Top Stories –
Not a bad gardening leave payoff –
NBC reaches a $45m (£28m) agreement with Conan O’Brien over his late-night US talk show, so his predecessor Jay Leno can make a return. O’Brien will be allowed to return to TV in eight months.
Conan O’Brien
Wolf in wolf’s clothing –
The winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award has been disqualified after judges ruled that the featured wolf was probably a “model”. The 2009 winning image, dubbed the storybook wolf, was taken by photographer Jose Luis Rodriguez.
The car in front… won’t slow down –
Toyota is recalling 2.3 million cars in the US to correct sticking accelerator pedals. In August of last year, Toyota recalled 690,000 cars in China due to faulty electrical window switches.
Top Video –
Videotape – A Pixilation Sci-Fi Short Film about an old man’s haunted VCR.
Videotape from The Old Mill on Vimeo.
Top News –
- Operation Aurora:
- Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister He Yafei downplays the government‘s row with Google, saying it does not affect relations with the United States. (BBC) (AFP) (China Daily)
- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls on China to investigate the cyber attacks on Google. (BBC)
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates makes his first visit to Pakistan. (BBC)
- U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs reports a sharp increase in profits for 2009, beating analysts‘ expectations.(BBC) (The New York Times)
- The United States sends an additional 2,000 troops to Haiti to help with earthquake relief efforts. (BBC)
- Chinese economy grows 8.7% in 2009. (BBC) (China Daily)
- Virginia, United States shootings suspect Christopher Speight is charged with first degree murder. (BBC)
- United States Supreme Court overturns campaign spending limits by corporations and unions. (BBC)
- The Parliament of Angola approves a new constitution that abolishes direct presidential elections. (BBC) (Angola Press)
- Nigerian authorities relax a 24 hour curfew put in place in Jos due to recent religious violence. (Reuters Africa)(Afrique en ligne)
- General Motors confirms it will close an Opel factory in Antwerp, Belgium, cutting 2,300 jobs. (BBC)
- Yemen stops issuing visas at international airports to “halt terrorist infiltration” following the Christmas Day bomb plot.(Yemen News Agency) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- The internet forum boards.ie is attacked by hackers, forcing it to go offline and change the passwords of thousands of its users. (RTÉ) (BBC) (The Irish Times)
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