| Indiana Editorial Roundup
This latest expansion of gambling must not be allowed.
To say that bars illegally allowed gambling in the past should not be an argument for now legally allowing them to operate these games.
And gambling remains a moral issue, which is why it is so tightly controlled. Allowing anyone to operate a gambling den, with no recourse, would have serious repercussions for society.
Indiana would get an estimated $5 million to $25 million a year from the taverns as part of House Bill 1153, the legislation authorizing bars to offer pull tabs and other low-stakes games of chance. That's not justification for gambling to be spread to bars.
The bill passed the House but must be stopped in the Senate.
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Lawsuit settled over derailed Sallie Mae deal
Sallie Mae, the embattled student-lending giant, reached a settlement Sunday over its scuttled $25 billion buyout, ending months of legal fighting that had cast a cloud over the company, according to people briefed on the agreement. The company, formally known as SLM, agreed to settle with its onetime buyers, which include the private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co., JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, in exchange for a deal to refinance about $30 billion in debt due next month. Both Sallie Mae's lawsuit and the buyers' counterclaims will be dismissed, and the merger agreement has been terminated, these people said. A spokesman for Sallie Mae declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for the buyers' consortium. Since the near shutdown of the credit markets last summer, the company has been unable to issue new debt backed by its student loans.
Live - Premier League
1728: Another flashpoint as a couple of tasty Chelsea challenges leave Emmanuel Eboue and Cesc Fabregas on the floor. Kolo Toure sprints about 60 yards to get involved but Emmanuel Adebayor drags his team-mate back. Joe Cole sees yellow for the initial tackle on Eboue. 1727: Chelsea boss Avram Grant makes his first tactical change - and it's a positive one as defensive midfielder Claude Makelele is replaced by striker Claudio Pizarro. Meanwhile, William Gallas is left dazed after an accidental clash of heads. 1722: Jon Obi Mikel forces Arsenal keeper Manuel Alumnia into a sharp save to his right with an excellent left-footed drive. 1722: Shaun Wright-Phillips whips a dangerous ball across the face of goal but Andriy Shevchenko is the only man in the box and he can't get to it.
Asian shares close mostly down as Japan slides
Australian share prices closed down 1.6 percent despite strong gains on Wall Street overnight, amid fears for the global economy and concerns the market was due for a correction, dealers said. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed down 97.1 points at 5,981.6 points. The broader All Ordinaries index closed down 92.9 points or 1.5 percent at 6,054.4 points. "It defies logic, especially as there's a chance that the Fed could cut rates" later this month, said Ric Klusman, head of institutional trading at Aequs Securities. "I don't think the market has gone as low as it can go," said Andrew Sekely, head of Australian equities at Intersuisse. A total of 1.58 billion shares worth 5.67 billion Australian dollars (5.07 billion US) changed hands.
Emergency coal shipped to power plants in blizzard-stricken S China
HOHHOT, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- North China's coal-rich provinces and regions are gearing up production and shipping emergency supplies to the country's southern areas plagued by persistent blizzard. Shanxi Coking Coal Group, a major producer in the northern province, has increased its coal production by 20 percent in the past few days. The coal currently makes up 60 percent of its total shipment, up from 40 percent during normal times. Since Jan. 25, shipments of the coal have been multiplied by 200,000 tons by Taiyuan Railway Bureau. A total of 13,000 train carriages were loaded with the coal each day, 3,000 more than usual. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has produced 32 million tons of coal so far this month, four million tons more than the same period last year.
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