Radio ratings reveal hit to Kyle Sandilands show
After an ill-considered rant by ‘King Kyle’ in 2011 that ended in an all-out social media backlash, it seems his 2DayFM show is struggling to pick up in the ratings. The entire network was in third place behind 2GB and ABC’s 702 in the Sydney market. It dropped 1.8 per cent across all timeslots, but took a 1.1 per cent hit for the Kyle and Jacki O Show specifically. The show is already reeling from an exodus of sponsors following Kyle’s remarks about a female News Limited journalist who had poorly reviewed his Channel 7 show, which he co-hosted with Jackie O.
130 billion Euro bailout won’t save Greece from pain
Greece might not default on its debts next month like it otherwise would have, but a huge 130 billion Euro bailout (the second bailout) won’t protect it from years and perhaps decades of hurt from a deep recession, cuts and grinding unemployment.
But you need the figures to help you understand just what that means. So let’s look at it like this:
– The standard of living has tanked by as much as 30 per cent.
– One quarter of Greece’s workforce is unemployed. But the figure for the nation’s youth is almost half; 47 per cent.
– 70,000 businesses were sent bankrupt in 2010 and another 53,000 are close to folding. That’s a sixth of the remaining 300,000.
– Homelessness has risen by one quarter and ‘petty crime’ has doubled.
– The suicide rate has doubled in the four years since the deep recession began to bite in 2008.
– One in seven Greeks (800,000) are in the public service. But the country is forced to cut 150,000 of those jobs in four years if it is to receive the next round of a bailout from the European Commission (EC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB).
– Greece will also have to hack 22 per cent from the minimum wage which has already taken a 15 per cent hit since 2009.
– The retirement age has been lifted from 58 to 65 and the pension cut by 40 per cent.
– Thousands of Greeks are fleeing as ‘economic migrants’ to escape the crushing conditions at home, leading to an extended brain drain that could flatten the economy for decades to come.
Syria cracks down on protests, journalists dead
The situation in Syria is worsening. President Bashar Assad’s regime has intensified the crackdown on rebels within the country who are fighting for a change in leadership. Thousands have been killed in the Government’s fight back and the fight in the rebel stronghold of Homs has become critical. The regime has dispatched helicopter gunships to the north-west and shelled Homs in an attempt to drive out the rebels, to no avail. Hundreds have died in this chapter alone including the deaths of two journalists overnight. One was world renowned foreign correspondent, Marie Colvin, killed while trying to leave her shelled base. Ms Colvin was in Syria covering the bloodshed as it unfolded. Her most recent report:
A New Development In The Case Of Missing Mum Samantha Murphy
The Quicky
