skyrim, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad spent four months’ worth of Saturdays building a contraption that would send the Canadian flag-wielding-Lego-man up into space. How, exactly, did they do it? Global Toronto has it.

Ho: “Yeah, so this is the preliminary box where the camera actually fit it...”

Voiceover: “They built a Styrofoam box to house four cameras and a GPS-enabled phone, bought a 12-foot diameter weather balloon and attached a homemade parachute.”

The pair gave themselves a budget of $500, and kept the project $100 under-budget by buying the cameras via sites like Craigslist. The media attention has been good to them, as the Toronto Star reports...

“Canon, which makes the point-and-shoot cameras Ho and Muhammad used to document the stratospheric trip, is giving the 17-year-old students top-of-the-line cameras. Lego emailed a note of congratulations. An impressed Toronto couple offered to reimburse the pair for their costs, but Ho and Muhammad said there was no need — so they’re going to see the [Toronto Maple] Leafs instead.”

So, what’s next for these two wunderkinds? Here’s CBC.

“The next big project would be... completing grade 12”

image source: BoingBoing

 

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Twitter’s getting tweaked-- the microblog is implementing a more specific censorship policy that will block illegal content and messages on a country-by-country basis.

Twitter already globally censors certain content in response to copyright claims or obvious illegal activity, like links to pirated software. Twitter explains in a blog post that this new method will comply with national laws, and will allow what might be censored in one country to still be visible in others.

Twitter says it’s committed to disclosing its censorship activity. If content is blocked, Twitter will post a notice and link users to an explanation of what was blocked, and why.

That’s great, GigaOM says. But the fact remains:

“...no matter how Twitter phrases it, this news is going to concentrate attention on one thing: that a corporate entity, however well-meaning, controls which tweets are seen or not seen.”

It’s a double-edged sword, TechCrunch says. Twitter allows for unfiltered global discussion. But if Twitter wants to expand into other countries, it has to be ready to deal with local rules.

“This diplomatic casting of the restriction of speech, from a company that is built around the idea of free communication, is troubling. Unfortunately, it’s a logical step for a platform that wants to be accepted worldwide.”

Mark Gibbs at Forbes points out-- humans won’t be the ones be monitoring the worldwide Twitter feed.

“...given that over the course of 2011 the number of tweets per second (tps) ranged from a high of almost 9,000 tps down to just under 4,000 tps, any filtering has got to be computer-driven.”

Gibbs goes on to wonder how Twitter’s computers will make accurate calls on millions of straightforward and sarcastic tweets. Even with a microscopic failure rate, he says, the software will be incorrectly blocking -- or incorrectly permitting --  thousands of messages every day.

And the system definitely won’t be bulletproof. The Next Web explains-- there’s a workaround built right into Twitter. If content is blocked in your country...

“...all you have to do if you want to see a ‘blocked’ tweet is to change your Country setting after reading the warning.”

In the meantime, Twitter is working with legal watchdog site ChillingEffects.org to closely document its new censorship activity. Updates will appear at chillingeffects.org/twitter.
 

(Image Source: CNN)

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)


BY EMILY SPAIN


A contaminated heart drug has now killed more than 100 people in Lahore, Pakistan and officials worry the number could continue to rise. BBC has the details on the lethal meds.

“Officials have warned that the contaminated drugs made have been given to nearly 40,000 people. They say that samples are now being tested in the UK and France.”
 

“And the authorities are being criticized for having chosen to buy from cheap rather than reputable sources”

This incident isn’t the only problem Pakistan has with bad drugs.  The World Health Organization reports Pakistan as one of the most significant producers and sellers of counterfeit meds.  The blog Dawn links this problem to the nation’s growing poverty.

“… poverty is not having access to real doctors and dying of counterfeit medicines provided by the government itself. Counterfeit medicines... remain a huge problem in poor countries where most citizens do not have access to education and are willing to compromise on the quality of life on the slightest availability of ‘price discounts’.”

So who’s to blame for the bad drugs?  Pakistan Today reports the government, drug companies, doctors and even patients themselves are all being targeted.
The writer goes on to say this incident calls for change.

“Most of the regulations in the health sector are completed for formality's sake. Whether it is simply getting a pharmacist to sign up for a pharmacy or getting a drug inspector to observe a batch of drugs. And this state of affairs... extends to the whole country. Nowhere is the need for a complete overhaul felt more than in the health sector.”

The Express Tribune reports the government was slow to react to the fake and deadly medications.  It quotes a former chief saying:

“My government had made hospitals for heart patients while the current government is killing these patients by giving them fake drugs.”

So far three local drug companies have now been arrested for allegedly providing the deadly heart drugs. A doctor told the Express Tribune he thinks the contaminated meds have either arsenic, lead or mercury in them.

(Image Source: Antenna 3)


BY KEVIN DUBOUIS
ANCHOR LAUREN GORES
 

The late Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu would have turned 94 on Thursday. To mark the occasion, items from his private collection and family belongings are auctioned off in Bucharest. The National Web Inquirer reports, items include luxurious gifts to the late leader from other dictators.


“The auction is titled … The Golden Age, referring to how Communist party officials depicted life in Romania, despite the common citizens’ struggle with food and power shortages and the constant prospect of being arrested for unknown reasons by the secret police.”

Auctioneer Mihael Stomff explains the significance of the auction for Romanians. Euronews has his comments.

“It’s an age in Romania’s history that cannot be passed over and go unnoticed. … [W]e all lived and it’s normal to try to remember it as a stage in Romania’s development.”

Mr. Ceausescu was deposed in 1989 and executed on Dec. 25 with his wife after an expedited trial. In the past 20 years, Romania has taken the road of democracy, joining the the European Union and NATO. But the political and economic situation in Romania has become increasingly unstable because of a recent deep recession.

