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30 Nov 2011 10:31

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World: Britain to Iranian diplomats: GTFO out of our country, jerks

  • The Iranian Chargé in London is being informed now that we require the immediate closure of the Iranian Embassy in London and that all Iranian diplomatic staff must leave the United Kingdom within the next 48 hours. If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil they cannot expect to have a functioning Embassy here.
  • British Foreign Secretary William Hague • Warning Iran to close its embassy, in a ratcheting-up of tensions between the two countries a day after activists raided the British Embassy in Tehran, upset over new sanctions against Iran. Hague was careful to emphasize diplomatic ties still exist between the two countries: “This does not amount to the severing of diplomatic relations in their entirety,” he said. “It is action that reduces our relations with Iran to the lowest level consistent with the maintenance of diplomatic relations.” In other words, they may get a phone call, but don’t expect it to be friendly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 21:38

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U.S.: Bradley Manning’s attorney: Wikileaks release didn’t hurt anybody

  • An interesting defense strategy: The lawyers for the long-held-in-detention Bradley Manning, the former soldier who allegedly gathered and the diplomatic cables that Wikileaks eventually released, are apparently angling for the “these cables didn’t actually cause any problems” angle, noting in a court documents released Monday that the White House and the Defense Department reviewed the cables and found nothing damaging, due to the fact that the data was outdated, already publicly-released or represented low-level information. Manning’s first hearing — finally — is December 16. (thanks Michael Cote) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 20:01

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World: Ex-Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo in International Criminal Court custody

Gbagbo, who lost an election last year but only ceded power by force, is heading to The Hague as we speak, charged with crimes against humanity as a result of violence that broke out after that election. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 15:12

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Politics: “Conservatives4Palin” just can’t let go of their Palin dream

  • Not taking the hint: Regardless of your opinion of Sarah Palin, that she inspires her core supporters cannot be denied (Mitt Romney wishes he were so lucky). After announcing she wouldn’t run for president, following months of touring about on a campaign-style bus and giving fiery speeches in early primary states, one might expect a mass exodus of support. Having left her job as governor of Alaska, then subsequently pocketing millions in donations that people no doubt expected to fuel a presidential run, even an ardent fan would have reason to balk. Not “Conservatives4Palin,” though; they bought time for this ad urging Palin to run, spending more of their passion and money in service of a person who seems to care only about the latter. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 14:36

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Politics: Who are the winners if Herman Cain quits?

  • With the latest scandalous allegation that’s been lobbed at Herman Cain (that he carried on a thirteen-year affair with a woman named Ginger White), and suggestions from the Cain camp that discussions are occurring as to how to proceed, the folks at The Atlantic ask a very good question: if Cain drops out of this thing, who stands to benefit? We agree with their analysis — the obvious and most consequential conclusion is “not Mitt.” A Cain withdrawal would be the first dropout by a well-polling candidate, and those voters will almost assuredly continue seeking a non-Mitt alternative. Paging Newt Gingrich, perhaps? (Photo by John Trainor) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 14:28

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Culture: Michael Jackson death: Conrad Murray sentenced to four years in prison

  • Murray gets the max: Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor issued a sentence for Conrad Murray today, opting for the maximum imprisonment (four years) and coupling that choice with scathing denunciations of the disgraced former doctor: “Not only isn’t there any remorse, there is umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr. Murray against the decedent… Michael Jackson died not because of an isolated one-off occurrence or incident. He died because of a totality of circumstances which are directly attributable to Dr. Murray, not some mistake or some accident in the early morning hours of 2009.” During the trial, the prosecution argued that Murray delayed summoning paramedics to help Jackson after the singer suffered cardiac arrest, and lied to emergency responders when they arrived. (Left: Murray’s booking photo.) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 11:03

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Biz: American Airlines parent files for bankruptcy: Will keep normal schedule

  • They were the only major airline to avoid bankruptcy in the past decade: In 2003, American Airlines parent AMR, which also operates the American Eagle airline, managed to stave off bankruptcy by scoring an agreement from its unions. The country’s third-largest airline, however, wasn’t able to get past it this time around. With the company’s stocks in freefall (down 45 percent since September) and a recent wave of pilot retirements playing harbinger, it seemed like signs were pointing towards bankruptcy. Here’s what their financials look like, according to their Chapter 11 filing, which they submitted to a New York court today:
  • $24.7B the amount in assets American Airlines parent AMR has on hand
  • $29.6B the amount in liabilities the company owes to creditors
  • $4.1B the amount of cash the company has on hand source
  • » What this means for consumers: The company says it plans to honor its reservations, keep its normal schedules, continue its frequent-flyer program, maintain its Admirals Club lounges and pay employees their normal wages and health benefits. So outwardly, there should be no obvious signs that the company is trying to reorganize itself. (photo by Clara S. on Flickr)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Nov 2011 10:33

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World: Iranian protesters, upset over sanctions, storm British Embassy

  • And British officials aren’t happy: On Tuesday, Iranian protesters angry with the British government stormed the country’s embassy in Tehran, forcing diplomats to flee out the back door for their safety. The move came after the British government placed sanctions on Iran, preventing British banks from doing business with Iranian banks out of concern they were helping to facilitate the country’s nuclear program. The British government condemned the actions. “We are outraged by this. It is utterly unacceptable,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 00:37

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Tech: Aw, Zucks. We’re hoping this won’t “poke” our portfolios too badly.

  • Want to own a piece of Facebook? You might be able to in the spring of 2012. It looks like, despite founder Mark Zuckerberg’s well-known resistance to the idea over the years, the company is on its way to its “initial public offering” — the sale of stock that a private company makes available to the public. (Groupon just had an IPO, and it hasn’t been going quite so well for them.) The social media trailblazers could raise as much as $10 billion from first-day stock sales; that would put the company’s total value at $100 billion. Not bad for a guy who screwed over most of his friends from Harvard (and a couple of Winklevi) to get there. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2011 00:04

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U.S.: Cyber Monday’s version of Black Friday drama: Counterfeit stuff

  • 150 counterfeit websites taken down on Cyber Monday source
  • » Don’t mess with our passion for shopping. After such a turnout for Black Friday, shoppers were ready for online deals on Monday. So were websites touting fake merchandise — from sports jerseys to DVDs to accessories. This was a part of the investigation called “Operation In Our Sites,” which has seized 350 such counterfeit sites since 2010.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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