Viewpoint News Roundup: Friday 16th March 2012

Fishbowl LA: Rick Santorum is planning a war on hardcore pornography, whilst his supporters in the bible belt are the most regular viewers of internet porn.

Can you say "hypocrites"???

Huffington Post: Osama Bin Laden may have been crazy and fundamentalist, but he wasn't stupid. Al Qaeda's leader disliked Fox News Channel and wasn't planning to send them any tapes either.

Interesting quotes here. "...As for Fox News let her die in her anger...", and "...Fox News Channel, which falls into the abyss as you know, and lacks objectivity, too." It's always strange how people cannot see their own lack of objectivity, but can see it easily in others.

NHK World: It seems that whilst Takeshi's Castle continues to get aired on Challenge, Takeshi Kitano's newest project will start airing on NHK World in April.

Takeshi's Art Beat seems to be a somewhat personal look at arts and artistic pursuits. Should be interesting.

EuroNews: German Chancellor Angela Merkel may be safe, but a snap election in Nordrhein-Westfalen will be a big test of her popularity, as voters seek to replace the SPD/Greens coalition that fell apart.

Interestingly, one of her own ministers is standing in that election, but says he won't leave his national role if the CDU loses. That kinda complicates matters.

News Roundup: Wednesday 26th November 2008

Plymouth Sound: A lesbian soldier has been given almost £190,000 compensation after being harassed by a male sergeant.

Plymouth Sound: A male escort accusing Boy George of false imprisonment asked to be handcuffed during an erotic photo shoot, a court has heard.

Digital Spy: Trisha Goddard has said that she has won her battle with breast cancer.

Comment: This is good news. Good news so rarely gets covered these days, that it's actually nice to be able to report some. Cancer, in any form, is not a nice thing to have, I've lost family, friends and colleagues to cancer, so I'm pleased that for now, Trisha has beaten hers.

Deutsche Welle: German federal police arrested two men Tuesday, Nov. 25, for operating a radical Islamist website and they are likely to face charges of supporting terrorism, prosecutors said.

Yahoo! 7 News: A Japanese man upset by the death of his pet turned himself in after fatally stabbing a bureaucrat and his wife, Japanese police and media said on Sunday.

News Roundup: Tuesday 29th April 2008

BBC News: Austrian Police have revealed that DNA evidence has backed up the claims that an Autsrian man fathered 7 children with his own daughter.

Commentary: My viewpoint on this is already posted here, but I note the considerable international interest in this story. Most newspaper commentary on this has been predicatbly horrified, whether the paper is politically on the left or the right. The more horrifying thing to me, is not so much that it happened, more that it actually went undetected or untraced for so many years. I find it difficult to believe he handled this entirely on his own. I also find it difficult to believe that his wife knew nothing about it. I hate to say this, but I'm sure there is more to come in this story, and it will not make nice reading.

BBC News: New reseach suggests about half of all Polish and Eastern European migrants who have come to the UK since 2004 have returned home.

Commentary: In a related story, BBC News also reports that a farmer near Peterborough takes on lots of Eastern European migrants to pick fruit and veg at a wage of £7-an-hour. Locals didn't want the job with one person quoted as saying, "...I'd prefer to sign-on than do that." This is what gets me riled up. Some of these lazy people would rather do nothing for a week and earn just £60.50, rather than do 30 hours work, and earn over 3 times as much, before deductions. It's shameful that people are not willing to work for more money than most retail workers get.

MSNBC: US presidential candidate Barack Obama has denounced his former pastor over public comments Reverend Jeremiah Wright has made recently.

Commentary: As the race for the Democratic nomination stretches on towards the convention, you have to wonder if the current situation is hurting the Democrats or the Republicans more. Sure, John McCain may have the Republican nomination sewn up, but the Democratic candidates are dominating the headlines and as the old saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

News Roundup: Wednesday 28th November 2008

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: A 68-year old former drag queen has been arrested over the murders of 18 mainly gay men over a period of 30 years.

BBC News: Portsmouth Manager Harry Redknapp and 4 other people have been arrested in an ongoing City Of London Police investigation into football corruption.

WCBS - CBS 2 News New York: A 9 year old boy is facing serious charges after alledgedly bringing a loaded handgun to a school in New Jersey.

RTE News: Irish Minister for Health Mary Harney has survivied a no-confidence vote, by just 10 votes, but a Fianna Fail TD has resigned the party whip.

And Finally...

Ananova: A US judge has been sacked after he jailed an entire courtroom after no-one admitted responsibility for a ringing mobile phone!