For two weeks, hundreds have gathered in Bucharest to protest against austerity measures. They have called on President Traian Basescu to step down. Video: BBC

The New York Times reports protesters say Basescu’s government has become increasingly authoritarian.

“They cited cuts to government salaries, frozen pensions and an increase in the value-added tax, as well as what they said was deep-seated corruption and a broader sense that the government served only its own interests and those of its richest constituents.”

On Wednesday, President Basescu delivered his first public address since the beginning of the turmoil -- hoping to calm protesters. The Associated Press reports President Basescu “acknowledged ... that some citizens lost faith in his leadership.”

The Romanian magazine Business Review explains.

“The president said he and the government will have to create the path to ‘a new country’ for Romanians, which will necessitate revising the Constitution and adopting a new election law. He also urged politicians to adopt ‘modest and decent conduct,’ and warned the parties that until they reform themselves, their claims of attempting to modernize the country will lack credibility.”

WebProNews reports on Thursday that the group Anonymous leaked Romania’s Nuclear Department database. They also posted a video to support the protests.

“We must stand united against our governments and make our voices heard, for we are the people of the world who want to put an end to the economic and monetary enslavement. Stand up Romania.”

So while Ceausescu’s belongings are up for auction, his memory is being used to attack the current president. But Basescu defends his government. The Associated Press quotes him saying “I am not a dictator.”

(Image source: The Mirror)

BY KERRY LEARY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Australia’s Prime Minister and Opposition Leader were in for quite a surprise after deciding to publicly celebrate Australia Day at an awards ceremony Thursday. About 200 aboriginal protesters surrounded the restaurant where the ceremony was being held.

Channel Nine News has more.

“In the middle of that wage, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott in a mad dash for the safety of a get-away car.”

Thursday was not only Australia Day, it was the fortieth anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy -- a permanent activists camp set up at the capitol to fight for Australian Aboriginal rights.

The Sun reports Opposition Leader Tony Abbott outraged protesters by suggesting the Embassy should be shut down. Here are his comments.

“I think a lot has changed for the better since then. I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian ... and I think it is probably time to move on from that.”

The protesters, set up next door to the Australia Day celebrations, decided to surround the building. Gillard and Abbott were trapped for half an hour before being escorted from the building by police.

“Racist! Racist! Racist! Shame on you! Shame on you!”

Both Gillard and Abbott were fine after the incident, but Gillard may have pulled some sort of Cinderella stunt- she lost a shoe in all of the chaos. Luckily, the protesters are happy to return it, according to an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.

“We would like to invite and to extend an invitation to the Prime Minister of Australia to attend the new Aboriginal Parliament to kindly receive her lost shoe.”

Gillard hosted another Australia day function at her residence later in the day. And the National Post reports the Prime Minister was only upset about one thing.

“The only thing that angers me is that it distracted from such a wonderful event.”

The Tent Embassy activists push for Aboriginal control of sacred sites and mineral rights over Aboriginal lands.

(Image Source: Set You Free News) 

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO


Titans of industry … captains of capital … and reigning rulers from around the globe descended on Davos, Switzerland to kick off the 2012 World Economic Forum. Fox Business has part of the triple-A list for the billionaire bash...

“Everyone from Coca-Cola’s Muhtar Kent to Bob Diamond, leader of the gigantic UK bank Barclays, Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and of course Microsoft...”
 

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered a sobering dose of reality with the backdrop of the Eurozone financial crisis. She says the world needs quote, a big rethink.
 

“What sort of lessons have we learned from the global financial crisis and is it sufficient what we’ve learned. I think the answer to that is even in this year it’s still not quite sufficient.”
 

With austerity on the mind, Bloomberg talks to an NYU economist at Davos who says optimism in Europe won’t come quick … and it’ll take work.
 

“Fiscal centralization, reform in Italy and Spain and a number of other places, fiscal stabilization, I would describe it as patience but persistence.”
 

Amid speculation on all the Eurozone fallout, the Guardian reports attendees at Davos are tackling a host of other serious topics this year.
 

“Wednesday's programme in Davos kicked off with a debate on whether 20th-century capitalism is failing 21st-century society. A report on the risks facing the world in 2012 is titled The Seeds of Dystopia. It notes that many of the indicators of economic and societal health are going in the wrong direction... So, the good news in Davos is that the right questions are starting to be asked.”
 

But it’s still not all work. The one percent take breaks to play snow polo … this year, though, Bloomberg reports a familiar movement showed up too. Yep … you guessed it … the 99 percent.
 

“The Occupy movement that started on Wall Street is setting up camp in Davos. The demonstrators say delegates are detached.”


Policy debates, protests, and play at Davos 2012. The 25th World Economic Forum runs through January 29.

(Image Source: NBC's Today Show)

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY XIAONAN WANG

It’s been a year since a popular uprising toppled the reign of long-time president Hosni Mubarak. But as Egyptians gather to commemorate the anniversary -- there are mixed feelings about what lies ahead.

A CNN reporter says, for some, it’s a day to celebrate, but for others, it’s too early to party.

WEDEMAN:  “They want to end military rule. They want the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, popularly known as SCAF, to step down and hand over the power to a civilian body.”

An angry Egyptian talked to Al Jazeera about her disappointment, saying there’s still a lot of work to do.

SALEM “Why would I celebrate when the goal of the revolution has not been realized. We came here one  year ago asking for bread, freedom and social justice. Corruption is still everywhere.”

The military has said it won’t step down until June. On euronews, political analyst Hasan Nafaa expressed his concern the generals are obstructing reform to protect their interests.

Nafaa “We’ve entered a democratic procedural phase, and it’s not clear whether it will produce people who truly speak for the revolution.”

