Al Jazeera has bought Current TV

Current TV was founded by former Vice President Al Gore which in its original format allowed for viewer centered content.   Shortly after the sale was announced Time Warner cable in New York dropped Current TV from its system without any prior notice.

Whether this was a political decision or business one remains to be seen. However given the Bush administrations derision of Al Jazeera's willingness to broadcast statements issued by Osama Bin Laden  accusing them of supporting terrorism.  As a consequence it is believed that U.S. forces deliberately attacked Al Jazeera's offices in Baghdad and Kabul.

Al Jazeera has acquired Current TV, the cable television network founded by former US Vice President Al Gore.

The Qatar-owned broadcaster plans to replace Current with a new Al Jazeera America news channel based in New York, doubling its US-based staff.

Al Jazeera has been struggling to gain more viewers in the US.

Launched in 2005, Current is at present available in about 60 million US homes. The deal was reportedly worth about $500m (£308m).

Al Jazeera said that almost 40% of all online viewing of its current London-headquartered Al Jazeera English news channel comes from the United States.

In 2010, Al-Jazeera English blamed a "very aggressive hostility" from the administration of former President George W Bush for reluctance among US cable companies to show the network.

But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the network as "real news" in 2011.

Burma air strike targets Kachin rebels – video

NGO video footage purports to show Burmese fighter jets targeting rebels in the northern state of Kachin, after reports of shelling and the use of chemical weapons in the last week. The Kachin Independence Army says the attacks are intended to clear the way for an assault on its headquarters in Laisa, but while the government acknowledges attacking the rebels from the air, is says it did so in self-defence

SIx In The Morning

ASIA

Pakistani Taliban commander reported killed

A US drone attack has reportedly killed a key commander of Taliban Islamist militants in northwestern Pakistan. He is said to have been among several militants killed in the strike.

Pakistani officials told news agencies on Thursday that Mullah Nazir Wazir had been killed in a US drone attack that struck a house in the village of Angoor Adda, near Wana, the capital of South Waziristan.

"Mullah Nazir and five associates died on the spot," an unnamed official told the AFP news agency.

Residents of Angoor Adda and Wana reported hearing statements on loundspeakers announcing Nazir's death.

One Man, Three LivesThe Munich Olympics and the CIA's New Informant

Willi Voss started as a petty criminal in Germany's industrial Ruhr Valley. Before long, though, he found himself helping the PLO, even playing a minor role in the 1972 Munich Olympics attack. He went on to become a valuable CIA informant, and has now written a book about his life in the shadows. By SPIEGEL Staff

In the summer of 1975, Willi Voss was left with few alternatives: prison, suicide or betrayal. He chose betrayal. After all, he had just been betrayed by the two men whom he had trusted, and whose struggle had forced him to lead a clandestine existence.

It was Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's closest advisers who had used him and jeopardized his life: Abu Daoud, the mastermind behind the terror attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and Abu Iyad, head of the PLO intelligence service Razd.

New insights into birth of giant planets

January 3, 2013 - 6:29AM

Astronomers using the most advanced land telescope in the world say they have unlocked knowledge about how formidable "gas giant" planets such Jupiter and Saturn come into being.

These vast but uninhabitable worlds are created by gobbling up gas and dust that envelope young stars in a murky disc, they believe.

The planets grow by capturing some of the gas from the outer disc, but they are really messy eaters. The rest of it overshoots and feeds into the inner disc around the

star. 

The evidence comes from observations of a youthful star called HD 142527, which is located more than 450 light years from Earth.

UN urges dialogue in Central African Republic

Sapa-AFP | 03 January, 2013 10:13

The United Nations on Wednesday called for dialogue between the Central African Republic's government and the Seleka rebels besieging the country, offering its help to organize talks.

"We continue to follow the situation with serious concern," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

"We are calling on both the government and the rebels to focus on dialogue that can avert violence and lead to a peaceful resolution," he added.

