NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 11 December 2005
INTERNATIONAL 3-40 U.S. Waging Information War After disclosures that a Pentagon contractor in Iraq paid newspapers to print ''good news'' articles written by American soldiers prompted an outcry in Washington, documents and interviews with contractors and government officials show that the Bush administration, hoping to counter anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world, has been conducting an extensive, hidden information war. 1 A New View on Nuclear Threats The world should stop treating the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea as isolated cases and instead deal with them in a common effort to eliminate poverty, organized crime and armed conflict, Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the United Nations' nuclear monitoring agency, said in accepting the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. 9 5 Soldiers Killed in Baghdad The American military command said that five American soldiers were killed in attacks around Baghdad, including one killed by a suicide car bomb attack on a group of soldiers in the Abu Ghraib area. 30 Security Hinders Gaza Deal Security concerns have put Israel and the Palestinians at odds over an agreement on the Gaza Strip, which now appears to be on hold despite deadlines set when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brokered the deal less than a month ago. 10 Amazon Faces Record Drought The Amazon River basin is grappling with a drought that has evaporated whole lagoons, the worst since record keeping began a century ago. 1 Abortion Battle in Colombia Days after Colombia's highest court rejected a case challenging the country's complete prohibition on abortion, an international women's rights group says it is planning to file another suit. 16 NATIONAL 45-52 Patriot Act Frustrates F.B.I. Newly disclosed e-mail messages from the F.B.I. show that agents have felt hindered in using their powers created by the law known as the USA Patriot Act, passed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 48 Housing Deadline Extended Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would pay hotel bills for hurricane evacuees on a case by case basis for at least three weeks after a Dec. 15 deadline for storm victims to find housing. 45 Credit Cards Aim at Debtors Taking advantage of a tough new bankruptcy law, credit card companies are soliciting a host of debtors who will have much more difficulty escaping the repayment of bills. 1 OBITUARIES 60-62 Eugene J. McCarthy The senator who upended Lyndon B. Johnson's re-election, he was 89. 1 NEW YORK/REGION 55-61 Police Officer Killed A police officer trying to stop a burglary in a neighbor's home was killed in a gun battle in the Bronx, the police said. He was the second city officer to die in the line of duty this year. 1 Neediest Cases 59 Chess 61 Weather 63
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Barrick Extends Date on Placer Dome Bid
Date: 12 December 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
The Barrick Gold Corporation, the gold producer, extended its offer to buy a rival, Placer Dome, after Placer agreed not to execute a shareholder-rights plan that could have increased the cost of the bid. Barrick extended the expiration of its $8.9 billion offer for Placer to Jan. 16, from Dec. 20, the company said. After Placer's agreement to waive the rights plan, Barrick also withdrew a request to the Canadian government for a hearing on the plan.
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News Summary
Date: 12 December 2005
INTERNATIONAL A3-13 Leaders Split by Politics But Bound by School Ties The three Iraqi political leaders considered most likely to end up prime minister after nationwide elections this week were classmates at the Jesuit all-boys English-language school called Baghdad College, fortunate members of the elite families that governed Iraq until successive waves of revolution and terror swept it away. A1 American and Iraqi forces raiding an Iraqi government detention center in Baghdad discovered more than 600 prisoners packed into a cramped space, 13 of them mistreated so badly they had to be taken to a hospital, a senior American official said. A1 Chinese Officer Held in Deaths The commander of paramilitary forces who opened fire on villagers protesting land seizures was detained by the authorities in connection with the shootings, an extraordinary response that suggested high-level concern over whether the crackdown was justified. A1 Paris Suburb Symbolizes Riots La Courneuve, a Paris suburb of 35,000 people of 80 nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, has become a symbol of France's failure to integrate millions of Arab and African immigrants -- many of them Muslims -- and their French-born children and grandchildren. A1 Top Croat Suspect at the Hague For the United Nations war crimes