'Monday Night Football' Moving to ESPN
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL's ''Monday Night Football,'' a hallmark of television sports programming since the days of Howard Cosell, is leaving ABC after 35 years for ESPN starting with the 2006 season.
The NFL's new broadcast deal also brings football back to NBC for the first time in six years. NBC will take over the Sunday night games previously broadcast on ESPN, and plans to use a flexible scheduling model that ensures meaningful games will played in that slot late in the season.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Iraq Official Killed After Hostage Comments
Gunmen assassinated a senior Iraqi Interior Ministry official who had told the media that a hostage crisis that fuelled sectarian tensions was exaggerated, police said. Police said 10 gunmen entered the home of Major-General Adnan Thabet in Baghdad and killed him and his nephew. Hours before he was killed, Mr Thabet said: "the number of hostages has been greatly exaggerated". Link
Militia Chief Wants Australian Troops Out of Iraq
The leader of the Muslim militia group that dominates southern Iraq has called on Australia to pull its troops out of the country. Badr organisation is a mainstream militia group linked to the Shiite Muslim political bloc that won Iraq's recent elections. Its chief, Hadi al a Miri, says his men are in control of the Muthanna province and its provincial capital Simawah where 450 Australian troops are about to set up a base.
"Simawah is a secure place and the reason for that stability is our presence there," he said. "Simawah is under our control."The group has tens of thousands of men under arms but is in the process of becoming a mainstream political organisation and is not threatening violence. Australian troops are currently in Kuwait, testing their weapons and preparing to move in Southern Iraq for a mission set to last about a year. Link
"Simawah is a secure place and the reason for that stability is our presence there," he said. "Simawah is under our control."The group has tens of thousands of men under arms but is in the process of becoming a mainstream political organisation and is not threatening violence. Australian troops are currently in Kuwait, testing their weapons and preparing to move in Southern Iraq for a mission set to last about a year. Link
Ecuador's Congress Sacks Judges
Ecuador's Congress has ratified President Lucio Gutierrez' decision to sack the judges of the Supreme Court after mounting protests. Congress voted to set up a commission to appoint new members of the court, in a bid to defuse a growing crisis.
The judges were appointed by Mr Gutierrez' congressional allies in December, sparking popular discontent.
Mr Gutierrez and his opponents accuse each other of politicising the Supreme Court to their own advantage.
As the debates went on in Congress, hundreds of police kept watch over about 2,000 people protesting outside.
They were calling for the resignation of Mr Gutierrez, but he told reporters late on Sunday that there was "no possibility" of him stepping down.
Cont.
The judges were appointed by Mr Gutierrez' congressional allies in December, sparking popular discontent.
Mr Gutierrez and his opponents accuse each other of politicising the Supreme Court to their own advantage.
As the debates went on in Congress, hundreds of police kept watch over about 2,000 people protesting outside.
They were calling for the resignation of Mr Gutierrez, but he told reporters late on Sunday that there was "no possibility" of him stepping down.
Cont.
No More Excuse's Time for Us to Leave
Iraq militias 'could beat rebels'
Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias.
Jalal Talabani said this would be more effective than waiting for Iraqi forces to take over from the US-led coalition.
Mr Talabani, a Kurd, also told the BBC he would not sign a death warrant for captured former leader Saddam Hussein.
And he warned that any attempt to impose an Islamic government on Iraq would break up the country.
He said the Shia religious parties with whom the Kurds have struck a partnership to underpin the new government have agreed to a compromise whereby Islam will be one of several sources for Iraqi law.
Cont.
Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias.
Jalal Talabani said this would be more effective than waiting for Iraqi forces to take over from the US-led coalition.
Mr Talabani, a Kurd, also told the BBC he would not sign a death warrant for captured former leader Saddam Hussein.
And he warned that any attempt to impose an Islamic government on Iraq would break up the country.
He said the Shia religious parties with whom the Kurds have struck a partnership to underpin the new government have agreed to a compromise whereby Islam will be one of several sources for Iraqi law.
Cont.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
G-7 Finance Meeting Issues Warning on Economy
Top global finance ministers have received a sharp warning from the head of the IMF, who said their policies could disrupt world markets as they remained divided on how to ease the debt burden carried by the poorest countries. The warning from International Monetary Fund Managing Director Rodrigo Rato on Saturday followed a twice-yearly meeting here of the IMF policy-making committee, made up of senior finance chiefs from around the world.
He (Rato) said the global financial system was now out of kilter because of the huge U.S. current account deficit, weak growth in Europe and Japan, the low savings rate of U.S. consumers and inflexible currency regimes in Asia. "If policies do not adapt, do not change to react to these imbalances, we run the risk of an abrupt correction of the markets ... (when) confidence for different reasons could evaporate or could be reduced," he told reporters.