News Roundup: Friday 23rd November 2007

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: The federal election will show whether PM John Howard's strategy will triumph, or whether voters will go for change and elect Kevin Rudd.

Based only on the votes to the poll so far, it looks like readers expect Kevin Rudd to win, but there is still time for things to change.

Al Jazeera: A 15 year old girl who was suspected of robbery was put in a cell with more than 20 men, who raped her repeatedly for a month, according to human rights groups.

CBC News: Lebanon's president declared a state of emergency then resigned, handing power to the military. The move is thought to threaten to push the country in further political uncertainty.

EuroNews: Denamrk's Prime Minister has unveiled his new cabinet and urged his countrymen to support the new European Treaty.

Sorry, but this European Union was created out of political ambition rather than political necessity, and the Euro was created out of political ambition, rather than economic necessity. It was a sow's ear when created and no amount of work can turn it into a silk purse.

And Finally...

BBC News: After 2 21 ft falls and four metal plates, one in each leg, we introduce to you, The Bionic Cat!!!

News Roundup: Thursday 22nd November 2007

SBS World News Australia: Polls released on the eve of the federal election are split over which party will win.

WUSA Channel 9, Washington DC: Several retailers have opened on Thanksgiving Day, in order to lure you away from the table, and the comfy sofa.

Voice Of America: The British Commonwealth has suspended Pakistan for its imposition of emergency rule.

Global National: Winter has arrived with a bang in central Canada, with warnings in force for Toronto, Ottowa and Montreal.

RTE News: The EU drug agency is reporting that at least 12 million Europeans have used Cocaine at least once, and more are doing so, as the price falls.

And Finally...

MSNBC: A man who ran naked and drunk on a Delaware, accosted several good samaritans and casued three traffic accidents.

News Roundup: Wednesday 21st November 2007

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: The Australian Labouor Party is accusing senior members of the Australian Liberal Party of being involved in the distrubting of fake flyers from the non-existant "Islamic Australia Foundation", which attempted to link the Labour Party with islamic terrorism.

Fox News Channel: Three men who jad been previously arrested back in 2005, have been re-arrested over the disappearance in Aruba of teenager Natalee Holloway.

Russia Today: A female politician has repeatedly slapped a journalist live on national TV in Venezuela, leading to concerns over press freedom.

MSNBC: Opposition politician Imran Khan has been released along with over 5000 lawyers and political activists.

And Finally...

Fox News Channel: A group of Swedish women have staged topless protests over what they call gender-biased rules on swimwear!

News Roundup: Tuesday 20th November 2007

Independent Television News: Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, which starred Billie Piper as a high class prostitute, has been nominated for Best Soft Core Production at the UK Adult Film and Television Awards.

Ananova: A Chinese thief, who bought cheap plane tickets then robbed unsuspecting passengers in mid-flight has been arrested.

Channel News Asia: The Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reiterated in regional talks Tuesday that sanctions would not help reconcilliation efforts in Myanmar/Burma.

Al Jazeera: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is hopeful that a prisoner exchange can be acheived between Columbian leftists and the Colombian Government.

Public Radio International: US polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs has been sentenced to a minimum of 10 years, for forcing a 14 year old girl to marry her cousin.

National Nine News: The Dalai Lama has said that he may appoint a successor or call democratic elections before his death, rather than relying on reincarnation, after recent orders that China must approve Tibet's spiritual leaders.

And Finally...

MSNBC: Two squirrels caused power failures for hundreds of people in Wisconsin.

News Roundup: Monday 19th November 2007

WABC - Channel 7 Eyewitness News: More racy photos have emerged showing the Hoboken Police Chief and other police officers posing with weapons and "Hooters" girls.

WJLA - ABC 7 News Washington DC: Disgraced Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick has surrended to US Marshals ahead of his sentencing on December 10th.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Australian PM John Howard has denied that he has delayed campaigning in Tasmania because he has given up on two marginal seats.

Al Jazeera: Iraqi Police have arrested 43 foreign security guards after a woman was shit in central Baghdad.

BBC News: Zimbabwe's goverment is accusing the UK of planning an invasion and assassinations of the country's leadership.

This one belongs in the Ridiculous News File! The trouble is, they actually believe this rubbish!

Capital News 9: The Schenectady County District Attorney announceed a grand jury had found numorous problems with the way the local Police Department handled evidence.

CBC News: The government of British Columbia has ordered an inquiry into the death of a man at Vancouver International Airport after he was tasered.