tribunal in the Hague, taking custody of Ante Gotovina means the end of a four-year wait and the capture of one of its most-wanted suspects from the Balkan wars of the 1990's. A3 Rights Unit Faults Sudan Leader The United Nations should impose sanctions on top political and military leaders in Sudan and conduct an investigation of crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said in a report that accuses senior officials, including President Omar al-Bashir, of playing major roles in making civilians the target of attacks. A5 Quebec Party Courts Minorities The Bloc Québécois party has put up a record nine candidates of Haitian, African, Middle Eastern and Chinese origin this year to appeal to minorities and win toss-up districts in the Jan. 23 election, with the larger goal of winning a third separatist referendum expected in the next few years. A6 Runoff in Chile Election With ballots counted in the first round of voting in Chile's presidential election, a candidate who describes her rise as unlikely because she is ''a woman, a Socialist, separated and agnostic'' and a conservative billionaire businessman have advanced to a decisive runoff. A6 Finns Build Largest Reactor With continued spikes in gas and fuel prices, fears about overdependence on foreign oil and the growing threat of global warming, Finland has decided to move ahead this year with the construction of the world's largest nuclear reactor, and a number of countries, including the United States, are freshening up proposals to build nuclear plants. A10 NATIONAL A16-23 A Clash Over Rebuilding Gulf Coast After Hurricane There is a broad clash along the Gulf Coast over whether to rebuild hurricane-damaged areas much as they were, to rebuild at a higher price, with more robust foundations and buildings raised above ground, or to cede large swaths of land to nature. The debate features a cast that includes disaster victims, coastal engineers, mortgage lenders, the insurance industry, as well as local, state and federal officials. A1 Tackling Medicaid Costs Members of Congress will soon plunge into battle over the future of Medicaid, as House and Senate negotiators try to resolve huge differences over legislation that would allow states to cut benefits and increase charges for millions of low-income people, including many children. Medicaid is a flash point in a larger budget bill on which Republican leaders say they plan to reach agreement by year's end. A21 Disputes Over Abuse Ban The Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, predicted that Congress and the Bush administration would reach agreement this week over a proposal to ban torture of terrorism detainees, but those engaged in the negotiations said major differences remained. A19 Reporter Talks About Leak Viveca Novak, a reporter for Time magazine, said a lawyer for Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, was surprised when she suggested to him in the first half of 2004 that Mr. Rove had probably been a source for the magazine's July 2003 article that discussed the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak case. A23 Virginia Governor Ponders Bid Propelled by his popularity at home, Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia has launched a major foray onto the national stage, raising millions of dollars for his likely presidential bid and visiting states already being courted by potential 2008 contenders. The latest stop came in Florida this weekend at a state Democratic Party convention. A16 Still No Decision on Inmate As fervor over the scheduled execution of Stanley Tookie Williams early Tuesday began to boil across California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declined for a third day to announce a decision on a petition to spare the life of Mr. Williams, a former gangster and now-famous death row inmate, and commute his sentence to life in prison. A16 Administration Word of Choice Vice President Dick Cheney warned that Al Qaeda's ultimate goal is the re-establishment of the caliphate, with calamitous consequences for the United States. Caliphate is the term for the seventh-century Islamic empire that spanned the Middle East, spread to Southwest Asia, North Africa and Spain, then ended with the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258. A19 NEW YORK/REGION B1-8 Two Men Are Charged With Officer's Murder The two men arrested in the fatal shooting of a police officer in the Bronx were charged with murder as new details emerged that led investigators to believe that the men were trying to steal Valium from a dead man's apartment when the officer, Daniel Enchautegui, confronted them. The suspects, who were shot by Officer Enchautegui before he died, remained in stable condition, the police said. B1 G.O.P. Looks for a Way Out New York State Republican leaders were supposed to vote on their preferred candidates for 2006 at a meeting today in Albany. But the vote