The special UN representative for the country, Margaret Vogt, "is staying in close dialogue with the key parties in CAR and in the region and has offered the United Nations support for any political negotiations," Nesirky said.

3 January 2013 Last updated at 00:22 GMT

Venezuela opposition demands 'truth' on Chavez health

The main opposition movement in Venezuela has called on the government to "tell the whole truth" about the health of President Hugo Chavez.

The Venezuelan leader has not been seen or heard in public since having cancer surgery in Cuba three weeks ago.

Opposition leader Ramon Aveledo accused the government of acting irresponsibly by making Venezuelans believe President Chavez was still exercising his duties.

The president's condition is described by officials as stable but delicate.

Report Says Mubarak Dictated Fierce Response to Egypt Protests

By KAREEM FAHIM and MAYY EL SHEIKH

Published: January 2, 2013

CAIRO — Sitting in his palace in early 2011, as protests against him consumed Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak watched live video feeds of the demonstrations in Tahrir Square and the brutal response by his security forces, who used clubs, tear gas and live ammunition against civilians, according to a commission investigating deaths during the 18-day revolt and its aftermath.

The video was delivered on an encrypted channel to Mr. Mubarak and other top officials, along with detailed security reports. Facing the most severe challenge to his rule in three decades, and just days after protests had forced Tunisia’s autocratic president to flee his country, Mr. Mubarak authorized the use of any means to stop the demonstrations, his interior minister, Habib el-Adly, told the commission’s investigators.

Paying out or paying off India's poor?

The Indian government is handing out cash to the poor as part of a phased rollout of a scheme designed to replace some 30 welfare programmes. Initially 200,000 people in 20 districts will receive the money, but the government plans to cover the whole country by the end of 2013.

"Nothing less than magical, and a game changer for governance" is how India is selling the ambitious scheme in which an estimated 90 million households stand to receive around $58bn in cash.

Those living below the poverty line will receive between $542 and $723 a year.

"If the government is raising such a high hope [among] the poor that they will get cash in the bank account, and if the government is not able to deliver that by the end of the year I think the consequences will be quite severe …. So you have to believe that the government would try its best to deliver what they promised just because of the [upcoming] election." -Parth Shah, the director of the Centre for Civil Society

Palaniappan Chidambaram, the Indian finance minister, told a news conference that the money is to be paid directly into people's bank accounts, cutting down on bureaucracy and cutting out corruption: "We are confident that the monies under these schemes will be successfully credited to the bank account of the beneficiaries. As far as bank accounts are concerned, our assessment is that by-and-large all the beneficiaries under these schemes in these districts have a bank account."

At this stage cash transfers will cover things like scholarships and pensions. It is seen as more efficient and less susceptible to corruption than subsidies.

Six In The Morning

MEDIA

China ejects New York Times journalist

A New York Times journalist has been expelled from China for two months after his paper published a report on the family wealth of Premier Wen Jiabao. The issue highlights the strict media controls in the country.

China has started the new year by expelling an experienced New York Times journalist from its shores. In October the US newspaper had published a report about the family wealth of State Council Premier Wen Jiabao.

Australian reporter Chris Buckley has lived in China for 15 years, spending 12 of those as a reporter. He flew out of Beijing on Monday with his wife and 12-year-old daughter.

Increasing BarbarityGaining a Clearer View of the Syrian Civil War

By Christoph Reuter

After spending months reporting on the conflict, a SPIEGEL journalist has pieced together a realistic view of the situation on the ground, and reports that dictator Bashar Assad's fall seems inevitable. But as the fighting grows more barbarous on both sides, he worries what the ultimate price will be.

It was August 2012 and we were sitting in front of the TV. The Syrian state-run channel was reporting that the country's army was fighting bravely in the streets of Maraa, and was close to defeating the terrorists there. At this very moment, the program continued, Syrian army troops were storming the cultural center where the last terrorists had holed up. The screen showed soldiers running past three-story apartment buildings.

We watched the TV, fascinated.