Link
He (Rato) said the global financial system was now out of kilter because of the huge U.S. current account deficit, weak growth in Europe and Japan, the low savings rate of U.S. consumers and inflexible currency regimes in Asia. "If policies do not adapt, do not change to react to these imbalances, we run the risk of an abrupt correction of the markets ... (when) confidence for different reasons could evaporate or could be reduced," he told reporters.
Link
CEO Pay Up Despite Shareholder Criticism
Associated Press
The executives piloting U.S. companies pocketed substantially more in 2004 than in the previous three years. Those gains come even as more corporate boards responding to sustained criticism about excessive pay rethink the way they award compensation, trying to more closely tie CEO pay to performance.Chief executives' pay increased by an average of 12.6 percent last year, according to an analysis of nearly 180 corporate proxy statements by compensation consulting firm Pearl Meyer & Partners. That figure does not include the profits many CEOs reaped by exercising stock options.
(snip)
The surge in what for many CEOs were already huge pay packages contrasts with an overall slowing in pay for rank-and-file workers. In the past year, the pay of the average U.S. worker rose by just 2.6 percent, an increase more than offset by inflation.
(snip)
But the bigger pay packages this year are already drawing fresh criticism from shareholder advocates and others. They are glad to see many companies moving away from the stock options that were a primary source of excessive pay in the late 1990s. But companies' shift to giving executives restricted stock shares that can be sold after a set amount of time has passed has just replaced options with shares whose worth is largely guaranteed, critics say.
The executives piloting U.S. companies pocketed substantially more in 2004 than in the previous three years. Those gains come even as more corporate boards responding to sustained criticism about excessive pay rethink the way they award compensation, trying to more closely tie CEO pay to performance.Chief executives' pay increased by an average of 12.6 percent last year, according to an analysis of nearly 180 corporate proxy statements by compensation consulting firm Pearl Meyer & Partners. That figure does not include the profits many CEOs reaped by exercising stock options.
(snip)
The surge in what for many CEOs were already huge pay packages contrasts with an overall slowing in pay for rank-and-file workers. In the past year, the pay of the average U.S. worker rose by just 2.6 percent, an increase more than offset by inflation.
(snip)
But the bigger pay packages this year are already drawing fresh criticism from shareholder advocates and others. They are glad to see many companies moving away from the stock options that were a primary source of excessive pay in the late 1990s. But companies' shift to giving executives restricted stock shares that can be sold after a set amount of time has passed has just replaced options with shares whose worth is largely guaranteed, critics say.
Asian Stocks Fall, "The Bush" Economic Policy is a Failure
April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks slumped, with Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average set for its biggest drop in 11 months. Honda Motor Co. and Samsung Electronics Co. led declines by exporters as U.S. manufacturing and consumer sentiment reports signaled slowing growth in the world's largest economy. The Nikkei also dropped below 11,000 for the first time in four months as anti-Japan protests spread to about a dozen cities in China over territorial and historical disputes.
Taiyo Yuden Co., which makes electronic parts in a factory in China, fell. ``It's starting to look difficult to count on the U.S. to be the engine of growth,'' said Hiroshi Arano, a managing director at Dai-Ichi Kangyo Asset Management Co. in Tokyo, which oversees $16 billion. ``Japan is also faced with the China risk now and that's a big factor keeping investors from buying.'' Arano said he's avoiding companies that depend on China demand.
The Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia-Pacific Index, which measures 945 stocks, tumbled 2.6 percent to 95.02 at 11:14 a.m. in Tokyo, set for its biggest slide since May 17. Japan's Nikkei fell 3.3 percent to 11,001.21, its steepest drop since May 10. South Korea's Kospi index lost 2.3 percent. Indexes in all markets open for trading fell, with New Zealand's NZSX 50 Index set for the biggest drop in more than two year.
Taiyo Yuden Co., which makes electronic parts in a factory in China, fell. ``It's starting to look difficult to count on the U.S. to be the engine of growth,'' said Hiroshi Arano, a managing director at Dai-Ichi Kangyo Asset Management Co. in Tokyo, which oversees $16 billion. ``Japan is also faced with the China risk now and that's a big factor keeping investors from buying.'' Arano said he's avoiding companies that depend on China demand.
The Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia-Pacific Index, which measures 945 stocks, tumbled 2.6 percent to 95.02 at 11:14 a.m. in Tokyo, set for its biggest slide since May 17. Japan's Nikkei fell 3.3 percent to 11,001.21, its steepest drop since May 10. South Korea's Kospi index lost 2.3 percent. Indexes in all markets open for trading fell, with New Zealand's NZSX 50 Index set for the biggest drop in more than two year.
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