Despite widespread pessimism, an article posted to AllAfrica.com notes, some protesters’ demands have been fulfilled.

“Like promised, parliamentary elections then did start to take place, and were described as transparent and fair by observers, who indicated that the minor violations that occurred do not shake the legitimacy of the entire process.”

But as the BBC explains, making predictions about the future of Egypt is potentially problematic -- the  situation is a lot more complicated than a year ago.

Leyne: “It’s not just the people versus the government. … Sooner or later, someone is gonna pick up the reigns and take this country forward from the deadlock it’s currently in.”

Mubarak faces charges of corruption and questions about his involvement in protesters’ deaths in the uprisings last year. He is currently on trial, but has pleaded not guilty.

(Image Source: The Washington Post)

BY EMILY ALLEN

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Three months after the fall of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi and the dust still hasn’t settled in Libya.  The town of Bani Walid threw out government leaders after a seven-hour gun fight.  Now the country’s National Transition Council is trying to negotiate with the town’s elders.
 
The Guardian reports the town wants to replace the government-appointed military council with its own appointed representatives.  The town’s elders denied claims of being loyal to Gaddafi.

The head of Bani Walid’s local council told Al-Jazeera hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained remnants of Gaddafi forces raised the flag over the city’s buildings.  

Those raising the flags have a message for the National Transition Council.  

“People demanding that the interim leaders deliver on promises of transparency and compensation for those injured in the fighting.”

RT suggests this isn’t just a rally-cry for loyalists.  It’s a response to Middle East Human Rights Groups and their accusations of war crimes by allied forces.
 
“NATO really pushed the envelope and they broke the resolution.  They were there to defend civilians, that was the mandate, and they essentially became the rebels’ air force.”

The Washington Post says this is the first, major organized revolt by remaining Gaddafi supporters but says the NTC has done little in unifying the armed forces.
 

(Image Source: Evening Standard)

BY ELIZABETH RINEHART

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

If all goes as planned, commuters and tourists at the London Olympic Games this summer will have access to the Internet at various tube stops. According to The Telegraph...

“[Transport for London] has confirmed that Wi-Fi access will be provided at 120 stations throughout the Tube network, enabling travellers to go online when waiting at platforms.”

But those wanting to tweet or check Facebook during lengthy Tube trips will be disappointed. The Computer Business Review says that...

“This means users will not be able to stream music or read articles online while in transit, and will only have access near ticket offices, stairwells and on train platforms.”

In 2010, the new system was tested at one station. The Evening Standard reports it was well-received.

“Over half those questioned in the pilot felt that access to Wi Fi would make their experience of using the Tube better.”

And a Stuff.Tv writer raises an important question: Will it cost?

“The only downside to this wonderful tale is we may be charged for the privilege. With no official word on this, all we can do is hope for the best. A free service is the least we deserve having been teased and forced to wait for so long, right?”

According to The Verge-- In a few months, the underground might be one of the more sophisticated transit systems- but for now-- it’s still lacking one important function.

“An actual mobile network on the Tube remains elusive — a similar plan to have mobile access during the Games was discarded last year.”

The provider for the service will be announced later this spring.
 

(Image Source: Fox News)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In U.S. news, the Navy SEALs rescued two kidnapped aid workers in Somalia in what the media call a ‘daring raid.’ Somalian pirates took the two aid workers -- an American and a Dane -- as hostages back in October. Fox News noted an interesting interaction between President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last night.
 

“If you watched the State of the Union last night, there was a hint of what was going down!”
Obama to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: “Leon, good job tonight. Good job tonight.”
 

In world news, Cairo’s Tahrir Square was alive with rallies once again. Wednesday marks a year after the start of the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. Al Jazeera talks to one Egyptian who says she’s not quite celebrating the anniversary.  
 

“For Shayma, January 25 is an opportunity to demonstrate, not a reason to celebrate.
Shayma: “All my Egyptian brothers who were killed, justice has not been served for them.”
 

In business news, Apple is reporting fourth quarter earnings that blew every Wall Street expectation out of the water — thanks to record iPhone and iPad sales over the holiday season. The company sold 37 million iPhones and doubled their iPad sales. One veteran CNN reporter says...
 

“I’ve never seen a quarter like this. And this is a company that today when it opens for trading, could actually be the largest publicly traded company in the world... it would surpass ExxonMobil.”

And in... somewhat entertainment news, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is getting his own TV show. It will begin airing in March exclusively on Russia’s RT network. One of the network’s reporter has the details on what the show will be about.
 

“Basically what he’s going to be doing is discussing the issues of the day with people who he says will shape what tomorrow looks like essentially. And he’s going to be challenging them on his ideas on how to secure a brighter future.”
 

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Jim Flink, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: European Commission)

BY JING LIU

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

You're watching multisource global video news analysis from Newsy.

Have you ever worried your private information could be leaked after shopping online?

The European Union is planning to give people the “right to be forgotten” by the Internet.

According to Bloomberg, the EU will issue tough new data-protection rules this week.

“The legislations will require companies to… delete data unless there is a ‘legitimate and legally justified interest’ to keep them on their servers…. (and) to disclose data breaches within 24 hours of their occurrences.”

According to The Financial Times, the proposed fine would be up to two percent of companies’ global turnover if they violate the new rules.  This means multinationals have to face bills worth hundreds of millions of euros.

A privacy specialist analyzed the function of the strict sanction.

“‘The aim is to elevate data protection to the level where it needs to be taken seriously by chief executives and corporate boards, as opposed to technical compliance staff.’”

A spokesman for the European Commission’s justice commissioner told BBC it has more well-meaning goals than just punishment.

“‘These rules are particularly aimed at young people as they are not always as aware as they could be about the consequence of putting photos and other information on social network websites, or about the various privacy settings available.’”

