 About 100 journalists from one of China's most progressive newspapers, the Beijing News, have walked out to protest against their editor's sacking. The highly unusual move follows the ousting of editor-in-chief Yang Bin and two senior editors, as Communist Party officials moved to rein in the paper. The paper appeared on Friday, but many stories were taken from the Xinhua news agency rather than its own journalists. Analysts say the row highlights a growing struggle over controlling news. Papers like the Beijing News have been publishing stories to attract readers and advertising revenues, leading to disputes with Communist Party censors, who have traditionally maintained an iron grip over all media. After a recent easing of government control, several high-profile incidents this year suggest the Party is reversing that trend. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 11:28:00 12-30-05
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 Inquiry into leak of NSA spying program launched |
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into leaks to the media about the National Security Agency's classified domestic surveillance program. The program authorizes the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans without first seeking permission from a court for a search warrant. It has caused a political uproar with both Democrats and Republicans questioning whether President Bush went beyond his powers under the U.S. Constitution in authorizing it.The New York Times was the first to report the story on December 16th and then officials confirmed its existence to CNN and other organizations."The Justice Department has opened an investigation of the unauthorized disclosure of classified information related to the NSA," a Justice Department official told CNN....
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/30/nsa.leak/index.html?section=cnn_us
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Editor - 11:26:00 12-30-05
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| Europe Gets Hammered by Second Snowstorm in a Week; Icy Weather Blamed for Dozens of Deaths |
Europe's second snow storm this week piled drifts on tracks and roads Friday, slowing buses, trains and trams and stranding motorists. At least two people were killed in mass pileups, and a week of icy weather was blamed for dozens of other deaths. In Poland, police said 23 people had frozen to death in recent days, with the last victim found Friday, bringing the number to 87 since the onset of cold weather in late October. Many of the victims were homeless and had died after heavy alcohol consumption. Heavy snowfall blocked roads Poland's Katowice and Bielsko-Biala area in the south, and blanketed the Baltic coastal city of Gdansk, causing traffic jams and blocking city streets....
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1456507
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Editor - 11:23:00 12-30-05
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| Sony to settle anti-piracy CD row |
Free music downloads and cash refunds could soon be offered to owners of Sony BMG CDs loaded with controversial anti-piracy software. The offers are part of a proposed settlement of lawsuits against Sony BMG over the use of software aimed at thwarting illegal copying of CDs. The programs used left consumers open to attack from viruses that hijacked the music maker's software. The proposed deal also forces Sony to stop using the controversial software. The row about the software Sony BMG used to try to stop illegal copying of its CDs blew up in October when programmer Mark Russinovich noticed his PC had been infected by a type of malicious program known as a "rootkit". He found that the rootkit came from XCP anti-piracy software on a Sony BMG CD. It also left his machine open to exploit by malicious programmers and computer virus writers. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4568670.stm
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Editor - 11:19:00 12-30-05
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| Amtrak Passengers Stranded Aboard Train in Ga. Woods for More Than 24 Hours |
A trainload of antsy passengers, including many families returning from trips to Disney World, has been stuck on an Amtrak train halted near south Georgia for more than 24 hours. Amtrak Train 98 has been stalled in a patch of woods near Georgia's border with Florida while engineers wait for a derailed CSX freight train to be removed. In all, eight Amtrak trains were affected by the delays, said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. Meanwhile, the train's passengers including many cash-strapped families headed home from vacations are getting frustrated. "We're stuck in the woods," said Eleanor Meyer. "People have ran out of money buying food. This is unbelievable. You have to run to different cars because certain cars have run out of toilet paper." ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1456482&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
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Editor - 11:17:00 12-30-05
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| Winter storm causes Calif. rivers to swell |
A drenching winter storm swelled rivers in northern California to their highest levels in seven years, causing power outages and forcing some residents to evacuate. Flood warnings were in effect for the northern half of the state after the storm swept through Tuesday and Wednesday. One person was killed in a car crash caused by a mudslide."It's been several years since we've had this widespread of flooding, and we're not done," said Rob Hartman of the National Weather Service's California-Nevada River Forecast Center in Sacramento.The last significant flooding in the region was during the El Nino year of 1998 and a year earlier, when three people died after levees collapsed north of Sacramento. The danger is lower this time because there is relatively little snow in the Sierra Nevada to be melted by the warm rains, officials said....
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2005-12-28-california-rivers_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 11:13:00 12-30-05
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