| Gaza: Israel’s Energy Cuts Violate Laws of War
These cuts, which Israel says are intended to pressure Palestinian armed groups to end their unlawful rocket attacks against civilians in southern Israel, are having a grave impact on Gazas hospitals, water-pumping stations, sewage-treatment facilities, and other infrastructure essential for the well-being of Gazas population. Starting today, Israel will reduce the electricity it sells directly to Gaza by 1.5 megawatts over the next three weeks. This adds to a series of Israeli measures since 2006 that have caused a 20 percent shortfall in Gazas electricity needs. The Israeli Supreme Court approved the most recent cuts last week, rejecting a petition by 10 Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups. Israel views restricting fuel and electricity to Gaza as a way to pressure Palestinian armed groups to stop their rocket and suicide attacks, said Joe Stork, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
Yesterday in parliament
The party used a rare procedure to ask the Commons to allow them to call for a public vote during debate on the European Union (amendment) bill to ratify the Lisbon treaty. Europe minister Jim Murphy opposed the plan, saying MPs had already voted, by almost 400 votes, against having an in-out referendum during debate on the Queen's speech. For the Tories, William Hague said the plan was an attempt to "paper over deep divisions" within the Liberal Democrats. But the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, claimed Tories and Labour were "terrified" of a debate on the UK's EU membership. First Great WesternThe transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, threatened to strip First Great Western of its rail franchise if services did not improve. She urged managers to "get a grip" and said First Great Western was being put "on notice" to improve services which had been "unacceptable for far too long".
Ask Tom
My wish list is a stopover on the inbound and outbound journeys, with hotels, and to be able to see the Great Barrier Reef.Dolly Silvester, by email There are two A380s in commercial service, both operated by Singapore Airlines, flying daily between Singapore and Sydney. From 18 March Singapore Airlines A380s will also fly Heathrow to Singapore. Currently it costs no more to fly economy class in the A380 than on one of their other planes, but supplements do apply for business class. It is hard to get seats for the A380 flights from London and Singapore, so you'll need to be flexible with dates. There is availability, for example, on 7 September to Sydney and returning from Sydney on the 28th. With a stopover each way in Singapore the fare would be £969 with Austravel (0844 412 4620; austravel.com).
Experience should help Suns
Asked what makes him so optimistic about this change, Nash didn't hesitate: "We have good players. If our chemistry is good and we have a chance to improve our cohesion, then we can beat anybody." Giricek update Philadelphia waived Gordan Giricek on Friday. That sets up a 48-hour period in which any team can claim him on waivers but only business days count. That means the Suns can't sign him until noon Tuesday. No team is expected to claim Giricek off waivers because his negotiated buyout salary of about $3.7 million would count against that team's cap and any luxury tax hit, even though that team would pay only the pro-rated remainder of his salary. Once Giricek clears waivers, the Suns plan to sign him to a pro-rated veteran's minimum contract for the remainder of the season. The Republic's Suns beat writer Paul Coro contributed to this article.
Bob Kravitz: Sports Q&A
Question: Lets assume for a second you don't think much of Sampson. Although I look forward to your provocative articles, I think your assault on Greenspan is a little over the top. Everyone makes mistakes (you've admitted to some), and I'm sure he'd like a do over on this one too. But he has brought direction and enthusiasm to IU athletics in total, and I'm sure he's learned from this mistake. When he extricates IU from this mess, as he will, could you relax just a bit? -- Bob, Bloomington
Answer: What are we telling students about accountability here? Greenspan was the AD when Sampson was hired. Now he's gotta pack his bags and hit the next Greyhound next, right behind Sampson. I don't see the gray area.
Question: My Kravitz, your job should be to report the news not tell people how to conduct their business as this is the business of Indiana University not yours.
Sales slide trims U.S. auto forecast
Sales slide trims U.S. auto forecast European carmakers also feel market's decline; demand booms in Russia Christine Tierney / The Detroit News GENEVA -- American auto executives scaled back their forecasts for the U.S. market after last month's grim sales results, although they took some comfort from booming demand for vehicles in Russia and other fast-growing economies. The worsening outlook for U.S. auto sales also weighed on European executives, who see signs of weakening consumer confidence in their market, and expect little or no growth this year. "It feels pretty tough right now," GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner told reporters Tuesday on the first day of the Geneva auto show press preview. .
Manager will face bosses for his review
Unfortunately, Corpus Christi does have a very LOUD vocal few who always yell THROW THE BUMS OUT no matter who is being discussed. Please think a little before you make such a serious statement. Re-read Post #7's comments, we could wind up a heck of a lot worse off if we go off half cocked and do something stupid. Personally, I hope Skip Noe is with us for a very long time. (Suggest removal) .
Redesign, day 2
Reader outrage over the Jumble has tempered, but we're still hearing some sporadic complaints about the new design. Some are easy to resolve, such as the readers looking for "Hints from Heloise" (it doesn't run every day) and Rebecca Nappi (her column doesn't run on Tuesdays). Others are a little more challenging. Smaller space means less room in the business section for the stock report, so business editor Addy Hatch is whittling down the listings. She's received about 20 calls today, with reaction "ranging from travesty to disappointment." The reality is that newspapers are no longer the best and most accurate medium for stock reports, and many bigger dailies are dropping the listings altogether. This, however, is little comfort to some of our older readers, who don't want to seek out the information online (incidentally, we don't have a stock report on our site, but we're looking into it.
Weather blog: Winter storm warning canceled
The wintry weather has led to about 500 cancelled flights at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Thursday. And as businesses let employees leave early, bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported throughout North Texas. Here are the latest reports from our reporters and other sources: 10:44p UNT clases on the Denton and Dallas campus have been canceled Friday.
- Mark Wright, UNT 10:01p The snow and rain has all moved out. There is nothing more in the forecast than a few snow flurries overnight. We are now watching storm number two. The core of that storm has run into some stable areas and some dry air, which has led to that storm just falling apart. Around daybreak tomorrow, there will be no additional snow in the forecast. But, temperatures are going to drop to freezing or colder.
Most Popular
Not because he doesn't want to talk. Magedson loves talking, especially when the subject is his beloved Web site. It's just that he's so incredibly particular. Arranging one simple meeting is an exercise that captures, perfectly, why Magedson is so good at getting results and why he's infuriated the CEOs of several midsize companies to the point that they accuse him, flatly, of extortion. He overthinks every detail. And it would never occur to him to stop pushing before he gets what he wants, even if he's not sure what that is. First there's where to meet. It has to be a public place. A dog park? A restaurant? Even after Magedson decides on lunch at Chompie's, he calls back with instructions about which bank of booths to pick. He's planning to park in the handicapped spot, he says, and from the right booth, he'll be able to keep an eye on his dog.
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