So, does the “right to be forgotten” mean people have the opportunity to change history?

As the Wall Street Journal reports, an EU commissioner told delegates at the Digital Life Design conference that there were circumstances where the right would not be effective.

“‘The archives of a newspaper are a good example. It is clear that the right to be forgotten cannot amount to a right of the total erasure of history.’”

Although the EU declares good intentions, the new privacy rules worry some businesses.

A lawyer representing technology companies that do business in Europe expressed his concerns to the New York Times.

 “Individuals are getting more rights. The balance is tilting more to the individual versus the companies… There is very little that’s good for the companies other than a reduction of administrative headaches.” 

The European Commission will submit the proposals on Wednesday. If approved, this will be the first overhaul of the 17-year-old data-protection policies.

(Image source: euronews)

BY KEVIN DUBOUIS 

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY 

The French Senate passed on Monday a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide of 1915. The approval has sparked protests in Paris and Ankara -- but Armenians are grateful. Euronews has a speech from French Parliamentary relations minister Patrick Ollier.

“Denial is the ultimate insult to the collective memory that we share; those who encourage this oversight only feel the hatred that could and should have decreased over time ...”

France had already recognized the 1915 massacres as a genocide in 2001, but the new law -- approved by 127 senators while 86 voted against it -- penalizes its denial. Punishment can include a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros -- or $57,000.

Turkish newspapers’ headlines on Tuesday said the ‘Armenian Genocide’ law is an attack on democracy and restricts freedom of speech.

First, a look at a video posted by the newspaper Hurriyet -- thousands of Turks demonstrate in Paris.

BBC explains the ‘Turkish fury’.

“The Turkish foreign ministry branded the decision ‘irresponsible’ and threatened swift retaliatory measures. Armenia says that up to 1.5 million people died in 1915-16 as the Ottoman empire split. Turkey rejects the term genocide and says the number was much smaller.”

Ankara, one of France’s NATO allies, has cut ties with Paris, says the New York Times.

“Turkey has already suspended military cooperation, bilateral political agreement and economic contracts with France over the bill, and on Monday raised the possibility of withdrawing support for Euronews, an international news network based in France, in which Turkey’s national radio and television network holds a 15.5 percent stake.”

As ArmeniaNow reports, the relationship between France and Turkey might worsen even more.

“In Ankara ... the head of Turkey’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee [Volkan Bozkir]  broadcast via Twitter that ‘France opened a black page in its history’.”

But Armenians are celebrating France as a defender of universal human values. France24 has words from Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

“This day will be written in gold, not only in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French people but also in the aim of the history of the protection of human rights worldwide.”

On Tuesday morning, Armenians gathered near the French Embassy in Yerevan to acclaim the bill.

“The bill will now go to President Nicolas Sarkozy for final approval. Critics say it is an effort to win Armenian voters--this year, presidential election.” (Al Jazeera)

President Sarkozy has said he would sign the bill, but Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls it ‘discriminatory and racist’. Sarkozy has reached out to Erdogan to ease tensions.

(Image Source: Senior Living)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In U.S. news, GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney released his tax records late Monday. The Wall Street Journal says he paid a 14 percent effective tax rate in 2010, on an income of about 21 million dollars. The average effective rate for an American taxpayer is 11 percent. CNN says the revelation won’t stop all the tax talk.
 

CNN: “I feel like in a way, this just brings another round of conversation... we haven’t even gotten the full release yet.”
David Frum, contributor: “It opens two conversations: the first conversation is one about Mitt Romney, the second is about the way the tax system works.”
 

Still in the U.S., President Barack Obama is set to deliver the annual State of the Union address at 9 p.m. Eastern Time tonight. CBS explains what’s at stake for the man developing a re-election strategy.
 

“There will probably be no other speech this year, where the president has the attention of tens of millions of Americans, where he can make his case for his vision in this election year.”
 

In world news, a group of armed pro-Muammar Gaddafi residents have captured a city near the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Reuters calls it the gravest challenge yet to the country’s new government. Fox News has more.
 

“Pro-Gaddafi forces recapturing now. The city of Bani Walid near Tripoli. Libya’s new leaders have struggled to unify the country, three months after Gaddafi was captured and killed.”
 

In entertainment news, nominations for the 84th Oscars have been announced. The ceremony will be held February 26. Nine films have been nominated for Best Picture -- NBC’s Today Show has some of the surprises.
 

“Pleasant surprise for Steven Spielberg, whose War Horse hasn’t had as much awards action as you would think it would have had. Tree of Life, which, you know, a small independent movie that did very well, but a lot of people thought it was incredibly confusing, a little bizarre, Academy loved it.”
 

List of nominations, courtesy of the AP. 

Stay with Newsy for more news analysis throughout the day. 

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

BY SAMANTHA KUBOTA

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Celebrations for the Chinese New Year Monday welcomed the Year of the Dragon, the luckiest of all the zodiac signs.

So, many Asian countries are expecting a huge baby boom -- because parents want their kids born in the prosperous year. The BBC reports that in China and Hong Kong, some doctors are expecting a 10 percent jump in births.

The dragon babies have put such a strain on Hong Kong’s health care providers, this doctor says she doesn’t have appointments until after August.

“Even if I’m willing do to one more delivery, I can’t, because there are no beds.”

And some educators fear the so-called dragon babies won’t have good opportunities in school, saying more kids in the classroom means more competition. TIME magazine reports

“ … the potential increase might put pressure on parents who must adhere to the country’s one-child policy and pressure on their dragon babies to compete for spots in the most elite schools.”

Time also notes “ ... in places like Taiwan, which carries one of the world’s lowest birth rates, parents and government officials are embracing the baby craze.”

