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Shoe attack mars Bush's Iraq visit

The shoe-throwing incident happened as Bush discussed falling levels of violence in Iraq [AP]
George Bush, the US president, has had a pair of shoes hurled at him at a press conference during his last surprise visit to Iraq before leaving office in January.
An Iraqi reporter called Bush "a dog" and shouted out "this is the end" at Sunday's news conference in Baghdad, before throwing his shoes at the US leader.
Bush, who had been giving a joint press statement with Nuri Al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, ducked behind a podium as the shoes narrowly missed his head.
He was reported to be unhurt after the attack by Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadiya television, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The outgoing US leader had just told reporters that while the war in Iraq was not over "it is decisively on its way to being won," when al-Zeidi got to his feet and hurled abuse - and his footwear - at the US president.
Sign of contempt
In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt.
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Bush caught in shoe attack
The incident will serve as a vivid reminder of the widespread opposition to the US-led invasion of, and subsequent war in, Iraq - the conflict which has come to define Bush's presidency.
Bush shrugged off the incident and quipped: "All I can report is that it's a size 10."
Adil Shamoo, an Iraqi analyst at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, told Al Jazeera: "I think we should go beyond the shoe and think about the fact that the US should respect Iraq's sovereignty in order to regain respect of the Iraqi people and the Arab world.
"I think Bush has increased terrorism against the United States and instablity in the Middle East because of his policies."
The US president was in Baghad for unannounced talks on the pact between Iraq and Washington that will see American troops leave Iraq by 2011.
Al-Maliki applauded security gains in Iraq and said that two years ago "such an agreement seemed impossible".
Bush's visit to the Iraqi capital came just 37 days before he hands the presidency over to Barak Obama, who has vowed to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Recession fallout: US media in deep financial crisis

NEW YORK: Faced with declining advertising revenue and mounting debt, the US media has plunged into a deep financial crisis. The publisher of the two most popular dailies, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune, has filed for bankruptcy. The New York Times is seeking a $225 million loan against its headquarter in mid-town Manhattan. The popular Miami Herald has been put on sale by its owner. And stocks of CBS, one of the popular new channels, have fallen below $5 in recent weeks. Most American media outlets are now struggling to survive. They have gone into massive cost cutting, resulting in hundreds of journalists and non-journalists in the mainstream media losing their jobs in recent months. In the latest sign of crisis that has hit the once flourishing US media, The Tribune Company - which owns as many as 23 television stations and 12 newspapers including its flagship Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune on Monday announced that it has filed for bankruptcy. The company is said to have nearly $13 billion in debt compared to $7.6 billion in assets. "Unfortunately, factors beyond our control have created a perfect storm -- a precipitous decline in revenue and a tough economy coupled with a credit crisis that makes it extremely difficult to support our debt," Tribune CEO Sam Zell said in a statement on Monday. David Carr, popular media columnist for The New York Times, said: "Media companies have been hammered on the leading edge of the recession because they run on advertising, a discretionary expenditure that always is among the first things to go." The New York Times Company, which runs one of the most popular American newspapers by the same name, on Monday said it will borrow as much as $225 million against its skyscraper property in mid-town Manhattan, which happens to be its headquarter. This has become essential to prevent a possible cash flow jam. It is facing a debt repayment of $400 million. Notably, stocks of The New York Times have dropped 55 percent this year. So have stocks of several other media outlets. Besides CBS news channel, News Corp stocks have recently been trading below $6 and those of Time Warner have dropped under $8. Only a few days ago, The McClatchy Company, America's third largest newspaper chain running more than 30 newspapers, had put its popular The Miami Herald newspaper on sale. The Miami Herald with a circulation of 210,000 has won as many as 19 Pulitzer Prizes. Latest statistics released by Newspaper Association of America has disclosed that newspaper advertisement revenue in the third quarter of this year dropped by $2 billion; a record 18.1 percent decline. The online ad revenue too declined for the second quarter in a row, it said. The USA Today had announced a cut in jobs in its newsroom a fortnight ago. So did The Chicago Tribune last week. Gannett, the parent company of USA Today, has announced that it will cut 10 percent of its workforce at the more than 80 newspapers run by it. The 17-member Cox Newspapers chain has announced it is closing down its Washington bureau and would depend on news agencies now. Independently-run Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has lost 20 percent of its staff in the past 18 months. A majority of the US media has already shut down its foreign bureaus or cut costs drastically.

acid attack gang encounter

In a new turn in the case involving acid attack on two engineering girl students, police have shot dead the three accused boys, claiming the police party was attacked by them.
The main suspect Srinivas and accomplice Sanjay and Harikrishna were shot dead when they allegedly attacked the police party which went to recover a motor cycle used by them in the incident at Mavunoor on Friday night, district Superintendent of Police Sajjanar said.
The police action comes in the wake of a huge public outcry over the acid attack in which the faces of the two girls were disfigured and they were in a critical condition.
Two police officials were suspended yesterday for failing to act promptly on a complaint by the father of one of the girls who is battling for life after being subjected to acid attack by a jilted lover in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.
Yesterday, home Minister K Jana Reddy was gheraoed by angry activists of women organisations when he visited the private hospital where Swapnika, a final year B.Tech student and her friend are undergoing treatment.
Swapnika and Pranitha were injured when Srinivas threw acid while they were going home on a bike last Wednesday.