You report dozens of roadside bombings in Iraq or Afghanistan; yet if something terrible happens with one of your biggest allies, Holland, on one of their biggest holidays: Queen’s Birthday, you report nothing…

B. S.

Not guilty. We reported plenty. We had evolving text, photos, video and slideshows about that story all day long.

The bad news was that unfortunately, our search engine offered readers very little help in finding the story, and needs to be improved: GBU Editor

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Singapore says new law will prevent meeting disruption

“But if the government wants to tinkle with individual freedom and democracy to an oppressive level it will actually become the source of public order problems.”

Greenwood

I’m told that was an accurate quote, although she probably meant “tinker.” Since most of our readers are not familiar with Singapore English, or Singlish, it would have been more useful to paraphrase the quote or clarify the word: GBU Editor

Workers’ Party Chairwoman Sylvia Lim speaks during a rally for the Aljunied group representation constituency (GRC) in Singapore May 5, 2006. The city-state will head for a general election on Saturday. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash

Somali militants fire at U.S. lawmaker

So far, pirates have generally treated hostages well, sometimes roasting goat meat for them and even letting them phone loved ones. The worst violence has been the occasional beating. No hostages are known to have been killed by pirates.

This statement is false.

On May 28, 2007, a Chinese crewman held hostage of the hijacked vessel FV Ching Fong Hwa 168, was executed by Somali pirates.

On Aug 19, 2008, a Philipino crewman of the hijacked vessel MV Bunga Melati Dua was killed during the initial seizure of the ship by Somali pirates.

Between Aug 10 - Dec 12, 2008, three crewmen of the hijacked ship MV Action died while being held hostage by Somali pirates.

I just wanted to bring this to your attention.

Gary

A number of readers commented on this one. While the “generally treated hostages well,” description appears to stand up as a general statement, we have modified our “no hostages killed” background material in this ongoing saga: GBU Editor

Suspected pirates keep their hands in the air as they are being apprehended by the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) in Gulf of Aden, Somalia in this photo taken on February 11, 2009 during a counterpiracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third on April 14, 2009 in attacks that showed their determination to continue striking shipping in the area’s strategic waterways. REUTERS/Jason R. Zalasky/U.S. Navy photo/Handout

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Somali pirates hijack Greek-owned ship

Some fear the bloody assaults by Washington and Paris to free their hostages may raise the risk of future bloodshed. The pirates have vowed to take revenge on U.S. and French citizens.

Everyone, including the U.S. government and military acknowledge that the growing problem of piracy off the cost of Somali requires more than a military solution. But to characterize a carefully considered rescue mission, made possible by expert training and extraordinary oversight as a “bloody assualt” fails to accuratetly report what happened.

Let us not forget that the pirates are the criminals here, and that every attempt was made to reason with them prior to this action.

Reuters is better than this.

Dee

Several readers objected to that description. We substituted a more neutral phrase in the next update, and will keep it in mind in future stories: GBU Editor

Lamprell’s profit rises but dividend slashed

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Lamprell, an oil and gas services company in the Arabian Gulf, posted higher full-year profit, but slashed its final dividend by 74 percent citing difficult market conditions.

I was reading a news article on your site and I came across the word “Arabian Gulf.” For thousands of years the body of water between Iran and the Arabian peninsula has been called the Persian Gulf.

It’s an absolute disgrace to see politics used in such a fashion. Purposefully changing the name of the Persian Gulf is absolutely unbelivable. Journalists aren’t supposed to be politicians.

N.R.

That was an error. Our style on that body of water is simply The Gulf, with neither Persian nor Arabian attached: GBU Editor

The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hartford is underway in the Gulf, March 20, 2009. REUTERS/U.S. Navy photo/Handout

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SEC accuses Caribbean bank of $68 mln Ponzi scheme

“The defendants disguised their Ponzi scheme as a legitimate offshore investment and made promises about exuberant returns that were just too good to be true,” said Rose Romero, head of the SEC’s regional office in Fort Worth. “This case demonstrates that investors need to be especially cautious when placing money with entities that may be outside the reach of U.S. regulators.”

Who writes this stuff for you guys??? YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT?????

Arthur V.

Several readers pointed out the rich irony of letting an official imply that money WITHIN the reach of U.S. regulators is somehow safe. They have a point: GBU Editor

Madoff victim, Sharon Lissauer  talks to reporters as she leaves the Manhattan federal courthouse in New York, March 12, 2009. Multimillionaire swindler Bernard Madoff is leaving the luxury of his Manhattan penthouse to become just another inmate in a crowded jail. The 70-year-old former Nasdaq chairman pleaded guilty to fraud on Thursday in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

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Australia’s Rudd: U.S. dollar reserve status safe

The push underscores growing concerns by emerging economic powers — among the largest dollar dollars in the world thanks to strong export revenue — about the long-term value of the dollar.

What? What does this mean?

Two aging leaders dismissed in Cuba shake-up

Cienfuegos, 78, is the older brother of Camilo Cienfuegos, who was one of the leaders and most revered figures of the revolution that put Fidel Castro in power in 1959. Camilo Cienfuegos died in an October 1959 plane crash.

Now, where on earth did you find the evidence? Unless you have a crystal ball the remains of the plane were never found. You could as well have written that Camilo was killed by Castro for having different views!

Machiq

You’re right, the plane was never found. But despite some conspiracy theories and rumors, it’s generally accepted that the plane crashed and he was on it: GBU Editor

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is seen in Havana in this picture taken January 21, 2009 and released January 23, 2009.  REUTERS/Argentine Presidency/Handout

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FACTBOX-Five facts about Benjamin Netanyahu

JERUSALEM, March 20 (Reuters) - Benjamin Netanyahu won a two-week extension on Friday two form the next Israeli coalition government.

Here are some key facts:

* Netanyahu was born in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949, and grew up in Jerusalem. One of three sons, Netanyahu’s father, Benzion, is a renowned Jewish historian and supporter of the late hawkish Zionist ideologue Zeev Jabotinsky.

The second sentence of the first bullet point begins with a dangling modifier. The modifier refers to Bibi and not Bibi’s father, who is the subject of the sentence. I don’t know how this got by a copy editor and a proofreader.

Andrew M.

We should make this clearer before we use this factbox again: GBU Editor

Benjamin Netanyahu attends a party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, March 2, 2009. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

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China wants importers to cover some emission costs

China, like the United States, did not join the 17-year-old Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants linked to climate change problems.

There is a significant factual error in this article. China has signed and ratified the Kyoto treaty, along with much of the world, the United States has not.

J.L.

Yes. We corrected: GBU Editor

An airplane flies near a gas flare from a factory at Keihin industrial zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, in a 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

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