The Daily Telegraph did the math, and estimates couples have until about May 2nd to conceive if they want their babies to be dragons.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

The European Union agreed Monday to impose tough new sanctions on Iran. The measures are meant to push Iran to halt its controversial nuclear program. Euronews reports.

“The measures, including an oil embargo, follow similar moves by the U.S. as the West takes a tougher line over what it believes is Tehran’s push to develop atomic weapons.”

The latest sanctions ban new oil contracts with Iran, and existing contracts will run out at the end of June. The measures also ban the trade of diamonds, gold and other precious metals with Iran to further put a squeeze on the country’s economy. The Guardian explains how these drastic measures will raise the stakes.

“Unlike previous sanctions on Iran, the oil embargo would hit almost all citizens and represent a threat to the regime. Tehran has long said such actions would represent a declaration of war ... tensions are almost certain to build again as the effective date of the oil sanctions approaches.”

The embargo is expected to hurt some EU member countries, including Greece, which gets about a third of its oil from Iran. But the effects in Iran are expected to be much more severe. An analyst tells the BBC what the current sanctions have already done.

“Unemployment is rising. Inflation, we know, has shot up over the last few months. … Factories are closing. It’s a very serious issue. It’s putting enormous pressure.”

But so far, that pressure has not been enough. Iranian news agencies today ran defiant headlines following the EU decision, like:

“Demand growing for Iranian crude,” “Oil sanctions against Iran to harm West,” and “Iran to make whole world insecure for US if attacked” from the country’s semi-official Fars News Agency, or “Iran’s economy to grow in 2012” and “Iran can shut Hormuz if threatened” from state-run PressTV.

That last threat, that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz, has become familiar in the last few weeks. It was first issued in response to financial sanctions. An analyst on Sky News says the rhetoric has gotten even tougher after the EU’s decision.

“Iran has come out and said that it will definitely close the Strait of Hormuz if crude exports are disrupted. Well, there is no doubt that crude exports will be disrupted by this oil embargo.”

Iran has also warned the U.S. not to send any more ships into the region. But for now that warning went unheeded as a flotilla of warships from the U.S., Britain and France cruised through the Strait. CNN reports.

“It’s been smooth sailing so far for the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. … The U.S. Navy says the aircraft carrier completed a regular and routine passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The Telegraph reports the aircraft aboard the Lincoln have more striking power than the entire Iranian air force.

(Image Source: Flickr/Motiqua)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In world news, the European Union has officially banned all imports on Iranian oil. The move increases international pressure against the regime over its disputed nuclear program. Euronews has the details.
 

“Iran exports around 20 percent of its oil to the EU and the new embargo places an immediate ban on new contracts. Reflecting concerns, notably from Greece, all existing deals will be phased out by July 1.”
 

Still in world news, updates on the cruise liner disaster off the coast of Italy. The thirteenth body has now been found. Now, the UK’s Daily Telegraph says the ship’s owner is reportedly offering survivors - get this - a 30 percent discount on future cruises. CNN has more.
 

“One survivor tells the paper it is ridiculous, it’s insulting. So far CNN’s not been able to independently confirm that 30 percent number, but as you can expect, passengers want more than 30 percent...”
 

In U.S. news, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is now on the offensive after losing to Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary. Fox News explains Romney’s line of attack as the race gets closer to its next stop - the Florida primary.
 

“It’s gonna be against Newt Gingrich as a failed leader. He’s going to talk about how he had to resign in disgrace as Speaker of the House. And he’s also going to call on him now to release his records on his time at Freddie Mac.”
 

In tech news, the co-CEOs of Research in Motion have resigned, thanks to investor pressures. They will be replaced by the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Thorsten Heins. The BlackBerry-makers’ shares recently hit an 8-year low. CNBC says the company is depicting the move as an orderly transition.

“In fact, both those co-CEOs will stay on as members of the Board of Directors. Analysts though say that they are concerned that it may be only a figurehead change.”

 

(Image source: Rue89.com)

BY BRICE SANDER

The MegaUpload melodrama continues. As more information about the business-- and the man behind it-- comes to light, the media lets the story play out like a blockbuster movie.

PC World calls it an unbelievable story filled with drama…

FastCompany dubs it a modern-day take on the wild, wild west…

And The Toronto Sun says it's a “high octane” thrill ride.

Here’s CNN.

“At a swank mansion in Auckland, New Zealand, a vintage Cadillac, other high end vehicles worth millions are hauled away. The man living there arrested, police say, after barricading himself in a safe room and being found next to a shotgun.”

The man, Kim Dotcom-- formerly Kim Schmitz-- is under arrest for alleged money laundering, racketeering and breach of copyright on the popular file-sharing site, which he founded in 2005.

The arrest came straight out of a movie. Helicopters and 76 officers swooped in on Dotcom’s $24 million mansion in the middle of his 38th birthday party. ‘The Daily Mail nicknames him ‘Dr. Evil.’ (YouTube/TCG)

“[He] made £27million from MegaUpload in 2010 … Dotcom was granted New Zealand residency despite his criminal background after investing £5million in government bonds and making a generous donation to the Christchurch earthquake fund.”

Police seized more than $9 million in cash along with Dotcom’s collection of luxury cars in the raid. As The Wall Street Journal suggests, he wasn’t a shy guy.  

“He actually wrote a blog post for a popular file-sharing blog in December where he sent along a photo of himself carrying a shotgun, or rifle I think, in front of one of his luxury cars that had the license plate on the front, ‘GUILTY.’”

A big twist here is MegaUpload’s music industry connection. Reports surfaced saying the MegaUpload named music producer Swizz Beatz- Alicia Keys’ husband- its CEO right before the government take down. As the New York Post reports- Beatz finds himself in a sticky situation.