We had been in Maraa for days, waiting for a driver who would take us further into the interior of the country. Not a single government soldier had been seen in this small city north of Aleppo in quite a while. Not even the artillery cannons in Aleppo were capable of reaching the town. 

1193 cars torched in NYE French tradition

January 2, 2013 - 12:55PM

Hundreds of empty, parked cars go up in flames in France each New Year's Eve, set afire by young revellers, a much lamented tradition that remained intact this year with 1193 vehicles burned, Interior Minister Manuel Valls says.

His announcement on Tuesday was the first time in three years that such figures have been released.

The conservative government of former President Nicolas Sarkozy had decided to stop publishing them in a bid to reduce the crime - and not play into the hands of car-torching youths who try to outdo each other.

France's current Socialist government decided otherwise, deeming total transparency the best method, and the rate of burned cars apparently remained steady.

About 60 dead after stadium stampede in Cote d'Ivoire

01 JAN 2013 15:42 - ALAIN AMONTCHI, LOUCOUMANE COULIBALY

About 200 people were left injured and 60 dead after a crowd had gathered to watch New Year's Eve firework displays in Abidjan.

About 60 people were crushed to death in Côte d'Ivoire's main city of Abidjan overnight after a New Year's Eve fireworks display, an emergency official and state radio said on Tuesday.

"There are around 60 dead, and about 200 injured, this is a provisional estimate," a rescue official told Reuters, asking not to be named.

He said the incident happened near Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium where a crowd had gathered to watch fireworks.

A Reuters correspondent said there were blood stains and abandoned shoes outside the stadium on Tuesday morning, and government officials and rescue and security forces were still there.

2 January 2013 Last updated at 00:29 GMT

Japan crime: Why do innocent people confess?

By Mariko OiBBC World Service, Tokyo

Japan has a conviction rate of more than 99%. But in recent months there has been a public outcry over a number of wrongful arrests where innocent people confessed to crimes.

It started with a threat posted on the city of Yokohama's website in late June: "I'll attack a primary school and kill all the children before the summer."

In the months that followed, there were a number of similar threats posted on the internet - some threatening famous people, including the Emperor's grandchildren.

After a police investigation, four people were arrested. Two, including a 19-year-old student, confessed whilst in custody.

In Egypt, young revolutionaries feeling despair

Some of those who acted as the shock troops of 2011's revolution in Egypt see themselves as lost under the ruling Islamists.

By Reem Abdellatif, Los Angeles Times

CAIRO — Many of Egypt's twentysomething generation, hungry for a just society and economic opportunities, say they see themselves as lost after last month's clashes over the nation's constitution.

Young Egyptians like artist Mahmoud Aly and student Mohamed Abdelhamid were shock troops of the revolution. They gathered in the streets in February 2011 and shouted for then-President Hosni Mubarak to go. They cheered in amazement when he did.

But they look around now and wonder who, if anyone, is guarding their interests following the battle between ruling Islamists and the liberal opposition.

Fundamentalist's threatened by education

Education is one of the most powerful tools against fundamentalist religion and thought as it gives on the ability to question.  Why is that dangerous? Because it allows for free will and thought.
Throughout history conservative and or fundamentalist religious leaders have sought to control the populous with fear and intimidation.  Think of the Spanish Inquisition or Manifest Destiny, in both cases religious doctrine was used as  a means of subjugation.  Religion is to this day used in the same way as it was hundreds of years ago.             

Seven aid workers have been killed in northwestern Pakistan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Local officials said the victims, who were gunned down as they left a children's community center where they worked, were Pakistani citizens. Six of the victims were women, at least five of whom worked as teachers at the community center, while the seventh was a male doctor. The attack occured in Swabi district, about 75 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of the capital, Islamabad.

Six In The Morning

Obama calls on House to follow Senate and back fiscal cliff deal

Senate votes 89-8 – two hours after midnight deadline – to pass legislation to block impact of tax increases and spending cuts

• Rory Carroll and Ewen MacAskill in Washington and agencies
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 1 January 2013 08.51 GMT

Barack Obama has called for the House of Representatives to follow the Senate's lead and pass the fiscal cliff deal "without delay" to extend tax cuts for middle-class Americans and raise tax rates on top earners.

