Thursday, December 29, 2005

Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
- Holiday sales on the Internet soared 30% over last year as people shopped online for computers and electronic devices such as Apple Computer’s iPod music players.
- AT&T will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a branding campaign that begins on New Year’s Eve and includes the music of UK rock band Oasis.
- Use of the so-called date-rape drug, gamma hydroxybutate dropped 76% over five years in California, a study says.

Wall Street Journal:
- The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe often identifies with radical fundamentalist groups, making it difficult for European officials to establish a dialogue to fight terrorism.
- Smith Barney plans to bring together some of its branch offices and Citigroup’s retail-banking operations in an attempt to leverage the parent company’s resources.
- German police have banned the association that ran a Muslim cultural center for allegedly promoting Islamic jihad.
- Retailers and manufacturers of flat-panel TVs are cutting prices as sales outstrip revenue earned from ordinary TVs.
- Venture capitalists are investing in companies that produce consumer electronics after years of focusing mainly on companies that supplied equipment for businesses.

NY Times:
- US homes are more affordable than they were two decades ago because of higher income and lower interest rates, loan fees and downpayment requirements, citing Economy.com.
- Semiconductor industry groups in the US, Europe, Japan, Korea and Taiwan outlined a plan to replace conventional silicon transistors in electronics with switches made from single molecules or electrons in a report to be issued Dec. 31.

NY Post:
- The number of crimes on NY’s subways has been cut in half since 1997, a result of the decision to add police officers to the system as part of increased anti-terrorism efforts.

Financial Times:
- Amazon.com’s UK unit had a record Christmas season this year, delivering 20% more gifts on its busiest day compared with 2004.

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