Washington Wrestles the Somali Pirate Problem — On Land

The celebrating over Sunday’s daring rescue of Richard Phillips, the ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates, didn’t last too long at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged Monday that the kind of Navy snipers who took out the three captors are only a stopgap way of dealing with pirates now sailing the Gulf of Aden. “There is no purely military solution to it,” Gates told an audience of the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va.

Share

Is AIG Spending Too Much on Public Relations?

AIG CEO Edward Liddy was a model of fiscal discipline. Appearing before Congress last month, he committed the bailout billionaire to pay back its government loans, clean up the financial mess it created and act as “good stewards of the public funds we have received.” So why is AIG spending tens of thousands of dollars every month on four big p.r

Share

Chocolate Sales: A Sweet Spot in the Recession

It is just days before Easter and housewife Laure Bertini walks the aisles of the Manor supermarket in downtown Geneva, looking for holiday treats. “Chocolate will always be at the top of my shopping list, regardless of the economy,” she says, filling her cart with gold-foil-wrapped chocolate bunnies from the Swiss maker Lindt

Share

YouTube, Sony Pictures in talks over feature films

YouTube is in talks to acquire licensing rights to full-length content from Sony Pictures, home of such films as "The International" and "Spider-Man," sources familiar with the negotiations told CNET News. Details about what a final agreement could look like are sparse, but any partnership between the two powerhouses would likely benefit both. Representatives from both companies declined to comment

Share

Israel’s New Leader: Can the U.S. Work with Netanyahu?

A right-wing Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was sworn in on Tuesday, and its refusal to accept a two-state solution with the Palestinians has already set it on a collision course with the Obama Administration. Netanyahu’s showdown with Washington may happen soon.

Share