“…Beatz believes he may be questioned by the FBI and is considering hiring a criminal defense lawyer. If convicted, the arrested executives could face up to 50 years in prison for the largest copyright case in history.”

Beatz’s team is now investigating whether the file-sharing site ever legally employed him. All this comes in the middle of the biggest battle against online piracy ever -- the SOPA act controversy and protests -- but Bloomberg says it’s just a confusing coincidence.  

“You can’t coordinate a massive raid in Auckland because, oh wait, Wikipedia’s going to do it this day, let’s do it two days later. Also, it’s not clear what it really tells us about SOPA. On the one had, wait- they happened to arrest these guys, so what do we need this new legislation for?”

Dotcom and three other executives now await trial and possible extradition to the United States. Their defense attorney? The same guy who represented Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky years.
 

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ADNAN KHAN

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

The head defense lawyer of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is claiming in court that  Mubarak is still Egypt’s president. He says Mubarak never signed a letter of resignation; instead, it was signed by the vice president. According to Bikya Masr the lawyer claims…

“… the criminal court trying Mubarak does not have the authority to do so, and that his case must be heard within a special tribunal court.”

Mubarak is on trial for allegedly ordering protesters be killed. His lawyer, Farid el-Deeb’s argument had the courtroom in an uproar. The Huffington Post reports…

“El-Deeb received a round of applause from other defense lawyers when he finished his statements. Lawyers for the victims responded with chants of, ‘Execution, execution,’ and, ‘Down, down with Mubarak.’”

Regardless of the resignation technicality, a former head of Egyptian lawyers’ organization told CNN that it didn’t matter whether or not Mubarak did sign the letter.

“The revolution revokes the constitution ... The Egyptian people said their word ... this is a nation that had a vice president at the time and this is an ousted president.”

And Al Jazeera reports the people simply want to see Mubarak punished as soon as possible.

“The people behind me here say they want Habib al-Adly, the interior minister and the former president, Hosni Mubarak, and the aides all to receive the death penalty.”

 

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

ANCHOR ANTHONY MARTINEZ

A Dutch teenager completed a round-the-world sailing trip Saturday on the island of St. Maarten. She claims to be the youngest person to ever finish the journey. HLN has her story.

“Laura Dekker spent more than 500 days at sea and she travelled 27,000 miles. She says she had to dodge storms and dangerous reefs along the way. She even had to change her route to avoid pirates.”

The Fox and Friends crew say the feat is even more incredible because she kept hitting the books while she was at sea.

“All this while trying to keep up with school work that she brought along for the ride. Now, I’d give her a pass on the schoolwork for that year if you’re fending off pirates.”

But schoolwork actually plays a big part in the teen’s story -- authorities say she didn’t do enough of it. It’s all part of a three-year legal saga that almost prevented her from taking the trip altogether. Al Jazeera reports.

“Laura’s feat ought to be a matter of national pride for her homeland the Netherlands, but she and her family have been battling with authorities there ever since she made her plans known at the age of 13.”

Dutch child care workers said she was too young and inexperienced for the trip. They tried to stop her plans, even taking her into protective custody for two months, before they finally agreed to let her go. Keeping up with a distance learning program was part of the deal.

On her blog, Dekker recently lashed out at authorities.

“Over a period of 11 months, I was constantly afraid that Youth Care would lock me up. Also during this period, there were intimidating interviews with Youth Care workers. It was all a frightening and traumatic experience.”

Dekker has made it clear she doesn’t plan to go home to the Netherlands out of fear of legal troubles. She spent the last leg of her journey flying the flag of New Zealand, where she also has citizenship. But the BBC spoke to a youth care worker who defended the government’s actions.

“If Laura had drowned we'd be accused of not doing enough to protect her … Thank God she's OK and I think that's partly due to the safety measures we enforced … I'm sorry Laura is traumatised but I have no regrets about fulfilling our responsibility to this child.”

While she’s being celebrated as the youngest solo round-the-world sailor, her name won’t appear in any official records. Guinness World Records and the World Speed Sailing Council no longer track youngest sailors, for fear of encouraging risky journeys by minors.

Image source: Foreign Policy

BY ZACH TOOMBS

Giving in to public pressure, Beijing began posting publicly-accessible data on the city’s air pollution Saturday. But, as MSNBC reports, the numbers are already drawing skepticism.

“Steven Andrews, an environmental consultant who has studied Beijing's pollution data since 2006, said he was ‘already a bit suspicious’ of Beijing's PM2.5 data. Within the 24-hour period to noon Saturday, Beijing reported seven hourly figures ‘at the very low level’ of 0.003 milligrams per cubic meter.”

Those postings conflict with data taken by the U.S. Embassy, which says the air quality was at “moderate” levels during the same time span. The embassy has taken its own hourly readings since 2009 and posted them on Twitter as @BeijingAir.

According to the embassy, over the past week, one day has averaged in the “very unhealthy” range, while two have registered as “hazardous” -- a level at which doctors recommend staying indoors.

Beijing has been measuring some types of air pollution for years. But they weren’t measuring pollutants less than 2.5 micrometers in size -- the type that can actually penetrate deep into the lungs. Foreign Policy notes Beijing is also more lenient in its measurements, writing:

“Pollution is a sensitive subject in China, with state-run media often explaining away the smell of glue and haze so thick it obscures even nearby buildings with the term ‘fog,’ and claiming, unbelievably, that Beijing enjoyed 274 ‘blue sky days’ in 2011.”

So, numbers aside, what’s it like on the ground? The BBC shows it doesn’t seem to be blue skies.

“Well, this is what everybody in Beijing is talking about today. This gray pool of smoggy stuff that’s just hanging over the city.”

“Up high around here, you can see these skyscrapers being built, and they’re sort of vanishing up into the gray smog up there.”