New Dehli Television: The UN-backed genocide tribunal in Cambodia has arrested the former Khmer Rouge head of state after he was released from hospital.

And Finally...

Sky News: After a whirlwind 3 day romance,Britain's oldest newleyweds have just tied the knot.

She is 85 years old, He is 93!

News Roundup: Sunday 18th November 2007

France 24: Greece and Turkey launch their first ever shared gas pipeline.

I hope this is a first step to the reunification of Cyprus.

Agence France Presse: Voters in Kosovo have voted for a pro-independence leader's party in key legislative elections.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: All 27 miners who were trapped in a Ballarat gold mine have been brought to the surface.

KCBS All News 740: An expert in time management is causing controversy by suggesting entrepreneurs go on an email diet.

Sky News: One of America's best known brands, MTV, is now trying to enter the Arab world.

WJLA - ABC 7 Washington DC: The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says a man has died after a deputy used a taser to break up a fight.

And Finally...

BBC News: A 5.5m long Minke Whale has been spotted almost 1000 miles from the ocean in the Amazon rainforest.

News Roundup: Friday 16th November 2007

Slightly different style of News Roundup today, as most of the stories come from the web site of Washington DC's all news station, WTOP on 103.5 and 103.9 FM. Unusually, for most web sites anyway, you can find a written news summary of the top stories here. But for your perusal, here are the stories that caught my eye at WTOP.

Congressional Democrats are still unable to bring home the troops, a year after being elected to power.

Protestors surrounded the Justice Department, demanding federal intervention in the "Jena Six" case.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has accused her rivals of slinging mud "...right out of the Republican playbook..." in the CNN debate in Las Vegas.

A 23 year old college student who was told by an airline employee that her outfit was too revealing to fly is to pose nude for Playboy.

A woman who left a lipstick kiss on an all-white painting has been ordered to do 100 hours of community service.

Broadway producers and striking stagehands are back at the bargaining table in order to settle the dispute before the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday week.

Katie Couric has become the "...Dan Rather of YouTube..." thanks to a video showing her fiddling with her coat in Nashville, Tennessee during rehearsals for and anchoring of the CBS Evening News. The video is here, and the original Dan Rather version is here.

Is the career of current MLB home run king Barry Bonds over after being charged with perjury and obstruction of justice?

Elsewhere in the world of the news web sites...

CBC Arts: The writers strike is now shutting down productions in Vancouver.

Al Jazeera: Europe's election monitors have aborted plans to mointor the Russian parliamentary elections on December 2nd.

Russia Today: Russia has symbolically withdrawn from the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty.

Deutsche Welle: The Identity Tradition and Sovereignty far right block in the European Parliament has collapsed.

And Finally...

BBC News: US rapper Jay-Z appears in a new music video carrying Euro notes, instead of dollar bills.

News Roundup: Thursday 15th November 2007

Sports Illustrated/CNN: Barry Bonds, the MLB home run leader, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury.

I will have something more to say on this in the near future. This story will probably be the first non-political story to get a "Special Comment" from Keith Olbermann.

Press TV: A new report by the IAEA has declared that Iran has co-operated and been truthful in key aspects.

However, CNN reports the story somewhat differently.

France 24: Pakistan Opposition Leader Benezir Bhutto has been released from house arrest.

VOA News: A Russian opposition party is calling for the Russian Supreme Court to disqualify Vladimir Putin from standing in next month's parliamentary election.

RTE News: US President George W Bush will welcome Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to the Whitehouse on December 7th.

And Finally...

Ananova: A man has been arrested in Missouri for possessing an hallucinogenic toad!

Does that mean, the toad was tripping already???

News Roundup: Wednesday 14th November 2007

1010 WINS: New York Elliot Spitzer has withdrawn his plan to give illegal immigrants driver's licences.

Comment: Expect Lou Dobbs to be in something of celebratory mode tonight, and Bill O'Reilly will probably comment on this one too.

Al Jazeera: A strike by French energy and transport workers has caused widespread disruption.

Comment: Sometimes, I wonder if France is run by politicians or union leaders!

BBC News: A Dutch teenager has been arrested for stealing virtual furniture to furnish his online "hotel" room with.

CBC Arts: A controversial documentary on the Falun Gong movement in China will air on CBC Television, despite having been previously pulled after a complaint by the Chinese Embassy.

Comment: This to my mind is what good television should be about. Documenting things that might be unpopular or controversial. The day television avoids subjects because of their controversial nature is the day the great switchoff begins worldwide.

CNN: 2 people dead and 100 injured after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Chile.

And Finally...