The Senate voted 89-8 early on Tuesday to pass legislation to block the impact of across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect at the beginning of the new year. The legislation would prevent middle-class taxes from rising, and raise rates on incomes over $400,000 (£246,0000) for individuals and $450,000 for couples.

Could Saudi Arabia be next?

Nobody can predict which way the ‘Arab Awakening’ will turn this year. But Robert Fisk has ventured a very tentative punt or two..

Syria

‘Yes, Assad will go. One day. He says as much. But don’t expect it to happen in the immediate future.  Or Gaddafi-style.’

Israel and the  Palestinian territories

‘Hamas and Khaled Meshaal will go on denying Israel’s right to exist – thus allowing Israel to falsely claim that it has “no one to talk to” – until the next Gaza war.’

Iran

‘Israel has no stomach for an all-out war against Iran – it would lose – and the United States, having lost two Middle East wars, has no enthusiasm for losing a third.’

Saudi Arabia

‘There are those who say that the Gulf  kingdoms will remain secure for years to come. Don’t count on it. Watch Saudi Arabia.’

NORTH KORE NORTH KOREA

Kim seeks reconciliation with South, economic turnaround

North Korea's leader has used a rare New Year’s address to announce a new focus on improving the country’s economy. He also said he would seek to end the North’s decades-old confrontation with the South.

Kim Jong Un, who came to office just over a year ago, following the death of his predecessor and father, Kim Jong Il, said in the nationally televised speech that the coming year would be marked by "great creations and changes" in the country's economy.

"The entire party, the whole country and all the people should wage an all-out struggle this year to effect a turnaround in building an economic giant and improving the people's standard of living," he said.

A

The slum that bred alleged gang rapists

January 1, 2013 - 5:56PM

Jason Burke

DELHI: The sun slides away behind the dome of a medieval tomb and, as the shadows fall across the cluttered homes of Ravi Das colony, the temperature drops. Winter in Delhi is short but here, in this slum colony in the south of the city, the cold bites hard while it lasts.

The new year will bring little cheer. Most of the men work on the booming city's many construction sites. Others drive rickshaws, one of the Indian capital's most distinctive sights. The women sell vegetables or sew, earning enough to put a chicken in the pot a couple of times a month.

One newspaper described Ravi Das colony as "the den of the rapists", "Delhi's underbelly" and "a fertile breeding ground for criminals".

AU to hold Central African Republic crisis talks as rebels advance

30 DEC 2012 14:13 - SAPA-AFP

Rebels in the Central African Republic who have advanced towards the capital Bangui warned they could enter the city.

Their warning came as the head of the African Union preparing to launch peace negotiations.

AU chief Thomas Boni Yayi, president of Benin, is expected to travel to Bangui to try to initiate talks between the government of President Francois Bozize and the rebel coalition known as Seleka.

But a rebel spokesperson told AFP that Bozize's departure should be on the agenda, and that rebel forces have not ruled out entering the capital of the chronically instable country.

"Bozize intends to give battle in Bangui, and if the situation demands it, we will take action," Eric Massi told AFP by telephone from the Gabonese capital Libreville, while reiterating that the rebels were not currently planning to seize the capital.

Technology teaser: Who will call it right in 2013?

By Fiona GrahamTechnology of business reporter, BBC News

The world didn't end, the turkey has reached the dubious curry stage of its lifecycle, and the the tree has dropped needles all over the shag pile.

This can mean only one thing.

It is time for part one of the traditional Technology of Business lookahead to what 2013 holds.

So select the device of your choice and settle down to find out what our experts have to say.

Robert Scoble, blogger and start-up liaison officer, Rackspace

A contextual future will arrive in 2013

If you are skiing this winter you might see the Oakley Airwave ski goggles.

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