Still, a columnist for Canada’s The Globe and Mail writes Beijing’s publicly-posted data marks a significant shift for the city’s often secretive government.

“This is a huge victory not just for the U.S. embassy but for the Chinese people – a victory for openness, for transparency, for access to information and, most important, for public accountability over bureaucracy, for putting the health of the people over the face of government officials.”

(IMAGES: Wikipedia)

BY BLAKE HANSON

Some say it might be calmer waters ahead for the Gaza Strip. On Saturday the leader of Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas announced he’ll step down for personal reasons. Albawaba News writes...

“The exiled leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, will not stand for another term … setting the stage for a struggle for his succession. ‘Khaled Meshaal, head of political bureau, told the Advisory Board Hamas' about his desire not to run for leadership of the movement in the future,’ said Hamas, in a statement.”

Meshaal has been the head honcho since Israel killed the group’s founder in 2004. The LA Times notes the change in leadership could mean trouble for Hamas, and help chill out the heated Gaza Strip.

“The possible departure of Meshal … is the latest sign of strife inside the Islamist group, which Israel and the U.S. accuse of supporting terrorism. A shakeup might also deal a blow to Palestinian reconciliation efforts since Meshal … was seen as a chief supporter of efforts to form a unity government with rival Palestinian movement Fatah …”

The EU and US have branded Hamas as a terrorist organization -- though a correspondent for the BBC...

“ … says that in recent months tensions over future strategy have emerged between the leadership in Gaza and those in exile. As the movement's allies in the Muslim Brotherhood have gained ground … after the Arab Spring, some within Hamas say it too should renounce violence and adopt a more moderate approach.”

It appears Hamas may not be ready to let Meshaal go, CNN writes...

“According to the statement, the Hamas leadership asked Meshaal to reconsider his decision.”
 

Image source: Nigerian Television Authority (via Voice of America)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

The death toll is at 150 and climbing after a series of bombings hit Nigeria’s second largest city Saturday. As Al Jazeera reports, the attacks were carried out by Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

“It’s the first major attack by Boko Haram on the city of Kano in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north. The authorities say at least 20 government buildings and police stations were hit.”

Among the bombings’ targets were a hospital, an immigration office and an assistant inspector general’s office. Voice of America reports on the cause behind the attacks, writing:

“A spokesman for Boko Haram told reporters the bombings were in retaliation for the arrest of several sect members in Kano, the second largest city in Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous nation.”

Saturday marks the second coordinated, large-scale attack from Boko Haram, a militant group that has targeted Nigeria’s Christians in the past -- more recently an attack on churches on Christmas Day. BBC has more on the continued violence.

“The group -- its name means ‘Western education is forbidden’ -- recently warned all Christians to leave the north. Nigeria’s president has called the escalating crisis ‘worse than a civil war.’”

The growing conflict between Nigeria’s government and Boko Haram has drawn international interest and much foreign aid for Nigeria’s defenses. Foreign Policy writes:

“The United States has reportedly begun training Nigerian troops in counterterrorism techniques and providing Nigerian defense forces with weapons and other equipment... Western governments’ interest has been piqued by links between Boko Haram and larger, international terrorist networks.”

CNN reports Nigeria moved quickly in the aftermath of Saturday’s bombings -- both to assign blame and to activate its military forces.

“The sense really in Nigeria this morning is that the government has already closed the borders with Cameroon and Niger, whom they have accused of allowing militants to move freely into Nigeria. They’ve put in place a state of emergency, and they’ve also initiated the largest peace-time deployment of troops up into the north.”

Varying accounts placed the death toll in Nigeria at anywhere from 120 to 160.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

BY ZACH TOOMBS

Amid continued violence in Syria, President Obama’s administration is preparing to close the U.S. embassy in the embattled nation’s capitol. CNN has the report.

“The United States, we are told, is asking Syria to provide more security around the embassy. BUT the big issue now is they’re not sure the Syrians are going to follow through...”

The Washington Post broke the story Friday afternoon, citing State Department officials who say unless it sees increased security for the embassy, the Obama administration has no choice but to pull staff out of the country.

“The move follows a recent spate of car bombings. Although the administration has not ruled out Syrian government responsibility for the attacks, officials said signs point to Syrian and Iraqi militants that have been affiliated with al-Qaeda.”

And Foreign Policy magazine writes:

“Unlike newer embassy designs, the U.S. facility in Damascus sits right on the street, dangerously exposed... The embassy staff remains the administration's best eyes and ears on what's going on inside Syria, U.S. officials argue, as they maintain links with both the government and the opposition.”

As ABC News reports, the embassy closure would have an especially large impact in diplomatic ties with Syria because the U.S. ambassador there has played a very public role.

“(Ambassador Robert) Ford has been targeted by pro-government groups that have thrown rocks at his convoy and once trapped him inside the office of an opposition leader... Ambassador Ford has been one of (President Bashar al-Assad’s) most vocal critics inside Syria. He has defied government bans on travel by diplomats and has visited several restive cities.”

The situation in Syria has rapidly deteriorated over the past few months, as nationwide protests triggered a violent government crackdown from Syria’s military. Arab League monitors were supposed to have brought a watchful eye to the country where an estimated 5,000 citizens have been killed. But, as Al Jazeera reports, those monitors have had a minimal effect.

“Syrian opposition groups say the killings in the country have been on the rise, despite the presence of Arab League monitors.”

“They also say thousands of prisoners remain behind bars, despite the authorities agreeing to an Arab League peace plan that calls for their release.”
 

(Image Source: ISAF Media)

BY SAMANTHA KUBOTA

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

You're watching multisource global video news analysis from Newsy.

France suspends its training operations in Afghanistan and threatens to withdraw its entire force from the country. This comes after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops Friday and wounded seventeen others.