is now in doubt: some Republicans want only to plot strategy and emerge with a party intact. B1 Two Killed in Queens A man and a woman were killed and two other people injured when a gunman opened fire in the vestibule of a building at a public housing project in the Rockaways, the police said. B3 Neediest Cases B4 ARTS E1-10 SPORTSMONDAY D1-10 Dressing the Men of the N.B.A. When the N.B.A. instituted a business-casual dress code this season to spruce up the league's image, plenty of grumbling ensued among players, commentators and fans alike. But the new dress code has boosted an already thriving specialty trade: The haberdashers and purveyors of fine dress shoes who cater to outsize professional athletes. D1 OBITUARIES A24-25 Bob Richardson A fashion photographer of the 1960's and 70's, he was 77. A24 BUSINESS DAY C1-16 Oil Company May Buy Rival ConocoPhillips is in advanced talks to buy Burlington Resources for more than $31 billion in the latest deal in the rapidly consolidating oil and gas industry, according to people involved in the talks. A20 Shift in Focus of Trade Talks Recognizing that little progress can be expected on issues like farm subsidies, officials at the trade talks in Hong Kong appear likely to focus on increasing exports from the poorest countries. C1 A Change For Time Warner A decision by Time Warner not to sell the ownership stake in America Online creates the potentially more difficult prospect of forging a relationship -- with either Google or Microsoft -- that would bolster AOL as it competes with its partner. C1 A Coup for Paramount Brad Grey, the chairman of Paramount Pictures, managed to pull off a coup by snatching DreamWorks SKG from NBC-Universal. C1 Business Digest C2 EDITORIAL A26-27 Editorials: The burden of Medicaid cuts; Larry Craig versus the salmon; always the season for reinvestment; remaking the French ghettos. Columns: Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman. Autos D9 Bridge E8 Crossword E8 Metro Diary B2 TV Listings E9 Weather A22
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Hollywood Gives the Press a Bad Name
Date: 12 December 2005
By David Carr
David Carr
PEOPLE may not be keen on consuming the fruits of journalism -- ratings, circulation and polling numbers make that plain -- but put them in a darkened movie house and the craft suddenly becomes riveting. Journalists play a role in a surprising number of movies that are rounding out the year and may well be around at Oscar time. ''Good Night, and Good Luck'' and ''Capote'' take journalists as their chief preoccupations, but the news media also get critical roles in ''King Kong,'' ''Munich'' and ''The Constant Gardener.''
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"The Crawl" Makes You Stupid
Date: 11 December 2005
By Noah Shachtman
Noah Shachtman
Noah Shachtman article, in review of year's notable ideas, on research confirming that crawl--stream of headlines slinking across lower portion of television screen--is distracting; study shows people retain about 10 percent less of what they are viewing when crawl is present on screen (M)
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A Little Sleuthing Unmasks Writer of Wikipedia Prank
Date: 11 December 2005
By Katharine Q. Seelye
Katharine Seelye
It started as a joke and ended up as a shot heard round the Internet, with the joker losing his job and Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, suffering a blow to its credibility. A man in Nashville has admitted that, in trying to shock a colleague with a joke, he put false information into a Wikipedia entry about John Seigenthaler Sr., a former editor of The Tennessean in Nashville.
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Other Voices: How Can The Times Report on Itself?
Date: 11 December 2005
Readers respond to recent columns on how The New York Times covers itself, Bush-exit photographs and anonymous sources.
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Open-Source Reporting
Date: 11 December 2005
By Alexandra Starr
Alexandra Starr
Alexandra Starr article, in review of year's notable ideas, on blogger Josh Marshall's call to readers to share their knowledge of spreading Washington scandals, terming effort 'open-source investigative reporting'; by tapping his readership, Marshall has assembled rough equivalent of large, unpaid news-gathering and fact-checking network (M)
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Laptop That Will Save the World, The
Date: 11 December 2005
By Michael Crowley
Michael Crowley
Michael Crowley article, in review of year's notable ideas, on MIT Media Lab's design of $100 laptop; using funding from News Corp, Google and others, team at Media Lab led by Nicholas Negroponte designed extremely durable, compact, no-frills laptop, which they would like to see given to millions of children worldwide by 2008; photos (M)
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