memeorandum: Whispers of Mergers Set Off Suspicious Trading (Gretchen Morgenson/New York Times)

RELATED ITEMS:

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Centanni, Wiig freed (Update: Conversion video added) — The boss never sleeps. — "Khaled" celebrates his freedom: — There'll be some sort of video here soon. Stand by for updates. — Update: There are four different video clips in the sidebar of Fox's article on this.

Discussion: Wizbang

Ibrahim Barzak / Associated Press:

Kidnapped Fox News Journalists Freed — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Militants freed two Fox News journalists on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, ending a nearly two week hostage drama in which one of the former captives said they were forced at gunpoint to make statements, including that they had converted to Islam.

Reuters:

Kidnapped Fox journalists convert to Islam on video —Text+GAZA (Reuters) - Two kidnapped Fox journalists appeared on a new videotape released by their captors on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, in which the reporters said they had converted to Islam, the Fox News Channel said.

Discussion: The Corner and The Democratic Daily

DEBKAfile:

A Hostage Affair in Gaza is Ended by a Three-Part Ransom — DEBKAfile Exclusive Report — On the face of it, conversion to Islam would appear to provide a painless escape device for any hostage who happens to fall into fundamentalist terrorist hands. After all, once free …

Discussion: The American Princess and A Blog For All

Michelle Malkin:

Fox crew: Freed, forced to convert at gunpoint; "Halec" and "Yaco"..."Inshallah" — ***scroll for updates...Fox News Sunday interviewing Centanni...Allah with all the latest and the conversion vid (thanks to Rusty)...we've YouTubed the conversion video...embedded below...*** — Thank God.

Discussion: Dr. Sanity, Sister Toldjah and Cold Fury

Jules Crittenden / Boston Herald:

The War Tourists — My profession is an easy one to kick around.It isn't brain surgery: going places, asking questions, taking pictures, writing it up, broadcasting it.There are some skills.There are some things you have to learn.But it isn't hard for anyone, looking at what we do, to say, "I could do that."

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

CNN:

Kidnapped Fox journalists released — GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) — Two Fox journalists kidnapped by militants two weeks ago in Gaza have been released and appear to be in good health. — Fox reporter Steve Centanni and photographer Olaf Wiig were released shortly after noon Sunday and dropped off …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and Hyscience

Doug Struck / Washington Post:

Fox News Journalists Released in Gaza — Two Fox Television journalists held for 13 days in the Gaza Strip were released Sunday after they were shown on a videotape saying they converted to Islam. — The two journalists, American Steve Centanni, 60, and New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig …

Discussion: Romenesko

Ms Underestimated: Breaking News: FREE AT LAST! Centanni & Wiig Released! (VIDEOS)

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters: Centanni, Wiig Released After 'Conversion'

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters: Prisoner Swap Deal In Progress?

Rick Moran / Right Wing Nut House: FOX REPORTERS FREED AFTER "CONVERTING" TO ISLAM

James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:
Kidnapped FOX News Journalists Centanni and Wiig Freed

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Michael Isikoff / Newsweek:

The Man Who Said Too Much — A book coauthored by NEWSWEEK's Michael Isikoff details Richard Armitage's central role in the Valerie Plame leak. — Katsumi Kasahara / AP (l.) ; Lawrence Jackson / AP — According to a new book, the State Department has known for years that Armitage (left) outed Plame

Discussion: The Political Pit Bull, The Next Hurrah, USS Neverdock, Booman Tribune, The Democratic Daily, Althouse, TPMmuckraker, The Heretik, Liberal Values and The Nation

RELATED ITEMS:

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:

Just A Plame Waste Of Time — Michael Isikoff and David Corn have a new book coming out that reveals the inside details of the leak that allowed Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent to be uncovered. As widely speculated, the leak came from Richard Armitage, Colin Powell's key deputy, and it came without malicious intent:

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ and Sister Toldjah

Swopa / Needlenose:
The trapping of the accidental leaker

Discussion: PBD

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute: The 'Hubris' Of Richard Armitage

David Corn: HUBRIS: The Armitage Leak and What It Means (Plus More Info on the Book)

TalkLeft: Richard Armitage Named as Plame Leaker

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake: Something's Missing... Michael Isikoff has an intriguing glimpse …

Telegraph:

UN will not stop Syria sending weapons to Lebanon — The United Nations peacekeeping force to be deployed in Lebanon is facing further criticism after the admission that its forces will not even be allowed to intercept shipments of arms to Hezbollah from Syria.

Discussion: Argghhh!

RELATED ITEMS:

Lori Lowenthal Marcus / Weekly Standard:
What did you do in the war, UNIFIL? — DURING THE RECENT month …

Discussion: Texas Rainmaker

Michael Portillo / Times of London:

France about-turns into a bigger military mess — 'Il faut aller à Gorazde. " ("We must push through to Gorazde. ") The French defence minister would repeat it like a chant. It was 1995. In Srebrenica, a United Nations so-called safe haven in Bosnia, 8,000 men had been slaughtered by Bosnian Serbs.

Discussion: The Belmont Club, Cold Fury and Blue Crab Boulevard

Washington Post:

Democrats Split Over Timetable For Troops — In Close Races, Most Reject Rapid Pullout — Most Democratic candidates in competitive congressional races are opposed to setting a timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, rejecting pressure from liberal activists to demand a quick end to the three-year-old military conflict.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Daily Kos and Blue Crab Boulevard

Michelle Roberts / Associated Press:

Army Corps worries about Big Easy levees — NEW ORLEANS - Despite aggressive efforts to repair the New Orleans levee system following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, it isn't clear yet whether it could withstand a hurricane with heavy storm surge this year, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers conceded Saturday.

RELATED ITEMS:

Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post:
Silence After the Storm — Life Has Yet to Return to Much of a City Haunted by Katrina

Discussion: Bark Bark Woof Woof, MOCKINGBIRD'S MEDLEY and The Left Coaster