WNBC - NewsChannel 4: A runaway kangaroo almost escaped from authorities trying to trap him in Melbourne, Australia.

News Roundup: Sunday 11th November 2007

BBC News: A russian oil tanker has split in half causing a massive fuel oil leak near the Black Sea.

CTV News: A new report by Transport Canada reveals that Canadians underestimate how bad their speeding is.

France 24: An accidental shooting death of a soccer fan in Arezzo, Italy, spraks natiowide rioting.

NY1: New York remembers the veterans and those who fell on the battlefield at their Veteran's Day parade.

And Finally...

WABC - Channel 7 Eyewitness News: A woman wearing a wedding dress, and holding marijuana drives her truck into a pond, whilst trying to escape the police.

News Roundup: Saturday 10th November 2007

Al Jazeera: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was told to "shut up" by Spain's King Juan Carlos!

MSNBC: After the writers of Hollywood, it's the stagehands of Broadway's turn to go out on strike.

Press TV: A US military sniper has been found not guilty of murdering 3 Iraqi civilians earlier this year.

CBC News: A new mausoleum has been unveiled for Yasser Arafat, commemorating the third anniversary of his death.

And Finally...

WCBS NewsRadio 880: A traffic stop in Texas yielded around two dozen embalmed heads!!!

News Roundup: Friday 9th November 2007

BBC Scotland: Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, just 2 years after London hosts the 2012 Olympics.

NY1: Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has been idicted on 16 counts of federal corruption.

Press TV: 9 Iranians, including two diplomats who had been held by American forces in Iraq, have returned home.

Al Jazeera: Myanmar/Burma's opposition leader has met senior members of her own party for the first time in 3 years.

ITN: The East Anglian coast has survived relatively unscathed after a storm surge.

And Finally...

Ananova: The owners of a new pub may have to ditch their sign, because the face on it resembles Adolf Hitler!!!

News Roundup: Wednesday 7th November 2007

WABC New York - Channel 7 Eyewitness News: Former NY Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik is expected to be indicted on Friday in a federal tax fraud case.

680 News, Toronto: Snow arrives to the north of Toronto.

WBZ 4, Boston: A Jamaica Plain home owner is refusing to take a giant crown off his house, despite being ordered to do so by the city.

Russia Today: Georgia has declared a state of emergency and is closing all independent media.

And Finally...

Russia Today: Russian Supermodel Natalia Vodianova has been named the best dressed person in the world by US fashion magazine Harpers Bazaar.

Comment: Standby for a follow up on this story. A little investigation has revealed a little more than meets the eye.

News Roundup: Tuesday 6th November 2007

Live News: The Reserve Bank of Australia will announce later today if Australians are to be hit with a second interest rate increase in 3 months.

1010 WINS: The networks have said that production on three sitcoms filmed before studio audiences has been stopped because of the writers strike.

BBC News: The Queen has laid out the government's programme in the yearly Queen's Speech.
Also, bill by bill listings and the text of the speech in full.

CBS News: Authorities in Brazil have arrested 19 people in a major corporate tax evasion investigation.

And Finally...

Ananova: A manchester man was threatened with court action over an 'unpaid' bill of £0.00p!!!

News Roundup: Monday 5th November 2007

Fox News Channel: Rudy Giuliani defneds his former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik despite continuing bribery investigation.

Comment: Odd to see this on here. Bernie Kerik has been a guest on FNC before, and Fox is believed to be supporting America's Mayor in his campaign for the White House, so this seems an odd story to be covering for them.

RTE News: Pakistan's Prime Minister says Pakistan will hold national elections as scheduled, despite the State Of Emergency.

Comment: Why do I get the feeling the election will either be called a steal or a backfire? Is there any other possible outcome?

WTOP 103.5 FM, Washington DC: Critics say that US food regulation is too fragmented and needs simplification.

STV News: Scottish First Minister has taken Glasgow's bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games to Sri Lanka as decision day approaches.

And Finally...

United Press International: Colorado Police were embarrassed after a bank robber they had been chasing made his escape in a police cruiser!

News Roundup: Sunday 4th November 2007

NY1: Paula Radcliffe wins the New York Marathon.

Press TV: A democratic congressman has indicated he will bring forward a resolution to impeach Dick Cheney.

Al Jazeera: Guatamalans are voting in a tight presidential run-off election.

Al Jazeera: Japan's opposition leader has offered to resign over an offer to form a coalition with the ruling party.

And Finally...

BBC News: The Sontarans will return to challenge The Doctor in the new series of Doctor Who.