Euronews reports that President Nicolas Sarkozy is sending the defense minister and the head of the armed forces to Afghanistan and until they arrive, French armies in Afghanistan will not be helping Afghan forces.

“We are friends with the Afghan people, we are the allies of the Afghan people, but I cannot accept that Afghan soldiers shoot French soldiers,” said Sarkozy.

The French foreign minister is quoted in the Telegraph as saying it a question of "responsibility to adapt our timetable for withdrawal by taking into account these new circumstances."

France has 3,600 troops in Afghanistan, and the withdrawl could hurt the NATO plan to build and train Afghan forces.  CNN reports the US Department of Defense is worried about the possible pull-out.

Congressional blog The Hill is reporting the White House is reacting “cautiously.”

“The White House press secretary said Friday he didn't want to ‘get ahead’ of a possible decision made by France.”

The Daily Telegraph and USA TODAY reports this is the second attack of its kind in two months.

The killings Friday during a training exercise followed a similar attack last month when an Afghan soldier shot and killed two members of the French Foreign Legion.

                 
France is worried these aren’t isolated incidents.  It is raising questions of infiltration into the new Afghan army.  And this could make Sarkozy even more likely to bump up the date to  pull out of Afghanistan.

(Image Source: CTV)

BY JJ BAILEY

ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT

Tragedy struck the winter sports world Thursday as famed Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke passed away. She was 29 and reportedly died due to injuries she sustained while training in Utah 10 days ago. ABC has more.

“Burke reportedly landed a stunt, then fell over and hit her head. Doctors performed surgery to repair a ruptured cranial artery, but imaging results showed Burke would never recover.”

Burke was put on life support after the accident but her brain damage was too extensive. A four-time gold medalist at the Winter X Games, she waged and won a campaign to get half pipe skiing included in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Fox News says her death may jeopardize that chance.

“Today already talk about Burke's death and other recent injuries in the sport will ignite debate over safety of half pipe competition. But again it was set to debut in the winter Olympics in Russia in 2014.”

Following her death, Burke’s family is left with a staggering medical bill. The family has set up a donation page with the goal of raising $550,000 to cover the cost. USA Today reports the family is asking Sarah’s legions of fans to lend a hand.

“The website notes that Burke's organs and tissues were donated in accordance with her wishes, and adds: ‘Sarah did so much for females and winter sports during her time with us; now we are asking for your help.’”

The site has reportedly raised over $125,000 as of Friday. Burke and her husband, another freestyle skiier, appeared in a Ski Channel documentary about the sport. CNN has the footage of Sarah’s passionate words about her sport, and the joy of being on the mountain.

BURKE: “That’s where we’re the happiest, that’s where we met is on the mountain ... It’s where we play, where we live...”
HUSBAND: “And hopefully where we die”
BURKE: “Where we’ll die...”

(Image source: Flickr)

BY HARUMENDAH HELMY

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.

In U.S. politics, after a strong debate performance, GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich now has the lead in the latest poll of likely South Carolinian primary voters. CNN says the race to the nomination is closer than ever.

“A poll from American Research Group -- it shows a dead heat. Thirty three percent of likely Republican voters are backing Newt Gingrich, we’ve got 32 percent who are backing Mitt Romney.”

In world news, Thursday was the last official day of the Arab League monitor mission in Syria. The mission’s leader is set to present its observations on Sunday. Euronews reports the league is expected to extend the mission for another four weeks -- saying... 

“Some successes were reported on Thursday, with a local truce getting a tank pullout from the town of Zabadani near the Lebanese border. But overall there are no signs of a halt to the violence.”

In tech news, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken down the online file-sharing site Megaupload for hosting infringed content. Seven of the company’s employees were indicted - including enigmatic leader Kim Dotcom. The news comes a day after an Internet-wide protest of the two anti-piracy acts under consideration in the U.S. Congress. Here’s HLN. 

“There’s pictures of the FBI raiding a Washington, D.C. data center for Megaupload. Four people were arrested in New Zealand. The FBI says Megaupload helped people rip off companies by half a billion dollars.” 

And finally, in business news, Google reported a fourth quarter earnings and revenue that are significantly lower than street expectations. Its stocks immediately took a hit. CNBC says analysts had been looking for Google to report its most prosperous quarter in its history. 

“...but the big surprise the search giant collected less money per click on its online ads. You can see what that did to the earnings last night that stock down by over 8 percent.”

Stay with Newsy for your news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Christina Hartman, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster. 

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons/Rvongher)

BY EMILY ALLEN

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Crews continue to search for missing passengers on Costa Concordia – and answers.  But a mysterious blonde woman might have answers.

The Huffington Post says the woman is 25-year-old Moldovian Domnica Cemortan.

“She is reported to have been on the bridge with the captain at the time of the tragedy because he was trying to impress her.”

And a passenger told Sky News that Captain Schettino and Cemortan weren’t just standing around, they were wining and dining in one of the ship’s restaurants just before the crash.

“He says he saw Captain Schettino, and a I quote, ‘Enjoying the last drops of a decanter of red wine.’”

But then the story seems to change again. Here’s Fox News.

“She says she ate dinner with the Captain of the ship, after the crash.”

Cemortan told Romanian newspaper Adevarul that the drinking accusations were nonsense.

She seems to be the only one defending her man – she still thinks he’s one of the company’s best captains and he saved thousands of lives.

But euronews and Fox News wonder how she got on the boat in the first place.

“It appears she was working  on board, although her name was absent from the official list of passengers and crew.”

“Here he is showing off, showboating with a woman half his age with a woman who is not a registered member of the crew.”

ABC News reports Italian Prosecutors want to question Cemortan.

Transcript by Newsy.