WHAT'S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS

AP reports from Baghdad:

The Iraqi government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month’s offensive against Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Basra, officials said Sunday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said 921 police and soldiers were fired in Basra.

They included 37 senior police officers ranging in rank from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general.

Only fired?

AP reports:

Many Spaniards were so amused when their king told Venezuela’s president to “shut up” they want to hear the words every time their phone rings.mobile phone ringtone featuring the phrase “Por que no te callas?” or “Why don’t you shut up?”

That’s what King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a heated confrontation at a summit in Chile last week.

The ringtone is thought to have generated around $2.2 million for the companies selling it, El Pais said.

T-shirts and mugs featuring the words are also becoming a profitable business, and videos of the confrontation have been a hit on the YouTube Web site…

“The king said what Venezuelans have wanted to say to Chavez’s face for a long time,” said Jenny Romero, 21, a student…

The spat last week began when Chavez repeatedly called former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar a “fascist.”

Spain‘s current prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, asked Chavez to be more diplomatic and show respect for other leaders.

As Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, King Juan Carlos leaned forward and said: “Why don’t you shut up?”

The instant, viral, political marketing popularity of King Juan Carlos comes when the monarch’s role was questioned inside of Spain.

This politically incorrect expression has made the King into a popular figure inside and outside his country.

He confronted the clown like a circus ring’s master.

Well done!