Headlines Thursday 14th January 2010

=== Todays Toon ===

=== Bible Quote ===
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
===

An anguished father holds an infant girl pulled from the rubble in Port-au-Prince as Haitians plead for help in the wake of devastating quake.


Haiti's PM says the death toll may top 100,000 after a quake left streets strewn with corpses and thousands missing. Hospitals, schools and a jail were destroyed / AFP

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Obama Wants Record $708B for Wars
President Barack Obama will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to fight wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on top of a record $708 billion for the Defense Department next year, The Associated Press has learned -- a request that could be an especially hard sell to some of the administration's Democratic allies.

Yemen: Suspected Al Qaeda Figure Killed in Raid
Yemeni security forces killed a suspected Al Qaeda figure and arrested four others in a raid on a house in a remote mountainous province, the region's governor said Wednesday.

Fugitive Who Taunted U.K. Police on Facebook Caught

An escaped British convict whose online antics drew an international Internet fan base has been caught after nearly four months on the run, police said Wednesday.

Yahoo Backs Google's Response to China Hackers
Yahoo supports rival Google's threatened departure from China because of computer attacks that pried into the e-mail accounts of human rights activists. In a statement, Yahoo says it's "aligned" with Google's reaction to the hacking that originated within China. Google has promised to stop censoring its search results in China, defying the country's government. The move may result in Google pulling out of China completely.

Honeymoon killer safe here, but not in US
MOVES to extradite honeymoon dive killer Gabe Watson in doubt because he could face the death penalty back in the US.

White grandma wins custody of island kids
TWO Aboriginal children will live with their white gran after exposure to alcohol-fuelled violence.

'Textbook murder' accused gets retrial
A SON accused of his dad's murder will stand trial again later this year after winning an appeal.

Chicken, spuds end 52 days of starvation

IT WAS hospital food but hunger striker Peter Spencer ate every bit of his first meal - chicken and vegies, smothered in gravy.

Taxpayers lose over Stewart dumping
STATE Labor Party infighting between the Premier's office and dumped Bankstown MP Tony Stewart has cost taxpayers at least $200,000.

Tourist's death in paradise: Trial begins
THE bouncer accused of murdering Australian tourist Doujon Zammit in Greece has worn a bullet-proof vest to the first day of his trial.

Blair backed invasion of Iraq in secret letters to George W Bush
TONY BLAIR sent George W. Bush secret letters promising Britain would "be there" and back a US invasion of Iraq a year before the conflict began. The then British prime minister wrote a series of "very frank" private messages to the US president in the run-up to war which were never shown to any of the UK's Cabinet. - no surprise here. It was the right thing to do and publicly stated by Blair. However, Blair's cowardly colleagues may not have been aware .. and still may not be aware. - ed.
=== Journalists Corner ===

Devastation in Haiti!
As the damage of the 7.0 earthquake is revealed, one network has every late-breaking report!
===

One-on-one with Sarah Palin!
The former governor sits down with Glenn for one full hour to talk faith, hope, and charity.
===
Poll Numbers Take a Dive!
So why are voters really pulling away from the president? Dick Morris has insight!
===
McCain goes 'On The Record'!
The senator discusses what the biggest threat to our health care system is, and what we need to do to combat terrorism.

=== Comments ===
Rudd opens the door for genuine security threats
Piers Akerman
KEVIN Rudd has shown he has absolutely no credibility on border security and the war on terror by insisting that Tamil refugees deemed to be a security threat be brought to Australia. - I think that many boat people are desperate, and many are peace loving. However this cold and heartless policy of Rudd’s will see half of all such migrants (yes, often economic refugees) die in their attempt to come to Australia. Rudd’s policy is weak and dangerous and inefficient. It undermines the UN’s attempt to process refugees. It is an expensive failure of Rudd’s. And, Piers is correct to label it as a security risk. I have friends who were refugees and their lives may well be at risk because Rudd wants to be popular and doesn’t care who he hurts or kills in this attempt. Not long ago some Sri Lankans were assaulted in Sydney with acid poured on their faces and down their throats by Sri Lankan separatists. While normal UN processing exposes Australia to such dangers, Rudd’s policy is much much worse. I want refugees to come to Australia and find refuge .. including refuge from craven characters as which run the ALP. - ed
===
Sarah Palin Debuts as Fox News Contributor

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," January 12, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the top story tonight: As you may know, Fox News has hired Governor Sarah Palin to do news analysis. That has thrown the left-wing media into a conniption.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't Sarah Palin going to work for Fox News like just a godsend to anybody who wants to have comedy on the radio?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She had a pesky little problem with the truth. No irony that day these headlines came out. Fox News snatches her up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe she'll like being a pundit on Fox News. But the time we picked her...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How could she be a pundit? She doesn't know anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, there's just going to be one more ignorant right-winger at Fox News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Now here's how dumb that comment is. "The Factor" beat CNN 5 to 1 at 8:00 p.m. and we expect that to increase with Sarah Palin on board. Somebody tell Mr. Begala.

Here now is the governor, whose best-selling book "Going Rogue" continues to dominate the best-seller lists across the country.

At this point, you know, we talked about this last time you were in here. It's almost funny that these people feel that you're such a threat to them. It's almost amusing, is it not?
===
LET THERE BE LIGHTENING
Tim Blair
Both the left and the right could stand to lighten up a little, writes Nick Dyrenfurth.
===
FILM TRANSFER INTERRUPTED
Tim Blair
Sea Shepherd “captain” Paul Watson’s latest version of the Ady Gil collision:

The Ady Gil came alongside the Bob Barker to transfer film, and the Shonan Maru No. 2 came racing up from behind and did an abrupt turn to starboard and rammed the Ady Gil at full speed, splitting our ship in two. It was a deliberate, unprovoked attack.

I’m counting at least four inaccuracies in those two sentences. That’s about average for Watson.
===
CREATURE EXTINCT
Tim Blair
A Canadian magazine is changing its name for some reason:

(Via Alan R.M. Jones, who now refers to certain anatomical regions as “Canada’s History")
===
WARMING UNSPUN
Tim Blair
An intense disappointment for warmies:

Australian government climate experts have failed to detect an increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones after analysing 26 years of data since the early 1980s.

Climate scientists have warned that Australia should expect to see more intense cyclones in the future fuelled by rising global temperatures caused by greenhouse gases.

But this latest research from seven Bureau of Meteorology scientists shows that so far there is no conclusive evidence to suggest this is already happening.

But let’s just keep trying to save the planet:

“Even if we do everything possible to reduce emissions between now and 2050, we’d only have even odds of hitting the two-degree target – and then only if we also did everything possible over the second half of the century too,” said co-author Keywan Riahi, a researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria.

(Via Nicole, who emails: “Then what the hell’s the point?")

UPDATE. Graham Readfearn:

If still waters run deep, then warmer waters all chopped-up by cyclones which then go on to flatten homes, destroy crops and ruin lives are (in the scientific community at least) running even deeper.

Exactly! I’ve been saying this all along.